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 II > Part 79
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In 1910, Virgil S. Miles was united in marriage with Miss Louise Perkins, from Wisconsin, a graduate of Carroll College, Waukesha, Wis., and who became a teacher and taught in Wisconsin, also in Santa Cruz and Fresno Counties, California, where she received a life certificate for teach-
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ing. Mrs. Miles is a daughter of Peter Perkins, who was born in Jefferson County, N. Y. He came west to Wisconsin and became a farmer and gained public prominence as the postmaster at Oconomowoc, Wis., for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Miles have three children: Virgil Perkins, Gloria Louise, and Seward Corrington. Mr. Miles has purchased a one-and-a-half- tou motor-truck and supplements his income from the ranch and apiary by conducting a trucking and freighting business. Mr. and Mrs. Miles are very studious and thoughtful people and are greatly interested in the eco- nomical and industrial questions pertaining to this age, and are earnestly seeking to do their part in the uplifting of humanity.
JAMES D. HENDERSON .- An industrious citizen who owns and oper- ates choice property of his own, is James D. Henderson, in charge of the C. A. Sample ranch of eighty acres on Elm Avenue, sixteen and a half miles south of Fresno. He was born in Grant County, Wis., on December 21, 1864, the son of John W and Martha Henderson. They moved to Missouri with their family when James was only five years of age, and settled at Bowling Green, in Pike County, at which place two more sons and daughters were born, making a family of five children in all. The father became a farmer and stockman in Missouri and died there, at the age of seventy-nine; and the mother also died in that state, when our subject was only eighteen years old.
James attended the public schools in Missouri, and at fifteen went into business. He became a fireman on the Wabash Railway, and finally was made a locomotive engineer, with a run from Moberly to Kansas City, and to St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa.
In 1892, at Moberly, Mr. Henderson was married to Miss Rosa Barnard of Vandalia, and so long as he continued in the railway service, he remained a resident of Moberly, leaving that town only to come West.
July 20, 1899, found him at Fresno, and two weeks later he went to work for the Southern Pacific Railway. He served as engineer and ran a switch engine for five years, during which time he was doing some hard and success- ful thinking in regard to the future.
After a while, he bought a ranch in Temperance Colony east of Fresno, and there soon set out twenty acres to zinfandels. His good wife died on the ranch, and then he went to Fresno and for three years ran the "Temple" rooming-house at the corner of I and Tulare Streets.
Having no children, Mr. Henderson lives with a relative at 1462 Thomas Avenue, Fresno.
ARTHUR B. GRANTHAM .- A successful rancher whose holdings rep- resent his own plucky and unaided efforts is Arthur B. Grantham, who came to California from Oklahoma and, although he has been twice seriously in- jured, has courageously stuck to his purpose of making a place for himself in the world. He represents one of the best of American families, and he has wisely improved each golden opportunity that has come his way.
He was born near the county line between Cape Girardeau and Bollin- ger Counties, Mo., March 25, 1885, and came with his parents to Oklahoma when he was only five years of age. He was reared in Oklahoma, but removed in the fall of 1905 to Kingsburg, Cal. His father was Havey Richard Grantham and his mother, before her marriage, was Rowena Theodosia Lee, a distant relative of General Lee. Her father was William Ludwell Lee, a cousin of the distinguished military leader, and Mrs. Grantham was a native of Mis- souri, in which state they were married. They had seven children, among whom our subject is the eldest son and the third born ; and one boy and three girls are still living.
Having attended the rudimentary private schools in Oklahoma, Arthur learned to farm and raise stock there. His sister, Mrs. G. F. Craig now of Lanare and he together with Mr. Craig came in a party to Kingsburg in 1905. Mr. Craig was a clerk for W. T. Hamilton, proprietor of the largest general
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merchandise store in Riverdale, and is now the proprietor of Craig's General Merchandise Store at Lanare, which he opened in 1919 where Mr. Grantham is now engaged as a clerk. He is also the Noble Grand of the I. O. O. F. Lodge at Riverdale, which is the main lodge and social organization in that town. Mr. Grantham began working out by the month, and later he became an employee of Clarence Berry on the Wagner Ranch under Oscar Butler at Kingsburg.
Mr. Grantham's parents came out in February, 1906, and settled two miles to the south of Kingsburg, where the father now owns a fruit ranch of thirty-three acres. Arthur helped his father improve the land, and con- tinued to work for him, and he also worked for a couple of years for Miller & Lux on the Button Willow Ranch in Kern County. Then he butchered at Kingsburg and also ran the River Bend Market at the same place, and later he worked for G. F. Craig in his meat market at Riverdale, where he was active for a year, and then he broke horses for two years and bought cattle for Joe McKale of Berkeley for six months.
Then Mr. Grantham moved to Modesto and rented the Dr. Rosseau place of 130 acres. He put in a crop and came back home and worked through the fruit season, and the next spring entered the service of Frank Stober of Kingsburg. He was injured there and laid up at Redondo Beach that winter ; after which he came back to his father's ranch. While in Fresno on February 3. 1917, he was run over by an automobile and his right leg was broken, leav- ing him permanently injured.
Mr. Grantham's father and mother are still living. He has bought Lib- erty Bonds and otherwise supported the Government.
P. C. JENSEN .- A well-traveled Danish-American who has seen a good deal of the United States, despite, or perhaps because of ill-health which has been greatly improved by American conditions, is P. C. Jensen. When sell- ing a farm to some one he has sought always to find a customer who was in need of a ranch for a home. By thus assisting people to establish themselves, he has made friends and well-wishers of his patrons, and has never lost a cent through default in payments.
He was born at Jylland, Denmark, on January 28, 1871, the son of Jens and Elaine (Petersen) Jensen, and grew up to help his father, who was a car- penter and also had a small farm, and is now living at the advanced age of eighty-three; Mrs. Jensen died fourteen years ago. There were other children in the family. and Mr. Jensen has a brother and two sisters.
In 1889, Mr. Jensen came to the United States and to Michigan, settling for a couple of years in the iron mines at Ishpeming, after which he was in the copper mines at Calumet and Hecla for a year. He then came out to South Dakota, on July 25, 1892, and took up farming, near Dell Rapids, in Minnehaha County, but after a year he made a visit to Denmark. remaining at home three months. On his return to the United States, he stopped at Kenosha, Wis., and from March, 1893, worked for four years as a farm la- borer. After that he became ill and again went back to Denmark. He farmed his father's place, and in time recuperated sufficiently to return to America where he still believed he saw greater opportunities than in the Old World.
When he again found himself on American soil, Mr. Jensen tarried for four months in Massachusetts, rapidly building up his health again ; but he had decided that California was his goal, and to Kingsburg he came in 1900. The same year he was married in Kingsburg to Miss Mary Sundegaard, a native of his birthplace, and a charming lady whom he had known from school- days. Very soon after he bought his first land in California.
He purchased twenty acres one mile north of the Kimball Colony, and since that time he has bought, improved and sold five or six ranches in Fresno County. He now owns twenty-eight acres which he purchased four years ago. On his first ranch in the Kimball Colony, he lived for seventeen years.
anna Margaretha Weber
Henry Weber Je
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The greater part of the time that he has spent in California he has been a citizen of Fresno County ; and he was absent from this section only in 1913, when he spent most of that year in Colorado, and Long Beach.
The poor health of his boy was the cause of his journey to Colorado in 1913, as the lad was threatened with incipient consumption; and for that reason father and son left Central California. A sojourn in Colorado and at the quiet resort of Long Beach enabled the boy to regain his health entirely, while it also did Mr. Jensen a world of good. Now the son is a young man of ability, especially in mechanical pursuits, and gives promise of a highly useful career, in keeping with the mechanical traditions of the family.
Mr. Jensen is a prominent member of the Danish Lutheran Church, which is on the Del Rey and Sanger road. He has long served as a trustee, and helped erect the church in 1905. He believes that this is a good world, and that it is quite possible for the people in it to make it still better by living consistent Christian lives every day in the week.
Mr. and Mrs. Jensen are the parents of three children. They are Roscoe J. and Harriet ; and the third child is Christina, adopted nine years ago when three years of age.
HENRY WEBER, JR .- A man who takes an especial pride in the fact that he has contributed to the upbuilding of Fresno County is Henry Weber, Jr., a representative young rancher of the Dunkard school district, twelve miles west of Fresno. He was born in Samara, Russia, December 5, 1885, the son of Henry and Anna Margareta (Weber) Weber, who, in 1900, came with their three children to California and took up their home in Fresno County. They bought twenty acres in Sierra Park Colony, west of Fowler, which they improved to vines and a peach orchard, later sold it and bought a place at Oleander where they raised alfalfa until the father retired. The mother died at Fowler in June, 1911, and the father resides in Fresno.
Henry is the oldest of four children and was educated in the public schools of his native town until his arrival in Fresno County, on February 22, 1900. He went to work on grain ranches for a few years, then began to learn the vineyard and orchard business. In November, 1908, he bought twenty acres where he now lives and has made all of the visible improve- ments seen there today, nearly all of his tract, which originally was a weed patch, being set to the Thompson seedless raisin grapes. He added to his holdings by purchase of twenty acres near California Avenue, and this he leveled, setting ten acres to Thompsons and planting ten acres to alfalfa. He erected a modern house on his property and has a nicely improved ranch for a home place.
On May 10, 1906, Mr. Weber and Miss Anna Margareta Rudel were married at Fowler. She also was born in Samara and came to Wisconsin in 1902 with her parents, Nicholas and Christina (Jacoby) Rudel. There the father died and the mother is now living at Warsaw, Wis. Mrs. Weber came to Fresno County in 1906. They have had four children: Phillip Daniel, died aged six months ; Frederick William; Laura ; and Lydia.
Mr. and Mrs. Weber are members of the Evangelical Association in Fresno. Mr. Weber is a stockholder in the California Associated Raisin Com- pany. He is a loyal citizen of his adopted country and is ever ready to aid every worthy project for its upbuilding. He is recognized as a leader among his countrymen, always ready to assist them in all their transactions. In politics he votes for the best men and measures, regardless of party affiliations.
FRED C. BONYMAN .- A young man of sterling qualities is Fred C. Bonyman, clerk of the Caruthers Union High School. The family lived many years in Lassen County before coming to Fresno, and there Fred was born on December 2, 1885, in what is known as Clark's Valley.
His father was Edward Bonyman, a native of Nova Scotia who crossed the plains in 1859 in company with his father, John Bonyman, coming to
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California from Carroll County, III. They were farmers and soon went to Virginia City, Nev. The father later engaged in the wood business and was married at Dayton, Nev., to Miss Mary Ann Rawlings, a native of Wednes- bury, Staffordshire. England, and the daughter of John M. Rawlings, who was a farmer and an iron-worker. His wife was Letitia Hemming before her marriage, and she died in 1865. The following year the father and two daughters came to Utah; and from Utah they moved to Nevada.
Mr. and Mrs. Bonyman came to California in 1872 and settled in Lassen County, where all their children, excepting Letitia, were born. They raised stock and farmed. Mr. Bonyman was school trustee for a while in Lassen County, and enjoyed reasonable prosperity.
In 1891 he moved with his family to Selma, and for several years they farmed a ranch northeast of that town. In 1911, however, they sold out and came to the vicinity of Caruthers. Here they have 102 acres, of which thirty acres are devoted to Thompson's seedless grapes, and twenty acres to mal- agas. The rest of the land is devoted to general or mixed farming.
Mr. Bonyman is a member of the firm of Bonyman Brothers, vineyardists and farmers, and with him are associated Newton, who was born on October 7, 1873; Albert, born on January 4, 1875; and John R., born on September 24, 1887. They make a specialty of growing raisins, and their establishment is three miles southeast of Caruthers, in what is known as the Princeton district.
WILLIAM JACKSON BERRY .- The venerable pioneer of Fresno County and oil man of Selma. William Jackson Berry, has passed to his re- ward, but his works and deeds remain, a living heritage bequeathed to a loyal citizenry. Among the substantial residents of Fresno County there is no name more familiarly quoted than that of William J. Berry. or, as he is more often called by his intimate friends, "Uncle Bill Berry." He had been ac- tively identified with the best interests of California ever since 1861, and especially with the oil industry of this part of the state ; and the agricultural possibilities also were demonstrated by his success along that line. Uncle Bill Berry was born in Washington County, Mo .. June 14, 1840, a son of Hugh C. Berry.
The name of Hugh has been a favored one in the Berry family and it has marked five generations. The grandfather of our subject was named Hugh, and was born in Ireland but came to the United States and settled in Virginia in Colonial days. He was a distiller and owned slaves who worked his large plantation. The second Hugh, was the father of William Jackson Berry. He was a man of exceptional education and was a noted mathema- tician. During his early manhood he taught school in Washington County and had among his pupils a young lady who subsequently married a Mr. Apperson and became the mother of Mrs. Phoebe Hearst: George C. Hearst was also a pupil in his school; he became a United States senator and was the father of the journalist. William Randolph Hearst. Hugh C. Berry did not keep slaves, for he could not farm on account of becoming crippled when he was a lad, so he engaged in teaching school. After the war he went to Texas, located near Granbury, with his son Hugh, and there spent the re- mainder of his days, dying at an advanced age. He married Harriet A. Johnson, a native of North Carolina and a second cousin of Senator Hiram WV. Johnson, but who settled in Washington County, Mo., with her parents, when she was a child. She bore her husband nine sons and three daughters. The next Hugh Berry was the son of Hugh C. just mentioned and Uncle Bill Berry had a son named Hugh F. who has a daughter. Pearl, now Mrs. Walter Boyd, a noted vocalist and pianist of Los Angeles.
Uncle Bill Berry acquired a practical common school education. al- though it was somewhat limited. His father gave him instruction on Satur- days when he was not teaching. When he was twenty-one, the Civil War was threatening and he decided he would leave the country and come West.
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He could foresee the bloody times ahead if he remained in Missouri and he left there the next morning after Fort Sumter was fired upon. With the spirit of adventure strong in him, he joined a party under the command of Capt. Phinneas Braley, and with ox teams crossed the plains via Utah and Nevada. He worked as a driver on part of the journey to California, thus paying his way. He had no money when he left home and his father told him to call upon George C. Hearst when he arrived in California for any assistance or advice he might need, but necessity kept him too busy to go to visit him. He was thrown on his own resources and grew up to be self-reliant .. As soon as he arrived in this state he went to the mines in Eldorado County, mined for a time, then bought two yoke of oxen, the price being $1,034. He paid down all the money he had. $180, and paid the balance off in instalments, and began freighting. He became an expert teamster, driving five yoke of oxen in hauling heavy freight, consisting of heavy machinery that was used in the mines in California and Nevada. He then went to Mendocino County and bought a ranch in Litte Lake Valley. In 1864, with his brothers-in-law, Charles P. Traber and J. B. Coates, and others, he drove over this section of Fresno County for the first time and helped survey this part of the county. He named a school district, Mendocino, after the county of that name. The land was a repelling desert, and he has seen it change into a veritable garden spot and the "Home of the Peach." He took up a half section of land and later obtained a full section of railroad land. With Moses J. Church (the father of irrigation in Fresno County), and a Mr. Easterly, and Messrs. Tra- ber and Coates, and others (twenty-six in all), Mr. Berry assisted in digging the ditch for the Fresno Irrigation Canal. Mr. Berry improved his land and engaged in farming with gratifying results. In 1878 he helped dig the Center- ville and Kingsburg ditch and later the Fowler Switch ditch, all of which has done much to develop this county.
In 1863, W. J. Berry was united in marriage with Miss Anna Coates, a daughter of George I. Coates who came to California in 1862. Of this union six children have been born: Hugh Franklin, residing in San Francisco; Clarence J., one of the best known oil operators in California who is living in San Francisco; Henry, a well known oil man of Los Angeles; Frederick, a successful fruit-grower near Selma; Cora, who married R. J. Skelton of Los Angeles ; and Nellie, who became the wife of Harry Smith, a Klondiker, but now an oil man at Taft. Mrs. Anna Berry, the mother of these children, now past eighty, survives her husband; now in the evening of life, she can look back upon a life given to worthy deeds.
In 1888, Mr. Berry moved into Selma where he erected a good residence and started in the real estate business, which he continued a number of years. He bought several sections of railroad land, which was farmed by himself and sons ; in 1898 he made a trip into Alaska, accompanied by three of his sons. When he returned to Selma he became interested in the develop- ment of the West Side oil fields in Kern County. He traveled over the country from Coalinga to Taft, noticed the outcroppings of oil and other indications, then with his sons he bought several sections of land near McKittrick, Taft and in the Kern River field. They developed several properties, the most important being the C. J. Oil Company at McKittrick, named in honor of his son Clarence J .; and the Ethel D., in honor of the wife of Clarence J. Berry. These properties continue to be fine producers. Mr. Berry held in his own right until his death, some 700 acres in the West Side fields, which is known to be oil land, but as yet undeveloped. Several other companies had the benefit of Uncle Bill Berry's counsel and judgment and he has been a prominent figure in the development of the oil industry in San Joaquin Valley.
From the time that Mr. Berry was given employment by Captain Braley in crossing the plains in 1861, he never lost a day, and could have had any number of jobs after he began freighting, if he had wanted to take them.
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He was a hard worker, a man of good judgment, and had a rich experience during his long and busy life.
The death of William J. Berry occurred at the age of seventy-nine in Ocean Park, near Los Angeles, on Friday, July 18, 1919. The body was brought from Los Angeles on a special train, accompanied by his good wife, the family and many relatives, who were at his bedside in Ocean Park. The funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Selma, and interment was in the Fresno Mausoleum.
E. ED PETERSON .- Only those familiar with the intimate relations of banking institutions to the steady, sound growth of a live, ambitious city can realize the value to Kingsburg of the Kingsburg Bank. Its popular assistant cashier, E. Ed Peterson, a native of Wayne County, Nebr., where he was born, near Wakefield, on September 6, 1885. His father, P. M. Peter- son, is a rancher who lives west of Kingsburg. He had married Miss Kjersti Person, and by her he had four children. The first in order of birth was the subject of this review; then came Clara, who is at home; a second daughter, named Esther, has become Mrs. Alfred Gunnerson, the wife of a rancher in Tulare County; while Helen, the youngest, is a teacher in the Kingsburg school.
Growing up in Nebraska, Ed attended the public schools and was a year at the high school at Wakefield. Then he went to Luther College at Wahoo, and in 1904 was graduated from the commercial department. Off and on he farmed in Nebraska, and there acquired a general experience in grain and stock raising.
In 1910, when he came direct to Kingsburg, he continued ranch work for a year and a half, and then, when the Kingsburg Bank opened, he started there as bookkeeper. This was on May 2, 1911, the imposing bank building having been erected the year before. He was appointed city trustee to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles Schaeffer, and is still in office.
Mr. Peterson was married at Kingsburg in 1912 to Miss Della Heer- man, a native of Nebraska, who came to the Coast when she was a little girl. Her parents, M. N. and Huldah Heerman, now live retired in Santa Monica. Three girls-May, Effie and Eva-and a boy, Edwin, have blessed the union and added to the popularity of the family which enjoys life in the Peterson residence at Bungalowville, in Kingsburg. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and Mr. Peterson served on the committee which erected the fine church edifice costing $20,000.
BENJAMIN AMADOR .- A representative of one of California's old Spanish families is Benjamin Amador, popularly known as Ben, whose wife is the oldest native daughter in the Elkhorn district and comes from the equally old and well-known Spanish-Mexican family of Garcia. He is a grand- son of Jose M. Amador, who owned the great Amador Grant, a very valuable tract of land three miles square near Alameda, which is still in litigation. Mr. and Mrs. Amador live on the Garcia Ranch of eighty acres six miles southeast of Burrel, which belongs to Mrs. Amador. Her maiden name was Rafaela Garcia, and she was the only child of Stephen Garcia, who died at Hanford at the age of seventy-five.
Mrs. Amador was twice married, having been born and reared on the Stephen Garcia Ranch, which originally consisted of 160 acres. There she married her first husband, Romeo Garcia, by whom she had nine children : Josie, Newt, Romeo, Leonora, Frank, Camillo, Jessie, Martha and Ellen. Her first husband died in 1906, and her father passed away fifteen days later. She was then married to Mr. Amador, by whom she has had six children, five of whom are living: Della, Antonia, Frankalino, Victoria and Carolina ; and also one that died.
Mr. Amador was born on March 17, 1854, at Benicia, and he was well
Thomas A. Petersen
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acquainted with many of the leading Spanish families of California. His mother was Mary Pacheco while his father was Selso Amador. His grand- father owned great tracts of land between Dublin and San Ramon. Ben grew up at Benicia, San Leandro and Livermore, and in the latter place he attended the public schools, and then went to Madera where he farmed for seven years.
He, too, was twice married. In 1880, he was joined to Antonia Higuera of Livermore, and by her he had four children, two of whom are still living, Joe and Barbara Amador. From Madera he went to Selma, and in that town and district he lived for twenty years, during which time he busied himself for the most part in teaming. Then he removed to Caruthers, where he farmed, and after that he came in 1908 to his present place near Burrel. One of Mr. Amador's sons, Joe, served in France in the World War, and two of Mrs. Amador's sons served in the army: Newt and Romeo trained at Camp Kearney. For years a steadfast Republican, Mr. Amador has sought in every way fully to do his civic duty. He knew Vasquez, the desperado, and both saw and talked with him. He hauled cord-wood from near Kingston to Lille's, and he often put up at Old Kingston, which was a road-house and a favorite stopping place for teamsters hauling lumber, machinery, groceries, merchan- dise and such freight from Visalia up to the Laguna de Tache Grant and over to Burrel, where the late Cuthbert Burrel, who owned the lumber yard at Visalia, was then developing his large ranch of 15,000 acres.
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