History of Humboldt 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 30

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > California > Humboldt County > History of Humboldt 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 30

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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

greater part of the time, prior to coming to this northern California seaport he had lived in New Brunswick. His birth occurred at Fredericton in that province in 1861 and his training in the trades of carpenter and millwright was had in his native locality, so that when he came to the States he was well qualified to earn a livelihood. At first he had charge of the repair department in Vance's mill and the Bayside mill, while at the same time he became interested in conducting a moulding factory on First street.

The management of a small furniture store in Eureka gave Mr. Close his early experience in the business which he since has made so successful. After he sold out that small store he engaged in other occupations in the county, but six years later he resumed the old line of business, opening a furni- ture store on the corner of Fifth and E streets, in the building now occupied by the Times. From there he moved to the substantial two-story building, erected in 1910, and located on the corner of Sixth and J streets. Every- thing about the building is thoroughly modern and convenient. Handsome large windows afford abundant space for the display of the stock, which con- sists of a full line of furniture and carpets. It has been the aim of the pro- prietor to keep only modern furniture in stock. Customers have the choice of a varied assortment in every line. Reasonable prices and modern stock have enabled the proprietor to build up a large trade in the city and county, where he worthily ranks among the leading business men. While largely concen- trating his attention upon the management of his store he has not failed to devote considerable time to affairs of civic importance and to the support of every project that conduces toward the general welfare, although he is not in any sense of the word a politician. His fraternities, Eureka Lodge, B. P. O. E., and the Moose, receive his co-operation in their philanthropic efforts and many charities. By his marriage to Margaret Esty, who was born in New Brunswick and died in Eureka in 1900, he is the father of six daughters, namely : Mrs. Julia Machabee, of Sparks, Nev .; Mrs. Lucile Haskell. of Oak- land, Cal .; Nola, who has charge of the home since the death of her mother ; Mrs. Mildred Johnson and Miss Margaret Close (twins), and Caroline, at home.

FRANK W. LUTHER .- A native of California, and descended from one of the old pioneer families of Humboldt county, Frank W. Luther is at present a prosperous general merchant at Alton, this county, and an honored and respected citizen of Humboldt county. He has won his way to his present success by careful industry and close attention to the details of his business, and by a wholesome honesty and fair dealing that has gained for him the confidence and esteem of his friends and patrons.

Mr. Luther was born in Eureka, Humboldt county, California, July 5, 1866. He is the son of Chris and Celia J. (Ferrier) Luther, well known California pioneers. His childhood and boyhood were passed in Eureka, where he attended the public schools, graduating from the high school, and later taking a course at the Pacific Business College, in San Francisco. After completing his education he returned to Eureka and entered the employ of the Wells Fargo Company, under Fred Bell, remaining in this office for a year. At that time he accepted another position with the same company, remaining this time for three years. Following this he worked for several months for George Kellogg, county recorder.

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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

The first independent business venture of Mr. Luther was made in the Alton district, whither he went after his service for Mr. Kellogg, first making a trip through the Eel river valley. He purchased a half interest in the general merchandise store, at Hydesville, with Mr. Beckwith. After the partnership had continued for a short time they purchased another similar business in Alton, and Mr. Luther became the manager of this latter store, Mr. Beckwith continuing in charge of the store at Hydesville. The enterprise prospered, but after a short time the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Luther became the independent owner of the Alton store in 1890. It was the only general merchandise store in Alton at that time, and has continued to hold the field up to the present.

In addition to the general merchandise store, Mr. Luther is also inter- ested in the buying and selling of farm produce, and especially in grain, potatoes and peas. He has handled nearly all of the produce from the valley farms for many years, and is exceedingly popular with the farmers. Several years ago there were many potatoes grown in the valley, and one year he shipped seventeen hundred tons out of Alton. Recently, however, this in- dustry has practically been abandoned.

Mr. Luther is also the postmaster of Alton, having held this position since 1890. He is also a notary public, and is agent for several standard fire insurance companies, including the Hartford, Royal and Fireman's Fund.

Although the business interests of Mr. Luther have been varied and extensive, they have not absorbed all of his time and attention. He is a director of the Fortuna Bank, having been elected in 1913, and is prominent in fraternal and other local affairs. He was made a Mason in Eel River Lodge No. 147 at Fortuna ; is a member of Ferndale Chapter No. 78, R. A. M., and of Eureka Commandery No. 35, K. T., and of Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., San Francisco. In politics he is a Republican, and is well informed and vitally interested in all questions that affect the public welfare.

The marriage of Mr. Luther occurred in Eureka in August, 1885, uniting him with Miss Inez Moore, a native of Canada, born at Oak Bay, New Bruns- wick. She came to California with her parents in 1878, locating in Hum- boldt county, where she has since resided. She has borne her husband four children, two sons and two daughters: Nina V., Shirley C., Lloyd and Rosebud.

Mrs. Luther is the daughter of Benjamin and Adelia Moore, who came to Humboldt county more than thirty-five years ago and have since then made this their home. Her father worked as a ship's carpenter, following this occupation practically all of his life. In the east he worked for a time on the ill-fated steamer, the Great Eastern, which was destroyed by fire in New York harbor, and on which many lives were lost.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Luther are popular with a wide circle of personal friends. Mr. Luther is recognized as one of the leading business men of his district, and one who has done much for the development of the community. He has been very successful, and his efforts have been a benefit to the town and to the surrounding country, and are recognized as such by the progressive farmers of the vicinity.

HERBERT N. BRIGGS .- That the press is a vital factor in the upbuild- ing of a community, whether large or small, is so thoroughly an established

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fact that repetition is trite, but it is greatly to be regretted that many people are inclined to lose sight of the man behind the press, the man whose ability makes possible the reading of the news of the world while yet it is news, and in the mind of a good newspaper man that means almost before it has hap- pened : who enables the man with something to sell to reach the man who wishes to buy, without either of them leaving their fireside; who keeps the throbbing human pulse of a community alive with mutual information and interest; who, in reality, creates and keeps open a great common causeway through which the life-interests of the people may flow for their common good. In the great dailies this power behind a throne is pretty certain to be so submerged and hedged about that his readers never see him and seldom are even conscious that he exists. But in the smaller cities the editor of the local paper is apt to be a power in the land, a man of influence and affairs, keeping in close touch with his constituents and with the life of his com- munity. Such a man as this is Herbert N. Briggs, owner and editor of the Ferndale Enterprise, a semi-weekly publication of much merit and with much of the snap and style of a metropolitan paper.

Mr. Briggs is the son of Charles H. and Mary Briggs, and was born in Marion, Mass., November 21, 1880. His father was a volunteer in the Union navy during the War of the Rebellion, serving with distinction through practically the entire time of strife. The son passed his early boyhood in his native village, attending the public schools there. Later, when his father removed to California, he continued his studies in the public schools of this state, and afterward completed his education in a private school. Mr. Briggs has been in newspaper work practically all his life, being initiated as a "cub reporter" when he was scarcely eighteen summers old. During all these years he has made a careful study of the multitude of details that enter into the successful management of a paper, always looking forward to the day when he should enter the field in an independent venture for himself.

This opportunity to own and publish a paper of his own came in 1905, when he had for eight years been following the fortunes of the newspaper business, and since that time he has edited and published the Ferndale Enter- prise with much success. This publication is one of the veteran newspapers of the state, having been established in 1878, and has been prominently identi- fied with the upbuilding of Humboldt county. It is a clean, progressive paper, with a large circulation, and its news service is unsurpassed by any paper of its class in the country. Under the present management the Enterprise is growing rapidly, having made substantial gains in both circulation and ad- vertising patronage.

Personally, Mr. Briggs is a man of business integrity, and conducts his paper on the latest business lines. His advertising is of a distinctly high class. He is popular in social and fraternal circles, and is a member of several lead- ing local orders.

Since locating in Ferndale Mr. Briggs has been united in marriage with Myrtle R. Givins, daughter of Frank J. and Ellen Givins, of Fortuna, the marriage taking place at the home of the bride, July 1, 1905. Mrs. Briggs is a woman of much charm and possesses a wide circle of friends. She is an accomplished musician, and is one of the leaders in musical circles in Fern- dale, as she was in Fortuna before her marriage.

Rober Wskim

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ROBERT WILSON SKINNER .- The president of the Skinner-Duprey Drug Company at the corner of Third and F streets, Eureka, has been iden- tified with Humboldt county from his earliest memories, for although a native of Iowa, born July 26, 1862, he was brought to the west during the following year by his parents, John W. and Mary Jane (Nixon) Skinner. At the time of settling in this county white residents were yet few and Indians still formed the larger part of the population, endangering the farms and even the lives of the white men by their hostile depredations. Twice during the early childhood of Robert Skinner he strayed from home and was lost in the woods, causing consternation in the hearts of parents and friends, who realized the grave danger of his falling into the hands of the savages and rejoiced greatly when he was found safe and unharmed. As a boy he was familiar with the country around Fortuna and Arcata and received a fair education in their schools. When the time came for the choice of an occu- pation he decided to become a druggist. In preparation for such work he matriculated in the California College of Pharmacy, a branch of the Uni- versity of California, and there continued his studies until the completion of his regular course. Upon receiving the degree of Ph. G., he returned to Humboldt county and became identified with the pioneer drug business at Eureka, where he now conducts both retail and wholesale establishments and in addition owns a retail store in Arcata. With his wife, who was in maiden- hood Mabel Scott, and son, Robert Edwin Skinner, he has a comfortable home in Eureka and enjoys the esteem of the best people of the community. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks.

The history of the Skinner-Duprey Drug Company dates back, under another title, to the early '60s, when William McKay opened a drug store in the old Hotel Vance in the heart of the business section of that period. Un- der his wise oversight the business became profitable and prominent, and the store was considered a model of its kind. Upon the death of Mr. Mckay in 1883, his former manager, R. W. Powell, purchased the business and contin- ued in the same location. In the year 1883 Robert Wilson Skinner, then a recent graduate of the California College of Pharmacy, purchased one-half . interest in the business. Shortly afterward the store was removed to the corner of Fourth and E streets and later a branch was opened at Arcata, where an excellent trade has been developed. For some years the business was conducted under the title of the R. W. Skinner Company, but with the admission of Mr. Duprey as a partner in 1903 the name was changed to the Skinner-Duprey Drug Company. At the same time, the business having ex- panded rapidly, a new store was started at Fortuna, which was sold to R. H. Bowman in 1908. In 1903 a wholesale drug business was started and a supply of stock is now carried that does credit to a larger city.

The decision of the partners to furnish the smaller stores of the county with their stocks marked a great advance in their trade. In a short time practically all of the drug stores in this and in Del Norte counties were pur- chasing from the Skinner-Duprey Drug Company their lines of specialties, patent medicines, toilet articles, household supplies, novelties, perfumes, soaps, cameras, camera supplies and drugs. In addition the manufacture of a headache powder has met with such success that it is now handled by some of the largest wholesale houses on the coast. It has been the aim of the partners to give to the purchaser the highest quality obtainable for the price

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quoted. They maintain pride in the fact that practically everything for which there is the smallest demand can be obtained from their stock. Considering the vast number of preparations now on the market together with the new preparations being introduced every day, and taking into account the fact that they have in stock everything from the cheapest package of toothpicks to the most expensive perfumes and imported drugs, the value of the stock may be appreciated with readiness. It is in fact the largest establishment of the kind between San Francisco and Portland. The size of the business and the long experience of the proprietors place the firm at the forefront of similar institutions along the coast. Robert W. Skinner, the president of the company, to whose thorough knowledge of pharmacy and keen business intelligence much of the success of the store is due, is a genuine "booster" for Eureka and always lends his support to movements for the local upbuild- ing. That Humboldt county will have a prosperous future is his firm belief. Whatever of civic development Eureka may have and whatever of progress the county may register in future years, not a little credit for such advance- ment may be given to this forceful business man and loyal citizen.

HARRY ALBERT MARKS .- It is unlikely that there is any better known individual among the men who have been working or operating in the redwood lumber districts of Humboldt county than Harry A. Marks, whose connection with the industry covers practically the entire period since his settlement here-almost fifty years. His unquestioned popularity is coextensive with his wide acquaintance, and his familiarity with the business gained in thorough experience in various capacities includes an amazing knowledge of its details in all branches. At present he is interested in the business as the owner of valuable timber tracts, part owner of several vessels and stockholder in a local railroad, and in spite of the fact that he has seen his earnings swept away in more than one unfortunate accident he has never lost his faith in its possibilities or cared to divert his efforts into other fields. No history of the development of the lumber resources of the county would be complete which did not include his part in the work as mechanic and capitalist, his achievements in the practical work and in executive positions in which he has again and again demonstrated his skill and versatility, and the influence which his high character has acquired for him among his associates. Per- sonally he is a man of intrepid courage, powerful physique and endurance beyond the ordinary.

Mr. Marks is a native of the province of New Brunswick, Canada, and is of English extraction. His great-grandfather, Capt. Abraham Marks, was a captain in the British army, with which he served in the war of 1812-15. His grandfather, Col. Nehemiah Marks, was a colonel in the regular army of New Brunswick, and was highly successful in the management of his private affairs, becoming one of the wealthiest men of the province. Abraham Marks, son of Col. Nehemiah Marks, lived and died in New Brunswick, hold- ing an influential position by reason of his wealth and force of intellect. He owned portions of seven townships, vessels and other interests, and was a man of note in his generation. His wife, Mary Hitchings, was also a member of an old New Brunswick family of honorable lineage. Her father, William Hitch- ings, lived to the great age of ninety-six years, her grandmother to the age of ninety-four; her great-great-grandfather was an Englishman and married a Scotchwoman. Oliver Hitchings, uncle of Mrs. Abraham Marks, removed

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to Aroostook county, Me., and enlisted and served during the Civil war in Sheridan's cavalry. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Marks were : Nehemiah, who died when fourteen years old; William H., who lives at Eureka; Sarah, wife of Thomas McKnight, residing at Saint Davis, in New Brunswick; Harry Albert; Arthur A., deceased; and Mary M., Mrs. McKay of Eureka. The father married for his second wife the widow of Captain Williams, who resided at Saint Davis, and of the three children born to this union but one survives, Joseph.

Harry Albert Marks was born March 4, 1848, at Saint Davis, in the parish of Saint George, and was reared there, with the advantages for educa- tion afforded in the local public schools. In the year 1866 he decided to come to California, making the trip by way of Panama and continuing up the coast as far as Eureka, Humboldt county, where he landed the 21st of August. His first job was at crosscut sawing, at which he worked until the fall, and then he cut two hundred cords of wood-strenuous labor for which, however, he was well fitted physically. He next entered the employ of Jonathan Freeze, who had extensive logging interests, working one year steadily for the firm of Freeze & Vance, after which he put in seven years with D. R. Jones, never missing a day's work in all that period. By that time he had acquired suf- ficient knowledge of the business to do contract logging on his own account, and was thus engaged at Freshwater, Humboldt county, logging two years for Mr. Jones. Getting in more deeply, he formed a partnership with David Evans, William Snyder, and John McKay, and together they built a saw- mill on Salmon creek which they operated successfully for two years, until the price of lumber went down rapidly and they were also defrauded of the pay for their lumber so that they lost $32,000 in three months and were driven to insolvency. In the face of this discouragement Mr. Marks began anew. He logged one year for "Jim" Brown, and then took a position as head packer for John Chapman, on Lower Gold Bluff, working for him two years. From there he went down to Redwood, where he preempted a farm at the mouth of Prairie creek, living on that property for a time, clearing forty acres and proving up on his claim. For some time following he was boss for the Excelsior Redwood Company, at Freshwater, and has since been located at Eureka, directing his affairs from this point. Meantime he has come into possession of a number of good lumber claims, three on Prairie creek, one on the Elk river and one on Salmon creek. His investments are mostly in this line, and include a thirty-second interest in two lumber schoon- ers and a sixty-fourth interest in three other lumber schooners; an interest in St. Helen's sawmill, and in the St. Helen's railroad. He also owns a dairy ranch of two hundred acres on the peninsula, across the bay north from Eureka, keeping seventeen cows and supplying milk to the town of Samoa. In the course of his varied career Mr. Marks has witnessed many innova- tions and improvements in lumber operations in this region, the successful working of modern plans for the conservation of timber and its more profit- able exploitation as compared with the methods of former days, and vast changes in the transportation facilities. He was the first man in Humboldt county to introduce a bull donkey engine for hauling logs, and ran it for years. As a thoroughly capable mechanic he has been very valuable in all the mill work which has come within the range of his activities, and his strength has made it possible for him to accomplish much. He inherits the hardiness

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of his ancestors as well as their intellectual vigor and fearlessness in under- taking whatever seems necessary, never hesitating to attempt anything be- cause of the physical labor or responsibility involved. Undoubtedly it is this combination of characteristics which has made him so well esteemed wherever his lot has called him, and he has a keen appreciation of his friendships. Mr. Marks has not entered actively into public life in any relation. He is a Republican on political questions, and in fraternal connection he is a member of Eureka Lodge No. 652, B. P. O. E., and of Humboldt Lodge No. 77, I. O. O. F., the latter since 1870; and is a member of the Veteran Odd Fellows Association ; with his wife he also belongs to the Rebekah degree.

Mr. Marks was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Morton, born in Philadelphia, the daughter of William and Rozetta (Bair) Morton, who came to California in 1853, via Panama. "Billy" Morton bore a prominent part in the carly history of Humboldt county, serving as postmaster at Elk camp, and was a stock-raiser and farmer, but the Indians destroyed and burned the place at Elk camp. Mrs. Marks has shown the true spirit of her ancestors as her husband's efficient helpmate. She has always encouraged him in his enterprises, and when he suffered reverses came loyally to his aid, doing all in her power to help him recover his losses. They reside at No. 1015 B street, Eureka.

HON. JOHN F. QUINN .- Arrival in Humboldt county and a simultane- ous opportunity to purchase unimproved land at a low price led Patrick Quinn to become a pioneer at Table Bluff during the year 1866, since which he has devoted his attention to the improvement of his property, transforming it from an unprofitable, unattractive acreage into a remunerative place with buildings, orchard and stock. When he came here he was a young man, at the threshold of man's estate, rugged physically and well able to endure the hardships of frontier farming. Some few years after his arrival in this county he married Miss Mary McNulty, daughter of Owen McNulty, a pioneer of the early '50s from Texas and a well-known innkeeper and farmer at Table Bluff. The McNulty family comprised Mrs. Mary Quinn, Mrs. William Phelan and John McNulty. Born of the union of Patrick and Mary

Quinn there were the following daughters and sons: Catherine E., now the wife of A. C. Buxton, of Fortuna ; John F., attorney-at-law. Eureka; William J. Quinn, M. D., a graduate of Cooper Medical College, practicing in Eureka ; Owen P., who is connected with his father in the management of the home ranch ; Alice Maude, formerly a teacher, now the wife of Oscar Cloney, of Eureka : Erwin T., a practicing lawyer in Eureka ; Fred, now with the Pacific Lumber Company ; Albert, a graduate of St. Mary's College, of Oakland , Harold, now a student in the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa .; and Evelyn.

The earliest recollections of John F. Quinn are associated with the old homestead at Table Bluff, Humboldt county, where he was born April 13, 1875. The country schools gave him a thorough knowledge of the common branches. In order to earn the money necessary for a college education he taught school for two and one-half years. Later he spent two and one-half years at the University of California, where he took the course in law and gained a thorough groundwork of professional training. Admitted to the bar in December, 1899, he began the practice of the law in 1900 and has since been connected with the attorneys of Eureka. The distinction of being the only

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History of Humboldt 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 30

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Irvine, Leigh H. (Leigh Hadley), 1863-1942
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Los Angeles, Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1328