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 88

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 88

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W. HI. Hellard is a native of Kentucky, born at Richmond, September 18, 1852. His father, John Hellard, was a native of Virginia, and his mother was Mary Alsap of Kentucky. His parents were married in Kentucky and there W. H. Hellard passed his boyhood days. There were no educational advantages at that time and he never attended school a day in his life,

IHISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY

receiving his instruction in private. When he was twenty-five years of age he went to Arkansas, where he met and married Miss Nancy Bean, a native of that state. For eight years he engaged in farming in Arkansas and then came west, locating near Portland, Ore., where he again followed the occu- pation of farming. In 1896 he came from Portland to Bridgeville, Humboldt county, where he continued to farm, and also became interested in running machinery, being especially associated with threshing machines and portable saw mills. He ran a saw mill ten miles below Blocksburg, and later bought and put in machinery at other mills, under the name of Hellard & Son, Saw and Planing Mills. They made the lumber which they used in the erection of the Alderpoint hotel, and also in the store building which they built there and for their large residence. There are seven children in the family, all of whom are residing at home: John H., the elder, being his father's business partner : Jesse, Charles, Roy, Viola, Ruby and William.

John H. Hellard, junior partner of the firm of Hellard & Son, is a native of Arkansas, having been born on his father's farm in Yell county, December 1, 1883. He came west with his parents and for a number of years resided on a farm near Portland, Ore., where he attended school and assisted with the farm responsibilities. He has been his father's business partner since he reached his majority, and has been particularly successful. In their farming enterprises he has assumed his full share of both labor and responsibility and has proven himself capable and industrious. In his work as clerk in the Alderpoint post office he is efficient and obliging, and is well liked by friends and patrons. Fraternally he is a member of Hydesville Lodge No. 250, I. O. O. F., and Hydesville Encampment No. 59, I. O. O. F., and politically is a Democrat.

EDWIN WEED HAIGHT .- The banking interests of Fortuna have received a strong impetus since the coming of Mr. Haight to the town, and he is now serving as president of the Bank of Fortuna. This bank was incor- porated March 27, 1905, by A. H. Smith, with a capital of $25,000, and Mr. Haight was elected its first president, serving as such ever since. The other officers are A. H. VanDuzen, vice-president : Fred P. Newell, cashier, and Gordon R. Legg, assistant cashier, and the board of directors as follows : E. W. Haight, A. H. VanDuzen, Fred P. Newell, F. W. Luther, George H. Newell, M. P. Hansen, and George Williams. This bank is a commercial and savings bank and is regarded as the most substantial financial institu- tion in Fortuna. Mr. Haight was born in Washington, D. C., April 22. 1852. When he was four years of age his parents moved to Iowa, locating in Maquoketa, Jackson county, where he attended the public schools until seventeen years old. He then gave up his schooling to take up the miller's trade, which he followed for three years, after which he was employed in a general merchandise store in his home city for about twelve years. He then decided to come to California and on June 15, 1887, he located in Humboldt county, entering the merchandise store of L. Feigenbaum Co. at Rohnerville, where he remained in the capacity of bookkeeper for eight years. He then moved to Fortuna, and with others he purchased the store and stock of Swirtzel and Williams, and incorporated The Fortuna Merchandising Com- pany, of which he was selected secretary and treasurer, a position he has held ever since. During this time, in March, 1905, he was elected president

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of the Fortuna Bank and since 1912 has been giving it all of his attention. He is also interested with G. W. Williams in a shingle mill at Burnell Sta- tion and in a box factory on Williams creek.

The marriage of Mr. Haight occurred in Maquoketa, Iowa, November 26, 1876, he being united with Belle B. Wise, who was born in Cedar county, Iowa, and they have a daughter, Elma, wife of O. A. MacDermott of Berkeley. Mr. Haight has been a member of the board of trustees since the town of Fortuna was incorporated, is president of the board of trustees of the Hum- boldt State Normal located at AArcata, and is treasurer of Fortuna Lodge, I. O. O. F. Mr. Haight is actively associated with all movements brought forward for the good of the community and is one of Fortuna's leading citizens. He has been a witness of the wonderful growth and advancement of the county and is a progressive, public spirited man.

JOHN C. ALBEE .- Another of the enterprising and energetic young men engaged in farming and orcharding in the Bull creek country, is John C. Albee, a native of Humboldt county, and descended from one of the oldest and most highly respected pioneer families of the state. His father, Uriah T. Albee, was one of the early settlers, having come to California in 1848, around Cape Horn, landing in San Francisco. In 1849 he came to Humboldt bay, thus being one of the first white men to view this beautiful body of water. He was engaged in the logging and lumbering business and did much for the early development of this great industry. The Albee property on Bull creek consists of two hundred twenty-four acres, some one hundred fifty of which are tillable. About forty acres are bottom land. The son, John C. Albee, is at present engaged extensively in the dairy business, in which he is making a decided success. His orchards are among the best in the valley, and the fruit produced is quite up to standard, even in this region of superior apples and other deciduous fruits. He is located up Bull creek road about five and one-half miles from South Fork, the station on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, and this place has been his home for more than twenty years, having been the property of his father during the latter's lifetime.

John C. Albee was born in Eureka, Humboldt county, Cal., March 4, 1879. His father, Uriah T., being among the first lumbermen of Humboldt Bay and intimately associated with many of the early lumbermen of Eureka and vicinity. In fact, he furnished the logs which were made into lumber and which served to build up the great redwood industry of Humboldt Bay, and was a man of sterling worth, one of the kind who have left their mark upon the county, and who will ever be gratefully remembered. He was a native of East Machias, Maine, and came to California, as before stated, in 1848, around the Horn. He was one of the first gold-seekers at Eureka and later came to Humboldt Bay, where he logged in partnership with David Evans, and later was partner with Dan Newell, at Fortuna. He cut logs where Eureka now stands and logged for William Carson, later going into the Elk river country where he engaged in ranching for a time. He sold his interests there and came into the Bull creek country about 1890. He died in Eureka in 1894. He was unmarried when he first came to California, but later turned to Maine and there married Miss Cornelia Crosby, also a native of Maine. They returned to California by way of Panama, and she was his

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helpmeet and companion through all the hard pioneer days. She died in Eureka about twelve years ago.

There were seven children in the father's family, three daughters and four sons, John C., the subject of this sketch, being the youngest born. He grew up in Eureka where the father owned land and where the family home was until the time of the father's death. At that time John C. succeeded to the Bull creek property, where he has since made his home. His educa- tion was received in Eureka, where he attended the public schools, and later worked in the woods for the Pacific Lumber Company, at Scotia. He fol- lowed the woods for six or seven years, and then gave up that occupation for his present one of ranching and dairying.

The marriage of John C. Albee and Miss Alma Beatrice Faulkner, daughter of T. H. Faulkner, of Ferndale, took place in Ferndale, December 22, 1909. They are now the parents of one child, a daughter, Priscilla Beatrice. The Albee family is descended from old English ancestry, the American progenitor coming to America during Colonial days and settling in Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were patriots of a high order, and several members of the family fought in the Revolutionary war with dis- tinction, a paternal ancestor, William Albee, a native of Scarborough, Maine, having served eight years in the Revolutionary war, and having held the rank of lieutenant.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Albee are popular in the community, where they take a prominent part in local affairs. Mr. Albee is a member of the Odd Fel- lows, Ferndale Lodge No. 379, I. O. O. F., and Mrs. Albee is a prominent member of the Rebekahs, and also a member of the Episcopal church at Fern- dale. Both she and her husband are members of the Farm Center at Dyer- ville. Mrs. Albee is a native of Washington, born at Puyallup. Her father, T. H. Faulkner, was born in Toronto, Canada, and came to Washington, where he married May Hand, a native of England, who came to Washington on a visit. Mrs. Albee was reared and educated in Ferndale, graduating from the local high school. She was engaged in teaching and educational work, and now teaches in the local schools.

ELIAS HUNTER .- The Hunters are a distinctive family. Numerously represented in Humboldt county for over half a century, the name has always been associated with citizenship of a high order, capability, sterling worth and honorable independence. Physically they are noted as a wholesome, vigorous race, large of build and muscular, with characteristic steady eyes and broad foreheads, remarkably active and long-lived. Manly men and handsome women are the rule in their large families, common sense and industry prevailing traits. Walker Sanders Hunter and his brother, John Henry, were the progenitors of the Hunters living around Petrolia, the former being the father of Elias Hunter, whose name heads this article. (For an account of the father, refer to sketch of George W. Hunter, elsewhere in this volume.)

Elias Hunter was born November 30, 1853, in Missouri, and was in his first year when the family came to California. He was in his sixth year when they settled in Humboldt county, and had such common school advan- tages as Petrolia afforded at the time, side by side with the practical advan- tages of training in actual work. He grew up on his father's ranch, and from

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youth worked industriously, as he does still. After his marriage he operated one of his father's properties for three years, as a dairy ranch, and then bought a place in the Upper Mattole district, prospering there until he sold it, in 1880. He has since resided at Petrolia, where he has a very comfortable home, nicely located in the center of the town. Its appearance is typical of the owner, every square foot of the three lots being used for trees, plants, shrubs or flowers, and Mr. Hunter gives the grounds such excellent care that they are an improvement to the neighborhood. He now acts as stableman at his son's livery barn in Petrolia, and his record for fair dealing makes him as popular in that position as he has always been. He has never taken any part in public affairs except to cast his ballot in support of the Repub- lican party.

In 1875 Mr. Hunter was married in Petrolia to Miss Lucy S. Wright, daughter of Lucian and Lucy (Farnsworth) Wright, and descended on both sides from early pioneer stock of the Mattole valley. Of the twelve children born to this union nine are living, namely: Ellis, of Petrolia, is a business man and landowner ; James E., a clerk in Brizard's store at Arcata, married Kate Fielding and has six children; Claude is unmarried ; Rosa is the wife of R. B. Poole, a dairyman, near Astoria, Orc .; Walter, of Petrolia, a teamster, married Miss Katie Wright, and they have two children; Irma, who is un- married, is in the employ of Jesse Walker, near Petrolia ; Clara is the wife of Stephen Gouthier, a ranchman of Humboldt county, and has one child ; William is a clerk in the Hart & Johnson store at Petrolia ; Austin, ten years old, is living with his parents. Mrs. Hunter is a Seventh Day Adventist in religious belief.

EUPHRONIUS COUSINS .- Back to a remote period in the American colonization of Maine may be traced the lineage of the Cousins family, whose members in successive generations gave unstintingly of their lives and labors to the permanent development of that rugged country. Among them all, however, none gained greater distinction in his own locality or became more widely known throughout the entire state than the late Euphronius Cousins, a native of Hancock county, Me., and for years during young man- hood the owner of a shipyard near Ellsworth. From a small beginning he developed a great shipyard and the vessels that were launched from his yard sailed the high seas to every port of the world, sturdy and stanch in the midst of every storm, their substantial construction bearing mute testi- mony to the integrity and intelligence of their builder.

To so great a ship-builder as Mr. Cousins the Pacific coast offered oppor- tunities too great to be turned aside. When he came to California in 1865 he settled in Eureka and straightway built the first shipyard here on land owned by William Carson. Later with Joseph Russ he built Cousins' Mill on Gunther Island and engaged in the manufacture of lumber, also operat- ing the shipyard from 1871 to 1883, in the latter year selling out to David Evans. The latter changed the name to the Excelsior Mill. Associated with Charles H. Heney and E. J. Dodge, he organized the Eel River Valley Lumber Company of the Eel river valley and for ten years he devoted his splendid energies to the varied interests of lumbering. He built the mill and named the place Newberg Mills. After selling his lumber business he engaged in min- ing in Arizona for three years and then returned to Eureka. Later he was pre- vailed upon to construct a shipyard in Aberdeen, Wash., in which were

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built the Coronado (named by his wife), the Eldorado and the S. W. Slade, when death overtook him and ended his career of usefulness. Among the vessels built in Cousins' Eureka yard were the May Queen, Western Belle, Joseph Russ, Mary E. Russ, Maggie Russ, Ruby Cousins, Lillebonne and Hesperian. The Lillebonne, one of his stanchest craft, received its name from Mrs. Cousins' birthplace in France. While still actively engaged in ship-building at Aberdeen, Mr. Cousins died June 9, 1901. His strong per- sonality had impressed itself upon the pioneer citizenship of the west and his success as a ship-builder gave permanent prestige to his name. For many years he was agent of the Bureau of Veritus and inspected all the foreign boats that entered the harbor and only resigned when he went to Aberdeen.

Busy as was Mr. Cousins in affairs of business and the construction of ships, he was never too engrossed with private affairs to refuse co-operation in progressive measures for the general welfare. A man of generous impulses, his very generosity to public-spirited projects enhanced his devotion to his chosen community, although necessarily reducing his personal income in a material degree. Although years have passed since his removal from Eureka, his influence is still apparent in the history of the town which he helped to develop and which always had his loyal support. Throughout his entire life he gave allegiance to the Democratic party, but took no part in public affairs aside from casting his ballot for the candidates and measures put forward by the Democrats.

His first marriage was solemnized in Maine and united him with Miss Sophia Blaisdell, a native of that state. Of the five children born of that union, two sons are living, George W. and I. Howard, both of Eureka. Some time after the death of his first wife he was united with Melanie Lalouette, who was born in Lillebonne, France, a town which contains a ruined castle built by William the Conqueror. Mrs. Cousins was married in San Francisco and came to Eureka in 1880. Since the death of her husband she has owned and occupied the family home at No. 1121 G street, where culture and artistic taste are apparent in the neatly-kept grounds and attractive interior furnish- ings. The walls of the residence are adorned with beautiful oil paintings, which invariably attract admiring comments from guests and friends. Upon inquiry strangers learn that these represent the genius of Mrs. Cousins as an artist and give expression to her talent in delineating and reproducing scenes of outdoor life.

HANS D. BENDIXSEN .-- The foremost shipbuilder on Humboldt Bay, Cal., Hans D. Bendixsen, was noted for his efforts in the upbuilding of this part of the country, as well as of the Pacific coast merchant marine. Mr. Bendixsen came to California in the old days, via Cape Horn, and found employment in Turner's shipyard, at San Francisco, until the year 1868, at which time he came to Eureka, Humboldt county, where he proved himself a most enterprising and valued citizen.

Born in Thisted, Jutland, Denmark, on October 14, 1842, Mr. Bendixsen was the son of Consul F. C. and Mariane (von Mehren) Bendixsen, both members of well-to-do families of high station in Denmark. After his con- firmation Mr. Bendixsen was apprenticed to the shipbuilders' trade in Aalborg for two years, following which he was employed in the same line for another two years in Copenhagen, after which he went to sea as a ship carpenter. After a trip to Brazil he came to San Francisco in 1863, and after some time

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spent in San Francisco, removed to Eureka, Cal., where he entered the employ of E. Cousins' shipyard, remaining there two years. He then began shipbuilding independently at the foot of L street, a place which was later known as Mathews' shipyard, the first vessel he built being the Fairy Queen, a topmast schooner, others following, by name, Maxquila, Silva, Alvena, Mary, John McCullough, Jane L. Stanford, Humboldt, Alaska Flyer, Nome City, John Palmer and scores of others. In the thirty-three years he was engaged in ship construction he built one hundred thirteen vessels of all classes, all having a high reputation for encountering heavy seas and for general seaworthiness. From Eureka, Mr. Bendixsen removed his shipyard to Fairhaven, on the peninsula, and though at different times meeting with severe business losses, his plant once being entirely destroyed by fire, he courageously began anew and continued with calm determination, and each time made a success, liquidating all debt with one hundred cents on the dollar. In 1901 he sold his shipbuilding plant for a snug fortune, netting him close to a quarter of a million of dollars, his good credit having made it possible for him to retrieve his fortunes after each of the disasters which had threatened to destroy his business. Besides his shipbuilding, he also owned an interest in many vessels.

A prominent member of the Masonic order, Mr. Bendixsen rose to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite Masons, being also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His first marriage, which was of but short duration, united him with a lady from the vicinity of his old home in Denmark. On January 20, 1880, occurred his second marriage, uniting him with Miss Emma Taegen, who was born at Emmerich am Rhein, and to whom Mr. Bendixsen gave much of the credit for his success. The death of Mr. Bendixsen took place on February 12, 1902, the body being taken to the old home at Thisted, Denmark, where the funeral took place in May of that year. Since that time his widow has made several gifts to the place of his birth, erecting there a magnificent and expensive monument and giving money for the support of the needy of that town.

FEDELE GUGLIELMINA .- For over twenty-six years Fedele Gugliel- mina has been following the dairy business in Humboldt county, and his early training among the Alps mountains in Switzerland has combined with favorable conditions in this region to win him success in the line which has been his life work up to now. His prosperous career speaks well for the land of his birth and for the land of his adoption. Reared in a region noted for the productiveness of its herds, he became familiar with the care of dairy cattle from boyhood. But he was ambitious for greater returns than the intense competition and small areas of his own country made possible, and settled in the new world, which has indeed proved a land of promise in his case. His irrepressible activity and energy did not abate in the least when he found working conditions better, and his industry and cheerful perse- verance have been well rewarded, as his present circumstances show. More- over, his upright life has gained him the respect of all his neighbors and asso- ciates. The eight-hundred-acre property which he leases and on which he conducts a large dairy, lies three miles northeast of Petrolia, on the Cape- town road, beautifully located in an opening of the Coast range, and is appro- priately named Buena Vista ranch.

guiseppina guglielmina Fedele Guglielmina

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Mr. Guglielmina was born September 10, 1865, in Cavergno, canton of Ticino, Switzerland, a beautiful mountain district in the Maggia valley on the Italian border. His father, Joseph Guglielmina, was a dairyman and cheesemaker in comfortable circumstances ; he married Mary Balli, and four sons were born to them, of whom Fedele is the youngest. As a lad he had the advantages of the public schools, and practical training in dairy work at the same time, learning the care of cows and goats and the making and handling of the products. When eighteen years old he decided to try his fortune in America, sailing from Havre, France, on the Labrador, in Novem- ber, 1883, and landing at New York City. He proceeded west immediately, coming through to California, and located in Marin county, where he found work readily, hiring out by the month on dairy ranches. With the thrift to which he had been accustomed from childhood he managed always to save part of his earnings, and before long had enough to justify him in start- ing out for himself. In 1889 he made a trip to Switzerland to visit his parents and friends. While there he was married and three months afterward re- turned to America, this time coming direct to and locating in Humboldt county. During the first two seasons he was employed on dairies in the vicinity of Ferndale, then, having saved some money, he determined to en- gage in business for himself. He leased a fifty-acre ranch on Coffee creek and ran a dairy of thirty cows, remaining on the place for six years. Next he leased a ranch of sixty acres on the island near Ferndale, where he continued in dairying one year. Later he rented the Woodland Echo ranch on Bear river ridge. where he had a dairy of seventy-five cows and made butter which he shipped to San Francisco. Three years later he gave this up and leased the Spicy Breezes ranch of eight hundred acres on Cape Mendocino and for seven years conducted a dairy of one hundred cows. In 1908 he leased the present place, the Buena Vista ranch, which is ideal for dairying purposes and under his careful management has been very profitable. Seventy milch cows comprise the dairy herd, and the principal product is first-class dairy butter, which is put up in one-hundred-pound kegs for the lumberwoods trade, bring- ing ordinarily from twenty-five to thirty-two cents a pound ; the usual quan- tity is twelve thousand pounds annually. A gas engine furnishes power for the separator and churn. About fifty calves are raised yearly, some kept to replenish the home herd and the rest sold when from three months to one year old ; besides, about eight cows are sent to the block each year. Mr. Guglielmina's two sons are assisting him faithfully with his work.

Mr. Guglielmina was married in Cavergno, Switzerland, to Miss Josephine Beltrami, who passed away December 30, 1913, at the age of forty-seven years, her death being caused by heart disease. Three children were born to this union, Silvio Joseph, Lena Helen and Albert Clemerde. Mrs. Guglielmina was a faithful helpmate, and the daughter has been devoted to her home and of great assistance to her parents, her father especially appreciating this since his bereavement. He has never aspired to office nor taken any active part in politics, but gives his support to the Republican party. He and his family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Petrolia. He is liberal and enterprising and always ready to give of his time and means towards any movement that has for its purpose the upbuilding of the community and betterment of its citizens. His worthy ambition and the success of his honorable career are points that young people would do well to emulate.

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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 88

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