History of Kern 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 124

Author: Morgan, Wallace Melvin, 1868- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1682

USA > California > Kern County > History of Kern 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 124

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JOHN V. UPTON .- At Dundas, Richland county, Ill., Mr. Upton was born December 22, 1863, a son of Isaac and Cynthia (Malick) Upton, the former born in Kentucky of Irish descent, and the latter a member of an ancient and honorable Teutonic family whose genealogy is recorded back two hundred years in German history. The parental family numbered five chil- dren and John V. was the only son who attained mature years. After he had completed the studies of the country schools he devoted himself to gen- eral farming and in 1888 left Illinois for California, where he investigated conditions in Kings, Tulare and Kern county. August of 1888 found him in the county last-named, where he pre-empted the southwest quarter of section 30, township 30, range 30, and during the period of pre-emption he earned a livelihood at ditch work in Tulare county.

During October of 1895 Mr. Upton bought one-half section of school land forming the south half of section 24, township 30, range 29, and of this tract he still owns one hundred and sixty acres, devoted to dry farming, in which he is regarded as an expert. The family home is located on the forty- acre tract three and three-fourths miles southeast of Edison and eleven and four-tenths miles southeast of Bakersfield, where he and his wife have a comfortable ranch-house, brightened by the presence of their children and made happy by mutual devotion and harmony. In April of 1899 Mr. Upton returned to Illinois and there married Miss Mary J. Hershey, of Lawrence county. Upon his return to California he settled on the ranch and has since labored with undaunted determination to develop the land. His task has been one requiring great courage and optimism. For years he was obliged to haul water from the Southern Pacific Railroad Company's tank at Bena, not only paying a high price for the water, but in addition devoting much time to the difficult work of hauling all that he needed on his farm. Under all of his discouragements he has not lost faith in the ultimate success of agriculture in the district and in the final value of his ranch for general farming purposes. In his family there were eight children. One son, Robert V., was only one week old at the time of his death. The surviving children are Isaac M., Cynthia E., Roy Smith, Ruth Lucile, Ina M., Bertha M. and Elizabeth Irene, the latter born June 6, 1913. All are intelligent and ener- getic and are a source of pride and joy to the parents.

HENRY C. DUNLAP .- Throughout this, his native county, Mr. Dun- lap has a wide circle of acquaintances, particularly among the county officials and their assistants, for he has acted as courthouse custodian ever since Jan- uary 1, 1895.

A member of a pioneer family of Kern county, where he was born December 10, 1863, Henry C. Dunlap descends from good old southern stock and is a son of James and Lucy (Ellis) Dunlap, both natives of Texas, the latter now deceased, but the former is a resident of Tulare county. The Ellis family removed from Mississippi to Texas during the early settlement of the Lone Star state, while the Dunlaps lived in Missouri during the early part of the nineteenth century. There were six children in the parental fam-

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ily, but of these one daughter died in infancy and one son, Thomas, who had rendered efficient service as deputy under Sheriff W. J. Graham, died in Kern county at the age of twenty-six years. The only surviving daughter, Emma, married H. L. Conner, now superintendent of a large ranch near Tipton, Tulare county. Two sons, John and J. W., are prominent stockmen and ranchers in that county. Henry C., who has been a lifelong resident of Kern county, married in April, 1888, Miss Callie Slinkard, who was born in Los Angeles county and their union has been blessed with four children, namely: Clotean, now the wife of F. P. Harmony, of Missouri; Breer M., a bookkeeper at Weil's department store, Bakersfield; Leonard J., bookkeeper for R. Pyle, Bakersfield; and Ward J., who is a student in the Bakersfield schools. Like Mr. Dunlap, Mrs. Dunlap also comes from pioneer California families, who originally came from the south. Her father, Solomon Slinkard, was a native of Arkansas, while her mother, Laura (Glass) Slinkard, was born in Texas. The mother crossed the plains with her parents while a mere girl, and the father was about twenty years of age when he came to California. They were married in Los Angeles county and had nine children, of whom Mrs. Dunlap was the fifth child. The father prospered excep- tionally well in Los Angeles county for a while, but owing to the ill health of his wife he sold out there and moved to Tulare county, settling on the White river, near California Hot Springs, where he engaged in the cattle business. Both are now deceased, but are well remembered by a host of pioneer friends in Los Angeles, Tulare, as well as Kern counties, where many of their children, including Mrs. Dunlap, grew to maturity, and en- joyed all the experiences and incidents common to the well-to-do pioneer California ranchman's life.

VINING E. BARKER .- Perhaps throughout the entire county of Kern there is not to be found a more complete and splendidly conducted ranch than that of Vining E. Barker, its wide area of three hundred and twenty acres of well-irrigated, productive land evidencing the untiring energy and elever management of its details. This was originally the property of an uncle of Vining Barker who was a native of New York and left there in 1851 to make a home in California. He came by way of Panama and was engaged in mining for a time in various places, in 1872 locating in Kern county, where he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land and followed farming until his death December 25, 1895.

Vining T. Barker was born February 22, 1851, and brought up on the home farm in Morenci, Lenawee county, Mich., whither his parents. Albert and Julia (Wilcox) Barker, had come from New York in the early days. Driving from New York over the difficult corduroy roads, they settled in Lenawee county, Mich., where they bought a claim; there the father, who was a native of New York, passed away. Receiving all the advantages af- forded to him by the local public schools, Mr. Barker then attended the Bryant & Stratton Business College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and after graduation was engaged in the mercantile business in Morenci for a time. His first trip to California occurred in 1877, and he returned to the coast in the fall of 1890 expecting to make a visit, but the many advantages appealing to a young man finally influenced him to make California his home, and returning to the east to dispose of his interests, he came back and superintended the farm of his uncle in Kern county for a time, later purchasing it from his estate. The ranch is situated about fourteen miles southwest of Bakersfield in the Old River district, under the Stine canal, and here are raised alfalfa and stock, and a flourishing dairy business is carried on. Irrigation is also procured from a flowing artesian well that has a depth of six hundred and fifteen feet, the orchard, vineyard and garden being irrigated and water for domestic use is supplied. It is known to be one of the finest flowing wells in

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the county. There is also on the ranch a large artificial lake in which fish abound and the whole effect of the place is one of beauty, system and pro- ductiveness. Along with this interest Mr. Barker has oil property in Mc- Kittrick, and he is a stockholder in the United States Oil and Develop- ment Company.

The marriage of Mr. Barker occurred in Morenci, Mich., February 22, 1882, uniting him with Miss Ella Dean, who was born in Wauseon, Fulton county, Ohio, daughter of James S. and Eunice E. (Clemmans) Dean, the former born in Chemung county, N. Y., and the latter in Ohio. James S. Dean served in the Civil war in Company A, Sixty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, holding the office of lieutenant. He was a large farmer in Ohio and resided in Wauseon, where he died in 1905; his widow still survives. Mrs. Barker was educated in the college at Ada, Ohio, and with her husband shares in the friendship of a host of well-wishers. They have one child, Jay A. Barker, of Bakersfield. In politics Mr. Barker is a Republican.

MATEO SMITH .- Loyalty to local development is a characteristic of the citizens of East Bakersfield and in this attribute Mr. Smith stands second to none. After having been variously occupied at other places, in 1907 he be- came identified with the real-estate business in this place and has since been successful in handling property for others, developing his own holdings, and buying, selling and trading real estate. To an unusual degree he under- stands valuations in his home town and he also exercises a keen foresight concerning future increases and the upward trend of the realty market. Be- sides his residence at No. 905 Fremont street, which he erected some years ago, he owns other property in the city and he is also the owner of a small ranch three miles out, where he is interested in the raising of alfalfa and stock. In addition he owns interests in oil companies and oil lands in the fields of this county.

A native son of the state, Mr. Smith was born at Gilroy, Santa Clara county, October 21, 1868, and is a son of the late Charles and Carmen (Pas- caida) Smith. The father, an Austrian by birth and a sailor by occupation, was attracted to California by the discovery of gold and during 1849 rounded the Horn, sailed up the Pacific and cast anchor in the harbor of San Fran- cisco. For some years he followed mining and in addition he also owned and conducted hotels. After having conducted an hotel at Old Alameda he fol- lowed the same business in Gilroy and later in Hollister. While engaged in placer mining in Tuolumne county he died there at the age of seventy-four. Later his wife, who was a member of a pioneer family of Santa Clara county. came to East Bakersfield to make her home with her son, Mateo, and here she died at seventy-three years of age. There were eleven children in the family and five of these are still living. Of the eleven Mateo was fifth in order of birth. From ten years of age he not only supported himself, but also aided in the maintenance of the family. It was impossible for him to secure a good education, but he has acquired a broad fund of information through habits of close observation and through the intelligent cultivation of his mental faculties.

After having been a helper in a dray business at Hollister for a number of years Mr. Smith came to Bakersfield in 1886. His energy and versatile talents led him to acquire a thorough knowledge of carpentering and of plumbing and steam-fitting, besides the trade of a stationary engineer, which last-named occupation he followed not only in this city, but also in the moun- tain sawmills. All of these trades he followed more or less and should he choose, he could now earn a livelihood at any of them. In addition he has been interested in mining and has improved a number of claims, but this work he has found far from profitable. Among the principal points of his mining ventures Keyesville and Piute have been the most important and now

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he also has claims on Mill creek in the Breckenridge mountains. While min- ing at Keyesville he located a ledge, Good View, out of a small strata of which he took $6,000, but that entire sum he afterward sunk in attempting a further development of the same ledge. While mining has been an interest- ing occupation for him, as for all who have ever entered it, it is his belief that the greatness of California consists less in its mines than in its rich soil, its possibilities of horticulture and agricultural cultivation and its superb climate. His marriage took place in East Bakersfield February 12, 1911, and united him with Mrs. Della (Fowler) Miller, a native of Kirksville, Mo., and the mother of one child, Mary Elizabeth, by her first marriage.

Mrs. Smith is the daughter of Dr. R. M. and Martha (O'Brien) Fowler, natives of Berlin, Germany, and Dublin, Ireland, respectively. The father was a graduate physician from the University of Berlin and for many years practiced medicine in Kirksville, but he is now retired and looking after his large real-estate interests. Mrs. Smith is a graduate of the State Normal at Kirksville. Most of her life has been spent in business; since coming to Bakersfield she has engaged actively in the real-estate business and is ably assisting her husband. She has charge of the renting department, which she is bringing to marked success, and has a large clientele among the large property owners of the city.

GEORGE S. MAY .- The president of May's Transfer and Storage Com- pany, incorporated under the laws of the state of California, has had many interesting experiences since first he embarked in the draying business in 1898. The incident which led to the starting of the business was in itself apparently insignificant. The proprietors of what was then the leading transfer company of Bakersfield caused his arrest, as he thought very un- justly, for hauling a trunk without a city license. A second complaint against him caused him to embark in the business for himself and he then organized the Opposition Transfer Company. For a year his sole equipment comprised one horse and a wagon which had been rebuilt from an old hotel bus, the vhole worth about $40. One of his first friends and helpers was Las Mon- toya, who aided in the rebuilding of the wagon. Opposition of every kind was presented, but he steadily gained in the competing game against his business opponents. Soon it became apparent that the trade required addi- tional equipment. Accordingly he bought out the George Carlock Trucking Company and thus secured needed wagons and horses. Later he took in the Union Transfer Company on a percentage basis and on his suggestion his brother, Charles A., purchased that concern, becoming one-third owner with his brother. About three months afterward Charles A. bought out Wood's Transfer Company and thus became one-half owner in the whole business.

Disposing of their trucking and draying interests, the brothers devoted themselves strictly to the transfer and storage business and for fifteen years have handled the business of all the theatrical companies in Bakersfield. Meanwhile they secured the government contract for hauling mail between the depots and the postoffice. They also secured the contract with the Wells- Fargo Company for transfer of packages between the depots. Last of all they won the commercial trade of the city. From a very modest beginning their trade increased steadily and now they utilize eleven transfer and dray- age trucks. Trunks and suit-cases formerly were stored in a room, 10x16, which previously had been used as a harness-room in their barn. Soon this small space proved inadequate. Other rooms were rented, but each in turn became too small for the growing business. It then became necessary to erect a suitable storage warehouse and in August of 1911 the brothers began the construction of a building, 50x110 feet in dimensions, with a capacity of ten thousand square feet. This fireproof structure stands on the corner of Stockton and Humboldt streets, East Bakersfield, and the large barns stand

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in the same block not far distant from the residences of the two brothers. The office of the company is in the basement of the Old Fish building in Bakersfield. The capital stock of the company, $20,000 paid in, was secured by the sale of two thousand shares of stock at $10 per share.

A native son of the state, George S. May was born at Sierraville, Sierra county, near Truckee, Nevada county, where his father, George, was a popu- lar pioneer, a well-known miner and the manager of a sawmill. The pos- sessor of musical ability of a high order (although undeveloped) he learned to play the violin and was in constant demand at the country dances of the early days. In that way he came to be known as "Fiddler" May. His warm- hearted disposition brought him hosts of friends, while his remarkable exec- utive ability made him a leader in pioneer circles. While engaged in mining he had business relations with Senator Jones of Nevada and Senator Stewart and at one time he was a partner of Senator George Hearst. For some years his life record was a history of the mining development of the west, whither he had come during the eventful year of 1849. Born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in 1829, he had gone to Springfield, that state, in early life and thence to Springfield in Illinois. As soon as he heard of the discovery of gold in California he made preparations for the trip to the west and during the summer of 1849 he crossed the plains with ox-teams. In 1850 he arrived at the placer mines above Sacramento. For a time he hauled freight with oxen from Sacramento to Yuba City, Yubatown, Grass Valley, Nevada City and other early mining camps ..

The first shaft on the Yellow Jacket in the near vicinity of the Com- stock lode in Nevada was sunk by George May, who received his pay in ore and sold the same for $100,000, but unfortunately lost the entire fortune in a similar venture with the Golden Curry mine. Later he was elected sheriff of Nevada county, Cal., and during the Civil war he served as United States marshal. When the war closed he began in the livery business at Nevada City, but was unfortunate in having his stables twice destroyed by fire. From that county he went to Sierra county and there married Miss Isabelle Davis, daughter of T. J. Davis, Jr., an honored pioneer, and grand- daughter of T. J. Davis, Sr., commonly known as "Grizzly" Davis on ac- count of his record in the killing of bears, and at the time of his death the owner of the land now occupied by Davisville in Yolo county. In the family of George May there were ten children, but three of these died in infancy. The seven now living are named as follows: George S., of this article; Grace G., wife of Henry Williams, of East Bakersfield; Charles A., represented elsewhere in this volume; John Clarence and James Albert, farmers in the Weed Patch; Lillian E., who married Clay Phillips, now living on a farm in the Weed Patch, but employed for some years as manager of associated stores in the various oil fields of the state; and Arthur, also a farmer in the Weed Patch district.

When George S. May was five years of age the family moved from Placer county to a farm at Tracy's Crossing, Kern county, but later removal was made to Havilah, near which place the father engaged in cattle ranch- ing. After a time return was made to the valley three miles south of Bakers- field. During the gold excitement at Bodie, Mono county, the father pros- pected in that region. Later he managed the Whiskey Hill mine in Calaveras county, where he took out as high as $40,000 per month. On his return to Kern county he resumed farming. He then went to Randsburg, where he became interested in the Buckboard mine and was also a factor in developing the townsite of Randsburg. While engaged in filling a logging contract at Breckenridge mill he died suddenly of heart failure, August 12. 1899, mourned by friends in every part of the state. The widow. now sixty years of age, lives at the old homestead in the Weed Patch. Their eldest son. George S.,

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was married in 1897 to Miss Trinity Silva, who was reared in Bakersfield and educated in the Methodist Episcopal University at Los Angeles. Mrs. May is an own sister of the lieutenant-governor of the state of Colima, Mexico. By her marriage she is the mother of two daughters, Evelyn B. and Berniece D., aged eleven and thirteen respectively, both students in the Paige Sem- inary for Girls at Los Angeles. This school has an attendance of one hun- dred and thirty-six girls, ranging in age from eleven to nineteen. In June, 1913, each of Mr. May's daughters took one of the three prizes offered for the best scholarships.

DAVID L. HOENSHELL .- Well known as a contractor of Bakersfield and a resident of this city since September of 1889, Mr. Hoenshell is a native of Coshocton county, Ohio, and was born in the year 1860. Rural environment made agriculture familiar to his boyhood years, for his father, John, tilled the soil as a means of livelihood for the family. After he had acquired a knowledge of the three R's in the country school near his home he was apprenticed to the trade of a carpenter and during the course of his service he was sent into the timber to fell the trees and hew in pieces the logs ; by so doing he gained a thorough knowledge of lumber in its natural state and the information thus acquired was a help to him in later expe- riences. Upon attaining his majority he left home to make his own way in the world and following the trend of emigration toward the west found a place of sojourn in Kansas, where he engaged in farming in Atchison county. Later he became interested in the stock business and also conducted a butcher shop in the same locality. Coming to California during 1885 he proceeded from Los Angeles to Tulare county and found employment in agricultural pursuits. During the spring of 1889 he became agent for the Union Ice Company at Visalia and in September of the same year he re- moved to Bakersfield as agent for the same company, which shipped in large quantities of natural ice from Truckee. Until 1893 there was no other ice business conducted in Bakersfield. He continued with the firm until 1898 and then resigned his position in order to engage in other enterprises.

Ever since 1898 Mr. Hoenshell has engaged in contracting and building. For four years his principal task was the building of derricks in the oil fields. For more than two years, about 1906-07, he gave his whole attention to a contract for roofing the twenty-eight reservoirs of the Standard Oil Company, each of these reservoirs covering seven acres. Of recent years he specialized in bungalows in Bakersfield and residences in the west side oil fields as well as in other parts of Kern county, while his splendid reputation for excellence of work has brought him contracts from Orange, Santa Bar- bara and Ventura counties. In addition to the filling of numerous contracts for buildings in the oil regions and for city and country residences. he has erected a number of public buildings and in every class of construction he has been alike successful. At one time he held stock in the Superior Oil Company and at this writing he owns an interest in the Paraffine Oil Com- pany. During 1891 he bought a corner on Eighteenth and H streets. At that time there were only a few scattered houses west of Chester avenue, where now business blocks of substantial construction abound and it is safe to pre- dict that eventually a valuable block will occupy the site which he still owns. In addition to this fine city property and other town realty, he owns one hundred and thirty acres of fine ranch land in Kings county. While living in Atchison county, Kans., he married Miss Hattie Handley, a native of Indiana. They are the parents of four children, of whom the eldest, Hattie, is a successful teacher, and the second. William, follows the trade of a machinist. The two youngest, Toby and Rosse, are high school students. Fraternally Mr. Hoenshell is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. For seven years he was deputy sheriff under Henry Borgwardt.

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GEORGE E. WHITAKER .- For thirteen years George E. Whitaker has been a practitioner at the Kern County bar. His father, Benjamin L. Whitaker, was born in Ireland, as was also his mother, the former being assistant cashier of the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. His death occurred when he was but thirty-four years, before the birth of George E., which took place in Derby, England, on October 22, 1866. Later the widowed mother married the late Dr. J. H. Stallard, of San Francisco, a native and resident of England, who was a man of wealth and spent most of liis time in travel. Owing to unfortunate mining investments which swept away his fortune, the family left England to reside permanently in San Francisco, where Dr. Stallard resumed the duties of his profession, enjoying a large and lucrative practice.

George E. Whitaker was educated at Rugby school in England, after- ward going to the Government Military College at Versailles, France. Upon his arrival in San Francisco he proceeded to fit himself for a mercantile career by taking a business course in the Heald's Business College. Shortly after completing such course he left for the Hawaiian Islands to accept a position. He remained in the islands between nine and ten years, occupy- ing a position of trust and responsibility with one of the largest sugar corporations there. During all of this time he had cherished the desire to engage in the practice of the law and devoted a great portion of his spare time to its study, for which he was well grounded by reason of his course at Rugby, as well as by the practical business experience he had acquired in the island. He resigned his position and returned to San Francisco about 1894, and a short time after his return he entered the law office of Walter H. Linforth, one of the leading attorneys of that city. On August 28, 1896, he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of the state of California and later on was admitted to practice in the United States Court. After his admission he formed a law partnership with Walter H. Linforth, under the firm name of Linforth & Whitaker, with offices at No. 310 Pine street, in the old McCreary building, San Francisco. Soon thereafter the partnership was enlarged by the entrance of Hon. Grove L. Johnson, father of Governor Hiram Johnson, the firm name becoming Johnson, Linforth & Whitaker, with suite of offices located in the Call building. This partnership continued about a year, when the senior member removed to Sacramento and the law business was con- tinued by Linforth & Whitaker, who kept the same offices and built tip a lucrative practice, continuing thus until the end of 1900, when it was dissolved by mutual agreement. About this time there was great excite- ment over the discovery of oil in the Kern River field in Kern county and this, connected with the fact of his growing intimacy with the late Harry V. Reardon, who offered him a partnership, determined Mr. Whitaker to come to Bakersfield, where he and Mr. Reardon started a law office under the firm style of Reardon & Whitaker, with offices in the Stoner Block. Mr. Reardon had already reached an eminent position as trial lawyer, having for several years been the trial lawyer for the land department of the Southern Pacific Railway Company and having risen to distinction in his own county of Butte. His father, Judge Reardon, was District Judge of Placer and Nevada counties. The young law firm rapidly forged to the fore, but in 1903 was disrupted by the death of Mr. Reardon, leaving Mr. Whitaker to conduct the large and constantly increasing practice alone and he has ever since retained the same location for his office and field of operation. *

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History of Kern 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 124

Author: Morgan, Wallace Melvin, 1868- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company Number of Pages: 1682

Author: Morgan, Wallace Melvin, 1868- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1682