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 39

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 39

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HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

months proved futile and he returned to the Jackson ranch. About that time he was also made foreman of the Poso ranch.

Transferred to the headquarters office at the Bellevue ranch in May of 1889, Mr. Munzer was appointed payroll clerk for the north side ranch and continued at that place until October 1, 1890, when the company moved its headquarters to Bakersfield and incorporated the Kern County Land Company, with Mr. Munzer as chief clerk of the water department. For a considerable period he filled the position; meanwhile, in July, 1892, he resigned his position and went to Arizona, where he had charge as office superintendent of the Gila Bend Irrigation Company at Sentinel, Ariz. The Kern County Land Company, through S. W. Ferguson, the then manager, wired him requesting him to return at an increased salary, and on his return, in November, 1892, he was made assistant office superintendent and later he was promoted to office superintendent, in February, 1895, ever since which time he has filled the important position with marked ability and the utmost fidelity. Like the majority of the people living in Kern county, he is interested in oil and oil lands. In addition with W. J. Doherty as partner he owns the Breckenridge Lumber Company and has mills and timber on Mount Breckenridge.

December 20, 1892, at Bakersfield, occurred the marriage of Francis George Munzer and Mary Ellen Baker, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Melvin Baker, one of the pioneers of Kern county. They are the parents of two children, Frances Alice and Bernard Melvin. Interested in the growth of Bakersfield and a contributor to its progress, Mr. Munzer served for five years as a member of its board of trustees, is now prominently connected with the Merchant's Association and likewise officiates as vice-president of the San Joaquin Valley Water Problem Association. The Democratic party receives his stanch support at all elections. For many years he was an active member of Company G. Sixth Regiment of the California National Guard and finally retired with the rank of second lieutenant Made a Mason in Bakersfield Lodge No. 224. F. & A. M., he later rose to the chapter degree in this city and furthermore with his wife belongs to the Eastern Star chapter at this place. Other organizations having the benefit of his interested co-operation are the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the World and the Bakersfield Aerie of Eagles.

HON. JACK W. MAHON .- The family patronymic of Mahon indicates the Celtic origin of the race. The founder of the name upon American soil was Henry Mahon, a native of Ireland and for many years a planter in the vicinity of Raleigh, N. C., where he continued to reside until his death. Among his children was W. J., who was born, reared and educated in North Carolina and during young manhood entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. South. To the cause of religion he gave the deepest devotion of his splendid mind and the self-sacrificing loyalty of his noble character. In order that he might engage in ministerial work upon the then frontier, he removed from North Carolina to Tennessee and crossing that then sparsely settled state almost to the banks of the Mississippi river he took up raw land in Dyer county and became the founder of a church at Dversburg, the county-seat, where he labored with consecration for the advancement of Christianity. Under his able efforts his denomination made noteworthy advances numerically and spiritually. While he did not accumu- late riches nor indeed a competency, he was successful in his labors for the uplifting of the race and the world was the better for his life of toil and sacrifice. During the Civil war he found an opportunity to engage in religious activities while serving as chaplain under Gen. Kirby Smith. Coming to California during 1875 he became a minister in San Francisco, but later as presiding elder became familiar with church needs in various portions of

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the state. For twenty years he officiated in that responsible position. Ulti- mately the infirmities of age obliged him to relinquish the responsibilities of ministerial work and after a retirement of five years he passed away at his home in Bakersfield. He had reached the age of eighty-eight years.

In the counsel and companionship of a capable helpmate Rev. W. J. Mahon was greatly blessed. During early manhood he had married Phoebe Gilbert Wood, who was born in Virginia, the daughter of George Wood, an Englishman identified with the early development of Virginia. The death of Mrs. Mahon occurred in Modesto at the age of seventy-six years. In their family there were four children but only two survive. One of her sons, Stephen Wood Mahon, an attorney by profession and for some years a justice of the peace, was officiating as city recorder of Bakersfield at the time of his demise. The youngest son, Kirby S., is now judge of the superior court of Sutter county, this state. Judge Jack W. Mahon was born at Dyers- burg, Dyer county. Tenn., February 24, 1858, and in 1875 accompanied his parents to California, where later he was graduated from the Gilroy high school. At the completion of high-school studies he began the study of law under R. HI. Ward, of Merced. Possessing a quick intelligence and receptive mind, he advanced rapidly in his readings and during 1883 was admitted to the bar of California. Immediately afterward he opened an office in Bakers- field, where he soon rose to a position of recognition as a promising young attorney, whose knowledge of jurisprudence was broad and whose devotion to the profession was intense. It soon became apparent that he was as well qualified for the bench as for the bar and during 1896 the Democratic party of Kern county nominated him for judge of the superior court. The nomina- tion was endorsed by the Populists. The election brought him a handsome majority and in January of 1897 he took the oath of office. At the expiration of the first term in 1902 he was re-elected and again in 1908 he was chosen to be his own successor. The success of his official labors was shown in the fact that in the campaign of 1908 he had no opposition, all parties appreciating his able service to such an extent that they brought forward no other candidate for the office.

Reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, Judge Mahon has never swerved from his allegiance to the denomination so long honored by the faithful ministerial labors of his father. While not deeply interested in fraternities, he was won by the philanthropic tenets of the Masonic Order and entered its blue lodge, later rising to the Royal Arch degree. His marriage took place in Bakersfield and united him with Miss Rachel E. Nash, a native of Dyer county, Tenn., and a graduate of an educa- tional institution in New York state. Of the union two children were born, the elder, Ruth Estabrook, being now the wife of Ernest Alston, of Los Angeles, while the younger, Jack Howell, is a student in the Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tenn. It is said of Judge Mahon that no enterprise for the permanent progress of Bakersfield lacks his intelligent co-operation. On the contrary, he has been generous in his sympathetic assistance given to civic measures and has proved public-spirited and progressive in his broad comprehension of and tactful participation in movements of far-reaching value to permanent civic prosperity.

GRANVILLE L. BROWN, D. D. S .- The family represented by this well-known practitioner of Bakersfield comes from Kentuckian and Virgin- ian ancestry and he himself claims Kentucky as his native commonwealth, having been born in Allen county, January 12, 1859. Likewise the Blue Grass state was the native home of his parents, Henry and Margaret (Patton) Brown, both of whom remained in the state throughout their lives, the father following the occupation of a farmer as a source of livelihood. Of this union there were four children, the third being Granville L., who was reared on the old Kentucky farm and received a fair education in local

S. W. wible

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schools. For a time he engaged in teaching in the public schools and with the carnings of his labor he entered into mercantile enterprises with a brother at Scottsville, Allen county. It was not, however, his intention to devote his life either to pedagogy or to business, for he had early been inter- ested in the profession of dentistry and had an ambition to enter its study and practice. Through a course in the dental department of the University of Tennessee he gained a fair knowledge of the profession and, not having the means necessary to complete the regular course, he entered upon dental practice before he had been graduated. Later he was able to return to the university, complete the course and finish the regular work, so that in 1890, when he was graduated with a very high standing, he received the degree of D. D. S. from the institution.

Prior to graduation Dr. Brown not only had practiced for two years at Burkesville, Cumberland county, Ky., but also had entered upon a very successful professional connection with the city of Glasgow, Ky., where altogether he practiced about ten years. Meanwhile he had met and mar- ried Miss Clara Dickey, who was born, reared and educated in that Kentucky town, and is a representative of a cultured old Southern family. Upon leaving Kentucky to engage in practice in California in 1892, the Doctor chose Bakersfield on account of its excellent prospects for material growth, its healthful climate and its professional opportunities, and he certainly has had no cause to regret his decision. At first he had an office in the Galtes building, but removed to the Scribner opera building, on the comple- tion of that structure and when the Producers' Bank building was com- pleted he leased a suite of rooms in it, his present location. With his wife and son, Arthur B., he resides in a comfortable home in East Bakersfield, the same having been planned and built by himself. Since coming to Bakers- field he has been a member of the Southern California Dental Association, in which his ability well qualifies him for a leadership which his characteristic modesty prevents him from claiming. In politics he votes with the Republi- can party.

SIMON W. WIBLE .- Born near Greensburg, Pa., Mr. Wible removed to Illinois with his father, Peter Wible, and had settled near Mendon. Adams county. The difficult task of transforming a raw tract of land into a produc- tive farm had filled his boyhood years with strenuous labor and had prevented him from attending school regularly, although during the winter months it was his custom to study in a near-by log schoolhouse, which with its slab benches and puncheon floors presented a striking contrast to the educational equipment of the present generation. When old enough to start out for himself he determined to follow the tide of emigration to California and accordingly during the spring of 1852 he joined an expedition bound for the west, making the trip with wagons and oxen. Later he returned east and brought out a second wagon-train. During the summer of 1858 he piloted a third train through, but on that trip he met with trouble, for the Indians separated the train by a stampede and not only stole all of the stock, but killed a number of the emigrants. Forced to flee for his life and left without a horse, the young captain of the train walked to Fort Laramie, where he found an opportunity to join another expedition and thus came through to the coast. For years he engaged in mining and, indeed, he never lost his interest in the occupation, for at the time of his death he owned and operated a valuable mine in Alaska. Meanwhile he picked up a thorough knowledge of surveving and came to be reckoned among the most efficient surveyors and civil engineers on the coast. Much of his work was done for the government.

It was about 1872 when Mr. Wible took up a homestead claim twelve miles west of Bakersfield and began to cultivate the land and raise crops suited to the soil and climate. From time to time he bought stock and finally he ranked among the extensive sheepmen of the county. Other interests

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filled his days with busy activities. The original work on the Pioneer canal was unsatisfactory and on that account it was turned over to him. Under his charge as superintendent an improvement was made. When Henry Miller came to Bakersfield to look up matters pertaining to the reclamation of the Miller & Lux lands, which some man had attempted to drain, but only with partial success, he sought out Mr. Wible and asked his opinion. Mr. Wible claimed the lands could be reclaimed and he could do it, providing he had the money. Instantly Mr. Miller responded that he had the money. Thereupon Mr. Wible made plans and these proved satisfactory to Mr. Miller, who appointed him to superintend the work. Under his supervision the dam and Buena Vista reservoir were built, an outlet or drainage canal was dug and levees made to turn the water in and out of the lake, also a canal to carry the water to the lake. The venture proved an overwhelming success. Farming land was made out of the once worthless tules. Seventy-five thou- sand acres were placed under cultivation as a result of this great feat of engi- neering. During the process of building Mr. Wible checked as desired against the Miller & Lux account without the necessity of any O. K.'s, being the only man ever permitted to do so. After the completion of this task he continued with the same firm as general manager of their ranches until about 1900, when he retired from active labors. However, he did not relinquish all in- terests, for he retained the management of his large mine near Sunrise on the Kenai peninsula in Alaska and each summer for eleven years he went to that region to superintend the operation of the mine. Upon his return from his eleventh trip of this kind he was taken ill and died in San Francisco September 13, 1911, at the age of eighty years.

The death of Mr. Wible marked the passing of one of the most influential pioneers of Kern county. Every line of activity had felt the impetus of his large endeavors. The Bank of Bakersfield was organized under his efficient supervision and he continued to serve as president as long as he lived. When in 1858 he joined Ione Lodge of Odd Fellows, he had the distinction of being one of the first to be initiated into that order in the entire state. The fruit industry numbered him among its progressive pioneers and his enthusi- asm in starting an orchard and vineyard encouraged many others to follow his example. He was one of the very first to succeed in horticulture in Kern county and the orchard of four hundred and eighty acres which he planted continued under his personal oversight until it was sold during 1910. When the water works were in an embryonic phase of development he and W. H. Scribner took charge of the enterprise, developed the plant, built a complete line of mains into every part of the city, turned an uncertain project into a valuable system and he continued to act as president of the Bakersfield Water Company until its interests were sold to the Kern County Land Co.

DIXON DOUGHERTY .- Since the age of twelve years Dixon Dough- erty has lived in California. Born at Old Vincennes, Ind., January 6, 1861, he was one of seven children, of whom only himself and his brother, C. A., are still living. The parents, both of whom died in Indiana, were Joseph A. and Palace (Horsey) Dougherty, natives respectively of Pennsyl- vania and Paoli, Orange county, Ind., the former a farmer for many years, but also for a time a merchant in Vincennes. J. P. was the first of the sons to come to California, and in 1873 C. A. and Dixon came together to join their older brother, with whom they spent a short time at Pleasanton, Ala- meda county. Next they went to San Diego with the intention of proceed- ing to Mexico and there embarking in the cattle business, but the fierce Apaches were on the war path at the time and the older brother advised against the expedition. Accordingly Dixon went to Sacramento and found employment. After his first trip to Bakersfield in 1875 he went to Los An- geles and from there to the suburb of Artesia, where with his brothers he engaged in farming for two years. Upon returning to Kern county in 1877

Harry Juin

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HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

he found employment on a ranch owned by Charles Jewett and located in the Breckenridge mountains. After eighteen months on the ranch he was brought to Bakersfield by Mr. Jewett, who gave him employment as driver of an ice wagon and in that position he continued for two years. Meanwhile having married Miss Mary Kubovec, a native of Austria, he and his wife found a desirable opening for a hotel business and for three years operated the American Exchange on Eighteenth street.

An opportunity to secure a homestead took Mr. Dougherty back to the Breckenridge mountains, where he entered the southeast quarter of section 18, township 29, range 31, and established headquarters at Dripping Springs ranch. On the land he put up necessary buildings. The place was fenced and cross-fenced, so that he could handle his stock advantageously, and also that he might devote some fields to the raising of grain. For years he made a specialty of the shorthorn Durham breed of cattle and in stock-raising operations he was more than ordinarily successful. Meantime he had added to the original claim until his ranch comprised three hundred and twenty acres, besides using other ranges for his stock, bearing the 7L brand. After he and his wife had lived on the mountain ranch about five years he estab- lished a home for the family in East Bakersfield, in order that the two sons might attend the city schools, but he himself remained on the ranch and gave personal attention to the cattle. After he disposed of the property in 1913 he came to East Bakersfield to remain, and since has given attention to the supervision of his alfalfa farm near the city, and also to the care of the various residences he has built here, five of which houses still remain in his possession. His younger son, Joseph A., assists him in his various enterprises, while the older son, Charles R., has embarked in the stock busi- ness independently and now conducts a stock ranch at Adobe Station.

HARRY QUINN .- The Quinn family springs from Scottish ancestry and has an honorable history extending back to eras far antedating the relig- ious persecutions in that country. About that time some of the name, forced to flee from their native land on account of their religious views, found a safe and permanent refuge in the north of Ireland, where, at Kilkeel, county Down, Harry Quinn was born on Christmas day of 1843 and where during boyhood he attended the national schools. He was the son of Thomas and Margaret (Donaldson) Quinn, the latter the daughter of William Donald- son, who was a wholesale baker and confectioner in Kilkeel. The paternal grandfather, William Quinn, was a farmer and also a linen merchant. In his family of ten children there were seven sons, all successful business or trades men. Thomas Quinn, the seventh child in order of birth, became a farmer near Kilkeel and resided there throughout the remainder of his life.

The necessity of earning his own livelihood sent Harry Quinn to Aus- tralia at the age of fifteen years and there he prospected and mined. but with- out success. After this experience he worked on stock ranches and thus was enabled to save an amount of money sufficient for another stake. While on his way from Melbourne to Queensland he heard of a new strike, but returning miners brought back discouraging reports and while waiting there he saw the American barque Penang, which, on account of the fact that it was Sunday, was displaying American flags. Mr. Quinn remarked to his companions: "Boys, there is my flag and my country," and the next day he not only purchased a ticket for himself to San Francisco, but also for three companions. Two of them afterward repaid him at the first oppor- tunity, and the third paid one-fifth of his indebtedness. It was about May, 1868, that Mr. Quinn landed at San Francisco, a stranger in a strange land. Working his way from place to place he was able to see much of the state. but did not find a location or an opportunity suited to his condition. He had been reared to a knowledge of the sheep industry, so it was his desire

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to buy sleep and rent land for their pasturage, but at the time sheep were held at a figure far beyond his reach. As early as 1868 he came to Kern county for the first time, but did not locate here permanently then. In 1872 he found employment with Archibald Leitch, an extensive sheep-raiser and large land-owner in Stanislaus county, who, being pleased with the energy and ability of young Quinn, sent him into Kern county as pilot for his flocks, and at the end of two years took him into partnership. The connection continued with mutual profit until the death of Mr. Leitch in 1896, and afterward with the estate until 1906, whereupon the interest in the land and sheep was purchased by Mr. Quinn.

It was during the year 1873 that Mr. Quinn purchased one-half interest in twenty-two hundred head of sheep and also took up a pre-emption claim of one hundred and sixty acres where his residence now stands. Besides this he bought railroad land and also acquired large tracts from homesteaders who were unable to prove up on their claims. During the early days in the history of Kern county the Quinn farm was the only place in miles where a traveler could obtain water and hence emigrants headed for the ranch from every direction, watering their stock and resting awhile as they enjoyed the never- failing hospitality and cheerful welcome of Mr. Quinn. At his home the latch-string was always hanging out and no one was too humble or too poor to feel the hearty inspiration of his welcoming hand. His splendid hospitality made him known to and loved by early settlers throughout all this part of the country. At one time he owned as high as twenty-two thousand acres, but in 1906 he sold a large tract to a company of promoters and it is now being planted to orange trees. At present he still owns fifteen thousand acres.

While in the main successful in his enterprises and particularly so in his sheep-raising ventures, Mr. Quinn had his share of misfortune. During the serious drought of 1877 he was forced to seek new ranges for his sheep. With a flock of eighteen thousand six hundred and sixty sheep he went into Nevada and at first found abundant pasturage, but while at Fish Lake valley he was caught in a severe snow-storm and fifteen thousand sheep perished at one time. On his return to Kern county he had only twenty- seven hundred head of sheep and was $5.000 in debt. Undismayed by a catastrophe that would have discouraged most men, he started in anew and in a few years had paid off his debt, enlarged his flock and secured another foothold financially. For many years he was engaged in raising thoroughbred French merinos, and the high grade of the stock can be esti- mated when it is known that his sheep were not only shipped into all parts of the United States for breeding purposes, but also to Mexico, South America and Africa. After a long association with the sheep industry he sold the last of his flock about 1911 and since then has devoted his attention wholly to raising Short-horn Durham cattle. Not only was he the first set- tler on the plains east of Delano in Kern county, but besides he merits men- tion because he is one of the few successful men who have engaged in dry farming and stock-raising on the plains. The Quinn ranch is located ten miles east of Delano and lies principally in Rag gulch, although some parts of it lie in the Sierra Nevadas inside of the forest reserve. The ranch is well improved with a new, modern residence, which was completed in Decem- ber, 1912, and is also equipped with the needed farm buildings and three pumping plants. The sons are now preparing to set out forty acres to oranges.

Several of the state conventions of the Democratic party have been attended by Mr. Quinn, who maintains a warm interest in political affairs. For years he has served as a trustee of the local schools. Fraternally he is

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a charter member of Porter Lodge, I. O. O. F., was made a Mason in Visalia Lodge No. 123, F. & A. M., is a member of Visalia Chapter No. 44, R. A. M., Visalia Commandery, K. T., Visalia Consistory, Scottish Rite. thirty-second degree, and is also a member of Islam Temple. N. M. S .. of San Francisco. Mr. Quinn's marriage, solemnized in Robertson county, N. C., December 15, 1886, united him with Miss Katie Robertson, who was born in Robertson county, N. C., on the last day of the year 1858. Seven children were born of the union and to each has been given the educational training essential to a thorough preparation for life's activities. The eldest daughter, Marguerite, is the wife of Nelson Smith. The eldest son, John, who graduated with the class of 1912, University of California. at Berkeley. with the degree of B. S., is assisting his father in the management of the ranch. Tom, the second son, has charge of his father's stock. The third son, Archie, a graduate of the Bakersfield high school, class of 1912, is also assisting in the care of the stock. The youngest daughters. Mary and Mil- dred, are attending college at Oakland during the winter months, while in the summer they are with their parents on the ranch near Delano. The youngest son. Cletus, is attending the Kern county high school at Bakersfield.

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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 39

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