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 40

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 40

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

HERBERT C. MOSHER .- The secretary and treasurer of the Torney & Jones Company, Incorporated, of Maricopa, has been a resident of Califor- nia almost from his earliest recollections. Born in Georgia October 25, 1872, he was scarcely four years of age when in 1876 the family became resi- dents of Los Angeles, where he received such advantages as the public schools then offered, supplemented by a course of study in the normal school. After his graduation from the normal in 1892 he began to teach in the schools of Goleta, Santa Barbara county, where he continued in the same school for two years, and then devoted the next two years to similar work in the Los Angeles city schools. Resigning his position and retiring from educational pursuits, he turned to an industry then newly inaugurated in the state. This was the raising of sugar beets. At that time Oxnard was the only center of the industry in the state and he took up land in Ventura county near the Oxnard factory, where he engaged in raising beets for a few years.

Coming to Bakersfield in 1899 Mr. Mosher began an active and prominent identification with the upbuilding of Kern county, an association that at first lent helpful aid to the making of good roads. Forming a partnership with his brother. J. W. Mosher, he organized the firm of Mosher Brothers, which in 1900, under the oversight of Supervisor H. A. Jastro, oiled the first roads in the entire San Joaquin valley. Their contract called for the oiling of about seventy miles of road and the results were so satisfactory that they were called to different parts of the state by those desirous of securing good roads in their communities. Eventually J. W. Mosher established headquarters for the business at Stockton and with that as a center he carries on a large busi- ness in the oiling of roads, an interest in the concern being retained by Her- bert C. Mosher, who, however, of recent years has given over to the brother the active management of the entire enterprise.

The business identification of Mr. Mosher with the new town of Mari- copa began in 1909, when he organized the Gate City Oil Company and pur- chased forty acres owned by the Maricopa Oil Company. After a period as manager of the Gate City he resigned in order to give his attention to other interests, but he still holds stock in the concern. As secretary and treasurer of Torpey & Jones Company, Incorporated, he is connected with a pioneer mercantile enterprise of Maricopa, having during June of 1909 purchased the interest of J. D. Jones in the firm. At that time the company occupied twelve hundred feet of floor space, but since then they have erected addi- tional rooms and now use five thousand feet of floor space. The same com- pany also supplies the town with water, controlling the stock in the Maricopa

330

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

Water Company. Prior to the organization of that concern water was shipped in from Bakersfield and was consequently so expensive that its use was limited to the most stern necessities. Torpey & Jones conduct business upon the department system and each department is practically a complete store in itself. The groceries, dry-goods, ladies' and gent's furnishings, sup- plies for oil men, wines and hardware, are indicative of the lines carried in stock and of the quality of the same. The first president, F. T. Torpey, was the pioneer merchant of Maricopa and the remarkable growth of the business is largely due to the substantial foundations laid by him at the start. The firm passed through the disastrous fire of June 20, 1911, and aided in the work of rebuilding. They promoted the incorporation of Maricopa as a city, which occurred July 20, 1911, and since then all members of the company have given liberally of time and means to further civic projects, Mr. Mosher having served first by appointment as a member of the board of trustees, later elected to the position April 8, 1912, after which he was chosen chairman of the board, a position equivalent to that of mayor. He resigned from said board on account of very pressing business duties in May, 1913.

FRANZ BUCKREUS .- The superintendent of the Kern county hos- pital is of German birth and the descendant of a long line of honored Teutonic ancestors, his parents having been Dr. Michael and Babetta (Sauer) Buck- reus, the former a graduate physician and the son of a Bavarian millwright. For a long period Dr. Buckreus engaged in professional labors in the pros- perous village of Bamberg, lying along the banks of the Main river in Ober- franken, Bavaria, and there occurred the birth of his third child, Franz. November 30, 1845. After he had been given the advantages of the national schools and gymnasiums he was taken into the doctor's office and taught the principles of surgery as well as the treatment of disease. The death of the father in 1866 prevented him from gaining a comprehensive knowledge of materia medica and obliged him to work diligently to support the family. At first he engaged in nursing the sick and during the Franco-Prussian war he held a position in the sanitary department of the army. Coming to the United States in 1871 he followed the barber's trade in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut successively. January of 1875 found him in Cali- fornia and during March of the same year he came to Bakersfield, where he worked as a journeyman barber for six months, and then established a shop on Chester avenue on the present site of Scribner's opera house. Later he conducted a shop in the Arlington hotel, but in 1883 he sold out to accept the position of superintendent of the Kern county hospital, which had been established in 1881. Since then his own history has been practically that of the institution which he manages.

The early home of the hospital was on G between Thirteenth and Four- teenth streets and there it was conducted until the inadequacy of the facilities there afforded compelled a different location and larger quarters. During 1895 removal was made to Nineteenth and Oak streets, where there are six acres of grounds picturesquely adorned with trees and shrubs planted by the superintendent, whose good taste and artistic ability are reflected in the entire arrangement of the place. Under his trained judgment the grounds have been converted into an attractive park with permanent walks and lawn, beautified further by flowers and ornamental trees. However, the superin- tendent has proved more than a successful landscape gardener, for in the management of the institution he has been efficient, reliable and capable. The main building, two stories in height with a frontage of two hundred and twenty feet, proved too small, and in 1911 the company added a sixty-foot wing on the east to be utilized partly as a surgical ward and operating room. The capacity has been increased from seventy-five to one hundred patients. An excellent system of heating, lighting and ventilation has been introduced and the entire equipment bespeaks the oversight of a wise intelligence.

Christian Matly

Mrs. Christian Mattly

335

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

In the days when it was impossible for Kern county to pay a health officer Mr. Buckreus served in that position gratuitously. When the county was able to give him some recompense for his services, he was paid $25 per month. The service without pay lasted for six years and the service with pay covered eight years, at the expiration of which time the state legis- lature passed a bill requiring all health officers to possess medical diplomas. In politics Mr. Buckreus has been a Democrat ever since he became familiar with the national issues of his adopted country. For twelve years he officiated as county coroner and public administrator, having been appointed to fill a vacancy in 1890. At the expiration of that term in 1892 he was elected for two years. During 1894 he was elected for a term of four years and again in 1898 for four years, holding the office until January of 1903, when he retired. Upon the organization of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Bakersfield he became a charter member of Lodge No. 266, in the upbuilding of which he has maintained a warm interest. In addition he has been actively associated with the Knights of Pythias.

CHRISTIAN MATTLY .- A gratifying degree of success has rewarded the industrious efforts of Mr. Mattly, whose profitable management of a dairy industry in Kern county furnishes evidence as to the possibilities of the business in this part of the state and also bears testimony concerning his own abilities in that direction. The fact that he comes of a long line of Swiss ancestors, among whom were not a few famous cheese-makers and skilled dairymen, may account in part for his own talents in the same direction. When it is considered that he was only seven years of age when he lost his father and that he had no influential friends to assist him in getting a start in California when he landed here without means, his present high standing indicates his determination of character and energy of temperament. Born at Zillis, Canton Graubunden, Switzerland, March 30, 1852, he was a son of Leonard and Menga (Cayori) Mattly, natives of the same canton as himself and lifelong residents thereof, the father dying in 1859 and the mother in 1885. There were five children in the family and four of these are still living, Christian having been next to the youngest of the number. After he had attended school for some years he was apprenticed to the trade of a stone- cutter and from that time earned his own way in the world. During 1873 he came from Europe to the United States and settled at Gilroy, Cal., but after eight months of work he removed to Marin county and secured employ- ment in a dairy at Point Reyes. Another six months were passed there and in 1874 he came to Kern county, where he pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres on Kern Island, fifteen miles from Bakersfield.

Six years spent upon the pre-emption claim were followed by employ- ment with W. Canfield, owner of a dairy, in which Mr. Mattly engaged as foreman and buttermaker. Previous experience aided him in the work and he soon proved himself to be skilled in that occupation. Encouraged by his evident fitness for the calling, in 1885 he embarked in the dairy busi- ness for himself, buying three hundred and twenty acres fourteen miles south- west of Bakersfield and at once starting a herd of milch cows. The land was under irrigation and the raising of alfalfa was thus made possible. From the first he was prosperous. Industry and wise management brought their deserved returns. Skill in the manufacture of butter and cheese brought him a steadily growing business. As time passed he added to his possessions until he had acquired five hundred and fifty-three acres in one body, all under irrigation and well suited to alfalfa. All of the hay raised was fed to the stock during the winter months. A specialty was made of the shorthorn red Durham cattle and at times he milked as many as one hundred and twenty cows with the aid of his hired help. When he first settled on the ranch he manufactured butter in the old-fashioned way, but this soon proved to be too tedious and so he began to put in machinery and at the time he rented the

336

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

dairy to others in 1903 he had it fitted out with modern conveniences of the most approved designs. Upon leaving that farm he settled four miles south of Bakersfield, where he had bought an alfalfa ranch of eighty acres. On the new farm he started another dairy and this he conducted until 1910 with continued success, eventually renting the property and then selling it to others. Retiring from the arduous labors that had filled his life from early manhood, in 1910 he erected an attractive and commodious residence on the corner of Eighteenth and B streets, where he and his family since have made their home. While residing on the big ranch he established family ties, the ceremony occurring April 6, 1896. His wife, formerly Nina Weichelt, is a native of the same part of Switzerland as himself and came in 1893 to Cali- fornia, where she was married in Kern county. Born of their union are three sons. Leonard, Gotleib and Christian. The family are identified with the Lutheran denomination and Mr. Mattly has been a regular contributor to religions enterprises. Since becoming a citizen of the United States he has voted with the Republican party. Upon the organization of the Security Trust Company he was elected a director and since then he has continued a member of the board. Fraternally he is associated with the Knights of Pythias and the Uniform Rank, K. P. Both himself and wife are members of the Kern County Pioneer Society. Always interested in educational work and a stanch believer in the free-school system, for some years he officiated as director of the Old River school district and during that time of service he promoted the school work and advanced the grade of scholarship through his capable and constant support.

ANGUS J. CRITES .- The honored and influential pioneer family of Crites, founded in Kern county during the latter part of the '50s by Angus M. Crites and connected by marriage with another leading old family, that of Jewett, has lost none of its early prestige or long-time popularity through the commercial activities of the present generation, one of whom, Angus J. Crites, has acquired a wide reputation as a successful and efficient super- intendent in the Kern river oil fields. It is said by competent judges that the Kern river district holds no better oil lease than that of the Peerless Oil Company, the high standing of which results from the able supervision of the manager. Having filled his present position since 1904, he has become familiar with the entire district and especially with the growing possibilities of the Peerless at Oil Center, which had thirty-four wells at the time of his original association with the company, but has increased its leases until in 1913 it has fifty-eight wells, all of them productive and remunerative.

Relative to the family history, it may be stated that Angus M. Crites settled at Kernville about the year 1858 and was one of the original miners at Havilah, then the county-seat. By his marriage to Louisa Jewett, he be- came a brother-in-law of Solomon Jewett, one of the most influential pio- neers of the county. For years he engaged in ranching and stock-raising and at times had as many as five hundred head of cattle on his range. Having valuable water rights on Clear creek, he was able to engage in the stock business with more success than many. Among his children was Arthur Saxe, who as Colonel Crites has been prominently connected with the Second California National Guard and at this writing also fills the posi- tion of cashier of the First Bank of Kern. Another son, Angus J., whose name introduces this article, was born in Bakersfield April 26, 1874, and passed the years of boyhood on the family ranch near Tehachapi. When a public school was established at Keene he became one of the first pupils and there gained a practical education. In company with his father he engaged in mining in Caliente valley, also in the vicinity of Sageland and Red Rock. At the age of twenty-three he entered the employ of the Jewett & Blodgett Oil Company. During the seven years of his association with the company he helped to develop oil fields in the Sunset, Hazleton and

337

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

Maricopa districts. When thirty years of age he became connected with the Peerless Oil Company, first acting as superintendent of their lands at Coalinga, then coming to the Kern river field as superintendent at Oil Cen- ter. The Peerless, which under his management has become one of the most profitable properties in the entire field, utilizes about twenty-four hun- dred horse-power day and night and has successfully installed an air-lift system as well as other modern improvements. The storage capacity has been increased until now it aggregates two hundred thousand barrels. Mr. Crites is a Republican and belongs to the Masons and Elks.

By Mr. Crites' marriage to Miss Mary Kirkpatrick, a native of Dry Run. Pa., he has two daughters, Dorothea and Catharine. The family maintain their residence on the Peerless lease. Mr. Crites is an enthusiast on the subject of good roads, and with such men taking hold of the project it is safe to say that Kern county will soon have first-class county roads.

THOMAS J. O'BOYLE .- Born at Scranton, Pa., October 19, 1853, he was the son of a poor miner who lost his life in the coal mines during 1863. The struggle to support the family, always most difficult, was rendered doubly acute by this catastrophe and the boy of ten years soon had to go into the mines, where he was employed in driving a mule and in picking the slate from the coal. The death of his mother left him wholly orphaned and de- pendent upon his own efforts for food and clothing. Needless to say that he suffered from the lack of necessities, yet he bore his hardships with patience and worked with the good cheer sometimes lacking in those older than he was at the time. At the age of eighteen he became an apprentice to the trade of a machinist in the shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, where he remained until he had completed his time. During 1873 he became clerk in a dry-goods store and remained in that business for four years, after which he secured employment in the oil fields of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile the lure of the west had weakened the ties that bound him to his native commonwealth. Traveling by way of Cincin- nati toward the west, he worked for a time in Arkansas and followed the machinist's trade as well as the dry-goods business.

Upon coming to California in 1879 Mr. O'Boyle first settled at Sutter creek in Amador county, where he found employment in a dry-goods store. Two years later he came to Bakersfield. His search for employment met with success in the machine shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad at Kern. From the first he was interested in local affairs. When the village of Sum- ner was incorporated as the city of Kern he was one of the enthusiastic supporters of the project and was elected a member of the first board of trustees, serving as such for six years. From 1887 to 1889 he engaged in the general mercantile business at Kern and later bought and started to con- duct the Paul Gates store in Bakersfield, but in 1889 he lost everything by fire. Lacking the necessary capital to embark anew in mercantile pursuits, he took a position as bookkeeper and accountant. The Democrats of the town co-operated to secure the Kern postmastership for him during the administration of Grover Cleveland and he filled the position acceptably for four years, besides which he served as justice of the peace at Kern for some years. During the early period of his identification with Kern county he purchased the Cosmopolitan hotel from John E. Bailey and conducted the same for three years.

The department store of Heard & Painter was started at Taft during March of 1909 by J. W. Heard and C. C. Painter and Judge O'Boyle came to the village shortly afterward for the purpose of keeping books for the new firm. Later he was placed in the dry-goods department as a salesman. Upon the organization of the district in the fall of 1910 he was elected justice of the peace, which position he had filled previously by appointment. As an indication of his high standing it may be stated that in Midway

338

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

precinct No. 2 only eight votes were cast against him out of a total of five hundred and fifty, while in the other precincts every ballot was in his favor. Since then he has given his attention to the duties of the office, which he has filled with an impartial spirit and a comprehensive knowledge of the law. He is a member of the Eagles and Foresters.

The first marriage of Judge O'Boyle took place in 1882 and united him with Miss Margaret Dugan, who died after a few years. Two of their children, Thomas and Monica, also are deceased, the sole survivor being Edward, assistant cashier of the First Bank of Kern. During 1890 occurred the marriage of Judge O'Boyle to Miss Nellie Moore, by whom he became the father of two children. The son, Thomas, is deceased. The daughter, Miss Mary, is now employed as bookkeeper in the California market.

REGINALD A. FERGUSSON, M. D .- The genealogy of the Fergusson family is traced back to the old Scotch clan of that name in Fergus Castle in Stirlingshire. In the midst of such picturesque but isolated sur- roundings was passed the early life of William Long Fergusson, M. D., whose professional skill and splendid Scotch qualities of mind and heart brought him a large circle of friends and admirers. For a considerable period prior to the memorable revolution that culminated in the execution of Maximilian in 1867 he had officiated as private physician to that ill-fated emperor. Upon returning to Great Britain he took up the practice of medicine in Claremont Square, London, where he remained until his death, meanwhile rising to professional prominence in the metropolis of the world. While living at New Granada he had been bereaved by the death of his wife, who was a Miss Chapman, of English birth and education. The only son of that union, Reginald Archibald, was born in New Granada in 1857 and received a classical education in England and Scotland. After having graduated from Oxford he took his medical course in the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, froni which he received the degree of M. D. Later he took a post-graduate course in London and then embarked in practice at Corn Hill Exchange in that city.

Coming to Southern California in 1881, Dr. Fergusson opened an office ín Los Angeles. A year later he removed to Bakersfield, where soon his professional skill became recognized. A constantly increasing practice filled the ensuing years. Among his co-laborers his standing was the high- est. It is said that he was without exception the leading physician of his day and locality, and combined with professional prominence was the pres- tige associated with culture acquired by association with people of the high- est refinement and by travels throughout different countries. At the time of his demise, which occurred September 4, 1899, he held the position of president of the San Joaquin Valley Medical Society, besides being actively associated with the California State and American Medical Associations. While his profession had engrossed his energies and called forth the highest powers of his fine mind, he had found leisure for the amenities of society and for the pleasurable relations of fraternities, having been one of the founders and charter members of Bakersfield Lodge No. 266, B. P. O. E., in whose development he retained a deep interest to the last.

The marriage of Dr. Fergusson was solemnized at Brighton, England, in 1880, and united him with Miss Bertha Maud Shriber, who was born in Calcutta. India, and received a classical education in England. Her parents were Dr. Edward and Eulalia (Alexander) Shriber, the former a native of London and a graduate of Guy's Hospital College with the degree of M. D., afterward a surgeon in the English army, stationed in India for many years. Upon his retirement he returned to England to spend his last days amid the scenes familiar to his youthful years. A year after her marriage Mrs. Fer- gusson accompanied her husband to the United States and since then has made California her home, having since the demise of the Doctor continued

341

HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

to occupy the family residence at No. 1521 Seventeenth street, Bakersfield, and giving her attention to the management of her varied business interests, the enjoyment of the society of warm friends of many years' standing and the benefactions of the Episcopal Church, to which she has given a devoted allegiance from childhood.

HECK BROS .- Established in June of 1910, almost simultaneously with the founding of Fellows, the history of the mercantile firm of Heck Bros. has been one of steady growth and progressive development. The erection of a suitable building followed the arrival of the two brothers in Fellows during December of 1909, and as soon as possible they put in the new build- ing a suitable stock of goods, since which they have conducted a department store with ability and tact. The trade is not limited to Fellows, but in addition two teams furnish excellent delivery service to the territory within a radius of seven miles of Fellows.

Upon beginning business in their two-story building the Heck Bros. utilized the upper floor of their block for hotel purposes, while devoting the entire first story to their stock of merchandise and household articles. Upon the establishment of an office at Fellows for Wells, Fargo & Co., they were appointed to act as agents October 24, 1910. Numerous other private and public enterprises occupy some of their time, but they are men of such stirring energy and such indomitable perseverance that their work is their chief joy, and the busier they are, likewise the happier. Their pride in the growth of the community has been warranted by their efforts in its behalf. It is their ambition to continue to promote the progress of Fellows and to assist in its permanent upbuilding, so that from a commercial and social standpoint it may represent appropriately the rich oil section of which it is the center.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 40

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