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 55

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 55

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CYRILLE ANDRE .- The example of wise and frugal parents on a small, well-cultivated farm in France gave to the early years of Mr. André the advantages of a training that proved of inestimable value to later davs of hardship, toil and hope delayed. More extended mention of the family ap- pears in the biographical sketch of André André. Suffice it here to state that their father, Ambroise, spent ten years in California, but in 1885 closed out his sheep interests in this state and returned to France to spend his declining days in the midst of associations endeared to him by every tic of affection and intimacy. Cyrille himself left the old homestead near Gap, Hautes Alpes, where he was born in June, 1862, and sought the opportunities of America at the age of less than nineteen years, since which time he has considered California his home.

Arriving in this state during the spring of 1881 Cyrille Andre learned the sheep business as conducted in the west and his period of employment

N.P. Petersen

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HISTORY OF KERN COUNTY

under his father and older brother proved of great assistance to him in his efforts to acquire a thorough familiarity with the country, the language and the people. As early as 1882 he herded the flocks of his brother in Kern county. About 1880 he invested his savings in a flock of his own, and these sheep he ranged in Kern county. Selling out his holdings in stock he returned to Los Angeles in 1890, but in a short time he again was the possessor of a little flock which he ranged in the vicinity of Cucamonga. In a search for more satisfactory range he brought his sheep over the Tehachapi mountains into Kern county during 1895 and here he ranged them on the plains and in the mountains until 1903, when he disposed of the flock in order to give his attention exclusively to farming. Having made a close study of land in the San Joaquin valley he decided that the vicinity of Bakersfield afforded excellent advantages to farmers. Accordingly he bought sixty acres six miles south of Bakersfield between Union avenue and the Kern Island road, where an abundance of water from the Kern Island canal gives exceptional advantages for the successful raising of alfalfa and corn. In the midst of a very busy life he has found time twice to revisit the old scenes in France. During 1902 he spent about six months at the old home place and in 1910 he again crossed the ocean to France, where in November of the same year he married Miss Marie Barthalmy, a native of Hautes Alpes. With Mrs. Andre and their little daughter. Marie. he has a happy and comfortable home on the ranch near Bakersfield and is surrounded by evidences of his thrift,. foresight and enterprise. Truly American in his type of feeling and loyalty, he supports the Republican party and its candidates. He is a member of the Catholic Church.

NIELS PETER PETERSEN .- In Lesso channel between the Cattegat and Skager Rack lies the small island of Leso, a portion of the kingdom of Denmark, where Niels Peter Petersen was born October 10, 1841. the son of a government official who also owned an ocean vessel and engaged in the coasting trade and fishing business. On the ship owned by his father he became familiar with the life of a sailor. At the age of four- teen he shipped from Copenhagen as a cook on a schooner bound for

England. In the spring of the following year he shipped from Olberg as an ordinary seaman on a vessel bound for London. His next voyage took him to the Mediterranean on a Danish vessel and later he shipped from Hamburg on an old Danish frigate, the Ada. that had been con- demned and discarded from the navy, then converted to the merchant marine service. On this vessel he rounded the Cape of Good Hope to Bombay. On the return voyage the ship sprung a leak. By manning the pumps and working with desperate haste, the crew managed to bring the disabled ship into the harbor of Marisus, where the old craft was condemned.

In order to reach his original destination the young sailor shipped on an English vessel to Bristol. Ilis next voyage, made as an able seaman on an iron barque, began at Swansea, Wales, took him around Cape Horn. thence up the Pacific to Callao, Peru. from which point return was made to Swansea. The last long voyage associated with his life on the high seas began at Hamburg and took him in a brig around Cape Horn and up the Pacific to the harbor of the Golden Gate, where anchor was cast in March, 1862. Liking the appearance of the country. he deserted his ship at San Francisco and went inland to Sacramento, where he found ein- ployment on a Sacramento river scow for three months. Next as able seaman on a barque. he engaged in the coasting trade as far south as San Diego. Returning to San Francisco, he enlisted in the United States navy April 14, 1863, for a term of one year, which was spent on the Shoobrick, stationed at Black Point, just inside of the Golden Gate, as coxswain of

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the first cutter, or the boat of the lieutenant. Upon the expiration of his time he was honorably discharged from the service.

Ever since first landing at San Francisco there had been in the mind of Mr. Petersen a desire to engage in mining, and this was gratified through the friendship of his first lieutenant, who was a stockholder in the Big Blue mine at Whiskey Flat. Tulare county (now Kernville. Kern county). Upon the recommendation of the lieutenant he was induced to come to this part of the country in May. 1864, after which he found employment at the Big Blue mine for a year. During 1865 he prospected at Havilah for two months and then spent two years as engineer in a quartz mill. Upon re- turning to Kernville he spent another two years in a quartz mill at that point. During 1873 he bought property and built the Kernville hotel, of which he continued as proprietor for ten years. Going to Shasta in 1884. he leased a mine in French Gulch and operated it for eight months, then sold out his interests and in 1885 returned to Kernville.

About this time Mr. Petersen purchased one hundred and sixty acres forming the nucleus of his present large ranch in the South Fork valley. By subsequent purchase he has become the owner of twelve hundred acres. besides having two ranches on the Greenhorn mountains where he ranges his stock in the summer months. The home property has been improved with several sets of buildings and with ditches bringing water from the river for the irrigation of the alfalfa. Grain is raised in large quantities. A specialty is made of raising cattle, hogs and horses. The ranch lies midway between Isabella and Onyx, between which points Mr. Petersen runs a stage line. besides a line between Kernville and Caliente. As early as July. 1890. he began to run a stage, using four four-horse teams. Upon the advent of the automobile he bought three cars and he now uses motors not only for the carrying of mail and passengers, but also for the operation of the express line. Besides his immense land holdings he owns residence and business property in Kernville, Havilah and Caliente.

The marriage of Mr. Petersen took place in Kernville in 1876 and united him with Mrs. Lizzie Annie (Davis) Swet, who was born in Boston, Mass., and accompanied her parents to California in early life. settling at Visalia, where she was educated in the public schools. By her first marriage she had two sons, John Swet, of Bakersfield, and William Swet, now living at Madera. Of her union with Mr. Petersen there are three children, namely : Howard, a farmer on the South Fork: Mrs. Addie Fugitt. also of the South Fork valley: and Walter, who has charge of the cattle interests of his father. Fraternally Mr. Petersen is connected with Bakers- field Lodge No. 266. B. P. O. E., and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. For years he has served as a trustee of the South Fork school and his interest in its welfare has been constant. To fill a vacancy in the office of super- visor, formerly held by J. W. Kelley, he was appointed in 1902 by Governor Gage to represent district No. 1 on the county board. At the regular elec- tion in 1904 he was elected by a good majority on the Republican ticket in a Democratic district, serving continuously until January. 1909. During the period of his service the hall of records and high school were erected. From the beginning of his residence in the state he has been deeply inter- ested in its development. When Kern county was set apart from Tulare. he was one of the organizers of the new county and his interest in its progress has been unceasing.

JOSEPH PERCY FREEAR .- A son of the late Henry T. Freear and a grandson of Rev. Henry T. Freear, a rector in the Church of England, Joseph P. Freear was born in Bakersfield, April 18, 1881, and has since lived in Kern county. After he had completed the studies of the local schools he was sent to Stockton Business College, from which he was graduated

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in 1903, and immediately afterward became bookkeeper for the Union Oil Company at the refinery in the Kern river field, where he con- tinned perhaps three years. Meanwhile he had been interested in ranch activities and with his brothers had owned a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, but finally he sold his interest to the brothers and then began to devote his attention to alfalfa-raising on a tract on Union avenue, where he remained for two years. Although since 1908 he has made his home in Bakersfield he still retains agricultural interests and during 1912 with his brothers he put in and raised five hundred acres of corn at Buena Vista lake.

Devoted to the best interests of Bakersfield, many measures for civic advancement have received the enthusiastic support of Mr. Freear and he has aided local projects to the extent of his ability. In politics he votes with the Republican party. His marriage was solemnized December 9, 1906. at Red Bluff, this state, and united him with Miss Zola Clayman, a native of that city, a woman of excellent education, an active worker with the Order of Women of Woodcraft and a devoted mother to her two children. Lorin Donald and Vivian. The father of Mrs. Freear is John H. Clayman. a pioneer of 1859 in California and since 1910 a resident of Bakersfield, where with one exception all of his five children now make their homes.

J. J. DEUEL, JR .- As treasurer and manager of the E. A. Hardison Per- forator Company of Bakersfield, J. J. Deuel, Jr., has evinced a high type of the capable. foresighted and clear-minded business man. While interested in many fields he devotes his chief attention to the perforating company of which he is the principal owner and manager, and his extensive business extends to all the California oil fields, as well as those in Texas and old Mexico, and even to such remote points as Trinidad, West Indies, Australia. Austria. China and Burmah, India. The automatic machine which this company employs is one of the most important innovations in the oil pro- ducing business today. Under absolute control of the operator perforations of any size or shape may be made in casing of any weight or dimensions. The device is the result of the ingenuity of Edwin A. Hardison of Los Angeles and is now owned and improved by Mr. Deuel. who has his oil- well supply store at No. 2111 Chester avenue, Bakersfield, under his personal direction. He is also sales manager of the Axelson Machine Company.

J. J. Deuel, Jr., was born July 31, 1879, at Wellsville. Columbiana county, Ohio, son of Joseph Jasper and Flora V. (Eaton) Detiel. natives respec- tively of Ohio and West Virginia. The father was employed for many years as foreman for the C. & P. R. R., on the Panhandle and later for the L. & N. R. R. at Pensacola, Fla., where the son grew to manhood. In 1904 the family joined the latter in Bakersfield, and father and son became asso- ciated in business, outside of which they have acquired valuable property and real estate. Joseph J. Deuel and wife were the parents of two sons and one daughter, of whom J. J. Jr .. was the first born. In Pensacola. Fla., he was educated in the common schools and also in the academy there, and before he finished his education was well advanced in a practical knowledge of the machinist's trade which he completed in due time. In April. 1898, lie volunteered in the United States navy for the Spanish-American war. enlisting at the navy yard at Pensacola. Fla., and serving a year on the San Francisco and Armeria as a machinist, in the Cuban blockade. Soon after his honorable discharge from the United States service he went to work at his trade and was so employed at Galveston at the time of the his- toric flood which destroyed much of that city, and he spent several months running a hoisting engine on the water-front clearing up the debris. In December, 1900, he located at Bakersfield. Cal .. where for four years he was agent for the Standard Oil Company, building up a local business three

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times the size it was when he took it in hand. The subsequent two years he was a special officer, operating on the San Joaquin division, in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Resigning that position to take charge of the Bakersfield interests of the Axelson Machine Company, of Los Angeles, who were manufacturers of oil pumps and dealers in oil well supplies, with the Axelson pump and the Parker pump as specialties, he materially advanced the interests of the concern, and later was advanced to sales manager of the entire output and various stores. His perforator is the most successful in use today and is employed by the largest companies who aim to obtain the best results. In 1909 Mr. Deuel became the owner of the Hardison Perforator by purchasing it from the inventor, E. A. Hardi- son, and since that time he has patented an improvement on the machine. His operations have extended over a wide area and he employs five experi- enced men to operate the perforator.

Mr. Deuel and his interesting family occupy a high place among the citizens of Bakersfield. His marriage occurred here June 1, 1902, uniting him with Miss Mary E. Thurlow. a native of New York state, and they have six children, viz. : Edwin J., James W .. George A., Ruth, Harry A. and Jack- son Bryan. Mr. Deuel is a member of the Kern County Merchants' Asso- ciation, and politically believes in the principles of the Democratic party. He is a communicant of the Christian church and affiliates with the Wood- men of the World. On Chester avenue, near Twentieth, he occupies a store and office quarters. He owns two hundred and forty acres of land four miles southeast of Bakersfield, which is devoted to farming and horticul- ture and on which he has installed two pumping plants.

ROBERT NEILL .- The first twenty years in the useful and interesting life of Robert Neill were passed near the bleak shores of the Atlantic, where the family, Scotch by birth and ancestry, but Canadian by adoption, had established a home near Kensington, Prince Edward Island. The stern and rigorous climate to which he was inured from earliest recollections developed not only a sturdy physique, but also a forceful mentality and a self-reliant spirit, qualifying him to successfully cope with the hardships of the work- a-day world. His parents, James and Marion (McCaull) Neill, were natives of Scotland, who seeking a home in the new world had settled in Canada. identifying themselves with farming interests on Prince Edward Island. where, in the midst of an environment given over to the fishing business and the coasting trade, they tilled the soil and raised such crops as the all too brief summers permitted.

The eldest of eight children, Robert Neill was born on the farm in Prince Edward Island February 18, 1852, and grew to manhood at the old homestead, where he worked during the vacation months in the period of his school life. Leaving school at the age of fifteen, he devoted his time entirely to farm work as an assistant to his father. Upon starting out for himself in 1872 he went first to Massachusetts and spent the summer months on a farm near Middleboro. During the winter of 1872-73 he was sent by Swift & Co. from New Bedford, Mass., to Florida, where he engaged as a broad axeman in getting out live oak timber for the government navy yards. During the summer he went from Florida to Bath, Me., to do similar work in the private yard.

From boyhood it had been the desire of Mr. Neill to see the land of the Golden West and during 1875, giving up his work in the east, he crossed the continent to California. It was his original intention to remain here only long enough to accumulate a 'little money and then return to his old home, but he was so favorably impressed by the state that he decided to remain, a decision he has no cause to regret. During the first three months he was employed on a farm at Baden Station owned by Miller & Lux, and from that place in August of the same vear he came to Kernville. From that

Robert. Neill,

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time to the present he has been identified with Kern county, of which he is not only one of the old settlers, but also one of the most honored citizens and progressive farmers. However, his connection with agriculture does not go back to his settlement in the county. First as a carman and later as a fireman, he spent four years with the Sumner Mining Company. Next he was an employe in the store of Andrew Brown at Kernville, where he re- mained for ten years. first as a clerk and then as bookkeeper and office-man. Meanwhile he saved his earnings with frugal care, for he had determined to engage in farming. Resigning his position in the store in 1889, he purchased two hundred and eighty acres and took up general ranch pursuits.

By subsequent purchase the ranch of Mr. Neill has been enlarged to eight hundred and forty acres, all in one body, situated about two and one- half miles west of Weldon. Several hundred acres are in alfalfa, irrigation for which is provided by the South Fork. The balance of the valley land is devoted to the raising of grain. Realizing the importance of the stock industry, the owner has made a specialty of the same from the very beginning of his farming operations. The brand of R. N. (with letters separate) is to be seen on his large herd of shorthorn Durham cattle.

Throughout this portion of the county "Bob" Neill is known as a man of honor and integrity. His name is a synonym for all that is worthy in citizenship and progressive in agriculture. When a postmaster was to be chosen at Weldon during the year 1888 he was selected as one satisfac- tory to all concerned and his service was efficient to an unusual degree. At this writing he is a school trustee in the Weldon district and he has acted in a similar capacity for many years. Since coming to this county he was made a Mason in Bakersfield Lodge No. 224, F. & A. M. As a boy in the old Canadian home he was trained to a belief in Presbyterian doctrines. There being no church of that denomination near his ranch he, with his sister, Miss Millie A. Neill, who is a member of his household, attend the Methodist Episcopal Church at Weldon. By nature religious, his life expresses less the religion of creeds than that of a cheerful, hopeful and helpful existence. devoted to the uplifting of humanity and the welfare of the race. Careful study of the principles upon which our government is founded led him to espouse the platform of the Republican party when he became a citizen of our country in 1884. Of his services to his adopted country it may be said that they have been admirable, whether viewed from the point of agriculture or business or private life.

THOMAS HENRY McGOVERN .- Change and development have marked the history of Kern county since Mr. McGovern became a resident of Annette during the year 1881. The small hamlet near which he took up land stands in the northwestern corner of the county and being remote from the railroad has acquired no significance as a market town. The near- est market was San Luis Obispo, a distance of fifty-five miles toward the coast, and thither the farmers were accustomed to drive for the purpose of buying provisions, clothing and lumber. Immediately after his arrival in the state Mr. McGovern took up a homestead, a pre-emption and a timber- culture, amounting to four hundred and eighty acres altogether, the tract being adapted chiefly to the raising of grain. With one exception he was the first settler in that part of the county. Privations were many, the task of caring for the crops of oats, wheat and barley without sufficient help was discouraging, and the long drives to market took up much valuable time. but ultimately he saw the fruit of his labor and became financially inde- pendent. His only son, John A., took up a claim of three hundred and twenty acres, so that the two owned and cultivated eight hundred acres, and this has been increased by subsequent purchase to seventeen hundred acres, the whole forming a stock ranch of great value, now managed by the son, the father having retired to a life of ease and merited rest.

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County Cavan in the north of Ireland is the native home of Thomas Henry McGovern and September 11, 1835, the date of his birth. On the eighth anniversary of his birth the family landed in New Orleans from the vessel that had brought them from Ireland to America. A voyage up the Mississippi took them to Illinois and after a brief sojourn at Galena they moved to Wisconsin, where the father took up land near Platteville, Grant county. As a boy Thomas H. attended school at Ellenboro, and aided in the development of the home farm. After he ceased to attend school he gave his attention wholly to farming until 1857, when he left Wisconsin for Missouri. Holding the position of driller, he remained for four years in the Iron mountain mines. At the opening of the war he decided to return to Wisconsin and went to St. Louis with that object in view, but found that no trains were leaving the city. Meanwhile John H. McHenry, general foreman of the mine in which he had worked, became colonel in the Fif- teenth Mississippi Regiment, C. S. A. At Cape Girardeau Mr. McGovern volunteered for service in that regiment, which was later consolidated with and became the Seventeenth Mississippi Regiment. For four years and seven months he remained in the Confederate army. During that time he endured all the hardships of war and fought in many bloody battles. One of the hardest fought engagements in which he participated was that of Cold Harbor. At the siege of Vicksburg he served as an army scout. During a portion of his service he was under General Pemberton, and in addition he served under Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. After the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., he was released from service and allowed to return to Wisconsin, where he joined his parents, then living at Platteville, Grant county. For several years he worked in lead ore mines during the winters and farmed in the summer months, but later he carried on a general mer- cantile store at Trempealeau, Wis., and also served as a justice of the peace. remaining there until the time of his removal to California. In Kern county he was twice elected justice of the peace, but did not qualify. He also filled the office of roadmaster for a number of years, and for sixteen years acted as clerk of the Annette school district.

From early life Mr. McGovern has been a member of the Roman Catho- lic Church. Since attaining his majority he has given stanch support to the Democratic party. January 8. 1866, he married in Platteville, Wis., Miss Josephine Roselip, who was born in Grant county, Wis., July 8, 1841. By their union there is an only child, John A., who resides with his parents and superintends the large landed interests of the family. Removing to Wasco from the ranch in 1905, Mr. McGovern has since been retired from active agricultural cares and enjoys the comforts possible after long years of labor. When he came to this small town it had only one general store. but there were also two saloons. Shortly after settling here he built the Wasco Hotel and this he now leases.

CHARLES F. BENNETT .- As county supervisor of the first district of Kern county and a successful business man as well, Charles F. Bennett has identified himself closely with the industrial work of this county, becoming well and favorably known for the impartial execution of his official duties, his painstaking efforts to meet the approbation of his constituents and his never-failing good-will toward all. He was born May 8, 1862, in Washoe City, Nev., the son of Rev. Jesse Lee Bennett, a well-known minister, who was born in West Virginia and made his way to Missouri to fill the respon- sible office of minister in the Methodist Episcopal church. Later he crossed the plains to California in 1849, followed mining for a time and was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Washoe City, Nev. He returned east after a time and was married, but the call of the west again brought him to Washoe City, this trip being made via Panama. Upon arrival he resumed the duties of minister and until 1873 he and his estimable wife, who before

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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 55

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