USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 112
USA > California > Lake County > History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 112
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MRS. AMELIA LUNDQUIST. There are many fine buildings in Middletown and the surrounding territory to attest the mechanical skill of the Lundquists, who as carpenters and builders have been favorably known in that section of Lake county since their arrival, some twenty-eight years ago. The firm of Lundquist Brothers, composed of Levi and David Lund- quist, and another brother, Henning Lundquist, have become established
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factors in the material development of their locality, where some of the most important work has been intrusted to them, to the satisfaction of all con- cerned. Henning Lundquist is also a carpenter by trade, like his brothers, with whom he works as occasion requires, but he devotes much of his time to the cultivation of the forty-four-acre ranch upon which his mother, Mrs. Amelia Lundquist, resides, located near Middletown, on St. Helena creek.
The late Andrew Lundquist, father of the Lundquist brothers, was a native of Sweden, and received excellent educational advantages and training for life in his native land, graduating from an agricultural college, where he also had manual training. Thus he became proficient as a worker in iron and wood, and learned carpentry and building. He held the position of foreman on a large farm, Herregaard, at Aske, Sweden. In 1862 he married Amelia Westberg, who was born near Stockholm, Sweden, December 27, 1844, daugh- ter of Peter Westberg, who was chief gardener for King Carl XIV. of Sweden, for eighteen years. Her mother's maiden name was Margarethe Christine Thunstrom, and both parents passed their entire lives in Sweden. Mr. Lund- quist acquired property in that country, and when he and his family decided to come to America he and his eldest daughter remained to dispose of it, the mother and the six other children sailing from Stockholm May 17, 1881. on a Bremen liner. They landed at Baltimore, Md., after a voyage of sixteen days, and proceeded directly to Village Creek. Allamakee county, Iowa, where they were joined in about six months by the father and Ellen. The eldest two sons worked in the sawmill of Barclay & Hemmingway, at Lansing, Alla- makee county, on the Mississippi river. The following February (1882) the family removed to South Dakota, settling at Big Springs, near Elk Point, where they resided for several years, coming thence to California in April, 1886. After a six weeks' stay in Oakland they moved up to Middletown, in Lake county, where a number of the family have remained ever since. Mr. Lundquist was a prosperous man, and he invested in land upon settling here. owning a fine tract on Dry creek, two hundred and twenty-one and a half acres advantageously situated, on Mount Diablo. He died there April 29. 1912, in his eighty-second year. Mrs. Lundquist still owns this property, as well as the place on St. Helena creek where she and her son Henning reside. She is a woman of remarkable physical and mental characteristics. her features and physique indicating the strength of mind and body which have enabled her to fill her place in life so well. Possessed of intelligence and sincere Chris- tian principles, she has reared her family to a realization of their duties and responsibilities, and has every reason to be proud of their accomplishments and high standing in the various communities where their work has called them. Their love and appreciation are her greatest reward.
Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lundquist : Ellen is the wife of Henry Lindblom, a painter by trade, who served as justice of the peace while at Middletown, and is now secretary of the Aetna mine in Napa county ; he is a Methodist Episcopal minister. Joel, who resides in San Francisco, is a carpenter and builder and a successful inventor, having taken out several patents on planes and bits ; he is now engaged in writing a book on electro- magnetism. Levi is a member of the firm of Lundquist Brothers, leading carpenters and builders of Middletown. Julia is the wife of WV. A. Dayton. proprietor of Dayton Heights Redwood Ranch, near Duncans Mills, in Sonoma county ; they have two children, Leslie and Earle. Reuben died in Sweden when one year old. Henning lives with his mother and gives his
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time principally to conducting her ranch of forty-four acres, part of his father's estate ; he is a skillful carpenter and a notably successful horticultur- ist, evidently inheriting the ability of his maternal grandfather in that line. David, member of the firm of Lundquist Brothers, lives at Middletown. Caleb, a carpenter and builder of San Francisco, holds the record of the Pacific coast for hanging doors, having put up as many as forty in a day. Victoria, the only member of the family born in America (at Big Springs, Union county, S. Dak.), has for the last seven years resided with the family of Rev. Dr. G. W. White, pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church at Oakland, Cal.
Mrs. Lundquist is rearing one of her grandsons, who has given evidence of exceptional talent as a horticulturist. All of the family are noted for efficiency, and their mechanical ability and inventive skill have been of service in whatever work they have undertaken. They are teetotalers, have supported church work and all other enterprises for the benefit of the general welfare. and have a reputation for fairness and sincerity in their relations with all their fellow citizens which has won them the good will of all who know them. Their musical tastes and ability, and sterling personal qualities, have gained them pleasant social connections.
CAPT. JOHN BEHR .- For over forty years Captain Behr has resided upon the beautiful property "Kolaiah Bay," meaning a "pretty place near a high mountain." It is situated on the southeast slope of Mount Konocti, on the banks of Clear lake, which under his capable management has been de- veloped into one of the most noted places in that section of Lake county. Besides he has been one of the most successful summer resort proprietors at Soda Bay and elsewhere in Lake county, though he has not engaged in the business regularly, his attention being directed for the most part to his splen- did orchards, which are not surpassed by any other in this region. He has been a hard worker all his life, and though now seventy-four years of age is still looking after his various interests with the same care which brought them into their present thriving condition. In his early manhood he was a sailor. and has always been known here as "Captain" Behr. A native of Germany, the Captain was born September 10, 1840, near Estebrucke, in the state of Hanover. Prussia, about three months after the death of his father, John Behr. The latter was also born in Hanover, where he lived and died, his death occurring suddenly, when he was twenty-seven years old. He was a landowner and followed farming, and becoming overheated one day died from the effects. John Behr was his only son. The mother, Anna C. (Dade) Behr, remarried after three years of widowhood, becoming the wife of Harry Eckman, by whom she had five children, namely : Annie, Kate, Harry, Julius and Mary.
John Behr grew up in his native land, and was confirmed in the Lutheran Church in the year 1855. Having a desire to follow the sea he shipped as a sailor in the Baltic trade on the schooner Claudius, with which he remained two years. As he was ambitious to earn more he became a seaman on the ocean, serving on the sailing vessels Flora, Daogloria, Hoffnung and Anna Gesine. He was thus occupied until 1863, and visited the ports of Bremen, Amsterdam, Stettin, Luebeck, Kiel and Wolgast. Following this he attended the King's navigation school at Gruenen Deich, Germany, from which institution he was graduated December 23, 1864, and he then sailed as mate of the Albertus, from Hamburg to Porto Alegre, in Brazil, South America. Later he sailed a smaller boat in the Baltic sea. to England and
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back to Copenhagen, after which he went to New York, where he remained about eighteen months. The next summer he shipped for a voyage around the Horn on the bark Helen Angel, from Boston, arriving at San Francisco in the spring of 1867. Subsequently he sailed along the coast one summer, to Mendocino City and Little River, and then for a period of four years he was employed in San Francisco, as clerk in a grocery and ship chandlery. This work did not agree with him, partly because of the unsanitary location of the store, which stood upon piling, and with the idea of finding more healthful occupation he obtained a letter of introduction to Judge Welsh, of Lakeport, who took him around Clear lake and advised him to settle. upon his present property, a tract of eighty-five acres, which he pre-empted in 1872. From that time to the present he has been engaged in its improvement and in farming and fruit growing, in which he has been notably successful. having the faculty typical of his race of making things grow. The location is par- ticularly favorable, this being an especially warm spot, sheltered by Mount Konocti on the north and further protected from the cold by numerous hot springs in the lake, near the shore, advantages which, in conjunction with the devoted care of the owner, have enabled him to produce surprising results for the region. He was the first man in Lake county to make a practical demon- stration of the value of the lands at his location for fruit raising, and he now has hundreds of fine fruit and nut trees, growing walnuts, almonds, pears. prunes, grapes, and even lemons and oranges, which leave no doubt as to the suitability of the climate for the purpose. Though his work in this line has all been undertaken for profit he has not neglected to take advantage of the natural beauty of his property to turn it into a country estate of unusual attractiveness. If nature has been lavish there her gifts have been appre- ciated, for Captain Behr and his wife have conserved all its natural grandeur and resources, the results of their industry enhancing all the good points and improving waste spots to contribute to the general effect. Their house is on a well chosen site overlooking Clear lake, and is surrounded with artistically arranged flowers, shrubbery and trees, while barns, fences and other improvements are of the most substantial character and well kept up with the thrift characteristic of the management of all their concerns. No- where else in Lake county do fruits and vegetables of the most excellent quality produce so abundantly. The property is about eight miles northeast of Kelseyville, in the North Kelseyville precinct.
Captain Behr and his wife were the original proprietors of the Soda Bay resort, which they have conducted at various times for two or three year periods, and they have not only made that summer outing place very popular but through its success have done much to build up the summer resort busi- ness generally in Lake county
July 23, 1885. Captain Behr married, at Soda Bay, Miss Emma Johnson, who was born at Eksjo. Smaland, Sweden, and came to America in 1880. living in Chicago for five years before coming out to California. She first lived at Alameda, in this state, being employed in the family of AAlfred Platt. of that place, and shortly afterward accompanied Mrs. Platt to Highland Springs, Lake county, where she met and married Captain Behr. They have had one child. Ethel Louise, who graduated from the University of California with the degree of B. A. She has also done post-graduate work in applied art, being well equipped for the duties of her present position, as teacher of art and drawing in the high school at Redding, Cal. The Captain and his
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wife are thoroughly progressive and interested in the best movements of the day. Mrs. Behr comes of an excellent Swedish family, and her wholesome good nature and efficient assistance have made the home life, with all its busy years, bright and enjoyable. She is a skillful cook and a good manager, and the Behrs are noted for their whole-hearted hospitality throughout the neighborhood. Captain Behr is respected as a man of intelligent mind and high character, well disposed toward all, and occupies an honored position among the old residents of his section of Lake county. He was the first of his family to come to America, and has never regretted his choice of a home. Politically he supports the Republican party.
JAMES A. KESEY .- A resident of Lower Lake well known to the townspeople and to those who make the place a trading center is James A. Kesey, a native of Lake county and son of one of its pioneers, the late William Kesey.
William Kesey was born February 22, 1819, in Franklin county, Pa., and when seventeen years old became an apprentice to the trade of cabinetmaker. At the age of twenty he went to Lancaster county, Pa., where he followed his trade for one year. Returning to his native county he continued to engage in that line of work until the year 1845, when he went westward to Wyandot, Ohio, working at cabinetmaking there for a year. Going back to Franklin county, he volunteered for service in the Mexican war, was taken ill while in the army and sent home, remaining there until he again went to Ohio, in 1847. 'That time he accompanied his father, and he clerked in a store until February, 1849, when he set out for California, crossing the plains with mule teams. Arriving at Sutter's fort September 19. 1849, he followed packing and trading until 1851. After that he kept a hay yard at Sacramento, at the same time owning and operating a farm a short distance down the river. In 1852 he had a serious setback, losing all his city property by fire and his farm prop- erty by flood, and in 1853 he went down to Los Angeles and engaged in the stock business, which he continued until 1858. That year he went to Yolo county, where lie dealt in stock until 1862, spending a short time thereafter at Washoe, Nev. His next move was to Calaveras county, Cal., where he prospected until 1863, in the spring of which year he came to Lake county in the hope of recovering his health, camping out for a while on this account. He was engaged at carpenter work until the fall of the year, at Lower Lake, and then moved out to Borax Lake and found employment at his trade, also working in the mines there for about three years after his marriage, in 1864. He purchased a tract of land in that section upon which he lived from 1867 until 1871, improving it meanwhile, and then sold it and moved into Lower Lake, where the family home has since been established. After settling in the town he engaged in wool growing, in 1872 was appointed postmaster. and also held a commission as notary public, serving in these capacities until 1875. Meantime, in 1873, he had been deputized to act as assessor of Lake county, and several times afterward was appointed to the same service. Thus he became a very well known citizen in the town and neighboring territory. He died at Lower Lake in 1886. On May 26, 1864, Mr. Kesey was married at Lakeport. Lake county, to Miss Margaret Adams, of Yolo county, Cal .. a native of Missouri, and of the two children born to them only one survived, James A., who now makes his home with his aged mother at Lower Lake. Mrs. Kesey is now eighty-four years old. She and her son occupy the old Kesey home at Lower Lake.
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James A. Kesey was born May 25, 1866, at Borax Lake, and was a year and a half old when his father bought the farm one mile south of Lower Lake, upon which the family remained until 1871. After that he lived in the town, and had the advantages of the public schools in boyhood, receiving a good common school education. When seventeen years old he began work, and in the year 1894 entered the employ of M. Levy, the pioneer merchant of Lower Lake, as clerk, bookkeeper, cashier and general utility man, doing outside as well as inside work. This practical training was very valuable. His next position was with Palstine, and when A. M. Akins & Sons started their store at Lower Lake, ten years ago, he was offered the situation of bookkeeper, which he has filled ever since. The firm deals extensively in general merchan- dise, commanding a wide patronage, and Mr. Kesey's familiarity with busi- ness conditions in the town and his long acquaintance with those who do their trading in Lower Lake have been appreciable factors in the success of the establishment. Having been with A. M. Akins & Sons since they com- menced business he has taken a keen interest in the growth of their trade and the extension of the various lines to meet popular demand, and he is recog- nized as a conscientious and devoted employe by his employers and their numerous patrons.
Mr. Kesey has been quite active in local affairs. He is an ardent Demo- crat and a dependable party worker, and for the last two years has been a member of the Democratic county central committee. For twenty-four years he has been a notary public. When he reached his majority he joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has always maintained his interest. He is a past grand of Clear Lake Lodge No. 130, of Lower Lake, has been representative to the grand lodge and for three years district deputy grand master in Lake county, and has taken the Rebekah degree, to which his wife also belonged.
In 1889 Mr. Kesey was married to Miss Emma McCuilough, of Lakeport, who passed away June 11, 1913.
SAMUEL H. ALLEY .- Living on a fine ranch of two hundred and eighty acres in the East Upper Lake precinct of Lake county is Mrs Phebe A. Alley, widow of Samuel H. Alley, who in his day was a large landowner and one of the successful ranchers in his section. He always attributed his prosperity, and justly, to the assistance of his devoted wife, and all who have come within the circle of her acquaintance are ready with words of affection and praise for the cheerful and unselfish woman who has found her chief happiness in doing for others, whether within or without her family circle. Mr. and Mrs. Alley reared a large family, and in the days when the children were growing up it may be safely said there was hardly another home in Upper Lake township where there was so much jollity, good feeling and gen- eral good times, features for which their happy home circle was noted.
Mr. Alley's native state was Tennessee, and he was born May 22, 1841. His parents, A. J. and Elizabeth (Perkins) Alley, moved thence to Missouri when he was but two years old, and from there in 1852 crossed the plains to Oregon, the mother dying en route, on the Snake river. In 1858 Mr. Alley brought his family to Lake county, when conditions here were so primitive that there were no roads even from Colusa into the county. The father re- married, and had two children by his second wife.
Possessing intelligence and good business judgment, besides an unusual capacity for work, Samuel H. Alley acquired extensive possessions in Lake
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county, owning about three thousand aeres in all, including the ranch where his widow now lives and a tract of one hundred and sixty acres on Middle creek. In 1869 he was married, in the eastern part of Mendocino county. to Miss Phebe A. Gordon, a native of Peoria county, Ill., and but fifteen years old at the time of her marriage. Her father, George Ross Gordon, born in Ohio, erossed the plains to California in 1860, his wife, Elizabeth (Baird) Gordon, also born in Ohio, coming out with their family a year or so later by way of the Isthmus of Panama and joining him in the Capay valley, Yolo county. They lived for one year in the Napa valley before settling in Lake county, in the fall of 1865.
To Mr. and Mrs. Alley was born a family of eleven children, two sons and nine daughters, viz .: Addic, the widow of Charles Sleeper, is mentioned below ; Laura is the wife of Byron Marston and lives in Bachelor valley, Lake county ; Everett is married to Lilah McCabe, of Upper Lake ; Myrtle, widow of Charles W. Haycock, resides at Lakeport; Ruth is the wife of Fred A. Green, cashier of the Bank of Lake at Lakeport; Elsie is teaching in the grammar school at Lakeport; Rena died when two and a half years old; Sylva is the wife of George Haycock, a farmer, living on Middle creek; Clara is teaching in the Upper Lake grammar school; Leonard is engaged in farming and stock raising at the home place; Lena is a student at Heald's Business College, San Jose.
Mrs. Alley has taken much comfort and pride in her family, all of whom have taken their places in the ranks of useful, self-reliant citizens, influential for good and upholding high standards in whatever community their lot is cast. She has always taken great pleasure in doing anything that contributes to their well-being and happiness, and her generous treatment of all those with whom she comes in contaet, as well as her pleasing womanly qualities, has won her a place in the hearts of her neighbors which can never be shaken. She is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, at Upper Lake. Samuel H. Alley was in ill health several years before his demise, which occurred July 4, 1913.
Mrs. Addie (Alley) Sleeper, eldest daughter of Samuel H. and Phebe A. (Gordon) Alley, was born on the Alley ranch in the East Upper Lake precinct, and there grew to womanhood. In 1887 she became the wife of Charles Sleeper, eldest son of D. O. Sleeper, a pioneer of Lake county, who was one of the largest landowners in the Upper Lake country, his holdings aggregating two thousand, five hundred and thirty-seven acres. Charles Sleeper was a farmer and stockman, and had prospered in his varions opera- tions, and when he died, in 1902, at the age of forty-four years, he left his wife a comfortable property in the West Upper Lake precinet, which she has since managed very successfully. Thirty acres of the place are improved. and Mrs. Sleeper raises principally alfalfa hay and alfalfa seed, by business- like care of her land and crops getting very good results. She has erected a modest but most convenient home on her raneh, and in every detail of its operation has proved herself capable and competent. By thrift in the conduct of her affairs she has been able to give all her children educational advan- tages, although the youngest was but an infant at the time of Mr. Sleeper's death. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sleeper, two dying in infancy. Four survive: Kenneth J., who resides in the West Upper Lake precinct. married Gladys Green ; Ruby E. is at home : Lester C. is a sophomore at the Clear Lake high school, Lakeport ; Carlton C. is at home. 50
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Mrs. Sleeper is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Upper Lake, and has been one of its active workers, particularly in her connection with the Home Mission society, which she has served as president.
GEORGE A. BOYD .- For nearly a quarter of a century a resident of Mendocino, George A. Boyd was born in Elma township, Perth county, Ontario, April 14, 1863. His father was J. W. Boyd, a farmer of that place, so George's early life was spent aiding his father on the farm and attending the school in the district. Subsequently he began working at general mer- chandising and afterwards became a member of the firm of Balintine & Boyd, merchants at Atwood, Ontario. Desiring to locate on the Pacific coast, he sold his interests in Ontario, and in 1890 came to Mendocino, Cal., and entered the employ of Switzer & Boyd, the pioneer liverymen of Mendocino. A few years later he purchased the interest of his uncle, A. W. Boyd, in the business and continued as a partner with Mr. Switzer, under the old firm name, and built up a large business, applying himself very closely to its man- agement. In 1906 Mr. Switzer sold his interest to George A. Daniels, and since then the business has been conducted under the name of Boyd & Daniels, who have one of the largest businesses of the kind on the Mendocino coast. In addition they also have a saddlery and harness shop, which they run in connection.
The marriage of Mr. Boyd occurred in Ontario and united him with Annie E. Adams, a native of Mitchell, Ontario. For many years she was an invalid, and in spite of the care shown her by her husband she passed away April 25, 1914. Mr. Boyd has an adopted daughter, Helen, Mrs. Garvin, re- siding in Vallejo.
Mr. Boyd is very enterprising and liberal, and espouses the cause of the Progressive Republicans. Fraternally he is a member of Stella Lodge No. 213, I. O. O. F., and also the Encampment of Odd Fellows.
EMIL SEMAN .- A resident of Mendocino county since the fall of 1880, when he came to Salmon Creek, Emil Seman was born at Gudweil, Amt Walshud Baden, Germany, in 1855, the son of Xavier Seman, a farmer of that place. After completing the common schools Emil remained on the home farm until seventeen years of age, when he apprenticed as a black- smith. After serving an apprenticeship of three years he traveled as a journeyman until he enlisted in the German army, becoming a member of the Fourth Light Cavalry of Bavarian troops and serving for three years, the last two years of his service as blacksmith and horseshoer. Soon after his honorable discharge he came to America in 1879.
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