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 60
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 60
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With the savings of the period of his work as teacher Mr. Hargrave took a course of three years in the dental department of the College of Physicians & Surgeons at San Francisco, from which he was graduated in 1901 with a high standing for meritorious work. The years of professional study in the city had entirely exhausted his capital and had left him unable to establish himself in practice with its necessary delay in remunerative returns. In 1902 having been invited to return to Covelo as principal of schools, he accepted the position, took up its duties and has since discharged the respon- sibilities of the task with customary sagacity. There being no other dentist in the valley, he is often called upon to do dental work and gives to such tasks all of his hours of leisure from school duties. June 3. 1908, he married Miss Ethel Riffe, who was born at Hanford, and by whom he has one child, Vivian.
Fraternally Mr. Hargrave was made a Mason in Covelo Lodge No. 231, F. & A. M., and with his wife is a member of Augusta Chapter No. 80, O. E. S. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Rebekahs. Always deeply interested in the cause of education, for about fifteen years he has been a member of the county board of education, being now the longest in service on the board, and taking an active part in keeping the public schools at a high standard. Progressive in all that pertains to the welfare of the community, well informed in educational matters, efficient as an instructor and wise in the handling of school work, he is entitled to credit for having aided in bringing the Mendocino county schools up to their
. BChurchill
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present standard and for having laid the foundation for a continued progress in future years.
HEBER BYRON CHURCHILL .- Though he is still classed among the younger members of the Lake county bar there is hardly any other member of the legal profession there better known than the present city attorney of Lakeport, nor has any a more favorable record. Combining with natural ability for the practice of law a high conception of its responsibilities com- patible with his personal character, and a comprehensive and steadily widen- ing knowledge of its important branches, he has been successful in the most creditable sense. His enviable position has been attained by unwearying devotion to his work, irreproachable methods and reliability, qualities which have attracted and held clients and made him a most desirable public ser- vant. He is a credit to his calling and to his community.
Born in the Scotts Valley precinct, Lake county, January 19, 1880, Mr. Churchill is the youngest of the three children born to Charles B. and Mary Ellen (Walker) Churchill, the former a native of Ontario, Canada. the latter from the state of Indiana, where her family resided for some time. The father came to California from Ontario in the year 1875 and settled in Scotts valley, where he spent the remainder of his life in the improvement of a twenty-acre ranch. He and his wife both died young, his death occurring in 1881 and hers when her son Heber was but an infant. Junia W., their eldest child, was brought up by his uncle, Winslow Churchill, at Hamilton, Ontario, and is now a resident of California, owning a ranch three miles north of Chico; he is married and has a family. The other two, M. H. and Heber Byron. were brought up by their aunt and uncle, Thomas and Elizabeth (Churchill) Hay- cock (both now deceased), who lived on a ranch in Scotts valley adjoining that of Charles B. Churchill. M. H. Churchill is now a farmer, on a large wheat ranch near Walla Walla, Wash., in Oregon.
Heber Byron Churchill grew up on his uncle's ranch in Scotts valley, and in his boyhood became thoroughly familiar with farm work, learning how to hold a plow, milk cows and make himself generally useful about the place. He attended the grammar school in the neighborhood, being the first graduate of that school and later entering the Lakeport academy, where he finished the general academic course. Continuing his studies in high school at Oak- land, it was there he had his first experience in law work, in the employ of Gibson and Woolner, attorneys. However, he did not complete his prepara- tion there, being taken sick about six weeks before graduation and returning to Lakeport for a necessary vacation. About that time Judge Crump died, and Judge Sayre was appointed to take his place on the bench, his acceptance creating a vacancy in the law firm of Sayre and Keeling. of which he was the senior member. Mr. Churchill was offered a position as assistant in the office, taking care of the abstract books, and he remained with Mr. Keeling five years. At the end of that period the death of Charles Haycock, of the firm of Bond and Haycock, of Lakeport, opened the way for a partnership with Judge Bond, and the firm of Bond and Churchill was formed in April. 1908. the association lasting until Judge Bond retired from practice, in the year 1910. The firm occupied the offices in the Levy block at Lakeport still retained by Mr. Churchill, who since the Judge's withdrawal has been in practice alone. He was admitted to the Supreme court of California upon examination in 1907. Mr. Churchill's practice has been along general lines, and he has a large
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clientele, but his probate work particularly is on the increase and he has established the reputation of being a most trustworthy title attorney. Alto- gether, he has a name for scrupulous, conscientious attention to every case which he undertakes, which speaks well for his mental and moral qualities. His fellow citizens have availed themselves of his services for some years. Four years ago he was appointed city attorney of Lakeport, which he had served for eight years before that as city clerk. Mr. Churchill at the August primary election of 1914 ran for the nomination of district attorney of Lake county and notwithstanding strong opposition he won by a handsome ma- jority and goes on the general ticket in the November election uncontested. Mr. Churchill has accumulated an unusually good working library, con- taining California State Reports, American State Reports, Current Law, and more than five hundred textbooks.
Aside from his professional activities Mr. Churchill is well known in the various fraternities, being a member of Hartley Lodge No. 199, F. & A. M., oi Lakeport ; he is a past grand of Lakeport Lodge No. 351, I. O. O. F., and also belongs to Oakland Parlor No. 50, N. S. G. W. His religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal Church South, at Lakeport, which he is now serving as steward and Sunday school teacher, having the young men's class, an organization whose members include some of the finest young men in this section. On political questions Mr. Churchill is a Republican.
In 1905 Mr. Churchill was married to Miss Edna Lyon, daughter of George A. Lyon, horticultural commissioner of Lake county, and member of one of the prominent families of this part of the state. They have had two children, Heber Byron, Jr., and Beatrice. The Churchills have a fine residence at Lakeport.
LELAND J. GARNER .- One of the most widely known young business men in Lake county is "Lee" J. Garner, youngest son of John Riley Garner, and already a representative member of a family whose operations as land- owners and stockmen have made them locally famous. For several genera- tions his ancestors have had similar interests, growing and trading in horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and for three generations at least every male member of the family has been so engaged; and if the Garners are reputed to be qualified by nature for the calling of their choice it is a reasonable deduction. Lee J. Garner, besides having valuable individual interests, is a stockholder in the John R. Garner Stock Farm Corporation, the youngest member of that organization, which has the management of the extensive lands and herds members of the family hold in common.
The Garners have been in this country since before the Revolution, John Garner, the great-great-grandfather of Lee J. Garner, having come from Eng- land and settled in Virginia prior to that war, in which he fought on the colonial side. His son, also called John, was a stockman and farmer; he died of cholera in 1833. Valentine and Sarah (Edington) Garner, paternal grand- parents of Lee J. Garner, were natives of North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. They were married in Missouri, and to them were born eight children: Nancy, John Riley, William, Martha, Diantha, Jane, Susan and Frances. The mother died in her thirty-sixth year, and the father married again, having seven children by his second wife. He lived to his eightieth year. By occupation he was a farmer, trader and stockman, successful in all these lines.
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John Riley Garner, the father of Lee J. Garner, was born July 22, 1838, came to California when nineteen years old, and has been a resident of Lake county since 1883. For the last twelve years he has made his home at Upper Lake. His interests have increased until he is one of the most import- ant figures in the stock business in the county, and he is the president of the John R. Garner Stock Farm Corporation, mention of whose various operations will be found in the sketches of the different members of the Garner family which appear in this work. In 1864 he married Miss Aramanta Roberts, who died May 13, 1913, the mother of twelve children, eight of whom survive.
Lee J. Garner was born October 9, 1887, in Long valley, Lake county, and was reared and educated there. He attended primary and grammar school at Upper Lake, and lived in that village for several years, moving there with his parents in January, 1901. In the fall of 1907 he engaged in the butcher business at Upper Lake, but continued his active connection with the same only one year, when he sold to devote his time to the stock business, his agricultural work now occupying his entire attention. On his own account he keeps an average of one hundred and fifty head of cattle on the range, renting all the grazing lands of Colonel Hammond and William O. Edmands. Besides he maintains his connection with the John R. Garner Stock Farm Corporation, which owns about twenty-seven hundred acres of land in Long valley and much stock, the remarkable prosperity characteristic of the family being founded upon its valuable herds. While engaged in looking after his business affairs Mr. Garner has of necessity spent much time in the saddle, where he is perfectly at home, and indeed has become somewhat noted for his horsemanship. In the course of his work he has formed a wide acquain- tance which extends into every section of Lake county, and his pleasant per- sonality and reliable character have won him friends wherever his duties have called him. His energy and alertness have gained him a place among the most dependable men in his line in spite of his youth, and he is considered a force for progress which his associates and fellow citizens generally gladly reckon with. Politically he is a Republican with Progressive tendencies.
Mr. Garner was united in marriage September 27, 1910, at Lower Lake, with Miss Catherine Timothy, a native of Lake county, born near Kelseyville, the daughter of Morgan and Mary (Wallers) Timothy, natives of Wales, who became farmers in Lake county. Mr. and Mrs. Garner have had three chil- dren : Donald (who died when seventeen months old), Nadine and Kathleen.
JAMES D. MASON .- The extensive land holdings of the late Albert Mason, located on the northern fork of Cache creek, in Lake county, and in the mountains of Colusa county, have been kept intact by his heirs, and his sons are proving worthy successors to the name he bore with honor through a long and useful career. Daniel F., James D. and John Edgar Mason, three of his sons, are heavily interested in the cattle business, on the two large properties mentioned. James D. Mason has his home in the West Upper Lake precinct, two and a half miles north of Upper Lake, where he has a valuable ranch of thirty acres, every detail of whose appointments bespeaks the most intelligent and unceasing care. The capacious barns, commodious and neatly kept yards, and handsome residence with its well ordered surround- ings, bear witness to the good taste as well as prosperity of the owner, who has taken pride and pleasure in beautifying the place while providing it with all the accessories of a first-class stock ranch.
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Albert Mason was a native of Massachusetts and an old California pioneer, coming out to the coast with the hope which animated most of those who went through the hardships of a trip from the east-making a fortune in the mines. Arriving here in 1850 he engaged in mining in the Sierras until the year 1868, when he settled in Lake county. His success as a ranchman placed him among the foremost business men in that line in his day. His home place consisted of the one hundred and sixty acres which he owned and improved in the West Upper Lake precinct, on the west side of Clear Lake, besides which he acquired the mountain range of two thousand acres in Colusa county, now owned by his heirs. The Cache creek property com- prises fifteen hundred acres. Mr. Mason was married in Nevada county, this state, to Miss Annie M. Green, a native of Nova Scotia, who came to Cali- fornia when six years old. She survives her husband, now making her home in Upper Lake village. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mason : Daniel F., Mary, Lucy, James D., Maude, Albert, Stephen, John Edgar, Annie, and one that died in infancy. The father of this family passed away June 6, 1909.
James D. Mason was born December 13. 1873, on the home place on the west side of Clear Lake referred to above, and was reared there until six years old, when the family moved to a ranch on Bear creek, Colusa county. His practical experience in ranch life began at an early age, and he has long been looked upon as one of the important figures among the large landowners and stock raisers in the locality, where his vigorous and aggressive business policy has created new ideas and animated interest in matters vital to the prosperity of this region. Thoroughly familiar with the details of stock raising, he is quick to recognize and adopt any changes in the business which are truly progressive, and he knows too much about it to be bothered with anything impractical. Besides operating the home place he owns, a fine tract of thirty acres, he has large interests in partnership with his brothers Daniel F. and John Edgar Mason. They own excellent stock, usually raising about one hundred and forty head of cattle annually, which they run on their two-thou- sand-acre range in the mountains of Colusa county. Besides this they have a fine stock ranch of fifteen hundred acres on Cache creek, in the Long Valley precinct of Lake county. In partnership with his uncle, John Green, James D. Mason is also engaged in horse raising-from twenty to thirty head an- nually. At his home place he has large and splendidly equipped barns for cattle, horses and hogs, yards substantially fenced and conveniently arranged, and everything kept in apple-pie order, a feature characteristic of everything in which Mr. Mason has a hand. The beautiful residence is of substantial construction, and all the arrangements about the home have been made with a sense of fitness, usefulness and beauty being combined so effectively as to produce an atmosphere of delightful comfort. There is a fine orchard for family use on this place.
In 1893 Mr. Mason was married in Lake county to Miss Kate Sleeper, daughter of D. O. Sleeper, one of the best known men of the county in the early days. Three children have been born to this union: Merle, James F. and Mary. Mrs. Mason is a woman of sterling character and qualities which have endeared her to her neighbors and friends everywhere. The Mason home adjoins that of H. E. Witherspoon, a prominent attorney at law of Lake county, whose wife is a sister of Mrs. Mason.
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D. O. SLEEPER, father of Mrs. James D. Mason and Mrs. H. E. Witherspoon, was of New England birth, a native of Orange county, Vt., born November 27, 1825. He resided on a farm there until twenty-three years old, when he went out to Benton county, Iowa, and engaged in farming. In May, 1852, he started across the plains for California, arriving at Colfax Oc- tober 6th of that year. For the next few years he combined mining with farm- ing and teaming until he came to Lake county, arriving here October 28, 1857. Making a location about a mile north of what is now the village of Upper Lake, he continued to reside here until his death, which occurred September 13, 1897. Farming, stock raising and wool growing occupied his attention from the time he settled in the county, and he was so successful that he be- came one of its wealthiest citizens and probably the most extensive landowner in Upper Lake township, his holdings aggregating about twenty-seven hun- dred acres. His ability, integrity and strong character commanded universal respect, and for many years he was one of the leading residents of his part of Lake county.
In May, 1852, Mr. Sleeper married Miss Mary J. Way, a native of Indiana, who died May 14, 1899. Of the children born to them five attained maturity : Eveline became the wife of J. M. Sleeper, and is now deceased; Charles is deceased ; Ed is a resident of Upper Lake; Maude, Mrs. H. E. Witherspoon, and Kate, Mrs. J. D. Mason, both reside in Upper Lake; Frank, Albert and Lee are deceased.
ULYSSES N. BRIGGS .- Since his arrival in Ukiah during 1892 Mr. Briggs has maintained a brick yard on Ford street and has manufactured brick used in the principal buildings of the city, besides taking contracts for mason work, general building and concrete walks and structures. The majority of the cement sidewalks in the town are of his construction and their substantial character indicates the care with which he fills all contracts. Among the buildings for which he held the contract and furnished the brick may be mentioned the Palace hotel, Gibson, Meyers, Swensen, Rogers, C. Hoffman and Mckinley buildings, the City hall, the annex to the I. O. O. F. building and others scarcely less noteworthy or prominent. In the intervals of leisure from the almost incessant labors of brick manufacturing, cement making, contracting and construction work, he devotes himself to the super- vision of his stock ranch ten miles west of Ukiah, where he is specializing in the raising of cattle.
Born near Webster City, Iowa, May 3, 1860, Ulysses N. Briggs is a son of the late Ulis and Ellen (Brown) Briggs, natives respectively of Pennsyl- vania and New York. Although a potter by trade, after he settled in Iowa during 1853 the father engaged in general farming. During the latter part of the Civil war he entered the ranks as a volunteer and remained in the Union army until the close of the conflict between north and south. Both he and his wife died in Iowa. Of their four sons and four daughters two daughters and three sons now survive, U. N. being next to the youngest of the number. It cannot be said that he had any advantages in youth. His present standing in the business world is due almost wholly to his own energy and purposeful application to the work in hand. When but twelve years of age he began an apprenticeship to the trade of brick-making. When he became familiar with the process of manufacture he was drilled in the laying of the brick and general masonry. Next he acquired the trade of a plasterer. At the age of twenty-two years, after ten years under the same employer. he
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left to take up the trade as a journeyman. In the following years he worked in every state and territory west of the Mississippi river. Thereby he acquired knowledge of the country as well as skill in his craft.
Upon coming to California in 1883 Mr. Briggs first followed his trade at Santa Rosa. From there he drifted to other parts of the state, but in 1892 he established a permanent business at Ukiah, where he has erected some of the most substantial brick buildings in the town. His attention is given closely to business affairs and he has taken no part in politics, aside from casting a Republican ticket at national elections. In San Francisco he married Miss Lula B. Critchfield, a native of Sonoma county and a lady of education and culture. During the early '50s her father, Judge George W. Critchfield, attracted by the discovery of gold in California, came to the state and took up mining pursuits. Not meeting with favorable results, he turned his atten- tion to merchandising. For a time he conducted a general store at Geyser- ville. At the same time he acted as railroad agent. After removing to Ukiah he embarked in mercantile pursuits in this place, where also he officiated in the capacity of justice of the peace and city recorder. Since his retirement from public affairs and business pursuits he has made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Briggs, through whose kind care his later years are made happy and contented in the sunset land of California, his home for almost sixty years.
GEORGE ELMER SQUIRES .- The creation of the National Forest reserve in California in the year 1907 attracted a number of men of capability and keen intelligence into the government service, and the excellent work they have done has more than justified the expenditures made in conserving the national resources in this particular field. Mr. Squires, district chief ranger of district No. 3, which comprises about a quarter of a million acres of forest and grazing lands, has been in this service since April, 1907, and has filled his present appointment since October 18, 1911. His home is at Upper Lake. Noted for his energy and sterling character, he is one of the strong, honest and faithful young men who are making good in forest conservation work, and he has shown a high-principled comprehension of the requirements of his duties which entitles him to the confidence of his superiors and of the residents of the district where he has been assigned.
Emery and Anna (Gillespie) Squires, parents of George Elmer Squires, are residents of Knights Landing, Yolo county, Cal., where Mr. Squires is engaged in the operation of a forty-acre alfalfa ranch. He was born in Ohio, and came to California with his parents in boyhood, growing to manhood at Marysville. He and his wife have had two children, Wesley and George Elmer, the former now a resident of Cordelia, Solano county, where he is in the butcher business.
George Elmer Squires was born July 15. 1885, in Glenn county, Cal., where his early life was passed. His education was begun in the public schools there, and he subsequently took a commercial course at the San Francisco Business College, San Francisco, graduating April 21, 1906. On July 21 and 22, 1907, he took the civil service examination preliminary to entering the forest service, and in November of that year was appointed assistant forest ranger. In 1910 he was made district chief ranger of Covelo district, No. 4, was transferred thence to Stony Ford. Colusa county, and from there to dis- trict No. 3, on October 18, 1911. His work here has been performed with the fidelity and public spirit which have made him recognized as a valuable
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man in the service from the time he entered it. The boundary line of his district runs from Allen Springs northward, following the watershed, through to Snow mountain; thence down what is known as Copper Butte creek in a westerly direction ; north up the south fork of Eel river to Bald mountain ; in a westerly, southerly and westerly direction to the center of section 23. town 20 north, range 12 west; thence in a general southerly direction to near the center of section 7, town 18 north, range 11 west; thence easterly and south- erly to the corner of sections 8, 9, 16 and 17, town 14 north, range 8 west ; thence easterly, northerly and easterly and northerly to Allen Springs. As chief ranger Mr. Squires has this vast acreage under his supervision, and his assignment keeps him constantly busy. Prompt action and good judgment are faculties he is often called upon to exercise.
In 1910 Mr. Squires was united in marriage with Miss Edna L. Jamison, of Mendocino county, Cal., whose parents, David and Jennie (Burkhart) Jamison, both reside in Arizona at the present time. To Mr. and Mrs. Squires has been born one child, Maxine. They are esteemed residents of Upper Lake, where they have a comfortable home. Mr. Squires is a Mason in fra- ternal connection, belonging to Covelo Lodge, No. 231, F. & A. M.
FRED N. LORING .- It has been the favorable fortune of the Willits News to come under the ownership of a practical printer, for Mr. Loring, who is a native of Minnesota. born in 1871, has been identified with the print- ing business ever since a youth of only fifteen, when he entered a local office to learn the trade. Through long experience and habits of painstaking care he has acquired a thorough knowledge of the occupation in all of its details and is well qualified to stand at the head of a popular and growing country newspaper. At the age of twenty, after five years of practical experience in composing rooms in his native commonwealth, he came to California, where for several years he worked as a journeyman in different parts of the state.
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