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 71
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 71
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JOSEPH TROLL BROWER .- Lifelong residence in the west and ex- tensive travels through practically every portion of the Pacific coast country have given to Mr. Brower valuable information in regard to this vast region, its resources and opportunities. The fact that after having passed his youth in Mendocino county he returned hither following a somewhat protracted sojourn in the state of Washington and following an investigation of other localities, indicates that he has great faith in the future of this coast country, whose development has scarcely yet begun, but whose resources are such as to encourage the most optimistic hopes of local men. Since 1904 he has filled a responsible position in connection with the Mendocino county state hospital three miles east of Ukiah, where he acts as overseer of men engaged in con- struction work and where now his special task is the supervision of a dam in process of construction by the state, which will furnish a sufficient water supply for the hospital grounds.
In company with other members of the family Mr. Brower came to Men- docino county at an early age from Alameda county, this state. He was born in Alameda December 10, 1864, the son of John D. Brower, who crossed the plains to California in 1850 and became a pioneer farmer and dairyman of Alameda. Joseph T. Brower began his studies in the common schools of Alameda and later was a pupil in the schools of Potter Valley. He can scarcely recall the time when some duty at home was not given him to per- form. By actual experience he acquired habits of industry and self-reliance. Ample opportunity came to him for learning the stock business and he im- proved the chance with diligence, so that he was able, after the age of twenty, to manage the great ranch owned by his father and comprising sixty-four hundred acres of mountainous land, well adapted to the raising of sheep, horses and cattle. Subsequent to the death of his parents the estate was divided among the heirs and he sold his share, thereupon leaving the place which he had successfully superintended for twelve years.
Moving north to Washington and settling in Oakesdale, a small town on the Yakima river, not far from North Yakima, Mr. Brower embarked in the
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commission and brokerage business, but as this did not fill his entire time he bought a lease from the Indians of one hundred and sixty acres of land, one- half of which he soon sold, reducing the leasehold to an eighty-acre tract. About this time he was bereaved by the death of his wife, formerly Miss Laura Jane Maze, whom he had married in Potter Valley, Mendocino county, February 14, 1884, and who passed away at North Yakima November 20, 1892. Shortly after her death he disposed of his interests in the north and spent a year in travel in various part of Washington, also in Central and Southern California. After a time he returned to Mendocino county and settled at Ukiah, since which time he has been connected with the state hospital. His fine qualities of mind have won for him the respect of associates and he has proved to be exceptionally fitted for his present arduous respon- sibility as overseer. Fraternally he is connected with Aerie No. 62, Fraternal Order of Eagles, at Ukiah, and also holds membership with the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
NATHAN BARTLETT .- Prior to the agricultural upbuilding of the Mississippi valley and the discovery of gold in California there lived on a Tennessee farm a young lad, William Bartlett by name, whose thoughts often turned toward regions further west and whose judgment discerned opportunities in the newer regions not possible in the mountainous section of his home. After his marriage to Margaret Roberts, the daughter of a neighboring farmer, he and his bride traveled by wagon to Missouri, secured a claim in Bates county, built a rude cabin and began housekeeping in a sparsely settled district far from the friends of their earlier days. The years that followed were filled with hard work. It required the most arduous effort to support a growing family from soil none too fertile or productive. Always the thought of the couple turned toward the far distant shores of the Pacific, but it was more than a decade after the discovery of gold before they were in a position to consider removal to California. Then, when all plans had been made and arrangements perfected, the father fell ill and shortly afterward died on the old Missouri homestead. This was in 1864 and immediately after his death the widow, accompanied by her eleven chil- dren, joined an expedition bound for the Pacific coast by the overland route. When they arrived in Nevada an opportunity occurred to secure land, so they stayed for one year and engaged in stock-raising. At the end of the year they completed the journey to California and settled in Sonoma county, from which place in 1866 they came to Mendocino county.
Ever since the original settlement in 1866 there have been representatives of the Bartlett family in this county. The mother and sons bought the Dr. Williams claim of four hundred and eighty-five acres south of Ukiah on the east side of the river, where they put up a farm house and barns, fenced the entire tract, made other improvements and by degrees brought the land under a high state of cultivation. Already some of the pioneers had begun to experiment with hops and the Bartletts put out their first crop in 1871, after which they made a specialty of this product, finding it to be profitable and well adapted to the soil. A portion of the original Bartlett farm was sold as a site for the Mendocino state hospital. About six years after the death of the mother the property was divided among the heirs, but all dis- posed of their shares excepting the fourth child, Nathan, who retained one hundred and thirty acres of the original tract in his possession until his death, December 22, 1900, meanwhile cultivating the estate with intelligence, in-
MR. AND MRS. CLEMENTE CITTONI
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dustry and perseverance. A native of Bates county, Mo., born in 1841, he and a brother crossed the plains before the rest of the family came from the east, and from 1866 he resided continuously in Mendocino county, of which he was rated a successful rancher and desirable citizen. A man of sterling qualities of heart, true to the principles of Masonry and charitable in his dealings with those in need, he formed a valuable addition to the splendid pioneer element that laid the foundation of Mendocino's prosperity. His family consisted of a son, William L., and Mrs. Bartlett, who was formerly Miss Mary F. Layman, a native of Lodi, San Joaquin county, whose father, John F. Layman, was a California pioneer numbered among the earliest comers to Lodi. Mr. Layman was born in Ohio and removed to Bloomfield, Iowa, whence he crossed the plains to California with ox teams in the early '50s. Locating in San Joaquin valley he bought a farm and raised crops where the city of Lodi now stands. For some years he engaged in farming in Lake county, but later he located in Ukiah. His wife, Phoebe Dieffen- bach, a native of Germany, crossed the ocean with her parents at the age of seven, locating in Iowa, where she grew to maturity. Mr. and Mrs. Layman are now living in Lodi, and Mr. Layman still superintends his various ranches in San Joaquin and Merced counties. They have six children, as follows: Joseph D., chief librarian at the University of Nevada; Mary F. (Mrs. Bart- lett), Edward J., Daniel and Lizzie (Mrs. McKesson), all of Ukiah; and Lulu, Mrs. Hake, of Merced. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Bartlett has remained on the ranch and has managed the property with decided capability and in such a manner as to secure excellent financial returns.
CLEMENTE CITTONI .- The growing of alfalfa successfully in Round valley has caused dairymen to turn their eyes in that direction, it having opened a new industry to that section. One among the first practical dairy- men to take advantage of the locality is Clemente Cittoni, who with his part- ner, Lorenzo Albonico, owns and operates the largest dairy in the valley, besides which Mr. Cittoni also manages the local creamery that has become such a boon to the farmers around Covelo.
Mr. Cittoni was born in Germarsino, Italy, November 27, 1880, and there received a thorough education in the elementary branches in the local school. However, having heard such favorable reports from California he longed for an opportunity to try his fortune on the Pacific coast. In 1900 he left the home of his childhood and set out alone for the Golden West. On his arrival in Sonoma county he found employment in a dairy near Bodega, a work with which he was already familiar. There being a creamery on the ranch he then learned the art of butter making. In 1902 he proceeded to Ferndale, Humboldt county, where he continued in the same line of work until in 1908 he entered the employ of the California Central Creamery Co. at their skim- ming station at Loleta. He was associated with the company until Septem- ber, 1912, when he came to Round valley to engage in the dairy business on his own account. Forming a partnership with Lorenzo Albonico, they rented a ranch of two hundred and forty acres just east of Covelo, sowed fields of alfalfa and stocked it with a splendid herd of milk cows and they now operate the largest dairy in the valley.
About the same time Mr. Cittoni took charge of the local creamery and was the local manager until they secured another man, as he was anxious to give all of his time to his dairy interests. Nine months later, however, he was again solicited to take the management of it and he is now giving his 32
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time to the creamery, being the buttermaker as well as the manager. The product of the creamery is especially fine and ranks with the best butter pro- duced in California. Too much credit can not be given to Mr. Cittoni for all he is doing to advance the farming and dairy interests of Round valley.
Fraternally Mr. Cittoni is a member of the Odd Fellows and Woodmen of the World. In national politics he is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party. In Germarsino, Italy, he was married February 8, 1910, to Miss Madelena Matteri, and two children have been born to them, Bridget and Joseph.
MICHAEL DONOHUE .- An attractive appearance is presented by the Donohue homestead, which is said to be one of the best-improved farms in Mendocino county and which owes its remunerative condition and its aspect of thrift to the owner, Michael Donohue, a quiet, industrious, intelligent farmer, skilled in the tilling of the soil and the care of the land. Under his long ownership the tract has changed in appearance. At the time of his arrival at Greenwood during April, 1861, and the purchase of the squatter's claim of one hundred and sixty acres shortly afterward, the land was wholly unimproved, no fences had been erected, no buildings had been put there to afford accommodation for men and for stock, and the whole condition was that of the primeval forest. It required years of arduous and energetic appli- cation to clear the land, erect needed buildings, put in fences as needed, and make all the changes necessary to a modern stock farm. That the owner has been so successful may be attributed wholly to his own force of character and energy of purpose.
A member of an old Irish family, Michael Donohue was born at Fintona, county Tyrone, September 29, 1824, and was educated in the national schools and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church. The religious training of his youth made a permanent impression upon the habits of his life. It has been his custom to attend mass regularly throughout his entire life. The most inclement weather was never taken as an excuse for absence from the church service and in his advanced years he finds mental peace and spiritual happiness through the observance of religious ordinances. On the 14th of November, 1847, he landed in New Orleans, a stranger in a strange land, unfamiliar with the customs of the country and with little money to tide him over a period of enforced idleness. Fortunately he was able to secure work promptly in a livery barn. For four years he continued in the same place. Meanwhile he became familiar with the city and the people. In the latter part of 1851 he resigned his position and started with others for California, crossing the Gulf of Mexico by boat to the Isthmus of Panama and from there sailing up the Pacific to San Francisco, where he landed during January of 1852.
An experience in taking up mining claims in Sierra county brought luck to Mr. Donohue. For ten years he gave the greater part of his attention to mining. While no great fortune came to him in that decade and while it represented a period of almost incredible hardship and suffering, it may be truly said that he there and then laid the foundation of his ultimate prosperity. The returns were satisfactory to him, but the work was so difficult and the exposure so wearing that in 1861 he began to look around for a location for permanent settlement. Attracted to Mendocino county by the climatic con- ditions and general surroundings, he decided to buy a claim here and it may
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here be said that he has never regretted his choice of the county for a home. For more than one-half century he has lived here, meanwhile witnessing the development of its great lumber industry, the clearing of the cut-over lands, the starting of farms and stock ranches, the founding of villages and the entire course of advancement which changed the forest into a comfortable abode for progressive people of the twentieth century. At Marysville, April 14, 1858, he married Miss Catherine Donnelley, who like himself is a native of county Tyrone and an earnest member of the Catholic Church. Born February 20, 1828, she came alone to the United States in girlhood and after three months with relatives in Philadelphia proceeded to the west, settling in Marysville, this state, where she lived until her removal to Mendocino county with her husband. They are the parents of eight children, namely : Alice (Mrs. Cooney), Mary (Mrs. Buchanan), Rose (Mrs. McMaster), all of Greenwood; Lizzie (Mrs. Caughey), of Ukiah; Kate (Mrs. Dougherty), who with her husband owns and runs the ranch; Frank, John, and Kathleen, deceased.
WILLIAM J. NICHALSON .- To the substantial element of the citizen- ship of Northern California there was added in 1875 the Nichalson family, consisting of a number of children accompanying their parents, James W. and Margaret (Lawrence) Nichalson, the father a native of Indiana, the mother of Pennsylvanian birth. Illinois had been the family home for a con- siderable period and in Cumberland county, that state, the birth of W. J. had occurred June 26, 1859, he being one of nine children and, with the exception of Mrs. Katie Jarvis, the sole survivor of the entire family. There had been a temporary sojourn in Missouri, but conditions in that state did not prove conducive to permanent location and accordingly the opportunities offered by California induced a removal to the west, where two years were spent in Sonoma county. August 26, 1877, they arrived in Mendocino county and the father, a blacksmith by trade, opened a shop at Inglenook. As proprietor of the Sand Hill blacksmith shop he made the acquaintance of every farmer in the entire region and such was his reputation for integrity, high sense of justice and practical wisdom that he was selected repeatedly to serve as justice of the peace in Ten Mile River township. Upon disposing of the blacksmith business he embarked in the tanbark industry and successfully engaged in peeling, grinding and hauling the bark for shipment. For thirty- eight years he was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in the local lodge he was honored for his high principles of honor and genuinely helpful spirit.
The careful training of his father gave to W. J. Nichalson in early life a thorough knowledge of blacksmithing and of the tanbark industry, as well as of agricultural pursuits. The two acquired considerable land, W. J. own- ing one-half section and his father three hundred acres of redwood land, but eventually the entire tract was sold and the younger man then went to Siskiyou county to take up blacksmithing. At the expiration of three years he returned to Mendocino county, where since 1904 he has conducted a black- smith shop. Identification with the county since 1877 entitles him to the rank of pioneer. In the early days he was an unerring marksman and fur- nished the meat for the family through his own trusty rifle. Not only were deer plentiful in the mountains, but in the center of what is now the thriving city of Fort Bragg he has shot them while he was seated in his wagon. Often too he shot bears along the highway as well as in the more remote moun-
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tains. In early days he was considered one of the most successful hunters of the region and frequently he was appealed to by parties starting on hunt- ing expeditions, who wished to avail themselves of his practical assistance as guide. More recently game has become scarce, so that expeditions are more infrequent and less successful. Twice married, Mr. Nichalson has two sons, Pearl WV. and Jesse L., by his first wife. His present wife was formerly Mrs. Mary C. Bean, daughter of B. S. Wales, a pioneer farmer in the vicinity of the coast. By her first marriage she had three children, two of whom are living, Carl B. and George.
MRS. IDA DUTCHER .- As secretary of the Lakeport Library and an interested worker in various social activities of that town Mrs. Dutcher has become recognized as one of the valuable members of a community where high standards of intellectual worth and character are the rule. She and her family have lived in Lake county ever since they came to California, in 1902, and a few years ago settled in Lakeport, where they have a fine home in the Crescent Park addition.
Mrs. Dutcher's native state is Wisconsin. She was born at Waupaca, where her parents, Heber C. and Mary Ann (Howlett) West, lived for many years, and grew up there, receiving an excellent education, which included a course at the Waupaca high school. For several years afterward she taught school, until her marriage in the year 1880 to Henry D. Dutcher, a native of Milwaukee, Wis. Mr. Dutcher was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted from Milwaukee for the Union service, and as a member of the Tenth Wisconsin Battery saw more than the average share of hard fighting. Mr. and Mrs. Dutcher continued to live in Wisconsin for a number of years following their marriage, moving to California in 1902 and settling in Scotts valley, Lake county, where they bought a ranch. Here he was successfully engaged in agricultural work until 1911, in which year he sold his land and brought his family to the town of Lakeport, establishing them in an attrac- tive residence which he bought, in the Crescent Park addition. It has all the comforts of a modernly appointed home. Mr. Dutcher's death occurred not long afterward, in July, 1912, when he was seventy-one years of age. A man of upright and estimable life, though not long a resident of the county he had established himself thoroughly as one of its desirable citizens. Three children were born to him and Mrs. Dutcher: Florence, who lives with her mother at Lakeport, is a public school teacher in Lake county; Oscar is a stock man at Grassy Lake, Alberta, Canada; Elizabeth is attending the Clear Lake high school.
Mrs. Dutcher occupies an honorable position in the social and religious circles of Lakeport, being an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in whose work she takes a deep interest, and belonging also to the Rebekahs, the Pacific Club and the Parent-Teachers' Club of Lake- port. Besides, she is a valued member of the board of trustees of the Lake- port Library, which she also serves as secretary, and in that connection par- ticularly has won the respect of her associates as a woman of business sagacity, conscientiously devoted to her duties. Her influence is always given to movements which promise to bring practical benefits to her adopted town, and is appreciated by all who have its welfare at heart.
Heber C. West, Mrs. Dutcher's father, was born at Ellington, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., received an excellent education, and early became a teacher, following the profession of educator all his active life. When a
Mr & Mrs E.G. Foushee ยท& Son Johich
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young man he settled in Wisconsin, and enlisted from there for the Union service during the Civil war, joining Company A, Forty-second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He remained in the army until the war was over, and the hardships and exposure so affected his health that he never fully recov- ered, though he lived to old age. He married Mary Ann Howlett, a native of England, and they came out to California in the year 1886, first settling at Stockton and some time later moving to Middletown, Lake county, where they died. His death occurred in Scotts valley in 1904. Of the family of eight children born to them only three were married and had families: Frances, who is the wife of F. E. Canaday, of Iola, Wis .; Helen, wife of Henry Peterson, of Spring Hill Farm Resort, Middletown, Lake county, who died July 16, 1914; and Ida, widow of Henry D. Dutcher.
EDWIN CAMPBELL FOUSHEE .- One of the most highly esteemed of the early pioneers of Mendocino county, and one most sincerely mourned at the time of his death, was Edwin Campbell Foushee. He had crossed the plains in 1857, when a young man of only twenty-one years, and from then until the time of his death in 1913, made this state his home almost continu- ously, the only exception being a brief period spent in the mines of Nevada. During all the intervening years he was engaged in various enterprises in the state of his adoption, and made many warm friends. His splendid quali- ties of heart and mind endeared him to all who came to know him well, and his business integrity was almost proverbial. For more than twenty years he made his home at Fort Bragg, where he was actively associated with the affairs of the town, being a progressive and wide-awake citizen and well be- loved by his fellow townsmen. Since his death his widow has continued to make Fort Bragg her home.
Mr. Foushee was a native of Missouri, born in Bolivar, Polk county, October 26, 1836. His boyhood was spent here and his education received in the public schools of his native county. When he was but twenty-one he made the long journey across the plains with ox teams and located in Cali- fornia. He was first employed in the redwoods, teaming and hauling for Duncan's mill, on the Russian river, Sonoma county. Later he went to Nevada and for several years was engaged in mining, but the conditions in California were more to his liking and he returned to this state, locating near Santa Rosa in 1867. Later he moved to Knight's valley, where for a time he was foreman on a large cattle ranch. In 1877 he removed to Mendo- cino county and located on Elk creek, where he engaged in the butcher busi- ness in partnership with Frank Herrick. Later he located at Navarro and engaged in the butcher business for himself, meeting with much success and continuing there until he came to Mendocino City, where he was for two years deputy assessor. At the close of his term of office he returned to Elk creek and entered the employ of the L. E. White Lumber Company as butcher and stock buyer, which position he filled for ten years.
It was about 1894, at the close of his long term of service with the L. E. White Lumber Company, that Mr. Foushee finally established a permanent home at Fort Bragg, where he continued to reside until the time of his death, August 2, 1913. Here he was associated with the Union Lumber Company as stock buyer for two years, and then became deputy county assessor and constable, which position he occupied until within a year of his death. He was a very influential worker in the Democratic party and was prominently known as such throughout the county.
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During his long residence in Fort Bragg Mr. Foushee made many friends. His faith in the future of the town and surrounding country was unfaltering, and his capital was quite naturally invested in local real estate, principally in town property, and at the time of his death he owned several houses and lots in Fort Bragg, as well as other valuable property.
The marriage of Mr. Foushee took place in Santa Rosa November 27, 1867, uniting him with Miss Mary Catherine Hall, a native of Kentucky, having been born in Byron county, August 27, 1843. In 1857 she came to California with her parents, Lowery B. and Elizabeth (Holland) Hall, both natives of Kentucky, crossing the plains with ox teams. She bore her hus- band two children, a son and a daughter. The latter, Harriet N., lived but seven weeks, and the son, Josiah Hasbrook, passed away at the age of thirty- two years. He was well known in Mendocino county, and especially around Greenwood and in Fort Bragg, where he was, like his father, highly esteemed as a man of sterling character and of more than ordinary worth. Both Mr. and Mrs. Foushee were for many years prominently associated with the social and religious life of their home city. Mrs. Foushee is a member of the Chris- tian church, and is identified with its various societies.
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