History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 106

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1700

USA > California > Orange County > History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 106

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

988

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

excellent plant, a modern water system, with a well 220 feet deep, lifting thirty-five inches of water per minute and removing all possibility of danger from a scarcity of water.

Mr. Tubbs was born in Iowa in 1868, the son of Judge L. W. Tubbs, who had married Sibyl J. Wheeler, a native of Michigan. Hailing originally from Connecticut, Judge Tubbs migrated to California in 1849, and for the next three years tried his luck at mining. His health giving way, he went to Hawaii to recuperate; and during that time, his partner cleaned out the claim and absconded with the funds. He then returned to Iowa, where he owned 3,600 acres, and became a large producer of stock and grain. He held the office of judge in Mills County, Iowa, for several years, and reared a family worthy of his name. The eldest son, William L. Tubbs, is now deceased; the other children are Mary D., Hattie M., Volney V., Bertha M., and Ray B. Tubbs, a physician. The only one of the family who resides in Orange County, Volney V., was reared and educated in his native state, and followed agricultural pursuits all his life. He moved to California after a while, settled in Orange County, and in 1888 located on his present place. He was united in wedlock to Miss Lillian M., daughter of George H. Dixson, in 1890, and of this union four children were born. Eileen is now Mrs. C. L. Cotant; and there are Mabel L., Margery and Dixson, who served in the World War and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Mrs. Tubbs, who is a native of Illinois, and an accomplished lady, attends with her husband the Presbyterian Church of Tustin. Mr. Tubbs is a charter member of Santa Ana Lodge No. 794, B. P. O. Elks.

Always prominent in civic endeavor, Mr. Tubbs served as chairman of the board of exemption during the late war, and for fourteen years was on the board of directors of the Santiago Orange Association. In many ways, therefore, Mr. Tubbs has done much to advance the best interests of California, and to assist in developing, as fast as possible and on the most permanent lines, California's most favored section, Orange County.

HON. WALTER EDEN .- The dignity and integrity of the California Bar have been maintained by such scholarly practitioners as the Hon. Walter Eden, senior member of the law firm of Eden and Koepsel, who maintain their offices at 4111/2 North Main Street in Santa Ana. Mr. Eden was born at Sullivan, Moultrie County, Ill., on July 14, 1862, a son of John R. and Roxana (Meeker) Eden. The Hon. John R. Eden was a well-known attorney in Illinois who served for ten years in Congress and ably represented his constituents. He is now deceased, as is his good wife, by whom he had eight children, four of whom are living-three daughters and one son, the subject of this review, who was the fourth in order of birth. One of his sisters is now a resident of Riverside, Cal.

A product of the public schools, Mr. Eden carried his studies further at the Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., after which he studied law in his father's office. In 1889 he was admitted to the Illinois Bar and for ten years, with the excep- tion of three years spent in California, he practiced his profession in his native city. While there he was prominent in politics, served as treasurer of Moultrie County for a term, and for two terms was mayor of Sullivan. It would seem that any man who could become mayor of his own town, where he was born and reared, must be capable of almost any attainment among strangers later. He also belonged to the National Guard of Illinois. The next ten years were spent in Springfield, where he made a speciality of the title business, owning the only abstract of title books in that city, and making a success of that line of business. From the year 1896, having given up public life and until coming to California, Mr. Eden devoted himself to hard work, and thereby laid the foundation of his financial success.

About thirty years ago Mr. Eden first came to California with his family and located in Fresno, where he had a cousin living, and when that place was but a city in embryo, and he was interested in the Fresno County Abstract Company for the next three years, when he sold out and returned East. In February, 1909, he once again came West and stopped in Fresno for a year, then spent two years in Los Angeles, and in December, 1912, he removed to Santa Ana, where the scenes of his activities have since been laid.

As a Republican in politics he was elected in November, 1919, to the State Assem- bly and one of his important positions was that of chairman of the Committee on Rules. Among the excellent measures proposed by him was the law giving tide lands to Newport Beach, and those outside the corporation to Orange County; he also helped ratify the Prohibition amendment and the Woman's Suffrage amendment. As a resi- dent of Orange Couty he is always to be found in the van when movements for the public good are in question, and to favor the projects that mean the greatest good for the greatest number of citizens.

989

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

At Tacoma, Wash., in June, 1910, Mr. Eden was married to Miss Margaret Fitz- gerald, a native of Texas, but reared in California from girlhood. She shares with her esteemed husband the good will of all who know them. By a former marriage Mr. Eden is the father of three children. The oldest is Mrs. Martha Odiorne; the second is John R., a newspaper man who became a major of infantry and saw service in France in the World War and who is now in the publicity department of the Firestone Tire Company of Akron, Ohio; and Walter, former city editor of the Springfield, I11., State Register, but now with the publicity department of the Firestone Tire Company. Mr. and Mrs. Eden attend the First Methodist Episcopal Church and Mr. Eden is a member of the Lodge, Chapter and Commandery of Masonry in Santa Ana, and the Shrine in Los Angeles, and to the B. P. O. Elks in Santa Ana, in which he is the Esteemed Leading Knight.

HERMAN ENDERLE .- When one considers the important part played by irrigation in the development of Southern California, the enviable status of Herman Enderle will be apparent, for he is one of the well-known citizens of his district, honored especially for his mechanical skill and its fruits in the development of water for irrigation. He himself owns a fine, productive ranch of twenty acres devoted to oranges and English walnuts, which he purchased in 1904, and he has been the means of many another rancher making the most possible of his land holdings.

A native of Burlington, Iowa, Mr. Enderle was born on April 25, 1864, the son of William Enderle, a native of Germany, who married Miss Barbara Scharr, also a native of that country. Attracted by the far greater opportunities in the young Amer- ican Republic, Mr. and Mrs. Enderle came to the United States in 1846, settled in Iowa and bought a farm, where they reared a family of ten children. Nine of them are living, and six are living in California-Clara, Katherine, Frank, Mrs. Rose Shaner of Los Angeles, Matilda and Herman, the subject of this sketch.

Herman was reared and educated in his native state and there learned the machinist's trade, which he followed until a few years ago, while he carried on his ranching through the services of others. He came west to Orange County, Cal., in 1892 in the employ of the Santa Fe, and located in Santa Ana, where he operated, for abont six years, a foundry and machine shop. He began the business in a building opposite where the City Hall now stands as Enderle & Tracy, continuing as stated above. He built a residence at the corner of Washington and West streets.

Having purchased his present place in 1904 he set to work to improve it and bring it to its present productive condition. How well he has succeeded is evidenced by the ranch itself, the buildings and premises generally. A truly patriotic citizen, Mr. Enderle is a member of the Fraternal Aid Union, a worthy organization that has accomplished great good.

At Burlington, in 1889, Mr. Enderle was united in marriage to Miss Emma Ben- ham, the daughter of George W. Benham, who was born in Burlington, Vt .. and passed away at Tacoma, in February, 1918, while visiting their son, Maurice F. Enderle, when he was in the training camp there. A graduate of Stanford University, he was admitted to the California bar in 1913, and is now practicing law in Los Angeles. When the war broke out he volunteered his services to his country and was sent to the officers' training camp. There he was commissioned first lieutenant and was as- signed to Company E, Three Hundred Sixty-second Infantry, and as such served in France in the Ninety-first Division. For four successive days in taking the Argonne Forest he fought with his fellows and was wounded four times, but he still lives to tell the story and to carry the scars as marks of his courage and valor on the field. As a proper recognition, he was promoted to the rank of captain, and as Captain Enderle is known both for his manliness and his modesty.

HON. JOE CHARLES BURKE .- From the very beginning of Orange County, when the sagacity, intelligence, common-sense and courage of its political leaders and the rank and file of its citizenry were in immediate and perpetual demand, the Orange County Bar has played an important role in the destinies of a people proud of the state as a whole, but especially enthusiastic about that portion of the great common- wealth more closely associated with the concept of home; in this regard the career of Joe Charles Burke is all the more interesting, for his fame as a level-headed, scholarly attorney was established some years ago; and since then he has come to enjoy more and more of the confidence and patronage of his fellow-citizens.

Joe C. Burke was born at Downey, July 3, 1876, the son of Samuel W. and Lizzie A. (Davies) Burke, natives of Tennessee and Ohio respectively. They came to Cali- fornia in 1875 and in time four children-one son and three daughters-made up the family. The father died in November. 1912, but the mother is still living at Rivera, Cal. The oldest child in the family, Joe C. Burke, attended the local public school

990

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

and then Woodbury Business College. Having decided to enter the legal profession, he studied law privately in the county clerk's office, and on September 27, 1911, was admitted to the California Bar. From 1907 to 1912, Mr. Burke was deputy county clerk; but from 1912 to 1914, he was city clerk of Santa Ana. On November 3, 1914, he was elected a member of the California State Assembly from the Seventy-sixth Dis- trict and such was his record that he was re-elected in 1916. During these sessions he served on the committees of Irrigation, Oil Production, Municipal Corporations, County Government and Fish and Game, and in many ways he participated in sessions that have come to be historic. A Republican in national politics, he has always been above blind partisanship when the question was the best man and the best measure.

Mr. Burke has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Ida Wierbach, a native of Illinois, who bore him two sons-Russell A., a graduate of the Whittier high school and now a teller in the First National Bank of Whittier; and Marshall, who attended the Santa Ana high school and is now employed by the Standard Oil Company in their refinery at El Segundo. Mrs. Burke died in April, 1900. On August 1, 1914, he was united in marriage with Miss Amber P. Brackney, a native of Pennsylvania and the daughter of Frank P. and Emma A. Brackney, residents of Santa Ana.

Mr. Burke is a member of the Santa Ana lodge of Masons; the Santa Ana lodge of Odd Fellows and the Encampment at Anaheim; is Past Exalted Ruler of Santa Ana Lodge No. 794, B. P. O. Elks, and District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler of California South of the Elks and was a delegate to the Grand Lodge of Elks at Chicago in 1920. In all the war drives he was an active participant, served as a four-minute man and a member of the County Council of Defense of Orange County. In all projects for the upbuilding of the county he has always been a supporter and worker and is one of the solid "boosters" of this great state.

HERMAN STERN .- A foremost citizen of Orange County, Herman Stern of Anaheim, occupies a distinct position among his fellow-citizens as a progressive, public-spirited and philanthropic man. He was born in Coburg, Germany, June 17, 1870, the son of Marcus and Rosetta (Goodman) Stern, who became the parents of nine children, of whom Herman is the seventh in order of birth. He received the benefit of a high school and college education and lived in his native country until he was twenty-three years of age, when, in 1893, he left to join his brother, Jacob Stern, in the United States, he having settled in Fullerton in 1888. After spending one year in that town, in 1894, they opened a store in Anaheim, conducting business under the name of Stern Brothers until 1908. In that year Herman purchased the interests of his brother, discontinued the various departments with the exception of that devoted to agricultural implements, and this he expanded by judicious adver- tising in unique manner. To meet the demands of the ranchers in the county he formed the Pacific Farm Implement Company in 1909, and has been very successful in his particular line of business.

To Jacob and Herman Stern must be given the credit for the development of hundreds of acres of arid desert land east of Anaheim, and to his real estate enter- prise, more than to his commercial business, perhaps is due his greatest success. The brothers secured land that was practically worthless, extending from Placentia Street east to the foothills, and this they wanted developed, as they could see the future of the little city depended upon making a fertile region out of bare land, thereby drawing to this district those energetic men and women who were the real home-makers. They sold this land on contract to any who would agree to develop it, the initial price being from $25 to $50 per acre, according to location. A very small amount was asked to be paid down upon the signing of the contract, and the balance when the land would produce the necessary products to enable the person to pay up, Mr. Stern even advancing the funds, in many cases, to clear and develop it, also supplying the family with groceries and provisions. In this way were developed hundreds of acres that are now valued at from $3,000 to $5,000 each, and tracts that are the homes of responsible people, all of whom are independent, made so by the increased prices of their land and the wonderful orange groves that now cover the arid region and have drawn a host of home-loving citizens to this part of Orange County.

Herman Stern, being young and vigorous, threw his whole heart into the enterprise with his customary enthusiasm, and has lived to see his dream come true, and the triendships that have resulted from his generosity are of the most lasting kind. Many of the original purchasers are still living on their properties, and accord to Mr. Stern the credit for their success. He has been one of the most public-spirited men of this locality, and has spent his money with a liberal hand to make Anaheim and Orange County a better place in which to live. It was he who named Yorba Linda, his brother

993

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

and others owning the tract. He started many enterprises that would employ labor and thereby establish a payroll for the energetic. Among these was the Anaheim Cooperative Canning Company, of which he was the first president. He was also one of the organizers of the Chamber of Commerce and its first president; also helped to organize the Mother Colony Club, and was the first president there; was instrumental in starting the home for Odd Fellows, also for the B. P. O. Elks, serving as president of the board of the latter. These and many other civic movements have felt the guiding hand of this experienced, though modest. man. Mr. Stern served as a mem- ber of the National Guard of California, and was captain of Company E, from 1902 until 1908. During the World War he spent his time in drilling the recruits from this district prior to their being sent to their various training camps. He worked in all the Liberty Loan drives, and as captain of his committee. was the means of taking Anaheim "over the top" in them all; he also served as chairman of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army drives for funds for war purposes. in fact. no citizen was more patriotic than he to assist those at the fighting front.

Herman Stern was married on June 11. 1906, to Miss Marie Nicolas. of Fuller- ton. and for twelve years she shared with her distinguished husband the esteem and good will of his friends. She passed away on August 17. 1918. mourned by a wide circle of friends. Mr. Stern is a member of the Knights of Pythias. the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Masons in Anaheim. In politics he is a stanch Republican. At all times he is ready and willing to support all measures for the advancement of the interests of the people of the county. and numbers among his warmest friends the best element of the county.

SAMUEL JERNIGAN .- Orange County has many popular public officials. but none perhaps enjoys a larger share of the combined esteem and good-will of her experienced and appreciative citizens. than Samuel Jernigan, the able and doughty City Marshal of Santa Ana. A native of Wayne County. Kentucky. he was born at Monticello on November 3. 1876-a fall period memorable in the annals of our country. as it marked the close of the first century of American progress and the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia. at which Kentucky, among others. had done herself proud.

Mr. Jernigan's father was James Jernigan, a native of Illinois. but a stockman of Monticello who had married Miss Betty Bertram. a native of Kentucky. and the daughter of Rev. Jacob Bertram. a Baptist minister. Samuel was the second child in a family of six. He attended the ordinary public schools of his neighborhood. and after that completed his education in the great school of experience. From boyhood he was active. a live wire that made itself felt and kept others alive: and until his nineteenth year he remained with his father and helped care for the stock.

Leaving home. Mr. Jernigan went to Hill Connty. Texas. and soon after took to police work. and in that field he continued to advance until he came to California in 1902. He located at Orange and there served as city marshal until 1911. Then he resigned to become under sheriff.

A Republican in national politics. but especially broad gauged on all local issues. Mr. Jernigan was appointed City Marshal of Santa Ana in 1912 to fill the unexpired term of George Wilson; in 1915 he was elected for a four-year term; and in 1919 he was re-elected for another four years. receiving a large majority over two opponents. Mr. Jernigan not only enjoys the respect and confidence of the people at large. but he is well liked by those working under him, perhaps the surest testimonial to his real worth. While in Texas in 1899, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Pritchett. by whom he has had one daughter-Maydell. He is a Mason. a member of the York Rite and a Shriner; and he belongs to Santa Ana Lodge No. 794. B. P. O. Elks.

ROY E. VINCENT .- A progressive young business man, who now has the satis- faction of seeing the products of his factory sold all over Southern California, is Roy Everett Vincent. proprietor and manager of the Vincent Manufacturing Company. He was born at Clay Center. Kans .. on August 3. 1891, and his father was Emerson E. Vincent. born at Topeka. Kans .. president of the California National Bank of Santa Ana. His mother's maiden name was Julia Smith and was a native of London. Eng- land. coming to Kansas with her parents at the age of three. Emerson E. Vincent was a hardware merchant in Clay Center. Kans., and in 1908 he brought his family to Santa Ana, engaging in the hardware business until he turned his attention to banking. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens Commercial and Savings Bank. which later consolidated with the California National Bank and he was made president of this organization.

Roy E. Vincent. the only child in the family, was educated at the grammar schools, partly at the Clay County Union high school and then at St. Johns Military Academy at Salina. After this he came to California in 1908 and managed his father's hardware

994

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

store at Santa Ana for a number of years, and managed it well. Later he bought a half interest in Dale & Company, manufacturers of well casing, which was soon incorporated as the Dale-Vincent Manufacturing Company; then they bought out the well-casing factory of the Crescent Hardware Company and combined it with his present business, and in 1916 he bonght out his partner, H. H. Dale. He disincor- porated the company and continued the enterprise as the Vincent Manufacturing Company. The firm specializes in the manufacture of water-well casing in sizes from four inches to thirty-six inches. The product enjoys such a reputation for excellency that it reaches all first-class markets everywhere along the southern Coast conntry and the San Joaquin Valley as well. The factory is located on East First Street and the Santa Fe spur. It is equipped with power shears, punches and rolls. Each joint has to be fitted, as all riveting is done by hand to accomplish perfection. So extensive is his trade that he employs not less than ten men regularly. Republican party ideals appeal to Mr. Vincent most, but no one can outdistance him in nonpartisan co- operation.

In Santa Ana on February 5, 1912, Mr. Vincent was married to Miss Ethel Campbell, danghter of G. D. and Margaret Campbell, a native of Nebraska, and their happy union has been crowned with the birth of one son, Ronald Emerson. Hunting and fishing are among the pleasures of which Mr. Vincent is most fond, and when he is not in the great ontdoors, he spends some of his leisure time with the Elks, belonging to Santa Ana Lodge No. 794. He supports vigorously the Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Episcopal Church.

WILLIAM WRIGHT PENMAN .- A splendid example of the typically gennine American, who, despite various ups and downs, has finally triumphed over all obsta- cles. is afforded by William Wright Penman, senior member of the widely known firm of William W. Penman and Sons, Orange County's largest individual sugar-beet growers, who will this year harvest a crop worth, very probably, $120.000. Their farm lies three miles to the southeast of Tustin, off the State Highway, and is a part of the famous great Irvine ranch.

Mr. Penman was born in Bloomsburg, Columbia County. Pa., on January 2, 1849, the son of John Penman, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland. He came to Pennsylvania, and at Bloomsburg was married to Miss Mary Ann Wright. They had nine children, six boys and three girls, and William was the oldest. His father was a teacher, and gave instructions in manual training in the night schools. Later, he became an in- spector of distilleries, and during the Civil War he served, first in the Pennsylvania State Militia and then in a Pennsylvania regiment of the Union Army, campaigning at Roanoke. He rose to be a corporal and was honorably discharged. He was a man of splendid character-although an inspector of liquors, he was a teetotaler-and was a thirty-second degree Mason. Two brothers of John Penman had migrated to Cali- fornia in 1862 and were mining in Placer County, so he joined them in 1868.

In 1869 William W. Penman came out to California to join his father, who was then a partner in the Morning Star Gold Mine at Last Chance, at the head of the American River in Placer County. He had been apprenticed to a blacksmith and carriage maker by the name of Andrew Crossley at Bloomsburg, Pa., but when the latter failed in business it seemed best for the lad to come West and start again. He arrived in Auburn, Placer County, November 4, 1869, and was, therefore, one of the first passengers to make use of the new transcontinental service of the Central & Union Pacific Railroad.

He went into the mines and worked with his father at gold-mining, and finally became the owner of a third interest in the said "Morning Star" mine, and at Last Chance, in 1873, he was married to Miss Effie Ann Jansen, a native daugher, born at El Dorado Canyon, in Placer County, and therefore a member of California's first generation of native white girls. Her father and mother were pioneers of 1852. In 1880 Mr. Penman sold his interest in the mine, but in the meantime he owned and oper- ated various hotel properties. He had a half interest in the Gold Run Hotel at Gold Run and a quarter interest in the Independence Hotel on the borders of Independence Lake in Nevada County.

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

History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 106

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1700

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1700