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 147

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 147

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Carl Durnbaugh lived at home until he was married, in Orange, to Miss Veva H. Pierce, a Michigan girl born near Langsburg, the daughter of Frank J. and Myrtle R. Pierce, old settlers of the state. She came to California with her parents in 1906, but after a year here moved back to Michigan for a couple of years. The never-failing spell of California brought her family again to the Golden West, and they made their home in Orange; and here, on March 7, 1919, her father died.

Immediately after marrying, Mr. Durnbaugh engaged in teaming, continuing in that field for a couple of years. In the fall of 1913, he started a dairy on Cambridge Street, and for three years followed that industry. When he sold out, he bought fifty acres of alfalfa land in Perris Valley, Cal., where he raised hogs, cattle, turkeys and chickens. After a short time, he sold that and purchased a lemon grove of twelve acres in East Villa Park. He lived there until the latter part of 1917, when he disposed of the lemon grove and established his dairy at the corner of Yorba Street and Chapman Avenue. He has twenty-one head of milch cattle, mostly Jerseys, scattered over the three acres; he has remodeled his house, and built a barn and a milk house. He sells his dairy product at retail, from house to house; he intends soon to plant Valencia oranges on his place.

Mr. and Mrs. Durnbaugh are the proud parents of a bouncing boy, Oscar Carl. a year old. They belong to the First Methodist Church, have worked for the war loan's, and maintain their interest in community welfare, and independence in politics.

Theo . C. Stolt Helena In Stolt

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THEODORE E. STOLT .- A patriotic American gentleman who has "made good" with little or no external assistance is Theodore E. Stolt, of Anaheim, who was born near New London, Wis., on September 2, 1872, the son of William F. and Bertha Stolt, both natives of Germany, from which country they emigrated as children to the United States, after which they met and married here. Five children were granted them, although only four are still living; and of these, our subject and Edward E. are the only ones of the family now in California.

While Theodore was a boy, his parents removed to Westpoint, Cuming County, Nebr., and there he was reared and educated, remaining in that state until he was twenty-one. He had a varied experience as a manufacturer and a dealer in brick and paper, and then he took up photography, continuing in that field for six years. After a while he went back to Wisconsin; but not finding there, after all, just what he wanted as a life environment, he determined to come west, to the "jumping off" place.

In February, 1910, Mr. Stolt came to California, and in Orange County he secured a pasture range which he has so improved, through the fruits of his past experience and hard, unremitting labor, that it is now a feast to the eye, and frequently visited by those who travel miles to see a model ranch. He now owns forty acres, twenty-six of which are devoted to oranges, while seven acres are given to lemons, his trees being nine years old, and they are situated conveniently and advantageously on the county highway three miles west of Anaheim. He did own sixty acres, but sold twenty and these acres he partly improved. Mr. Stolt devotes his best energies and most careful thought to apply- ing the latest word of science in the operation of this ranch by the most approved methods and with the most up-to-date appliances; and it is natural that he should be a member of the Orange and Lemon Growers Association at Anaheim. In politics he is a Republican.

In 1910, the same year in which he showed his wise discrimination by the purchase of his land, Mr. Stolt took another step most wisely, and was united in matrimony to Miss Helen M. Hein, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hein, a native of Nebraska, where she was as much of a favorite as she has been in a wide circle since she came to Anaheim. They have a comfortable, cheery home, and dispense a modest, but satisfying hospitality; just such a home as makes, for example, for the wealth, endurance and last- ing happiness of a commonwealth. Anaheim is pleased that Mr. Stolt chose to pitch his tent under such favoring conditions; and Mr. Stolt-well, ask him if he ever regretted coming to Orange County.

J. F. KAUFMAN .- An expert mechanic who by personal attention to the work in his machine shop and the installation of thoroughly up-to-date machinery, has fast built up a very profitable patronage, is J. F. Kaufman, the proprietor of the Eureka Garage Repair Shop. He was born on a farm near Ithaca, Mich., on May 26, 1892, the son of Franklin D. and Maria E. Kaufman, and received his schooling in Stanton and Belding, in that state. His father was a Free Methodist minister, and like his col- leagues, moved about the country a good deal with his family.

Our subject worked in the Oldsmobile automobile factory for five years, becoming chief inspector of the outside department, which then had charge of smoothing up the gears and other mechanism of all the cars before they were placed on the market; and during the three years that he was associated with the Oldsmobile production, he amply demonstrated his ability and contributed toward making that car one of the most dependable on the market. Then he moved back to Belding and in 1913 went into business for himself. He maintained a garage and repair shop, and when he sold out at the end of the year, he did so planning to come out to California. He was advised, however, that conditions here were none too favorable at that time, and so he moved to Lansing, where he worked in the Reo factory, giving two active years to their service department.

At last, in the fall of 1916, Mr. Kaufman came out to California, landing here on the last day of October, when he started working for the Libby Motor Company; with which concern he continued until the following January. Then he entered the employ of Layton Bros., in the same building he himself now occupies. On October 15, 1918. he bought out Layton and formed a partnership with L. J. Fremeau. The next sum- mer, on August 1, he purchased the interest of the partner and became sole proprietor.

Now Mr. Kaufman's business, which has kept pace with the growth of the auto industry of the town and vicinity, embraces the reboring of cylinders and the fitting of pistons; general machine work, with the latest appliances, and all kinds of miscellaneous repairs on all kinds of machines. This requires the services of no less than five expert mechanics, for among other specialties, the Kaufman garage maintains a service station for the Maxwell Motor Car.

Mr. Kaufman's father died in Michigan on February 6. 1905, and six years later' the mother of our subject. together with a daughter, came to Santa Ana, where they

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now live. This sister, Miss Stella Kaufman, has been for years engaged in school work, of late instructing in the Spurgeon school. On May 26, 1910, Mr. Kaufman was married to Miss Anna Kamans, a native of Grand Rapids. Mich., and the daughter of Anthony Kamans and his wife, Catherine. She was educated in the fine public schools of Grand Rapids, while she enjoyed the home life of her parents, comfortable farmer-folk who had come to Grand Rapids to retire. One child. Richard L., has blessed this union. The family reside at 814 East Sixth Street. in a dwelling purchased by Mr. Kaufman as his future home, and attend the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Kaufman is a Mason, and also an independent Republican, refusing to be trammeled by partisanship if the candidate or the measure is unfit or unsatisfactory.

FENN B. FIELD AND MRS. LOUISE W. FIELD .- An exceptionally apt young rancher who has demonstrated again and again a thorough knowledge of the details of the citrus industry, is Fenn B. Field, who was born at Sioux Falls, S. D., on July 23, 1885. His father was the late Samuel I., and his mother, Louise W. Field. She was born at Taylor, Cortland County, N. Y., on July 14, 1843, the daughter of Augustus Wire, of Goshen, Conn., who had married Louise Neal, of Litchfield, the same state. Thomas Wire, the great-grandfather, fought seven years in the Revolutionary War. Augustus Wire was a prosperous farmer, both raising the necessaries of life and weav- ing cloth for clothing, thereby maintaining himself independently. Mrs. Field attended the district school, and afterward the academy at Cincinnatus, N. Y., and at the age of twenty-five removed to Winslow, Ill., where she lived with her two brothers, Ithamar and Augustus. Next to the youngest in a family of eight, she is the only survivor.

For three years, Miss Wire lived in Illinois, and then she went back to Taylor, N. Y., where on December 1, 1868. she was married to Samuel I. Field. The date of his birth was January 13, 1831, and he first saw the light in Tompkins County, N. Y. His father was Augustus, and his mother Mary Field, and they were both natives of Massachusetts. Samuel Field was brought up on the home farm, and was educated at the district school. He was early attracted to Iowa, and for a while he farmed near Waterloo. He soon moved on to Colorado, where he mined for gold and was a hotel- keeper at Fall River, Colo., but in 1868 he returned to New York for his bride. Imme- diately after that. he went to Green River, Wyo., where Mrs. Field was one of the only three women there at that time, when the country was in the making. He saw, in fact, the development of Wyoming, for in 1869 the Union Pacific Railroad from Green River to Ogden was united at the latter place with the Central Pacific.

At Green River, Mr. Field secured a patent on 160 acres, the land on which now stands the switch yards of the Union Pacific Railway. Mr. Field was a merchant at Green River, and also the proprietor of the restaurant serving the passengers from the East each morning, and from the West each evening. When the first original eating- house burned down in 1873, Mr. Field rebuilt on a larger scale, and was proprietor of the new restaurant for three years. He also built the first district school house at Green River at his own expense. It was from Mr. Field's place that the distinguished Major John Wesley Powell started on his explorations for the Smithsonian Institute down the Green River and Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. In 1918, Mrs. Field returned to Green River and was honored by being invited to christen the monument erected in memory of Major Powell. Water, and not champagne was used in the ceremony, and the crystal liquid was brought up 4,500 feet from springs below by devoted Indians.

After nine years in Green River, during which time Mr. Field was the leading merchant there, he sold out his business and moved to Kansas where he lived for six years. He then moved to Sioux Falls, where he spent another six years in that South Dakota town. In 1890, Mr. Field, longing for the rich lands of California, came out to McPherson where, at that time, the main industry was the culture of raisins. The grapevines gradually died from blight, and orange trees took the place of the vines. Ever since then, Mrs. Field has lived at McPherson.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Field, seven of whom are still living: Samuel W. resides at Kimberly, Minn .; David Dudley lives on a ranch on Seventeenth Street, in Orange; Louisa has become Mrs. B. F. Merrill. of Nuevo, Riverside County; Gary M. is a citrus rancher of Olive; Guy I. ranches at McPherson; Foss is on a dairy and vineyard at Hanford; and Fenn B. is foreman of the Guthrie ranch on Le Veta Avenue, Orange. The deceased children are: Huldah, who died at Green River, when she was a year old, and Mary V. who attained the age of nineteen.

Fenn B. Field caine to McPherson with his parents in 1889, and attended the Santiago grammar school. He was also a member of the first class to graduate from the new Orange Union high school in 1906. During 1907 and 1908, he attended Pomona · College, where he took the general course; but in 1909 he went to Mexico with his brother Foss, and there leased a mine, spending a year in mining for gold and silver.

George mcguire ChassieM & Grine

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GEORGE McGUIRE .- To develop twenty acres of raw land into a highly de- veloped orange orchard is an achievement anyone might be proud to claim. This may be said of George McGuire, the owner of one of the best developed groves, for its size and age, on the County Highway, being about three miles west of Anaheim.

George McGuire was born in Gallatin, Mo., November 23, 1868, the son of Thomas and Frances (Lutz) McGuire, natives of Ireland and Missouri, respectively. Five children were born to them, four residing in California, two of them in Orange County. Thomas McGuire was brought to the United States by his parents when he was a lad of nine and he grew up in this country and was one of its most loyal citizens while he lived. He first came to California in the early '60s, via Cape Horn, to join an older brother who had already located in this state. Like the greater majority of immi- grants he mined for a time, but did not find the fortune he expected and later he joined a train bound for the East, the party consisting of his older brother, a sister and her husband and his mother. When crossing through Nebraska, they were attacked by Indians, who ran off all their stock, leaving them but two scrub teams with which they made their way eastward, the men having to walk the entire distance. Some time after his marriage, when George was ten years of age, the family moved to Washington County, Kans., where the father farmed. The wife and mother died in Missouri in 1878, and Mr. McGuire married again, choosing for his wife a sister of his first wife, and by her a daughter was born, who is now living in California. This wife died soon after and he was married a third time.

The McGuire family subsequently moved to Western Texas and here the father and his four sons engaged in stock raising and farming in a partnership arrangement. The father came to California in 1895, leaving his sons to carry on the ranching opera- tions in Texas, but he made a trip hack there and soon sold out to them and, returning to California, made his permanent home in Orange County, where he owned twenty acres of land three miles west of Anaheim. He died in Los Angeles in 1912, mourned by a wide circle of devoted friends.

George McGuire made a visit to see his father in Orange County in 1905, and so well impressed was he with the country that he decided to locate here and he returned to Texas and by 1909, after having lived twenty years in Texas, disposed of his interests there and located in Orange County on the twenty-acre ranch he now owns and which he developed from a barley field into one of the finest orange groves in this section of the county. He grew the nursery stock and set out the trees, leveled the land and made it possible to irrigate the entire tract. While his orchard was developing he raised beans and other products between the rows until now he can depend upon a steady income from his fine trees. What he now owns has been the result of hard work, in- dustrious efforts and good management. In all his operations he has had the coopera- tion of his devoted wife, who shares with him the esteem of a wide circle of friends.

In 1896 Mr. McGuire was married to Miss Chassie Bowser, a native of Brown County. Texas, the daughter of Abraham and Mary (Kemp) Bowser, the ceremony occurring in Brownwood, Texas. Five children have been born to them: George D .. deceased: Mary Frances, Mabel, Thomas and James A. Mr. McGuire has shown his interest in educational matters by serving as a school trustee in his district, and has given much satisfaction in the discharge of his duties. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church of Anaheim, Mr. McGuire being a deacon of the church and prominent in its activities.

WILLARD C. DuBOIS, M. D .- Since locating in Santa Ana, his boyhood home, in 1914, Dr. Willard C. DuBois has attained a high position as a successful practitioner. The son of a prominent Orange County family, Willard C. DuBois was born at Grant City, Mo., August 25, 1882. His parents are Valentine and Sarah (Alexander) DuBois, both natives of Indiana. The father spent his early days on a farm in that state, acquiring a thorough knowledge of farming while yet in his youth, so that he was able to make his own way in the world when many other lads of his age were still at their studies. Migrating to Missouri, he farmed there for four years, going later to the Northwest. where he was employed near Tacoma, Wash., for about four years. Com- ing down to California, he settled near San Jose, and for five years devoted his time to farming there, until 1895, when he located at Santa Ana, and here he has since made his home. During the intervening years Mr. DuBois acquired several tracts located in the vicinity of Santa Ana, accumulating a competence solely by his good judgment and tireless energy. Rated among the prosperous citizens of Orange County, he and his wife are now living retired at their Santa Ana home.

Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Valentine DuBois: Gertrude is now the wife of Walter D. Lamb, the well-known rancher of Talbert; Dr. Willard C. Dubois of this sketch: and Cecil DuBois, now deceased. A resident of Santa Ana since his tenth year, Dr. DuBois attended the public and high schools of Santa Ana, and then entered

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Louisville University at Louisville, Ky., where he spent three years. Entering the University of Denver at Denver, Colo., he completed his medical course there, grad- uating in 1910. Receiving an appointment as interne at St. Luke's Hospital at Denver, Dr. DuBois spent a year and a half there, profiting greatly by the valuable experience gained in that famed institution, which ranks high among the hospitals of the West. Subsequently he spent some time with a mining company in Arizona.

Locating in Santa Ana in 1914, Dr. DuBois at once entered into the active prac- tice of medicine and surgery and his genuine talent for materia medica, combined with his thorough preparation for his life-work under skilled instructors, have given him a place of high standing in the community. Despite his busy professional life, Dr. Du- Bois is exceedingly public spirited and ready to give of his time and interest to all movements for the betterment of the town and county, furthering this by membership in the Chamber of Commerce. A firm believer in the principles of the Republican party, Dr. DuBois gives his political influence to that organization. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Santa Ana Lodge of Elks and during the war served on the examining board and is a member of the Reserve Medical Corps.

ROY HUNTER MITCHELL .- Among the young men who are contributing to the growth and development of Brea is Roy Hunter Mitchell, who is with the Standard Oil Company. A native of New York, Mr. Mitchell was born at Rock City, in that state, on March 28, 1882. His parents were William and Mary (Leyda) Mitchell, and they are now both living in Pennsylvania. William Mitchell has been in the oil busi- ness as an oil gauger for many years, working in the different fields of the East. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were the parents of nine children and Roy is the sixth in order of birth. He was fortunate in receiving a good education in the public schools of Penn- sylvania, graduating from the high school at Titusville.

Following in his father's footsteps, Mr. Mitchell went into the oil business, work- ing in the Eastern fields until 1910, when he decided to seek his fortune in California. For some time previous to his coming West he had been in the employ of the Standard Oil Company, and he still continues with them, having now a record of fifteen years of faithful service with them. Wide-awake and progressive in his ideas, Mr. Mitchell is a firm believer in the future of Orange County, and is especially interested in the dvelopment of Brea. When this place was incorporated, he was elected a trustee, and in 1918 he was reelected, and is now serving a four-year term.

Mr. Mitchell's marriage occurred on March 9, 1910, when he was united with Miss Estella Ashton; they have one daughter, Kathryn L. The family attend the Congre- gational Church. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Elks of Whittier, and in politics is a believer in the principles of the Democratic party.

BURLEIGH L. GOODRICH .- Among the industries represented in the pros- perous and progressive city of Fullerton plumbing is prominently identified with the city's steady advancement toward metropolitan proportions. Burleigh L. Goodrich, Fullerton's well-known plumbing contractor, was born at Bangor, Van Buren County, Mich., November 25, 1883. His parents, Leander and Alpha (Herrington) Goodrich, also natives of Michigan, were farmers, and in 1890 removed to California, where they engaged in ranching at Artesia, Los Angeles County. They now reside at Los Angeles.

In a family of four brothers, Burleigh L. was the eldest, and was but seven years of age when his parents came to California. He received a public school education and assisted his father on the ranch until he attained the age of fifteen, when he learned the plumbing trade under M. T. Cunniff at Riverside, Cal. He was engaged as a journeyman plumber in Riverside until 1911, when he entered business under the firm name of Armbrust and Goodrich, plumbing contractors at Anaheim. He continued the Anaheim business for seven and a half years and then sold his interest to his partner, and in January, 1919, removed to Fullerton, where he started in the same business. He has rapidly assumed the lead as an expert in his line of business. During the busy season he employs six men, all competent workmen and guaranteeing satisfac- tion in every particular. Among specimens of his work may be cited: The Municipal Building in the City Park, the City Jail, the Roberts Apartments in Anaheim, the resi- dences of E. K. Benchley, P. E. Huddleson and Frank Benchley. While in Anaheim he did the plumbing work on the Valencia Hotel, Central Building, several buildings for the Bastanchury ranch and many other fine residence in both cities. He also carries a full line of plumbing supplies at his location, 115 West Commonwealth Avenue.

At Riverside in 1908, Mr. Goodrich was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Glim, a native of Sweden, who was reared in Illinois from the age of two years and came to Riverside in 1903, and their union has been blessed by the birth of two sons, Burton and Robert. Mr. Goodrich was a volunteer in the Riverside Fire Department for thirteen years. He became a member of the Volunteer Fire Department in Anaheim,

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serving as assistant chief for one year and then chief of the department for a year, when he resigned on moving to Fullerton. In Riverside also he was a member of Company M,-Seventh Regiment California National Guard, being called to San Francisco at the time of the big fire in 1906.

While not associated with any political party he casts his ballot for the man whom he considers best qualified for official duties. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Anaheim Lodge, No. 1345, B. P. O. Elks, as well as Fuller- ton Lodge of Odd Fellows, and with his wife is a member of the Yeomen. He is a member of the Board of Trade and is a public-spirited citizen, thoroughly interested in the welfare and development of Orange County.

WILLIAM A. DOLAN .- It has been fortunate for Anaheim that such men of character and experience, good judgment and foresight as William A. Dolan, president of the Anaheim National Bank, have been at the head of its financial affairs, for thereby has not only banking been stabilized, but commerce and all that is associated with it have taken on a healthier tone. A native of Nebraska, where he was born at Exeter, in Fillmore County, on November 5, 1878, Mr. Dolan has made his influence felt in many circles, and always for positive good, since he first permanently identified himself with California.

His father was James W. Dolan, a native of Ireland and a banker of Nebraska, who came to Los Angeles in 1904. His wife was Miss Ida M. Hager before her mar- riage, and was a native of Illinois. They are both living, honored of ten children, among whom William is the second child.

Having attended the grammar schools of his locality, Mr. Dolan was graduated from the high school at Indianola, Red Willow County, Nebr., with the class of '96, and later, for a year attended the State University at Lincoln. Then, in 1897, in Indian- ola, Nebr., he entered his father's bank, and for three years he was bookkeeper and assistant cashier there, and then for sixteen years was cashier.

In March, 1917, Mr. Dolan came to Anaheim and bought out the interest of F. C. Krause in the Anaheim National Bank; he is ex-president of the Orange County Bankers Association: is a member of the Board of Trade; is a Republican, with broad views as to party influence in local affairs, and has served as mayor of the city of Indianola, Nebr. During the Spanish-American War, he served under Colonel William Jennings Bryan as a member of the Third Regiment, Nebraska Volunteer Infantry.

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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 147

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