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 99

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 99

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Henry W. Buchheim was born at Sauk Center, Minn., October 13, 1875, and so was a lad of barely six years when his parents arrived here on October 11, 1881. His early years were spent at Santa Ana, where the family had settled, and there he attended the public schools. As is frequently the case in a large family, however, it was necessary for the children to start in when quite young to share the responsibilities of the family, and so Henry Buchheim's school days were not of long duration. Going to work on the home farm, he early learned those habits of industry and thoroughness that made for the success he has enjoyed in the years of his maturity. When his older brother, Aaron Buchheim, began his ranching operations, he joined forces with him and they continued together for a number of years. Later he began farming on his own account, and his interests in that field have grown from year to year, until he now leases four tracts of land near Serra, comprising 1,000 acres, and this he is cultivating with splendid success. The land lies, for the most part, on the Santa Fe Railroad, along the coast road to Laguna, and is devoted to grain and beans. Mr. Buchheim is also the owner of a fine tract of twenty acres in Ventura County, part of this being a thriving walnut orchard.

Mr. Buchheim's marriage, which occurred December 6, 1910, at Santa Ana, united him with Miss Maude Reeder, a native daughter, born at Moreno, Riverside County. She is the daughter of William and Bertha (Johnston) Reeder, born in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, respectively. The Reeder family came from Illinois to Cali- fornia in early days, and the Johnstons came from Indiana to California across the plains at an equally early period. William Reeder was for some years engaged in farming and then began fishing, having his headquarters at San Juan-by-the-Sea, and

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fishing from Point Concepion to San Diego. He died in August, 1916, his wife having preceded him twenty-two years, her death occurring in 1894. They had four children: Thomas is engaged in fishing at San Juan-by-the-Sea; Rose, Mrs. Arthur Buchheim, resides at Santa Susanna; Maude is the wife of Henry Buchheim, our subject; Bertha passed away in childhood. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Buchheim have three children to brighten their home, Floyd, Henrietta and Florence, but the family circle was saddened by the death of the oldest child when he was but eleven months old.

Industrious and capable, Mr. Buchheim is one of Orange County's dependable citizens, and he may well look back with satisfaction upon the results of his work, for it is to men of his type that Southern California owes the marvelous transformation that the past few decades have brought.

LEWIS F. COBURN .- A man peculiarly well-fitted for the important office of city attorney of Orange is Lewis F. Coburn, who is an enthusiastic "booster" of both town and county, and believes both to be the best sections in which he has ever lived and worked. He came to California in the late seventies, and so has had the best opportunity for observing and judging the gradual development of neighboring counties and most of the Golden State.

He was born at Newberry, Vt., on May 21, 1854, the son of Calvin P. Coburn, a native of New Hampshire hailing from the same home district as Salmon Portland Chase, the statesman. He was a farmer in Vermont and in 1858 removed to Bruns- wick, Maine, where he died in 1910, at the age of eighty-six. His ancestors were lineal descendants of Edward Cockburn, who came from England to Massachusetts in 1635, and built the first house north of the Merrimac River, in Massachusetts-an historic structure still standing. The spelling of the name was then changed to the way in which is was pronounced, with a silent c. Major Silas Coburn, the great-great-grand- father, and Captain Asa Coburn, the great-grandfather of our subject, were both sol- diers in a New Hampshire regiment in the Revolution. Asa Coburn removed from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, and was a farmer there. The mother of Lewis Coburn was Rachel R. Ferrin before her marriage; she was born at Bath, Maine, and died in that state in 1915. Grandfather Lazarus Ferrin was a sea captain who made four voyages around Cape Horn to San Francisco. Lewis F. was the elder of two children, and his brother, Edward Everett, is still living at the old home.

Educated at the local public schools, Lewis F. continued his studies at the Uni- versity of Maine, at Orono, from which he was graduated in 1875 with the degree of civil engineer. He taught school for a while, and then began the study of law under Judge Keniston of Boothbay Harbor.

In 1877 Mr. Coburn came to California and was for a while in the employ of Hobbs, Wall and Company, at Crescent City, helping them to build a railway and bridges across the Smith River, a distance of fifteen miles. All the time while so employed, however, Mr. Coburn was still studying law, and in 1880 was admitted to the bar in California. He practiced law in Del Norte County, and in 1884 was elected district attorney for a term of two years, and was then reelected for a second term; he was also assistant United States attorney for the northern district of California-a position which he filled with credit for four years.

Having had several law cases at Yreka, an opportunity presented itself to prac- tice law there, and he'removed to that city, and was active as an attorney in that sec- tion from 1891 until 1918. He was city attorney for Yreka for nine years, and was also city attorney for Etna and for Sisson, filling for each a term of three years. He assisted in giving the impetus to various public improvements through which these towns attained some desirable reputation for progress.

At the solicitation of Attorney W. R. Garrett, an old-time friend, Mr: Coburn came to Orange in 1918 and entered into partnership. The following July, Mr. Garrett retired, and since then Mr. Coburn has practiced law alone. He is now serving as city attorney of Orange, to the satisfaction of the entire community. In national politics a Republican, Mr. Coburn knows no partisanship in matters affecting the locality in which he lives and thrives.

In Del Norte County, Mr. Coburn was married to Miss Ella C. Anthony, a native of Smith River and the daughter of Joseph G. Anthony, a pioneer farmer and a cousin of U. S. Senator Anthony. Three children have blessed their union. Lew Ella is the wife of Major L. H. Taylor, a resident of Dunsmuir; Kate is the wife of E. J. Adams, and resides at Orange; and Herbert Anthony is an electrician in the employ of the Irvine ranch, and was for two years in the World War, and for nineteen months overseas.

Mr. Coburn was made a Mason in Howard Lodge No. 96, F. & A. M., Yreka, in 1892, and is a past master, and now belongs to Orange Grove Lodge, No. 293, F. &

L. DIvel

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A. M .; is past high priest of Cyrus Chapter, No. 15, R. A. M., Yreka, and is now a member of Orange Grove Chapter, No. 73; belonged to Mt. Shasta Commandery No. 32, Knights Templar, where he was commander in 1889 and 1890, and was captain- general and drill master for seventeen years; now he belongs to the Santa Ana Com- mandery, and is a member of the Santa Ana Council, R. & S. M. He also belongs to the Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., in San Francisco, and with Mrs. Coburn is a member of the Eastern Star at Orange, and was a member of this order at Yreka.

SAMUEL DAVID TEEL .- Among the native sons of Orange County, S. D. Teel has the distinction of being the son of Garden Grove's first permanent settler. He follows the occupation of ranching, and specializes in raising sweet potatoes, having purchased ten acres which he devotes to that purpose. He also owns ten acres in the Bolsa Precinct which is planted to Valencia oranges, and now has an exceptionally fine grove just coming into bearing.

He was born in Orange County, December 23, 1875, in what is now Buaro pre- cinct, one mile north of his present home, this section in those early days being a part of Los Angeles County. His parents, George Milton and Catherine (Harris) Teel, were born in Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively, and were married in Texas, whither both had gone when young people. They came to California in 1870, settling in what is now Garden Grove. When Mr. Teel first arrived in California, coming from Texas with an ox team, he took up his residence on what is known as the Dr. Head ranch, where he planted potatoes, and from one sack of seed he harvested 120 sacks-equal to six tons. He hauled lumber from Anaheim Landing to build his house and hauled lumber to Anaheim as a teamster. The elder Teel, besides being the first settler in Garden Grove was the first man to develop artesian water in this district. He struck an artesian flow in 1871, and was one of the early orange growers and fruit men demonstrating that the best of fruit could be grown here. His death occurred at Garden Grove in 1903 at the age of seventy-six. He was a Mason, retaining his mem- bership in Texas. His widow survived him until March 31, 1920, when she passed away aged eighty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Teel were the parents of eight children: Georgia is Mrs. John Davis of Garden Grove; Charles lives at Ukiah; Harris is a resi- dent of Coalinga; Edward, at Wintersburg; Samuel D., of this sketch; Alice is Mrs W. E. Wells and lives on the San Joaquin ranch; Ida is Mrs. Claude Blakesley of Garden Grove; George M., Jr., the next to the youngest of the family, died on Novem- ber 5, 1918, during the influenza epidemic.

S. D. Teel is the fifth child in the parental family of eight children, and was reared on his father's ranch. He attended the common schools and after attaining his majority went to San Francisco and became an employe of the California Electric Company, working for them at their power house in San Francisco for three years. He afterwards returned home and turned his attention to ranching. His marriage, which occurred in 1908, united him with Miss Josephine Kemble, a native of Colorado. The four children resulting from this union are Joseph Kemble, Audrey V., Samuel David, Jr., and Genevieve M.

Mr. Teel has built a very cozy, modest home, to which he is constantly adding conveniences, and the substantial improvements he is ever on the alert to make on the ranch adds to its attractions materially. He is a self-reliant, industrious, intelli- gent man, and makes his influence felt for the common good. He was interested in getting the Buaro Drainage District organized, and deservedly ranks among the enter- prising and resourceful citizens of his community. Fraternally he is a member of Santa Ana Lodge No. 241, F. & A. M., and politically is a staunch adherent of the principles advocated in the platform of the Democratic party.

OSCAR ERNST GUNTHER .- A prominent young man of Orange who in more fields than one has made a good record, distinguishing himself in particular through his broad-mindedness and patriotic aggression, as a conscientious city trustee, is Oscar Ernst Gunther, who was born at Fort Dodge in Webster County, Iowa, on January 4, 1889. His father is L. D. Gunther, the well known contractor and builder of Orange, who had a good home at Fort Dodge, from which Oscar was sent to both the grammar and the high school. During vacations, he began to learn the harness maker's and saddler's trade, making more progress by putting in his Saturdays also at the bench, and when he came to California and Orange with his parents in 1904, he continued at the trade in Santa Ana, in the service of Bryden Brothers.

In 1908, he set up a harness business for himself at 60 Plaza Square, Orange, and continued there very successfully until August, 1918, when he sold out and accepted an appointment as inspector of leather equipment in the ordnance department of the Quartermaster's Corps, of the U. S. Army.

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While in business for himself, Mr. Gunther had been appointed city trustee of Orange in April, 1914; and two years later he was elected for a four-year term, and was chairman of the finance committee and a member of the fire and water committee. When he accepted appointment in the U. S. Army, he resigned as trustee, in August, 1918, to the regret of many who had come to appreciate the qualities he had shown in his public acts. After the armistice was signed, he tendered his resignation in order that he might return to civil life; and he was honorably discharged with the proper recognition from his military superiors.

Now Mr. Gunther is engaged in ranching, and owns a fine ten-acre grove of Valencia oranges at the corner of Yorba and Fairhaven avenues, and one on North Batavia Street; and inasmuch as he is satisfied with nothing short of the best methods, measures, implements and results, the new venture occupies all of his time. In 1911, at Orange he was married to Miss Dora Struck, a native of Orange and the daughter of Fred Struck, once supervisor of Orange County; and two children have blessed the union-Dolores and Walter. The family attend the Lutheran Church of Orange. As a most complimentary testimonial, Mr. Gunther's fellow-citizens in 1920 again elected him a city trustee of Orange, for a four-year term; and he is again chairman of the finance committee, and a member of the street committee.

WILLIAM C. MAUERHAN .- Not many ranches in Orange County are more presentable through their well and systematically cultivated soil and modern buildings than that of William C. Manerhan, residing on the Katella Road in the vicinity of the Katella schoolhouse, near Anaheim. This particular ranch has been his home since 1912, and here he set out Valencia oranges and walnut trees that are among the best of producers in this part of the county. His forty acres are growing to be one of the "show places" of the Anaheim district and he has refused flattering offers for the ranch by persons seeking a well-developed home place.

Mr. Mauerhan is a native son of the Golden State and was born in San Francisco, on September 4, 1875, the son of John C. and Sophia Mauerhan, pioneers everywhere esteemed for their progressivness, integrity and industry. They were natives of Ger- many and emigrated from their native land in 1872, bringing with them those virtues of German domestic and industrial life which have contributed so much to the forma- tion of some of the most desirable features of American daily life. They came from San Francisco and settled near Anaheim on a ranch of nineteen acres in 1882, in the immediate vicinity of the present home of the son, William C. Here the elder Mauerhan carried on farming until his health became so poor that the care of the place was turned over to his son. He died in 1909 and Mrs. Mauerhan passed away in January, 1918, the mother of eight children, five of whom are still living and all residents of California.

The old home ranch was first set to vines but the blight that killed all the other vineyards in the Anaheim district, also killed this vineyard and the vines were dug out and walnuts set out in their place. About five years before the death of the elder Mauerhan, William C. took over the management of the place which he later pur- chased, and he pulled out the walnut trees and planted chili peppers, being among the first in this district to venture in that field; he was also the pioneer in the drying of peppers, and also had the first mill in the state for grinding chili for commercial purposes. Another movement in which he took the lead was in the development of water for irrigation. At present he has on his place two wells, with ten-inch bore, one 108 and the other 130 feet deep operated by a thirty-horsepower electric motor and capable of producing water enough for 100 acres. Every improvement seen on the ranch today was placed there by Mr. Mauerhan himself.

On June 21, 1906, W. C. Mauerhan and Miss Anna Schroeder, a native daughter of Santa Ana, were united in marriage. She was born on July 30, 1884, the daughter of Frederick and Verena Schroeder, pioneer settlers of what is now Orange County. This fortunate union has been blesesd by the birth of six children, four of whom are living- Mildred Verena, Clarence William, Grace Lillian and Anna Clare. The two that died are Elmer Frederick, known by all the friends and relatives as "Fritzie," and Marian Sophia. The family are members of the Evangelical Church at Anaheim. Mr. Maner- han has been one of the trustees for several years and for twenty years he was super- intendent of the Sunday School, a mark of distinguished recognition in itself. He has been a member of the board of trustees of the Katella school district, which is erecting one of the most modern of schoolhouses in the county, since 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Mauerhan have shown their public spirit in every way and have given their support to all measures that have been presented to them that had as their aim the upbuilding of the county and the betterment of social and moral conditions of the people. They have an ever-widening circle of friends who esteem them highly for their Christian character and good citizenship.

William& maurerhans

anna b. Manerhan.

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

CARL A. PISTER .- A business man whose steady stream of success has given great satisfaction to his many friends is Carl A. Pister, popular through the Pister Transfer and Oil Company. He was born at Abingdon, Knox County, I11., in 1891, the son of Charles Pister, who was a manufacturer at that place of brick and tile. He did a large business in central Illinois and eastern Iowa, and made for himself, by his enterprising methods and fair dealing, an enviable reputation which followed him to California, when he came here in 1909. He is now engaged in the raising of oranges at Orange.

Carl was educated in the public schools, and was graduated from the high school at Abingdon in 1909. During his high school course, he worked, in summer time, at the butcher trade, learning from his uncle, F. Ehrenhart at Lewistown, and when he came to Orange, about ten years ago, he was employed for a while in Sweet's Market. Then he went to the Morrison Market, and when the Ehlen and Grote Company opened a market in their store he was employed by them. His engagement there lasted eighteen months; and after that he joined his brother, who was a contract painter, and worked at the painter's trade.

In 1918, with Paul Clark as a partner, Mr. Pister started in the truck business; and in August of the same year he bought the service station at the corner of Chap- man and Olive streets from Mr. Bay, and continued the business under the firm name of the Pister Transfer and Oil Company. In 1919 Mr. Chaffee bought a third interest with Mr. Pister and the company was continued under the same firm name. Since then, they have erected a new building and installed a complete equipment; and they enjoy the best location in Orange, and one of the best trades in Orange County. They also handle tires and automobile sundries. They have four large trucks for heavy hanl- ing; and the operation of the trucks, as well as the service station, is looked after by Mr. Pister himself. As might be expected, he is a live wire not only in the field covered by these operations, but in the cooperative work of the Merchants and Manu- facturers Association.

At Orange, Mr. Pister was married to Miss Agnes Ensign, a native of Michigan; and they attend the First Presbyterian Church, and reside at the corner of Sycamore and Grand streets, where they dispense a liberal hospitality to those fortunate in admission to the home circle.

MICHAEL ELTISTE .- A successful business man and horticulturist of Orange is Michael Eltiste, a native of Bavaria, Germany, who was born there November 21, 1865. Mr. Eltiste received a splendid education as a foundation for his future endeavors, and finished with a course in an industrial college in Germany. In 1883, at the age of eighteen, eager for new fields and greater opportunities, he came to the United States, and located in Connecticut. Later, he started westward by degrees, and after visiting Jowa and Nebraska, for twenty-three years he followed stock raising near Phillipsburg, Phillips County, Kans., operating on a large scale and meeting with the success assured by his thorough training and the business principles which he applied to his farming operations. During these years of residence in Kansas he also inter- ested himself in the advancement of his district, and served as township trustee and also on the school board.

In 1908 Mr. Eltiste decided to come further west, and that year located at Orange, Cal., where he bought land and developed a sixty-acre orange and lemon grove. From time to time he bought and developed other ranches, and at present is the owner of a young orchard of thirty acres, twenty-five acres of which is planted to Valencia oranges and five acres to lemons, in the city limits of Orange.

About one year after taking up his residence here, with customary energy and business acumen, Mr. Eltiste opened up a business establishment in Orange and engaged in selling farm implements, and the success of the undertaking may be imagined from the fact that within ten years his business was doubled six times, not- withstanding that during this time six competitors in his line entered the field in Orange and have all gone ont of business. His early experience with ranching and the practical knowledge gained while on his Kansas farm have been utilized in his business career, and he laid the foundation for his success in square dealing and satisfied customers, which is the real foundation for all success in business, be it large or small. As agent for the International Harvester Company's motor trucks and tractors, and also carrying a full line of farming implements, his output has increased at a marvelous speed and to facilitate the business he has opened a second store, this one located at Fullerton, and with his son, Angust Eltiste, as manager of the Orange establishment, and W. C. Egly in charge of the Fullerton house, the concern has developed into one of the leading business establishments in Orange County and an example of the type of men who choose this locality for their home community and bring to it the

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benefit of their experience and their public-spirited work for the upbuilding of this section. The business throughout the county has become so large it was necessary to have a third branch store, and they have secured a suitable location on East Fourth Street, Santa Ana, where they will carry a line of implements, trucks and tractors, at each place doing business under the firm name of M. Eltiste and Son.

The marriage of Mr. Eltiste united him with Kuni Beyerleim, and six children were born to them: George, an orange grower in Orange; August, in partnership with his father; John who saw service in the U. S. Army in France as a member of the. replacement division, and is now interested in the business with his father; Anna also a member of the firm is their bookkeeper; Emma and Karl. The family are members of St. John's Lutheran Church at Orange and for seven years Mr. Eltiste was president of the board of trustees and helped build the new church.

Deeply interested in all progressive movements here, Mr. Eltiste served one term as trustee of Orange, and he was one of the founders of the new sewer and water system, and active in street improvements in the city, helping carry these important projects through to completion, in spite of opposition. He is a director in the First National Bank of Orange.

O. V. KNOWLTON .- A highly-esteemed citizen of Fullerton who has the dis- tinction of having been commander of the Southern California Veterans Association, is O. V. Knowlton, also widely known on account of his connection with the State Mortuary Office. He was born in Mckean County, Pa., on February 26, 1848, the son of Charles and Cornelia (Potter) Knowlton of old New England stock. On the maternal side his ancestry is traced back to Roger Williams. When he was a babe of three weeks his father was murdered. So in 1851 his mother took him, he being the only child, to Marengo, McHenry County, Ill., where she had a brother living. She passed away in 1854 and O. V. was left alone at six years of age. He continued residing . on the farm with his uncle and attended the public schools until 1863, when he enlisted in Company B, Seventeenth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, serving in the Army of the West in the Civil War, taking part in the battles with Price's army in Missouri. In the spring of 1865, they were sent on the plains on a campaign against the Indians and helped build the first line of stockades across the plains so Butterfield's stages could go through the badly infested Indian country. On December 15, 1865, he was mus- tered out and honorably discharged in Leavenworth, Kans. During the war he was badly wounded in the thigh and also received four other gunshot wounds. After the war he returned to Illinois, remaining until March, 1866, when he went to the oil fields of Pennsylvania, and for seven years helped to advance what has since become such a gigantic industry.

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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 99

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