USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Pomona Valley, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the valley who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 29
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The marriage of Mr. Plush united him with Sadie Cheatum, a native of Missouri, and two sons have blessed their union: Virgil R. died at the age of twenty-one. He had located in Calexico, Imperial Valley, and became a department manager in Varny Bros.' General Store there, one of the rising young business men of Calexico at the time of his death; the second son, Lieut. Lewis C. Plush, made a name for himself in the aviation department of the United States Army during the recent World War; he was a graduate of Pomona College, class of 1917, and soon after he enlisted as an aviator, and for fifteen
Il Jf, Wiliams
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months did brilliant service for his country. He received his training in the aviation school in France, and drove one of the "Spad" ma- chines over the battlefields of France, made a splendid record and has two German planes to his credit; his family and people of Pomona are justly proud of him. On his return, February 21, 1919, Lieutenant Plush gave a number of addresses on his experiences and the thrilling sights he saw while in the air service; he also brought back a number of souvenirs and many pictures he took while in the service. No praise is too high for these valiant defenders of our flag and liberty, and their records show the sturdy stock from which they have descended.
HENRY H. WILLIAMS
The rich returns yielded by California's fertile soil has brought residents from all states of the Union to her environment, who have made homes and acquired competencies in the occupation of horticul- ture. Among these the late Henry H. Williams was well known to many of the residents of Pomona Valley. He was born in Miami County, Ohio, and when twenty-one years of age removed to Tama County, Iowa, where he engaged in farming a 200-acre farm. He was a veteran of the Civil War and served in Company G, of the Fourteenth Iowa Infantry under Col. W. T. Shaw of the Sixteenth Army Corps under General Grant. He took part in thirteen battles while in service, among them the battles of Shiloh, Donaldson and Pleasant Hill. He was taken prisoner at Shiloh and confined in four different prisons, viz., Memphis, Mobile, Cabala and Macon. He was mustered out of service November 8, 1864, at Davenport, Iowa, and afterwards went to Belle Plaine, Benton County, Iowa, and fol- lowed the occupation of farming. He was a merchant in Belle Plaine for eight years and was a member of the I. O. O. F. and also of the G. A. R. Post in that city. In 1883 he came to Pomona, Cal., and purchased fifteen acres of unimproved land, a part of the Hixon ranch, at the corner of San Antonio and San Bernardino avenues. He planted an orange orchard, developed water by sinking an artesian well, installed a pumping plant and piped the water to his land, which he brought to a high state of cultivation and which yielded a rich return for his investment and the labor bestowed upon it.
Mr. Williams married Caroline R. Prill, a native of Ohio. by whom he had two daughters. Dilla, is now Mrs. Bailey of Los An- geles, Cal., and is the mother of two sons, both of whom saw oversea service in the late war. Her oldest son, Capt. Le Roy H. Bailey, graduated from Hahnemann Medical College, New York, and was practicing medicine in Los Angeles when he enlisted. He was surgeon in the Military Police Division and is now with the Army of Occu-
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pation in Germany. The second son, Elba N., was attending the University of California at Berkeley at the time he enlisted. He attended the ordnance school, was attached to the Mobile Artillery Repair Shop; he saw active service in France and was top sergeant when discharged. Mrs. Williams' second daughter is Mrs. Gertrude Henry, of Los Angeles, Cal., and she is the mother of a son, Lieut. George W. Henry, D. D. S., who enlisted in the Officers' Reserve Corps, but did not go to France.
Mr. Williams was Past Commander of Vicksburg Post, G. A. R., at Pomona, and was also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and donated liberally to the church. He was widely esteemed for his public spirit and his interest in the upbuilding and advancement of the community in which he resided, being ever ready to do his part in advancing the interests of the Valley. His demise, which occurred October 17, 1902, was deeply lamented by his many friends.
EDGAR A. LAWRENCE
Among the representative men of Pomona, Edgar A. Lawrence has perhaps been one of the largest individual factors in the develop- ment and progress of this section of California, which he chose among all others as his abiding place, after traveling over the entire state before deciding on his future home. A native of Oswego County, N. Y., where his birth took place August 22, 1842, he followed farm- ing for a time on finishing his schooling, and has made his own way in the world, helping his father farm from the early age of thirteen until he was about thirty. He went to East Syracuse, that same state, and engaged in contracting and building, and erected the first store building in the town, and later built six buildings for himself and fourteen for another enterprising man. He erected a fine home for himself in the town, and took an active part in the upbuilding of the rapidly growing city. He engaged in the general merchandise business for a time, then became a stockholder and superintendent of a wagon manufactory until coming to California. He served as deputy assessor, among other civic duties, and in church affairs was trustee and treas- urer of the Presbyterian Church, and always an active worker in the temperance cause.
Mr. Lawrence made his first trip to California in 1884, arriving November 26 of that year. He traveled through the state and decided to locate in Pomona, an important factor in his decision being the excellent artesian water to be had here. He returned East and brought his family to Pomona on November 13, 1885. Mr. Lawrence's first business investment here was a grove in the Kingsley tract, on which he set out oranges ; this he later sold, and bought, developed and sold other orange groves in the Valley. Among his varied enterprises he
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engaged in the manufacture of Alpine plaster, in Los Angeles, and at one time owned a 600-acre banana plantation in South America. A large property-owner in Pomona, Mr. Lawrence is the owner of three store buildings on Second Street, and a building on Main Street. He helped to form the Home Telephone Company and is one of the largest stockholders in that concern, also is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Pomona, and has real estate holdings in Los Angeles.
The marriage of Mr. Lawrence, which occurred in New York state, July 3, 1865, united him with Cornelia J. Burnham, of Cort- land County, and four children have been born to them, three living, E. Alva, Arthur H., and Mrs. Albert Snow. The family attend the Congregational Church.
Recognized as one of Pomona's most representative upbuilders, Mr. Lawrence has been in the vanguard of progress since his first arrival in the Valley. A man of firm convictions and with the courage to carry them to successful conclusion, it is to such men as he that the rapid advancement of Pomona, as a city, and center of the orange industry of the Southwest, is due.
JOHN J. WHITE
A worthy pioneer of Pomona Valley and one who has taken an important part in its development and was closely identified with the fruit industry here for many years, John J. White has seen many changes wrought in this fertile section in the past thirty-six years, and has himself been a part of the growth and advancement of the com- munity. He is a native of Indiana, born in Bartholomew County, February 17, 1843, and was reared in Tipton, Howard County, that state. He enlisted and served in an Indiana regiment during the Civil War, after which he farmed there for a time, then went to Miami County, Kans., in 1871, and farmed there until 1881.
In 1876 Mr. White made his first trip to California, and stayed four months. In 1881 he came here to stay, and for two and one-half years resided in San Diego County, near what is now Escondido. In 1883 he came to Pomona, and has made his home here since that early date, keenly alive to the opportunities to be found here and helping to make their realization possible for future generations. After his arrival he did carpenter work for a while, and later did teaming. For a number of years he leveled land for orchard planting. He super- intended the grading of the Loud ranch on San Antonio Avenue, directing a gang of 100 men, and later bought fruit for Loud and Gerling, fruit packers in Pomona. Among his other interests, he ran a fruit-drying yard for himself and others, and bought and developed land. He planted a five-acre ranch to fruit, on Grand Avenue; this land he later sold to his son, John D. In 1885 Mr. White bought
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a five-acre ranch on Towne Avenue, from the Pomona Land and Water Company, which he planted to apricots and walnuts, and this land he still owns ; he has developed it into a fine producer and in his various activities in the Valley has worked steadily as a real upbuilder and upholder of the community's best interests.
The marriage of Mr. White, in Indiana, near Kokomo, united him with Lucy Jane Long, a native of Indiana, and five children have been given them to help carry on the world's work: Ulysses E., Addi- son T., John D., Lawrence T., and Grace, wife of Ernest Irwin. Ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild have blessed the family as well, and Pomona can well be proud of such worthy citizens.
CHARLES KUNTZ
Among the pioneers of Pomona Valley, mention should be made of the activities of the late Charles Kuntz, who was one of the moving spirits in Pomona from the date of his arrival here until his death. A native of Germany, he was born in 1842, and when he was a lad of twelve he was brought to this country by his parents, who settled in Warrensburg, Mo. He received but a limited education, but his contact with the world eventually made him an interesting conversa- tionalist and a well-informed man.
Although but a lad of thirteen he began work in Missouri as water boy to the construction crew engaged in building the Central Pacific Railroad, and at the age of nineteen he enlisted for service in the Civil War in the Tenth Missouri Volunteer Infantry and served with the Union Army throughout the war. After the war was over he engaged in the nursery business in Henry County, Mo., and it was while living there that he married Mrs. Jane C. (Kaufman) Kadell. their marriage taking place on June 1, 1876.
A native of Northern Switzerland, Mrs. Kuntz was born in 1850, and when a girl of five accompanied her parents to the United States, and for a time they lived in Ohio. In 1861 the family removed to Henry County, Mo., and it was there that her marriage to James Kadell was solemnized in 1867. Of that union she has two children living : Mary, Mrs. Heyle of Rockville, Mo., and the mother of five sons, one of whom served as a soldier in the World War and saw service in France. The second child is James William Kadell of Oak- land, Cal., and the father of two children, Alleen and William. After the death of Mr. Kadell she married Mr. Kuntz, and they had ten children, six of them still living: Louise, Mrs. Heydenreich of Los Angeles, is a talented musician on the violin; Lena, Mrs. Huston of Calexico, Cal., and the mother of two sons, Charles and Louis; Otto, served in the Seventh Regiment Band, N. G. C., on the Mexican border, then was with the band of Company B, One Hundred Sixtieth Regiment, U. S. A., stationed at Arcadia and later at Camp Kearny
Charles Kuntz
Mrs. J. C. Kuntz
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for six months; Etta and Olive are next in order of birth; Frank, served for twenty months in the United States Navy during the World War, and had many interesting experiences during his term of service.
It was in 1884 that Mr. and Mrs. Kuntz, with their family, came to California and settled in Pomona, where Mr. Kuntz engaged in raising vegetables and delivered them to customers by wagon through- out the Valley. They built their first home at the corner of Fourth Street and Garey Avenue, and there they lived for many years. It was on this spot that the first water well in Pomona was located, and where, in earlier days, the people of the Valley held their picnics on account of the fine water, and the people of the new settlement used to come there for their supply of drinking water. The well ceased to yield a supply and was covered over by the residence that now stands on that corner, where the family now make their home. During the latter years of his life Mr. Kuntz lived retired. He was a charter member of Vicksburg Post, No. 61, G. A. R., was a loyal citizen and upbuilder of Pomona Valley, and when he died, August 22, 1917, the County of Los Angeles lost a good citizen and the community, a stanch friend.
Mrs. Kuntz, during the Civil War, was of great service to the Union soldiers, for she took up her father's work in the Home Guards while he planted and raised corn for the army, doing her share of the work by riding horseback and taking the supplies to the soldiers. About twenty years ago she was healed by Christian Science and ever since then has been an active member of that denomination and a practitioner of note in Pomona, where she has made some wonderful cures and healed many whose cases had been given up by the physi- cians. Especially was this noted during the epidemic of influenza that raged in the Valley in 1917 and 1918, when some eighty cases were cured by her. She is a charter member of the Christian Science Church of Pomona, and a kindly and benevolent character, and is beloved by a large circle of friends who appreciate her qualities of mind and heart.
JAMES ALBERT DOLE
Natives of the state of Maine have always been noted for their stanch "hewing to the right," no matter in what circumstances they find themselves, and for the sturdy characteristics which go to make successful men of affairs in any walk of life. Among those who have elected to make California their home and who have aided very mate- rially in the advancement of their sections of the Golden State, no biographical history would be complete without mention of the name of James Albert Dole. Born in Bangor, Maine, September 20, 1843, he is the son of Albert and Miriam (McDonald) Dole, the father a cabinet maker and a manufacturer of furniture. The Dole family is traced back to Richard Dole, who came from England to Newbury-
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port, Mass., early in the seventeenth century. James A. received his education in the common schools of his neighborhood, and entered the high school, expecting to graduate. Circumstances, however, inter- fered with that desired consummation of his studies, and he left school to learn his father's trade, and from that time on was face to face with the serious business of life.
When a youth of eighteen, the Civil War broke out, and, like a true Yankee, young Dole went to the defense of the Union, enlisting in Company F, Eighteenth Maine Infantry, afterwards the First Maine Heavy Artillery, and was promoted from the ranks to a first lieutenant. He took part in two very serious battles, those of Harris Farm, Va., and Petersburg, and in the first battle his company lost half of their men, while in the second every fighting man left in the company was hit. The regiment, in fact, lost more men than any other in the entire war, which surely speaks well for the courage and endurance of those who, like Mr. Dole, although wounded in both battles, came through safely. After the surrender of Lee, Mr. Dole's resignation was accepted, June 10, 1865, and he returned home. His father had died May 30, 1865, so with an elder brother he took over the father's business, conducting it under the name of Dole Bros., and under that heading they continued business for twenty-five years, be- coming well known for the artistic qualities and reliability of their workmanship.
A younger brother, John Henry Dole, came West and established the People's Bank at Pomona, and when the health of William B., the elder brother, failed, they all came to California and settled at Pomona in 1887. William B. became president of the People's Bank, and also invested in orange groves, remaining active in the business life of the Valley until his death, which occurred in 1897. His younger brother, John H. Dole, was cashier of the bank until his death, the following year. Succeeding his brother, James Albert Dole became president of the bank and continued in that position until the institution was sold to the American National Bank, in 1902.
Having early given his attention to the absorbing question of water supply and power, Mr. Dole became president of the San An- tonio Light and Power Company, and the importance of the enterprise may be realized when it is learned that this was the first company in the world to successfully transmit electricity a long distance for power purposes so economically that it was demonstrated a commercial success. In 1900 Mr. Dole sold his interest in the water company, and for three years he was president of the gas company. During the early pioneer years, he was active in horticultural development work and with his brothers planted, improved and owned large orange groves. The Pomona Telephone Company was another enterprise to claim Mr. Dole's attention, and for some years he was vice-president of that concern, and in 1918 was elected president of the company,
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which maintains a high rate of efficiency as a public service corporation.
The marriage of Mr. Dole, which occurred June 2, 1874. at Bangor, Maine, united him with Miss Emma Drummond, a daughter of Manuel S. and Lucinda C. Drummond, and one daughter, Miriam, blessed their union, who distinguished herself during the late war to the satisfaction of her many friends in the community through Y. M. C. A. work for our soldiers in France, and is now establishing a 500- bed hospital in Serbia. The wife and mother passed to her higher reward in Bangor, Maine, November 13, 1917, sincerely mourned by her devoted family and many friends in the community, where she had endeared herself as a faithful coworker with her husband for the welfare of their home section. The family attend the Congregational Church. Fraternally, Mr. Dole is a Knight Templar as well as a mem- ber of Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Los Angeles. Patriot- ically, he is a member of the Grand Army and the Loyal Legion. It would be hard to find a man more thoroughly in accord with the spirit of progress for which Pomona Valley is known throughout the country, and who in both his public and private life has proven himself a true citizen and representative of the American commonwealth, than James Albert Dole.
ALLEN P. NICHOLS
A member of the California bar, the junior son of an old-time Pomona family, Allen P. Nichols was born in Burlington, Vt., on April 1, 1867. He is the son of Dr. Benjamin S. Nichols, who for years practiced medicine in New York and Vermont and in time married Miss Lucy Penfield. Later Doctor Nichols entered the field of business in Vermont; and, coming to California and Pomona in 1886, he bought an interest in the Pomona Land and Water Company, of which he became the president and remained the managing spirit until his death. Mrs. Nichols, beloved by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, passed away in 1914.
Educated in the public and private schools of Burlington, Vt., Allen P. Nichols studied at the University of Vermont until coming to Pomona in 1887, and eventually matriculated in the Law School of Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1891 with the degree of LL.B. Prior to that he had studied law with Attorney P. C. Tonner from 1888 to 1890, which considerably facilitated his Yale University work. At the University of Vermont he belonged to the Sigma Phi fraternity ; and at Yale he was made a member of the Book and Gavel Club. After graduating he practiced in Pomona in 1891 with Mr. Tonner. In later years he formed a partnership with Russell K. Pitzer, which continued to 1916, when his present firm, Nichols, Cooper & Hickson, was formed.
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At East Hardwick, Vt., on July 2, 1891, Mr. Nichols married Miss Elizabeth Adgate, and they are the parents of four children: Lucy E., now Mrs. Edgar W. Maybury of Pasadena ; Luther A. is a graduate of the University of California and was a lieutenant in the Aviation Corps during the war ; he is now graduate manager of univer- sity athletic activities at Berkeley; Mary G. is Mrs. H. A. Bartlett of Pomona; and Donald P. is a senior in the Pomona high school. Mr. Nichols is a thirty-second degree Mason and a Shriner, and is deeply interested in all Masonic activities.
A member of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Nichols is always seeking new and approved ways of promoting the growth of Pomona and vicinity. He was president of the Board of Education for two terms and chairman of the local exemption board during the war, and also served as city attorney for one term. He is a member of the Claremont Golf Club and takes his vacations in the Big Bear Valley, where he enjoys entertaining his family and friends.
ALONZO W. LEE
Among the names worthy of being perpetuated in the annals of Pomona Valley is that of Alonzo W. Lee, a prominent orange and walnut grower and pioneer of the section. Mr. Lee was born in Wash- ington County, Ind., October 31, 1857, a son of William and Eliza- beth (Thomas) Lee, both born and reared in Indiana of Southern ancestry. He was reared on the farm and after attaining his majority spent a year in Texas, from whence he returned to his native State and engaged in farming for one year. He then went to Nebraska, when the greater part of the land was undeveloped, and worked on a farm for a year, then rented land and engaged in the occupation of agriculture for himself. He next went to southwestern Missouri and farmed for two years, going thence to eastern Kansas, where he con- tinued the occupation of tilling the soil two and a half years more. In September, 1887, he came to Pomona Valley, Cal., and settled at Lemon Station, now Walnut. For five years he raised barley on the Rowland Ranch in the Walnut district, and in the meantime purchased twenty acres of unimproved land, which he set to Navel and Valencia oranges.
In 1902 he bought fifteen acres adjoining his place and set out a walnut grove. His walnut trees are all budded to the best variety of walnuts, and in 1918 the orchard produced $9,000 in gross receipts, and the 1919 crop exceeded this in net returns. His orange grove is a wonderful producer also, and one season six acres of Valencia oranges yielded over $10,000 worth of fruit-a record crop in the Valley. In early days he sold oranges direct to the residents of Pomona.
Mars a W Lee.
a. W. Lee
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He has been twice married. His first wife, who in maidenhood was Eva Engle, bore him three sons and four daughters. James De Witt was a member of the One Hundred Forty-fourth Field Ar- tillery in the Grizzlies Regiment, and saw service in France; Ernest was a member of the United States Marines; Arthur was also in the navy and saw active service at the front with a machine-gun company. Edna is the wife of W. D. Persons of Walnut; Kathleen is the wife of F. W. Combs of Oregon, and Florence is a nurse and was employed in Pomona Valley Hospital during the war, but is now at home. Maud M. died aged eighteen years. Mrs. Lee died in April, 1912.
On November 26, 1914, Mr. Lee was united in marriage with Mrs. Clara Afflerbaugh, who was living at Chino. She has one son, Alvin Fay Afflerbaugh of Los Angeles.
Mr. Lee was a member of the school board in the Walnut district for several years. He was one of the organizers and is a director and charter member of the Walnut Fruit Growers Association. He has been largely instrumental in developing the Walnut district, and is justly entitled to the position of esteem and respect accorded him.
DAVID H. COLLINS
One of the first settlers of Pomona Valley, where he located in 1883, after varied experiences in California and Arizona, David H. Collins crossed the plains to California when a lad of fifteen years and, with the exception of two years, lived the balance of his life in this state, a part of the growing West, in which he was a well-known figure. Born in Rochester, N. Y., in 1838, he was the son of LaFay- ette and Elizabeth (Hayden) Collins, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Connecticut. The father located in Rochester, and there practiced law and was judge of the district court in that city. In 1853 he brought his family across the plains to California, and located in Petaluma, Sonoma County, where he practiced law and served as district attorney for that county. His death occurred in 1867.
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