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 59
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a one-half interest in that garage with H. M. Daily. They named it the Motor Inn Garage, and carried on the business together, until 1918, when Mr. Morton bought his partner's interest and continued as proprietor of the Motor Inn Garage. It is a modern, up-to-date building with a pressed brick front, and Mr. Morton carries a full line of Goodyear and Mason tires and does a fine business.
In Pomona, July 20, 1915, he married Miss Lorie Norcross, and they have two sons, Robert N. and Hobart. In his religious associations Mr. Morton is a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Pomona.
LUMAN RUTTY
Few can imagine, probably, the peculiar satisfaction of such a pioneer as Luman Rutty who, having made a positive success in his chief undertaking prior to coming to California, sacrificed much in order to settle where he believed that the inducements were greater and the field of opportunity for doing good infinitely broader and more inviting. From the beginning he has had faith not only in the Golden State, but in Pomona Valley, and from the beginning he has known that it is only a question of time when the forces of evil will be routed, and California made one of the choicest and most desirable places in all the world to dwell in. One such evil-King Alcohol- has just tottered and fallen; and it is natural that this fact alone should give every recompense to one who for years, at much cost of one kind or another, advocated prohibition and the right and the duty of every good citizen to declare it an outlaw.
Mr. Rutty was born on September 25, 1849, near New Haven, in Middlesex County, Conn., close to the Atlantic Coast, and in the eventful year of 1861 he emigrated to Jefferson County, Kans. He was, therefore, a pioneer who saw Kansas grow, and he is proud of the fact that he early helped to make that state dry. He was an ardent Prohibitionist, and for forty-three years always voted the ticket of that party. At the same time, realizing that a man's first duty is to himself and family, and that no one can well serve society until they first care for themselves, he attended strictly to his agricultural interests and had one of the best farms of its size anywhere in the state. He farmed a half section of land situated along a creek, finely improved, whereon were no less than thirteen farm buildings.
Notwithstanding that this prosperity had made him a man of prominence in that part of the country, Mr. Rutty removed west and in 1903 settled for a while in Redlands. He found it too hot, however, and so came to more beautiful Pomona, locating here in 1905. Now he owns three ranches, and each is a credit to him. The home place is at 1371 South White Avenue, where he has ten acres of walnuts and
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deciduous fruits ; and he also has ten acres on East Grand Avenue de- voted to Navel oranges. Another five acres, also set out to oranges, is on Holt Street.
Believing that Pomona is the finest of all places west of the Rocky Mountains, Mr. Rutty has never failed to be a good "booster" for the Valley and without doubt has done much to attract others both to visit and settle here. He never tires talking of the rich soil hereabouts and its possibilities, and finds no difficulty in pointing to his own success in drawing out the qualities of the rich earth.
When Mr. Rutty was married, on September 12, 1878, in Atchi- son County, Kans., he took for his wife Miss Jennie C. Bechtel, of Kansas, a charming woman and a poetess of note, who has made a good wife and devoted mother. Four children have blessed their union : Carl, Ellen, Eunice and Ruth. The family attend the First Baptist Church.
W. B. GATES
One of the enterprising and progressive young business men of Pomona, W. B. Gates, as proprietor of the Studebaker Garage, 410 East Second Street, has built up a far-reaching and successful business and in keeping with the growing prosperity of the city and surrounding territory. A native of Kentucky, he was born in Graves County, Sep- tember 20, 1883. His father, J. B. E. Gates, was a physician, and the young lad received his education in the country and public schools of Graves County until twelve years of age when the family moved to Obion County, Tenn. He entered and graduated from the Valparaiso (Ind.) College. On finishing his schooling he remained at home for a year, and later was with the railway mail service for twenty months between Cincinnati and Nashville.
On October 12, 1907, Mr. Gates came to California, and Decem- ber 12 of that same year marked his arrival in Pomona. For a time he worked at orange picking; then built his home and followed car- penter work in and around Pomona for four years, assisting in the building of many of the fine homes here.
May 1, 1911, he entered the employ of Mr. Davies of the Stude- baker Garage, and on May 25, 1912, Mr. Gates bought out his em- ployer and became sole owner of the garage, which he operates in a thoroughly modern and efficient manner, and has the agency for both the Studebaker and Franklin cars, having sold over 400 of the former since being in the business for himself.
The marriage of Mr. Gates united him with Millie M. Murphy, a native of Indiana. He is a member of Trinity Methodist Church, and in business circles, of the Chamber of Commerce. Very loyal to his home city, he is interested in everything that makes for local reform, improvement and expansion, and keeps abreast of the times in every respect.
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FRANK C. ROBINSON
Many of our worthy Canadian cousins have crossed the border and made homes for their families in the United States. Among these is Frank C. Robinson, a leading blacksmith at Pomona. Mr. Robinson was born in Ontario, Canada, February 6, 1860, and is the son of William and Eliza (Morrison) Robinson, Canadian farmers, now deceased.
In a family of eleven children, Frank C. was the fifth child, and received his education in the schools of Canada and in the larger school of experience. He remained on the farm until he attained the age of sixteen, and was then apprenticed to the blacksmith trade. After four years spent at home, he went to Duluth, Minn., and from there to Fargo, N. D. He spent one year in the railroad business, then went to Lisbon, N. D., where he remained for thirteen years. He next went to Salt Lake City, Utah, and spent the succeeding thirteen years. He was then attracted to San Diego, Cal., where he lived one year. In 1909 he came to Pomona, and opened a blacksmith shop. His far-sighted wisdom in his choice of a location has been exemplified in the prosperity he enjoys in this last business venture.
September 17, 1888, Mr. Robinson was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Durbin, and their union has been blessed with the birth of three children : Ruth May, Mildred and Allan D. Mr. Robinson is an enterprising, public-spirited citizen, deeply interested in all that pertains to Pomona and the Pomona Valley, and a booster of all enterprises tending toward the public welfare. He has gained a high place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens, deeply inter- ested in the cause of education. In his religious association Mr. Robinson is a Methodist. Politically he is a Prohibitionist, and frater- nally he belongs to the Masonic order and the Woodmen of the World.
ARTHUR V. STOUGHTON, M.D.
In the eight years that Dr. Arthur V. Stoughton has been practic- ing his profession in Claremont he has become substantially identified with the medical fraternity in Pomona Valley. His career has neces- sarily not been of lengthy duration, as he is still a young man, but his success thus far presages a future which shall bring him even greater honors in his profession than he has already attained.
He was born at Terryville, Conn., November 2, 1872, and accom- panied his mother to California for her health in 1882. He attended the public and high schools of San Bernardino, and entered Pomona College at Claremont in 1890 as a senior preparatory student, graduat. ing from that institution in 1895 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He graduated from the Ohio Medical University, Columbus, Ohio, in 1898 with the degree of M.D., and after practicing his profession in
William Ferry
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western Wyoming for three years returned to his home town, Terry- ville, Conn., and continued the practice of medicine. He took a post- graduate course in Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and also in the Harvard Medical School, and after a European trip, where he con- tinued his medical research in the universities on the continent, he locat- ed at Claremont in 1911. He was Assistant Professor of Psysiology and Hygiene in Pomona College and at present is Associate Professor of Physiology in the College as well as college physician.
He chose for a wife Clara Benson, a native of Iowa. He is an active member of the Claremont Church, and in the line of his profes- sion, is a member of the American Medical Association, the state and the county medical associations.
WILLIAM FERRY
An Irish-born gentleman who has had a most interesting expe- rience in his development to the enviable position of an American by adoption prominent among the settlers of Pomona Valley, is William Ferry, the well-known citrus grower, who first saw the light of day in County Donegal, Ireland, on April 16, 1854. His father was Daniel Ferry, a farmer, who married Miss Ann Ferry, who although of the same name, was of no direct relationship. They had eight children, and among them William was the oldest. Both parents are now dead, and their memory is reverenced by all who knew them.
William received the usual advantages of a common school edu- cation in Ireland, but having early to help support the family, he was denied extensive study, although able also to attend the night school. His mother died when he was fourteen years old, and that misfortune increased the demand for his services. He was therefore apprenticed to a stonemason and plasterer for five years, but he had a hard time of it, on account of the small pay allowed such apprentices. After completing his apprenticeship he worked at his trade for seven years in Scotland, and finally decided to come to America.
In 1881 he reached Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and there he remained for two years. Then, crossing into the States, he went to Vermont and remained until 1887. In that year, when all America was talking of the phenomenal and rapid growth of California, he came West ånd worked at his trade at La Verne until the boom bub- bles broke; whereupon he moved his house from La Verne to San Dimas.
Here, beginning in 1889 with one acre, he engaged in citrus growing, setting his land out to oranges. In 1895-96 he bought eighteen acres of land. He raised his own nursery stock and set out his entire eighteen acres himself from trees developed in the nursery. In the early days he went through many hardships while raising his
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orchard so he worked at his trade and at contract, making tunnels and sinking wells to make a living until the orchard came into bearing. He first sunk a well on his place, but it proved no good. He then bought water till 1900, when he helped organize the Frostless Belt Water Company that sunk wells and installed a pumping plant to irri- gate 100 acres. He was made manager and later was also made president of the company, a position he filled with ability until he sold his ranch, when he resigned. He now resides in San Dimas, where he owns the corner of Gladstone and Grand avenues, the most beautiful building site in San Dimas. He was indeed active in water develop- ment and made a success of the water company. The members of the same appreciated his services and speak in glowing terms of his work for the company. Always for cooperation he was a member of the Indian Hill Orange Growers Association, then the San Dimas Citrus Union, and later the San Dimas Orange Growers Association, of which he was a director until he sold his ranch, when he resigned.
In February, 1883, Mr. Ferry was married to Miss Catherine McGlanchey, the ceremony taking place in Sherbrooke, Canada, and eight children have blessed the union, five of whom are living. Annie has become Mrs. Cornelius Thomas; Winifred is Sister Mary Fausta in the convent at Oakland; Agnes is at home; William served in the American Army in France; and Hugh James was chief yeoman in the United States Navy. The family attend the Roman Catholic Church, and Mr. Ferry is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
FRED E. WHYTE
Interwoven with the history of Pomona Valley is the history of the men who have given of their best efforts to make it reach its present wonderful state of development. It is a record of commercial, indus- trial and educational achievement, and the highly important part played by these public-spirited men cannot be too fully praised when preparing the annals of this section of the state; as a writer says, "Biography is the only true history." Among such men whose vigor- ous activities have aided in the growth of the Valley may be mentioned Fred E. Whyte, former president of the Pomona Chamber of Com- merce.
Mr. Whyte is a native of Canada, born May 31, 1877, in Strath- roy, a son of Edward A. and Mary Ann (Bowles) Whyte. There were twelve children in the family, and Fred E. was the fourth child born to his parents. He was educated in the schools of his native town, and in the school of experience, as were so many of our ablest men. When a boy of sixteen he worked in a hardware store, remain- ing so employed for seven years.
At the end of his first business venture in Canada, Mr. Whyte de- cided to seek new fields, and journeyed to California. First locating at
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Ontario, he there gained his first experience in the laundry business with Lorbeer Brothers, operating under the firm name of the Ontario Laundry Company. On January 23, 1908, Mr. Whyte became a mem- ber of the firm, at which time the business was incorporated, and he remained until 1911. In that year, J. Lee and Robert Cathcart, Ed- ward M. Doyle and Mr. Whyte purchased the Lorbeer interests in the San Bernardino Steam Laundry, the Ontario Laundry Company and the Pomona Steam Laundry, then Mr. Whyte came to Pomona as vice-president and manager of the Pomona Sanitary Laundry, which concern was owned by the Cathcart Brothers and Mr. Doyle, and also as general manager of the other plants. He remained in that position until September 1, 1919, when Mr. Whyte and his associates formed the Southern Service Company, taking over some fifteen laundries in Southern California, which they own and operate, Mr. Whyte being vice-president and general manager of the new corporation. In the local plant at Pomona seventy people are employed and it has been a success from its first establishment.
The marriage of Mr. Whyte, on June 9, 1903, united him with Miss Charlotte Leach, of Ontario, and one son, James Gordon, has been born to them. The family attend the Pilgrim Congregational Church. Fraternally, Mr. Whyte is a member of the Masonic order and is a Shriner. As president of the Chamber of Commerce he devot- ed much time to the business interests of the Valley with his fellow- workers, keeping the community abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to the welfare and best interests of the Valley as a whole.
JOHN C. GAPP
An orange grower in the La Verne district for the past twelve years, John C. Gapp has given of his time and study to this branch of advancement in the Pomona Valley. Born in Dane County, Wis., August 16, 1860, he was the youngest of five children his parents gave to the development of their adopted land. Antone and Agatha Gapp, they came from the foreign shores in 1849, and were pioneers of the timber lands of Wisconsin. From there they journeyed to Nebraska in 1870, continuing their pioneer labors in that state, and there both parents passed to their reward.
John C. Gapp was educated in the rural schools of his early en- vironment, and also gained knowledge in the school of experience, and with his brothers helped the father on their pioneer farms. He later came west to Salem, S. D., and engaged in the grain business there for eighteen years, a period covering rapid development in the Da- kotas, in which Mr. Gapp took an active part and met with deserved success.
In the fall of 1908 he came to California and settled in Pomona, since which year he has devoted his time exclusively to his orange
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groves, with the characteristic concentration which made for success in his earlier business ventures.
The marriage of Mr. Gapp, occurring January 11, 1888, united him with Miss Adelia M. Rand, and three children were born to them : Hazel died at the age of twenty-six years; Verner died at eight years, and Eben C., in business with his father, and who served his country in the United States Army for one year in the World War.
Mr. Gapp has always shown his public spirit in local affairs, in politics placing man above party, and working for the general welfare. Fond of the great outdoors, he is a man of correspondingly broad and wholesome views and takes his recreation in hunting and fishing sports. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic Lodge and Knights Temp- lar, and in business circles of the Chamber of Commerce, and with his family attends the Methodist Church.
ORIN J. HALL
Among the progressive citizens of the Pomona Valley who have demonstrated their ability by success in the important field of dairying must be mentioned Orin J. Hall, who was born in Linn County, Iowa, on May 4, 1867, where he was educated in the common schools. At the early age of twelve he started to work for a living on his father's farm, and later still, during the years 1895-97, he rented land in Linn County and farmed for himself. Studying the latest and most scien- tific methods, and profiting steadily by his own experience, Mr. Hall soon came to that natural leadership among farmers and in the great work of mid-west agriculture that he was able not only to get the highest results as the reward of his own labor, but to point the way to others, and lead them on to their success.
But Mr. Hall could not remain long busy in the ordinary fields of agricultural endeavor and so soon specialized, responding to a pressing demand of the times. He studied veterinary surgery and for fifteen years practiced that science, to the alleviation of animal pain and the elevation of the standard of live stock. His headquar- ters were in Central City, Iowa, and from there he went for miles in answer to calls. His fame extended, and he was kept busier and busier as the years went by.
In 1911 Mr. Hall, attracted by the superior advantages of Cali- fornia, came west to the Golden State and fortunately located at Pomona, where for four years he worked at various employments. In that year, having selected nine fine cows of mixed breed, he started his dairy on East End Avenue, and now he has a herd of thirty-five cows, each of superior breed, housed in one of the most modern of farm buildings. There is, besides the sanitary barn, a large silo and a roomy, spotless milk house; and as his test runs high-from 41/2 to
O. L. Hall. mis Ella Hall
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5%-he is able to command the highest price for his milk, delivering to customers in Pomona and shipping even to Los Angeles. No pains are spared both to create and to maintain a very high standard for this dairy, and Pomona may well feel a pride in what Mr. Hall has accomplished in the few years in which he has been a resident of this favored part of the state.
At Central City, Iowa, November 25, 1890, Mr. Hall and Miss Ella F. Clark, a native of Central City, and daughter of Cyril and Francelia ( Crane) Clark, were married; and five children have blessed their union. Vinnie M. is the wife of John B. Madole, of Pomona, and the mother of a son, Dale ; Othol D. assists his father in the dairy, and Beryl is the wife of Harry Taylor of Pomona. A daughter, Wilma Luella, died aged eight months, and Darrell Oswald met an accidental death when twelve years old, in 1918. The family attend the First Christian Church, in which Mrs. Hall is active as a church worker; Mr. Hall belongs to the Modern Woodmen and the Odd Fellows.
BERTRAM FICH
An orange grower of Pomona Valley, and a Californian by adop- tion, who reflects credit on his native country, is Bertram Fich, among those distinguished for their loyalty to both the present interests and the future welfare of the Golden State . He is a native of Denmark, having been born at Svendborg, Island of Fyen, on August 18, 1852. He received the foundations of a good education in the schools of that country, and in proof of this, he learned English in his native land. His father was a painter and interior decorator, and under his guidance he learned the decorator's trade.
Arriving at the age of 18, Bertram volunteered in the navy, but was transferred to the infantry, which was not to his best interests, so, with the consent of his father, he left Denmark for America, and he ar- rived in New York on April 25, 1872. He was lucky to meet an old friend of his father in Brooklyn, who induced him to stay there and take up his trade; and he soon secured a position with a contractor in painting, in whose service he remained for six years. Then he worked as a journeyman for a number of years, and finally he himself began to contract for extensive jobs.
He set up as an interior decorator, and painted and ornamented fine homes, theaters and hotels in Brooklyn and New York; and by employing as many as forty-five men, made a fair amount of money, and was generally deemed very successful. In 1899, however, the health of his daughter demanded a complete change of climate; and he decided to come west and try California.
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Locating at Pomona in 1900, he bought an orange grove, con- sisting of nine acres of four-year-old trees, in the Kingsley Tract on Washington Avenue, which he improved and generally has been a fine producer.
While in Brooklyn, Mr. Fich was married in 1882 to Miss Florence Norton, a New Yorker by birth, by whom he has had three children. Julietta has become the wife of Clarence Hawley, of Ventura County, now a successful fruit and walnut grower of Saticoy. He was a graduate of Stanford University and formerly a teacher of history in Pomona High School. Bertram, Jr., is with the Walk- Over Shoe Company of Los Angeles; and Edna is the wife of C. B. Afflerbaugh, the druggist, of Pomona.
Since 1878 Mr. Fich has been an Odd Fellow, having joined the Magnolia Lodge of Brooklyn, N. Y. He is also a member of Pomona Lodge No. 246, F. and A. M., and Pomona Lodge No. 789, B. P. O. Elks. He is fond of hunting and fishing, being a true sportsman, and has a fine collection of California birds, stuffed by himself, and also mounted trout he has taken in Bear Lake. Much that Mr. Fich has accomplished might well serve as an example and an inspiration to American youth.
ARTHUR E. WATERS
A progressive rancher whose prosperity is largely due to his highly intelligent industry and the application of the last word in science to the every-day problems of agriculture is Arthur E. Waters, who was born in Hendricks County, Ind., on February 28, 1878, where he grew up on a farm. He received a good education in the local institutions and later taught in the high school at Salem, Ind., and at Orchard Lake; Mich., in a military academy. This experience in directing the minds of others improved his own mental capacity, and well prepared him for the responsibilities of life confronting him on his removal to the Coast.
He arrived in Pomona in 1905, and for a while worked in the cannery of his uncle, George H. Waters, and he has followed the fruit industry ever since. He owns a ranch of ninety acres in the Chino district, planted to apricots, peaches and apples; and he makes his home on West Philips Boulevard, formerly his uncle's home ranch, which he bought. There he has six acres planted to walnuts, and he has one of the best-improved ranches of fifty-three acres in the valley.
Mr. Waters' marriage occurred in 1906, at Pomona, when he was united to Miss Eva Mosher, a native of Kansas, and the daughter of Ezra D. Mosher. He was a prominent farmer in the vicinity of Emporia, Kans., who came to Pomona in 1893 with his wife and thirteen children, and bought fifty acres of land south of the town,
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
which he planted to alfalfa. Later he built a home in Pomona, for he was a carpenter by trade, at the corner of Palomares and East Holt avenues. The family, which attended the First Christian Church, includes Dr. George Mosher, D. D. S., now engaged in missionary work in the Congo, in Africa; John Mosher, a teacher in the high school; Frank Mosher, an ensign in the U. S. Navy during the war; five daughters living in Pomona-Mrs. Charles Carter, Mrs. E. Morgan, Mrs. J. S. Riddle, Mrs. W. Gladman and Mrs. A. E. Waters. Another daughter, Mrs. A. A. Roach, lives at Los Angeles, while two daughters live at Glendale-Mrs. J. McBride and Miss Ella Mosher, who is with her mother there.
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