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 66
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In the spring of 1918 Doctor Deere came to Pomona in charge of the First Baptist Church, and during his short time here has built up the work to no inconsiderable extent. His church has one of the largest Sunday schools of any Baptist organization of the state. It was loyal to the core to our country's call for men, sending more than eighty of the flower of its manhood, and as remarkable as it seems all of these men, save one, came back. Besides his active ministerial labors the subject of this sketch is the author of several printed sermons and pamphlets. He is a Mason, and a man of geniality and nobility of character, with his heart in his work of redemption.
The marriage of Doctor Deere, in 1897, united him with Cora A. James, a native of Montgomery County, Ind. To them three chil- dren have been born, Maurice and James passing on in tender years, while a little daughter of four, Bettie Mae, remains to challenge hope and crystallize ambition. Mrs. Deere has been a true helpmate to her husband; a woman of many talents, active in church work, a leader in the educational work of the church, musical in temperament and training, a writer of verse, excelling also in landscape and china painting.
The First Baptist Church of Pomona, situated on the corner of Holt and Garey avenues, is a modern edifice with a seating capacity of 1700, and being the largest auditorium in the city, the building is much
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in demand for union meetings of a religious nature. The first church of this denomination in the city was organized in 1870 by the Rev. R. C. Fryer, in the Spadra schoolhouse, with just twelve souls in at- tendance. In 1883 the Rev. M. Latourette, a missionary of the Los Angeles Baptist Association, was sent here to organize a church, the Spadra people agreeing to have their place of worship changed to Pomona, which was done October, 1883. Regular services were held in an old house on Fourth Street; later a house of worship was erected on the corner of Ellen and Fourth streets, and the Rev. J. F. Moody became pastor in August, 1884, with a congregation of forty-eight, which by 1889 had been increased to 150 members. The present beautiful church edifice was erected in 1910.
WALTER T. DAVIS
Like many other successful young men of Pomona Valley, the career of Walter T. Davis began amidst the orange groves of the Valley.
He is one of the many sons of Missouri who have ventured farther west in their quest for a livelihood and have met with the well deserved success that belongs as a rightful heritage to habits of indus- try and thrift. He was born in Berry County, Mo., April 25, 1881, and came to Pomona in 1892, when eleven years of age, with his adopted father, T. B. Copeland. Finishing his education in the Po- mona public schools, he was engaged for three years on the Charles Loud ranch and an additional three years in the Packard Orange Grove Tract. He assisted in planting and budding many trees and helped set out two-thirds of the Loud ranch. Forming a partnership with Edward Levengood, they conducted the Pioneer Livery Stable in Po- mona for two years. Later he sold his interest to his partner and en- gaged in buying and selling horses, conducting sales and livery stables very successfully. In 1913 he bought his present orange grove on North Weber Avenue, at Pomona, where he is now the owner of a thirteen-acre grove of Navel and Valencia orange trees that are pro- lific yielders for twenty-year-old trees, averaging from five acres 3000 boxes of fruit yearly.
In his choice of a helpmate he selected Miss Jessie Beck, with whom he was united in marriage in 1900. She is the daughter of J. C. Beck, one of the early settlers at Covina, Cal., and they are the parents of three children : Ross O., Howard L. and Clarabell.
More than two decades have elapsed since his lot was first cast in Pomona Valley, and Mr. Davis has witnessed many changes in Pomona in that time. He is full of interesting reminiscences relating to experiences among the orange groves of early days. Fraternally he is identified with the Loyal Order of Moose.
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FRANK W. KNIGHT
Prominent among the successful business men of the younger generation in Pomona, Frank W. Knight has risen to a position of trust and responsibility through his own capacity as a man of energetic, thorough and progressive business abilities. That he inherited these traits of character is self-evident, for he is the son of the late Frederick W. Knight, who was identified with the citrus industry for the past twenty-two years and was known to practically every large citrus grower in the state. Frederick W. Knight was born in Montpelier, Vt., but removed with his parents to Illinois when a small boy. On coming to California in 1897, his interests centered in the industry in which he remained until a short time before his death. Always an active man, he carried heavy burdens of business until he was broken in health at the time he resigned from his position as manager of the Tustin Lemon Association, and on March 1, 1919, he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis from which he never completely recovered, gradual- ly growing worse until he passed away June 11, 1919, aged sixty-four years, at the family residence in Pomona. He was a member of the First Christian Church and also of the Odd Fellows lodge. A man widely known and universally liked, his death in the prime of life has left a void in the hearts of all who knew him. He is survived by his widow and four sons and five daughters: Frank W. Knight, of this review ; Roy F. Knight of Yorba Linda ; Roscoe W. Knight, who was in the government service in Siberia and returned home November 7, 1919; Donald L., a student in the Pomona High School; Mrs. Effie Hyatt of Cleveland, Ohio; Mrs. W. M. Boston of San Dimas; Mrs. William Randall of San Dimas; Artie M., of Pomona, and Ray, of Pomona.
Frank W. Knight was born in Dallas County, Mo., in 1883, and when thirteen years old he came to California with his parents. The family first located in Santa Paula, Ventura County, and after finishing his schooling, Frank W. started his business career as chore boy on the Limoneira Rancho, later took up the packing house work with that same company and has remained in his chosen line of work since that first beginning.
From Santa Paula Mr. Knight went to the Porterville and Exeter section, in Tulare County; and worked in the orange packing houses, and later to the San Jose fruit section, where he worked in deciduous fruits, thus gaining a thorough knowledge of all branches of the busi- ness. Coming to Southern California in 1904, he became foreman, March 15, 1909, of the Cucamonga Lemon Association's packing plant, and in one year's time was promoted to manager of the plant, remaining with them in that capacity for three and one-half years.
On October 1, 1913, Mr. Knight became manager of the Indian Hill Citrus Association of Pomona, and in 1916 was elected secretary,
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the youngest man to hold a like position in the Pomona Valley. He still holds these offices, after six years of continuous service, a record which speaks for itself. The packing plant is one of the first to be built in the Valley, and has been enlarged and remodeled from time to time, a precooling plant and an ice-manufacturing plant have been built on the premises, making it one of the most modern and complete plants in the state. It has a storage capacity of fifty carloads of oranges, and 700 carloads are shipped yearly. The personnel of the association is as follows: President, E. T. Sederholm; vice-president, H. B. Davis ; secretary and manager, F. W. Knight, all of Pomona.
Besides his business interests, Mr. Knight is interested with R. L. Knox and Victor Young in orange and walnut groves in the Valley. His marriage united him with Grace Neal, a native daughter of the state, born at Whittier, and one daughter was born to them, Rita May; the wife and mother passed away in January, 1919. The family are members of the First Christian Church. Fraternally Mr. Knight has been a member of the Odd Fellows lodge since his twenty- first birthday, and he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias of Pomona.
Pomona may well be proud of such men as Frank W. Knight, and her rapid and substantial growth is a demonstration of their whole- hearted civic pride and progressive work toward upbuilding the section of the state surrounding their home community.
MACE B. DOUTT
One of the rising young men of Pomona and its expanding, flourishing environs, who has gone ahead rapidly, thereby keeping pace with the town, is Mace B. Doutt, the foreman of the College Heights Orange and Lemon Association packing house at Claremont, who was born in Hitchcock County, Nebr., on December 19, 1888, and when eleven years old came to La Verne, Cal., with his parents. He was educated at the La Verne public schools, and growing up has been engaged in the orange and lemon industry ever since. In 1912 he bought an orange ranch of five acres in La Verne, which he developed and fully improved; and three years later he sold the property at a good bargain. When he was only fourteen he commenced to pick oranges, and at seventeen he started to work in the packing houses. He had thus already had some valuable experience with oranges before he came to own a grove for himself.
In 1913 he commenced to work for the packing house of the Col- lege Heights Orange and Lemon Association at Claremont, and early in 1918 he was made foreman of the plant. He now owns a ranch of sixty acres in Merced County, in the San Joaquin Valley, which is plant-
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ed to almonds, the trees-four years old-just coming into bearing. This ranch in particular has a great future, and anyone might be proud to possess so handsome a young estate.
Mr. Doutt was married at La Verne on June 5, 1912, to Miss Adele Bussey, a native of La Verne, who has the distinction of being one of the first white children to have been born in the town. She is the daughter of Albert Bussey, born in Virginia, a pioneer of La Verne, who came there when there were only six houses in the town. Mrs. Doutt's mother was Mary Sallee before her marriage, and her parents were J. P. and Judith A. Sallee, born in Mt. Sterling, Ky., and Missouri respectively. Mr. Bussey was foreman of the Mills Tract on Lincoln Avenue, and was one of the first men to set out, improve and develop orange groves in the district. He brought the buds from the famous Sunnyside grove at Redlands. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Doutt, and they bear the good old names of Jane and Richard.
ALBERT P. CONDIT
A sturdy pioneer of the early nineties, whose coming to Pomona meant the addition of another successful man of affairs to a commun- ity already strong in prosperous men, is Albert P. Condit, who was born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1842. When only fourteen, he re- moved to Iowa with his parents, where he began to farm; and at the promising age of nineteen, when a young man usually is ambitious to set out in earnest on his own career, he responded to the call of the distressed nation and enlisted in the Civil War, joining Company H of the Fourteenth Iowa Infantry. He took part in the battles of Fort Donaldson and Shiloh, and during the latter contest was captured, with nearly 3000 others, on Sunday, April 6, the very day that witnessed the death of the Confederate General, Albert Sidney Johnston, for- merly of Los Angeles and Pasadena-as a result of which he served in a rebel prison in Chaba, Ala., and Macon, Ga., two months.
After the war, and until 1881, Mr. Condit farmed in Iowa, and then he removed to Ames, in the same state, where he embarked in the clothing business. Later, he ventured into real estate and insurance, and after that he owned a farm of 160 acres in Hamilton County, Iowa. Then he lived for a while in Grinnell, and from Iowa, in 1893, . he came west to California.
On settling in Claremont, Mr. Condit ran a feed and fuel business for seven years, at the same time that, as a kind of "side line," he con- ducted a real estate and insurance office. Then he moved to Highland Park and later to Pomona.
On December 31, 1871, and at Marshalltown, Iowa, Mr. Condit was married to Miss Kate O. Rice, a native of Iowa and the daughter
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of Lucian Rice and Elizabeth (Allen) Rice, by whom he has had two sons and one daughter. A. Ray Condit was with the Y. M. C. A. in busy France nine months, while C. Clifford Condit resides in Pomona ; Kate was an accomplished musician and taught French, German and music, and was active in building up Claremont College, leading the glee clubs and choirs. She married Silas Brimhall, M.D., and passed away in 1913.
Few men are more popular than Mr. Condit in fraternal circles, being especially active in Vicksburg Post, G. A. R., of Pomona ; and few men are more esteemed in religious circles, the Congregational Church of Pomona claiming our subject as an exemplary deacon.
EAKIN BROTHERS
A finely-equipped plant-by many persons of experience and im- partial judgment declared to be the best in all Pomona Valley-and one that reflects the highest credit not only on the proprietors who brought it into action and now maintain and operate it, but on the locality in which it is established, and which generously supports it, is the up-to-date and thoroughly sanitary dairy of Eakin Brothers, a firm composed of Charles M. and Freeman M. Eakin. Charles was born in Wausau, Wis., on December 28, 1890, and Freeman in Elgin, Ill., on August 19, 1892. The dairy is on East Cucamonga Avenue, Claremont, and is often visited by those interested in dairy problems and wishing to see an illustration of "the last word" in dairy science.
The father of these enterprising and well-informed young men was Rev. John A. Eakin, a devoted minister of the gospel, now de- ceased, who preached throughout the Middle West for many years and in 1909 came to Claremont. Here he established the dairy in a modest fashion, and later the sons took over the property and greatly enlarged and improved the same. Their mother was Jessie Morgan before her marriage, and she makes her home in Claremont.
There are ten acres in the ranch, and a fine modern barn for the thirty-five Holstein and Jersey cows. The stock is of the best, with the result that the milk and cream, 100 gallons of which are delivered daily to Claremont, is much sought by those appreciating the purest possible milk. The cow barn has cement floors and is sanitary in every way. The milk house, too, contains all the modern appliances and im- provements. An electric brush is used for washing the bottles, and all bottles are placed in the sterilizing room, where they are steamed to a heat of 180 degrees. There is also a machine for cooling the milk, while the cement floors add to the coolness of the atmosphere.
Some of these strictly up-to-date arrangements are the result of serious study of dairying by the elder brother, Charles Eakin, who passed a number of seasons near Elgin, Ill., the great dairy district,
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and learned all the details of the business. He also attended the dairy school of the Iowa State College at Ames, Iowa, and thus further per- fected himself. For nine months, too, he was a student at Pomona College, while Freeman, his brother, was graduated from that famous institution with the Class of '14. Pomona Valley may well congratu- late these aggressive and enterprising young men of affairs.
REGINALD L. KNOX
The descendant of two generations of pioneers in the state, and himself a native Californian, with two sons to carry on the family name in the upbuilding of their communities, Reginald L. Knox can be called a name-worthy representative of a pioneer family and typical of the public spirited and sturdy stock from which he descended. Born in Los Angeles, May 23, 1884, he is the son of George C. and Maria R. (Langenberger) Knox; his mother was also born in the Golden State; and his grandfather, Gustavus A. Langenberger, came here in 1849, one of the Argonauts of gold mining days who came to seek his fortune and remained to lay the foundation for prosperity in the state. His father, George C. Knox, served as an engineer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and after the close of the war, came west to California and was one of the engineering corps that made the sur- vey of the Pacific Coast. He has passed to his reward, but the mother of the family is still living. This pioneer couple were the parents of five children, four boys and one girl.
The third child born to his parents, Reginald L. Knox was edu- cated in the public schools of Los Angeles, and had one year in the high school of that city. He then entered the employ of the Southern California Fruit Exchange, now the California Fruit Growers Ex- change, in December, 1899; was sent by the company to San Francisco in 1906, and in 1908 came to Pomona and took a position as assistant to Mr. Dreher, the manager of the San Antonio Fruit Exchange. In 1917, Mr. Knox became secretary and manager for the last-named company and has since filled that position with credit to himself and his employers.
The marriage of Mr. Knox, on November 4, 1915, united him with Miss Kate Jordan, and two sons have blessed their union : Regi- nald L., Jr., and Robert Jordan. In fraternal circles Mr. Knox is a member of the Masonic order; he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Pomona, and takes an active interest in all civic affairs and movements. Patriotic to a degree, he served as captain during the local war drives, and in all projects for the general welfare he can be counted on to do his share. With his family, he attends the Episcopal Church ; in politics he supports the men best qualified for office.
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FRED D. WEAVER
How much of the convenience and pleasure of cycling, both with the old-fashioned pedal-power and the more modern motor adjunct, are due to a well-appointed garage or service station only those, perhaps, who have been fortunate to patronize the Pomona Motor and Cycle Shop at 218 West Third Street, so well conducted by its proprietor, Fred D. Weaver, can realize. It is fully equipped in the most up-to-date fashion, with all necessary machinery for the repair of both motorcycles and bicycles, including acetylene welding and brazing, while its fine stock of supplies evidence the merchant who does not wait until something is called for, but anticipates the demand and is ready for any emergency. When it is considered that the serv- ice here is promptness and willingness itself, and that the highest ef- ficiency is always guaranteed, one may comprehend the extent to which Mr. Weaver has made his contribution toward the perpetu- ating of one of the most healthful forms of exercise and one of the most rational and delightful of sports.
A native son, very proud of his association with California, Fred Weaver was born at La Verne, in Pomona Valley, on May 28, 1894, the son of John Weaver, a resident of Pomona, who was born in North Manchester, Wabash County, Ind., on July 18, 1860. He grew up in a farming district, where he followed farming for a while, and then he learned the trade of a painter. On January 23, 1894, having reached the Coast, he came to La Verne, and here for fifteen years followed painting, while he was also a clerk in the hardware and furniture store. He next located in Centralia, Wash., and for seven years was in the employ of the Wholesale Fruit Company; but in 1917 he returned to Pomona, and of late has been in the service of the San Dimas Orange Growers Association. He married Miss Ada Grossnickle, a native of Indiana and the daughter of Daniel and Mary Grossnickle, by whom he had eight children, all of them still living. Clarence M. lives at Malone, Wash .; Silas Leroy is at Lind- say, in this state; Mary is now Mrs. G. Leach of Atwater, Cal .; the fourth and fifth in order of birth are Homer B. and Fred D., the sub- ject of our interesting review; Grace, the next, is Mrs. Guy Conrad of McFarland, Cal .; and the youngest are Hazel, now Mrs. C. Corn- wall, and Glenn.
Fred was educated at the public schools of La Verne, and at an early age took such a great interest in bicycles that he visited stores and repair shops, wherever he could, and soon learned all the makes, and all their parts and how to repair them-not a small undertaking, considering the range of the wheels on the market-so that from the beginning he gradually drifted into the cycling trade. In 1909 he worked for W. R. Bunch of La Verne, who ran a cycle shop, and there learned to repair motorcycles. Coming to Pomona, he entered into
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a partnership with Clark Levengood and opened a cycle shop on West Third street, at the corner of Thomas, and this partnership continued until, in January, 1916, Mr. Weaver opened a shop of his own,-the one he now has. He is agent for the Crown bicycle, made by the Great Western Manufacturing Company, and one more and more popular with the youth "who knows."
At Ontario, Cal., on Jarnuary 17, 1916, Mr. Weaver was married to Miss Bertha E. Watt, a daughter of E. and Susan Watt, and native of Missouri, and two sons have blessed their union: Dale and Melvin. The family, following the Weaver tradition, attend the Church of the Brethren in Pomona.
VICTOR CURTIS AUGUSTINE
An exceedingly clever master of the pencil and brush, whose rep- utation for artistic labor is permanently established, is Victor Curtis Augustine the well-known sign writer, who was born in Mansfield, Ohio, on October 13, 1874, a son of John and Charlotte (Leppert) Augustine, both now deceased.
Victor was the fifth child, in a family of six and he was educated in the public schools of his home-town-just enough of a drill and an introduction to the real hardships of life to assist him when, as a youngster, he entered the city of Cleveland and became an apprentice to his trade. He was compelled to work by day to earn his support; but at night, when others slept, he studied in an art school to perfect himself. Finally, he reached that degree of proficiency that ever since he has followed this line of work.
In 1910 Mr. Augustine came to California and bought an orange grove, and for about six years was engaged as a citrus grower. In 1916 he once more turned his attention to his trade of sign writing, and in this field he has distinguished himself, and makes a specialty of sign-writing. As opportunity presented itself, he performed again what he had repeatedly accomplished before he came to the Pacific Coast ; and many times, he created opportunity and so directed his activity that it spelled progress for Pomona and vicinity. And here he remains, not merely because he likes the Valley, but because his daughter is being educated here, in the excellent schools.
Mr. Augustine was married to Miss Anna Bender, a woman of rare attraction, who died in February, 1912, leaving one child, Cath- erine May. In 1916, for a second time, Mr. Augustine was married, this time to Alda Whitlock, but for a second time death deprived him of her companionship, Mrs. Augustine passing away on May 17, 1918. For years Mr. Augustine has attended the Congregational Church; and for years he has also striven for better citizenship under the guidance of the Republican party.
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GEORGE E. JONES
Among the substantial citizens of La Verne is George E. Jones. He is a native of Tennessee, having been born at Piney Flats, Sullivan County, in that state, March 20, 1883. He was engaged in farming in his native state until he came to Pomona, Cal., sixteen years ago, in 1903, when he was twenty years old. He worked on the Richards orange ranch at North Pomona for twenty-two months, and was after- ward with the Pioneer Truck Company at Los Angeles for a short time. He returned to Pomona Valley and was employed on the Ever- green ranch at La Verne for two years. After leaving the Evergreen ranch he formed a partnership with J. S. McClellan, under the firm name of Jones and McClellan, and conducted the Lordsburg livery stables. He then, in 1907, entered the employ of the San Antonio Meat Company, and since then has become a stockholder, director and manager of the La Verne Market, the position he now occupies. He is serving his first term as trustee of La Verne and is chairman of the finance and purchasing committees. When La Verne was incorporated he was the first city marshal.
He married Miss Eva Sparks, born in Pomona, and they are the parents of two sons, Carl and Floyd by name. He is the owner of a six and one-half acre orange and lemon ranch in full bearing on Fort Hill Boulevard. In his religious convictions he is a Methodist and a member of the First Methodist Church at La Verne and a member of the official board. Fraternally he is connected with Lodge No. 107 of the Knights of Pythias at Pomona and the Modern Woodmen. He is also a member of the La Verne Chamber of Commerce, as well as the La Verne Orange Growers Association and the La Verne Lemon Growers Association.
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