History of Riverside County, California, Part 35

Author: Holmes, Elmer Wallace, 1841-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 845


USA > California > Riverside County > History of Riverside County, California > Part 35


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opments that have to do pr: 2 ... village. He was patie spaced ; having and bars " - of his community. He wered his eo titnency in ... ture and was a steady -apporter of John's Unid ..


In Providence. R. I., February - Mr. :: in marriage with M'as Addie Myrich. little more than fitty years of weddei to them. Marcia Eiva, who died in ca' passed away in Riverside, Cal .. in : Riverside he and his wife made mint .. in Maine, crossing the continent igt .. of the Knights Templar degree and a .. . Church, and in polities a Democrat.


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STETSON LOBDELL HILL


In the death of S. L. Hill, who passed away December 18, 1909, Riverside lost a man of worth and ability, who, although never ac- tively identified with business affairs in his adopted city, was ever loyal to her and aided all movements for her advancement. He began spending his winters here in 1888, returning to Maine for the rest of the season until 1900, and thereafter lived retired in Riverside, enjoying the fruits of his former labors in his native state, Maine, where, in Minot, Androscoggin county, he was born August 31, 1820. His father was Jacob Hill, one of the active at- torneys and business men of Portland, Me., where he was editor of the Portland Advertiser for some time. His mother was Marcia Lobdell in maidenhood. The family were lineal descendants from Governor Bradford of the Pilgrim forefathers.


After his earlier boyhood Mr. Hill took the preparatory course of the old Portland (Me.) Academy and then, in 1840, entered Bow- doin College, where he pursued his studies sufficiently for the re- quirements of his chosen profession. He then read law in the office of his father and was admitted to the bar in Lincoln county, later segregated as Androscoggin county, of which he was appointed the first register of probate in 1854 and where he was a man of prominence for many years. In 1841 he removed to Webster, the same county, and resided there until his removal to California. From 1857 to 1860 Mr. Hill was postmaster of Webster under Presi- dent Buchanan, and after that devoted his time to his business and legal affairs. He was an extensive owner of real estate in Webster and interested in many ventures. He was a man of exact business methods and the capable proprietor of water power and mill devel- opments that have to do with the industries of a New England village. He was public spirited, planning and laboring for the good of his community. He served his constituency in the Maine legisla- ture and was a steady supporter of Lincoln's Union policies.


In Providence, R. I., February 8, 1859, Mr. Hill was united in marriage with Miss Addie Myrick, with whom he passed just a little more than fifty years of wedded life. Two children were born to them, Marcia Eva, who died in early life, and Mary A. M., who passed away in Riverside, Cal., in 1891. After first coming to Riverside he and his wife made many trips back to their old home in Maine, crossing the continent eighteen times. He was a Mason of the Knights Templar degree and a member of the Congregational Church, and in politics a Democrat.


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PETER MILLIKEN


Few citizens of Riverside county have taken a more active part in the development of the San Jacinto and Perris valleys than has Mr. Milliken, a man of exceptional attainments and conserva- tive business judgment, well known throughout the county as the former efficient editor and proprietor of the Hemet News, and now a resident of Perris, where he is editor and proprietor of the Perris Progress.


Mr. Milliken's birth occurred February 8, 1849, in New York City. His parents, who were natives of Scotland, moved to New York state about sixty-five years ago. Upon completion of his public school studies and his graduation from the grammar school in New York, the son took a course in Nugent's College, Brooklyn, N. Y., and later he entered the College of the City of New York in 1863, graduating five years later in the class of 1868 with the degree of A. B., and receiving also the second prize in mathematics, as well as being chosen to deliver the third honorary oration. The graduating exercises were held in the Academy of Music, New York City. In October, 1868, Mr. Milliken came to San Francisco and shortly thereafter was appointed tutor in mathematics in Union College, an Episcopal school. He gave private instruction also and for several years served as principal teacher in the Presbyterian Mission school. After continuing his professional duties for several years he became an accountant in the employ of the L. P. Fisher advertising agency. In 1878 he accepted a position in the business department of the San Francisco Bulletin, a service which he con- tinued for many years. Subsequently he became business manager of the San Francisco Evening Post, later returning to the employ of the San Francisco Bulletin and continuing with that paper until his removal to Winchester, Cal., in 1889. Previous to his removal he had purchased land there, and for the following ten years he devoted it to grain raising. In 1893 he assisted in the organization of Riverside county and contributed in many ways to the progress of this section, serving also from 1894 to 1898 as deputy county assessor. In 1893 he was chosen director of the San Jacinto and Pleasant Valley Irrigation district and for a term held the position of secretary and superintendent of that corporation, besides serving as secretary and director of the Florida Water Company, with offices at Valle Vista. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace of Diamond township, Riverside county, and resigned in 1899 to enter newspaper work. In March of that year he leased the Hemet News, which he subsequently purchased, acquiring the


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site also, and later he erected an additional building in which he installed new machinery.


Mr. Milliken is a member of several fraternal lodges, belonging to the Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of the Riverside Commandery, K. T., and is a Shriner, belonging to Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. Politically he is a staunch Republican, and besides taking an active part in local affairs in his party, has also served as delegate to various county conventions, as well as to state, congressional and senatorial conventions. To the Episcopal Church of Hemet, in which he holds membership, he lends material aid, maintaining at all times a deep interest in the welfare of his fellow men, and through the medium of his paper contributes prompt assistance to all worthy civic movements, his courage and progressive spirit having won the commendation of the entire community.


HENRY T. PARKER


That energy of character and force of will usually bring to their fortunate possessor a fair degree of financial success finds illustration in the life and activities of Henry T. Parker, president of the Newberry-Parker Company and one of the leading business men of Riverside. It is not too much to say that the present com- mercial standing of the city and its popularity as a trading center are due in no small degree to his wise efforts to enlarge the local business interests. Side by side with the progress of the company has been the development of the civic commercial possibilities until now there is a common sentiment of pride concerning the local advancement. The leaders of thought and men of sagacity to whose united efforts may be attributed the present gratifying condition are reaping the reward of their concentrated labors, while in addi- tion the entire population enjoys the results of their progressive spirit.


The well-known business man whose name introduces this article came to Southern California from Illinois, where he was born at Pecatonica, Winnebago county, October 17, 1858, a son of George S. Parker. During boyhood he was a pupil in the public schools of Rockford, Ill., but at the age of eighteen years he relin- quished his studies in order to move to the west and enter upon


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the task of earning his own way in the world. First settling in the vicinity of Los Angeles, he assisted an uncle on a ranch. Two years later he gave up farm pursuits and entered upon railroading, after which for seven years he worked as an engineer with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Desiring an occupation less hazardous, he resigned as engineer and settled in Los Angeles, where he engaged in general merchandising for nine years. On selling out the business he became connected with the Newberry Company, wholesale and retail grocers, for whom he acted as manager with such sagacity, energy and versatility that he won substantial recog- nition. During 1900 he was admitted into partnership with Mr. Newberry and four years later he came to Riverside to take charge of the branch store at this place.


Upon the incorporation of the company Mr. Parker was chosen to occupy the president's office, which responsible position he has filled with conspicuous efficiency. At the time of inaugurating the business in Riverside the company occupied one store and employed only three men, transacting in the first month business aggregating about $1800. At this writing they have three stores and furnish steady employment to forty-four persons, carrying on successfully a business approximating ten times the amount of its original volume and including a general line of wholesale and retail trade. With justice it may be stated that the fine financial standing of the company and the large volume of its trade are due in large part to its president, who has displayed unusual ability in the handling of large enterprises. To him business stagnation is not permissable. Progressive policies are pursued in every department and his keen vision neglects no detail that will contribute to growth.


With his mind and energies concentrated upon business affairs, Mr. Parker has yet found leisure for participation in the activities of various prominent societies, including the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Woodmen of the World and the Bankers' Association. Although not aggressive in political views, he is stanchly Republican in principle and at all national elections casts his ballot for the party policies and candi- dates. While making his home in Los Angeles he met and married Miss Emma Robinson of that city, their union being solemnized in 1888. They are the parents of three sons. The eldest, Ernest, a capable young man of twenty-one years, acts as manager of the Newberry-Parker Company. The second son, Irving La Rue, is a student in the high school, while the youngest boy, Gail De Witt, now twelve years of age, is a pupil in the grammar schools of Riverside.


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JAMES H. ROM


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1 66 established a drug store in i ... dated until 1865, when he moved! g ged in the drug business under ta e al of his neighbors were among th. . t. rming the colony at Riverside, Cal., and he tu ... . .. I'm, coming to the state in 1973. He purchased tu. the corner of Riverside and Central avenues. In 1-11 : t aching in the public schools, and the year fol ; t'. Spanishtown school, north of Riverside 1. . a drug store and successfully conducted t'. we irs. Mr. Roe had a love for literature it , as many of his poetical efforts to .. . lo al journals and the serap book. w tness, and this led him, in 1878. to . ..


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JAMES H. ROE


One of the earlier settlers in Riverside, James H. Roe was born in Birmingham, England, November 18, 1843, his parents being Rev. Charles Hill, a native of the north of Ireland, and Mary (Steadman) Roe, a native of England. When he was only eight years of age his father came to this country, locating in Boone county, Ill., where he had charge of a church until the breaking out of the Civil war. The father was commissioned as a chaplain of one of the Illinois regiments, and at the close of the war was put in charge of the Southwest Department of the Freedman's Aid Commission.


J. H. Roe was reared and schooled in Boone county until 1859, when he entered the University of Chicago, and was diligently pur- suing his studies in that institution when the breaking out of the war induced him to abandon his college studies and tender his serv- ices as a soldier. In 1862 he accompanied his father, who was chap- lain of the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Illinois Infantry, to the front, and participated in the campaign in the Shenandoah valley under General Banks, and later was at the siege and surrender of Harper's Ferry. In 1864 he was commissioned a lieutenant in Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, and served with his command in Kentucky and Missouri, being honorably dis- charged at the end of his term of service. He then re-entered the University of Chicago, graduating in 1865.


For a time Mr. Roe served as a clerk in a drug store, and in 1866 established a drug store in Marshalltown, Iowa, which he con- ducted until 1868, when he moved to Belle Plaine, Iowa, and en- gaged in the drug business under the firm name of Roe & Co. Sev- eral of his neighbors were among those who were interested in forming the colony at Riverside, Cal., and he finally decided to join them, coming to the state in 1873. He purchased twenty acres at the corner of Riverside and Central avenues. In 1874 he engaged in teaching in the public schools, and the year following had charge of the Spanishtown school, north of Riverside. In 1876 he established a drug store and successfully conducted the business for about ten years. Mr. Roe had a love for literature and was a writer of abil- ity, as many of his poetical efforts to be found in the files of the local journals and the scrap books of his surviving friends bear witness, and this led him, in 1878, to start the first successful news- paper in Riverside-the Weekly Press. Two years later he sold the Press to L. M. Holt. In 1886 he sold his drug business to J. C. Hardman, and forming a partnership with R. J. Pierson, a prac- tical printer, purchased the Valley Echo, which he conducted until


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1888, when a consolidation of all the daily and weekly papers was effected, under the firm name of Holmes, Roe & Pierson, and the Daily Press and a weekly edition known as the Press and Horticul- turist were published, Mr. Roe acting for a time as city editor. He finally sold his interest in the newspapers to his partners and engaged in the paint and wallpaper business until his death.


Mr. Roe was conspicuous in school and church work. He was a school official and deacon and treasurer of the Baptist church. A lover of music, he gave his services in the choirs of the Congre. gational and Baptist churches, and was a valued member of the pioneer orchestra and choral society. Many of the records of the early days were preserved by him, with a view to using them in writing a history of the valley, which his death prevented, but many of these are being used by F. W. Holmes in his historical narrative of Riverside, in this county history.


Mr. Roe was married in 1870 at Marshalltown, Iowa, to Miss Lovina Price, daughter of Owen Price, a well-known Iowa pioneer. J. H. Roe died at Riverside August 16, 1900, leaving a wife and two children. His daughter, Mary Edna, became the wife of Fred- erick Johnson, and ended her earthly pilgrimage March 21, 1907. His son, Robert P., is now manager for a transfer company in Los Angeles.


EBENEZER GRIFFIN BROWN


A member of the original Southern California Colony Associa- tion the late E. G. Brown, more familiarly known among his friends as "Judge Brown," was born in Franklin county, Me., in 1821. He was reared on a farm and educated in the Wesleyan Seminary at Readfield, Me., from which he was graduated in 1842, after which he went to New York state and was employed as a clerk in the mercan- tile business at Elmira and Rochester. Later he established a general merchandise business in Elmira, which he conducted suc- cessfully for several years. Selling out, he removed to Iowa and in Cedar Rapids he engaged in the warehouse and grain business under the firm name of S. C. Bearer & Co. In the fall of 1863 Mr. Brown sold out and went to Belle Plaine, Iowa, and started up in the general merchandise business and remained there until coming to California in 1870.


As one of the original promoters of the Riverside Colony Asso- ciation, with the late Dr. Greves, he visited the site where now stands the beautiful city of Riverside. This was in June, 1870, and they were the first members of the association on the grounds.


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From the first Mr. Brown was insistent in demanding the pur- chase of the land by the association. His persistency was of little avail at first, but he was in earnest, and when Judge North, presi- dent of the company, refused to act in accordance with his wishes in the matter, Judge Brown returned to his home in Iowa and set about forming another company with the express purpose of pur- chasing the Riverside land. This move hastened the actions of the old company and in September of that year the deal was con- summated and the colony established. That being the result desired Mr. Brown abandoned all further proceedings, never intending or desiring a rival to Riverside. He settled his affairs in Iowa and in May, 1871, established himself and family in the new colony. He located upon government land in sections 13 and 24, securing one hundred and four acres lying half a mile north and east of the town site of Colton avenue. His means were limited, but he had that indomitable courage and energy of the hardy pioneer so character- istic of him that the fifty years of his former struggles could not abate and he set about improving his new property and making a home for his family. His first move was to build a small cabin, 12x16 feet, then he began clearing the ground and planting trees, vines and seeds and entered upon horticultural pursuits early in 1872. In those days the work was purely experimental, as no one knew what kinds of fruits would produce the best results and many were the discouragements of the men in their efforts to make a liv- ing. He started a small nursery for citrus tree planting. In his efforts he was successful and his enterprise gradually increased as did his share of this "world's goods." His orange grove soon covered the acreage intended for it and his cabin gave way to a more modern structure and that to the home known as the "Anchor- age," where he spent many happy years of his life. His twenty acres of oranges was a model grove and there were other varieties of fruits on the place besides, the balance being used for general farming purposes.


Judge Brown was always a stanch supporter of all enterprises for the building up of Riverside. His time and means were used unsparingly to advance interests that made the city what it is today and he was permitted to enjoy the fruits of his lahors for many years. He was highly esteemed by all who knew him. For many years he was connected with the Episcopal church and was senior warden. He was a Republican and in 1874 was appointed justice of the peace and twice re-elected, holding the office until 1880.


In 1850 occurred the marriage of F. G. Brown and Miss Sarah Van Wickle, a native of New York state and descended from Hol- land-Dutch ancestors. Though highly connected socially and drawing about her the choicest people, yet she shared bravely in the trials of pioneer life and was a true helpmate in every sense of the word.


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They had three children: Settie C., Lyman V. W., and Catherine L., who married S. S. Sweet and died in Belle Plaine, Iowa, in 1872. During the long years of his residence in Riverside Judge Brown endeared himself to his friends by his genial manner and lovable disposition. Since his passing yet another of the pioneer spirits of the county and state has been missed, for it was to the hardy pioneers that California and her present inhabitants are indebted for the congenial home we all are permitted to enjoy, made so by the courage of the "men who dared."


GEORGE RICHARDS THAYER


Possessing the qualities of perseverance and manliness charac- teristic of the New Englander, Mr. Thayer has made an unqualified success of the battle of life. A veteran of the Civil war, he is one of the oldest members of Riverside Post No. 118, G. A. R. His birth occurred March 14, 1840, in Weymouth, Mass., his father, Nicholas Thayer, who was a native of Braintree, Mass., being a descendant of John Alden, famed in the Courtship of Miles Standish, and who, as we all know, honored the Mayflower with his presence. Mrs. Nicholas Thayer was prior to her marriage Thais Shaw and was born in Abington, Mass.


George R. Thayer received a common school education in Way- mouth and upon the declaration of war between the north and south attempted to enlist in the first company to leave his native town. Failing in this, owing to the large number of applications on file, he became a member of Company H, Thirty-fifth Massachusetts Infantry, August 8, 1862. His regiment went first to Readville, Mass., where the recruits were drilled, going thence to Washington, where they joined General Reno's brigade of the Ninth Army Corps, later commanded by General Burnside. After taking part in various engagements, including the battle at South Mountain, where General Reno lost his life on the 14th of September, 1862, and the conflict at Antietam on September 17, in which Mr. Thayer was wounded, his company journeyed to Washington, having been in service from Arlington Heights to Manassas. In the senate chamber, which had been converted into a temporary hospital, they slept three nights, Mr. Thayer later being conveyed to David's Island, New York Harbor, on the steamer Spaulding. Ill with fever, he remained on the island until his discharge in December,


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1862, when he returned to his home, where, during a long, weary year, he slowly regained his health.


In 1865, in partnership with his brother, N. B. Thayer, Mr. Thayer engaged in the wholesale manufacture of boots and shoes in his home town. Disposing of his interest in that industry in 1875 he became part owner of the Gaff-Fleischmann Compressed Yeast Company, selling out four years later to his nephew. In November, 1879, he came to California, boarding at San Francisco the steamer Orozoba en route for San Pedro, whence the passengers, discouraged with the prospect set forth at that point, took a tug for Wilming- ton. Mr. Thayer traveled from that point to Los Angeles by freight, and a week later a stage coach landed him at the old St. George Hotel in Riverside. Having two years previous to this period purchased through a friend, Alvin B. Derby, ten acres on Magnolia avenue, Mr. Thayer proceeded at once to set the property to oranges boarding in the interim with the Derby's. In March, 1880, he bought twenty acres, half of which he planted to orange trees which he had secured in San Gabriel. He then returned east with the intention of remaining two years, but on the approach of winter he relinquished his plans and in November again came west, his wife joining him a year later. Erecting a residence on his ranch, he purchased a team and cared for his trees until 1887, when he sold for $13,500 his original ten-acre tract, for which he had paid $400, a like amount having been expended for trees. In 1889 he sold his twenty-acre section for $11,500, after which, having dis- posed of his interests in that vicinity, he purchased near Cuca- monga, San Bernardino county, twenty acres which he planted to oranges and lemons.




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