USA > California > Riverside County > History of Riverside County, California > Part 41
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A. S. matthews.
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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he returned to his home, immediately entering Starkey Seminary, and after completing the course, in 1866, accepted a clerkship with the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad Company and for two years was stationed at Meadville, Pa. His army life having created in him a roving spirit, he severed his connection with that company and started west. In 1869 he located in Nevada, Story county, Iowa, and farmed for two years, going thence to Hiawatha, Brown county, Kan., and in 1873 to Spring Hill, Johnson county, purchas- ing a farm and conducting farming operations for a time. He next became a pioneer of the Arkansas valley, assisting in develop- ing that section and in the organization of Reno county, that state, and also the town of Hutchinson, near which townsite he took up a soldier's homestead. When the county was organized he served as trustee of his township and later as clerk, in all seven years, his ability and progressive spirit having won the esteem of his asso- ciates. In 1887 he left Reno county, which had prospered greatly by the advent of the Santa Fe Railroad extending its line through that section in 1870. Coming to California in 1888, he located in Wildomar, which had just sprung into existence, and soon he became identified with all public movements for the upbuilding of the locality. By his untiring energy and unquestioned ability he became a leader and was called upon to fill various positions of trust and honor. He served twelve years on the school board, acted as deputy county clerk for a like period and performed the duties of notary public, as well as opening a general merchandise store and purchasing property and engaging in farming. He is owner of forty-two acres of land and has been interested in raising Jersey cattle for sale and breeding purposes, also retains his quarter section of land in Kansas.
Mr. Matthews was united in marriage in Hutchinson, Kan., October 24, 1877, with Miss Mary H. Allison, a native of Illinois, and a relative of the late President William McKinley. Two chil- dren, Anna and Anson Leo, were born to them, both now deceased. An advocate of the principles of the Republican party, Mr. Mat- thews has been deeply interested in civic and national issues. He has served on the boards of election and as a delegate to the county conventions at various times and has been prompt to aid worthy candidates. He is a member of J. B. Stevens Post, No. 103, G. A. R., of Elsinore, and is also a valued member of the Methodist church. Bound to the beautiful valley of Laguna by ties of years of identification, Mr. Matthews has for that region a deeper affection than for any other spot on earth, and to his many friends and associates in that section his name is synonymous with manliness, and his generous principles and material aid in the progress of the community have placed him among the worthy citizens of the county.
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GEORGE BROWN.
The changing experiences which destiny brings into every life and which to an unusual degree have given breadth to the activities of Mr. Brown brought him eventually into intimate identification with the civic development of Corona, where for eight years he dis- charged the duties of postmaster. While he stanchly supports Repub- lican principles, in efficiency of labors and dispatch of business he displays no partisanship. The office was placed above party bias and conducted ably and sagaciously and for the welfare of the entire citizenship without regard to political sympathies. To this high sense of official honor may be attributed his long retention in the responsible position. The universal testimony of the citizens proved his fidelity to every duty, his promptness in carrying for- ward the work and his exactness in every detail.
Many of the qualities most noticeable in the character of Mr. Brown came to him as a heritage from his Canadian parents, Archibald and Mary (Rutherford) Brown, who passed their active years upon a farm in Ontario. There George Brown was born October 29, 1843, and there he learned the first lessons of life, by self-reliance and industry laying the foundation of subsequent success. Not satisfied with a grammar-school education, he took a high-school course and in 1860 completed the studies of the latter institution, receiving a diploma at graduation. His education completed, he took up practical agriculture and aided in the culti- vation of his father's farm until he was twenty-six years of age. Coming at that time to the United States, he secured at Washing- ton, D. C., a position as a messenger in the senate. After three years he resigned and started west, his first destination being at Eureka, Nev. Near that city and elsewhere in the west he engaged in prospecting for three years.
Returning to Canada about 1875, Mr. Brown settled upon the old homestead and resumed farm labors. To the comfortable farm- house he brought his bride in September of 1885, at which time he had married Miss Nellie Austin, of Ogdensburg, N. Y. The young couple worked industriously and with some success, but the long winters and rigorous climate proved so trying that they determined to seek a more congenial climate. Accordingly in 1893 they dis- posed of their Canadian property and removed to California, establishing a home in a comfortable cottage at Corona, where later Mr. Brown organized the Sunset Fruit Company. Of this concern he acted as general manager until 1903, when the Repub- licans of the city succeeded in securing his appointment as post- master and for eight years he concentrated his attention upon the
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duties connected with the position. Since 1906 he has been con- nected with the banking interests of Corona, becoming a stock- holder in the Citizens Bank; it was changed into a savings bank upon the purchase of the First National Bank by a number of the leading men of the city. Mr. Brown also maintains an intimate association with many projects for the upbuilding of this district and through membership in the Corona Club as well as in other ways he aims to assist local enterprises of value. Aside from his connection with the blue lodge of Masonry he has no fraternal ties, but in this order he has been an interested participant in philan- thropic movements. With his wife and only child, Miss Elsie D. (the latter a graduate of the Corona high school), he holds a high position in social circles and enjoys the regard of the people of the city and surrounding district.
SAMUEL CARY EVANS
The second to bear that name in Riverside county, Samuel Carey ' Evans was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., November 22, 1866, son of the late Samuel C. Evans, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Primarily educated in the schools of Riverside, he later attended the University of the Pacific and San Jose, where he was graduated in the class of 1889, also spending one year in mili- tary school. After his graduation from college he returned to Riverside and became associated with his father in his numerous enterprises, all tending towards the upbuilding of the city and county, and he himself has since maintained interests of an upbuild- ing character. He has been engaged in the real estate business and has prospered. He has been a progressive Republican and active in the councils of the party. He was president of the Charter Board of Freeholders and after the adoption of the city charter was elected mayor of the city of Riverside in 1907 and served four years and eight months, during which time many projects were put for- ward towards the betterment of general conditions and to add to the fair name of the city. He has served on the city board of edu- cation for over twelve years. In fact, like his father, he has ever had the best interests of the county and city at heart and has worked for them at every opportunity.
In the city of Stockton occurred the marriage of S. C. Evans with Miss Mary E. Southworth. They are members of the Congre- gational Church of Riverside and actively interested in all move- ments of the various departments of the same.
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CARLISLE GIBSON
One of the prosperous and highly esteemed citizens of Elsinore is Mr. Gibson, a man of progressive spirit and broad, generous sympathies, whose labors in behalf of the community have been for its general upbuilding. IIe was born in Cooper county, Mo., March 25, 1846, receiving his education in the subscription schools of that locality and assisting his father with the work on the farm. His parents, William and Ura (Godown) Gibson, natives of West Vir- ginia and New Jersey, respectively, were married in Ohio and set- tled in Cooper county, Mo., in 1842, remaining there until 1873, when they removed to Kansas, where the father died. Mrs. Gibson then went to Texas and made her home with a son in that state until her death.
At the age of seventeen years Carlisle Gibson enlisted in Com- pany M, Second Missouri Cavalry, under Capt. R. B. Hughes, this regiment doing detached duty for several months. Later he served under General Davidson west of the Mississippi until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged in Memphis, Tenn., May 17, 1865. Returning to the home place he resumed his duties on the farm and went with his family to Kansas, where he continued agri-' cultural pursuits for the succeeding twenty years. In 1894 he came to California and settled in Escondido, later removing to Santa Ana, where he resided six years, five years of this time being spent in the employ of the county of Orange as landscape gardener in caring for the courthouse park. In 1906 he located in Elsinore and for the past five years has engaged successfully in the dairy business.
Mr. Gibson was united in marriage first, in 1877, with Miss Anna Eliza Carman, a native of Washington county, Pa. Of this union eight children were born, four of whom are living: Mary Etta, wife of H. W. Cooper, of Escondido; Orpha Alice Hogue, who with her husband and three children resides in Hollywood; Cora Jose- phine and Warren A., deceased; Ida May, the wife of C. W. Smith of East Hollywood; Emma, who died in Santa Ana; Gertrude G. Newstetter of Los Angeles; and a daughter who died in Missouri in infancy.
In 1906, two years after the death of the first wife, Mr. Gibson married Mrs. Mary H. (Smith) Michener, who was born in Guern- sey county, Ohio, where she was married and in 1876 moved to Iowa; ten years later she came to California with her husband, settling in Elsinore, which has since been her home. Mrs. Gibson is one of the few remaining pioneers of Elsinore and has watched and been much interested in the various changes that have taken place throughout the valley, where she has a large circle of friends.
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Politically, Mr. Gibson is a Republican though never an aspir- ant for office. He is broadminded and progressive and prompt to aid worthy candidates. He is interested in the development of Elsinore and vicinity. By virtue of his military service he has been a member of the Grand Army of the Republic for many years and as a citizen is highly respected.
SAMUEL C. EVANS
This pioneer of Riverside county located here in 1874, purchas- ing a half interest in ten thousand acres of land, being that part of Riverside now comprising Arlington and Arlington Heights and formerly known as the Hartshorn tract. With Capt. W. T. Say- ward, of San Francisco, Mr. Evans began the construction of what is known as the lower canal. to develop water for the land owned by them, Mr. Sayward having bought the other half interest in the tract. They spent large sums of money in their work and met with considerable opposition by the original Colony Association, whose lands lay north of theirs. In 1875 the Riverside Land and Irri- gating Company was organized. Mr. Evans being one of the origina- tors of the plan, and he was elected president of it in July, 1876, which position he retained for many years. That company pur- chased the lands and water rights of the Southern California Col- ony Association, including the water right of Warm creek and the entire canal system, thus giving them control of the entire water system of the Riverside valley; the canals were extended twenty miles and thousands of acres of fertile land were brought under irrigation.
S. C. Evans was also a leader in almost every enterprise brought forward for the building up of the city, became president of the Riverside Land Company, director of the Riverside Water Company, president of the Riverside-Arlington Railway, and of the Loring Opera House Company; also a large stockholder in the Riverside Gas and Electric Light Company, and aside from these interests that meant much toward the development of the city and county, he was largely interested in horticultural pursuits, developing several hundred acres of oranges, and he was among the first to set out an extensive vineyard. He was extensively interested in other property interests throughout the county and it is safe to say that no man who ever made a permanent home in this section had the good of the whole people more at heart than 26
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he. He was a man of wonderful business talents and brought to bear all of the experiences and early training he had obtained in the east and was quick to act upon and conceive business oppor- tunities. He was a member and strong supporter of the Presby- terian Church, and a charter member of Riverside Lodge, No. 282, I. O. O. F. In politics he was a Republican.
S. C. Evans was born at Fort Defiance, Williams county, Ohio, in 1823. His father was Dr. John Evans, a native of Kentucky, who was prominent in professional circles in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, as well as a merchant, trader and realty dealer. Mr. Evans attended school in his native county and accompanied his parents in the move to Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1840. Upon the death of his father in 1842 the care of the business and family fell upon him at the age of only nineteen. In 1845 he embarked in an enter- prise with a brother, continuing with varied success for three years. In 1848 he closed out the business and moved to New York, remain- ing for several years. In 1855 he again embarked in business under the name of S. C. Evans & Co., was manager of the business and in 1860 became sole proprietor. In 1865 he disposed of his mer- cantile business and bought a controlling interest in the Merchants' National Bank of Fort Wayne, Ind., and during the following ten years he brought the business to be one of the strongest concerns of its kind in the state. He was one of the projectors of the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad, and constructed fifty-two miles of the roadbed in Indiana. When he located in California Mr. Evans closed out his banking interests and transferred his capital to the coast country, establishing his home in the new colony at Riverside.
Two sons of S. C. Evans survive and live in Riverside: S. C. Evans, president, and P. T. Evans, secretary, of the Riverside Land and Irrigating Company.
J. M. HIBBARD
The present efficient roadmaster of the eastern part of the second supervisoral district of Riverside county is J. M. Hibbard, a native of Johnson county, Kan., where he was born March 30, 1866. He had very limited educational advantages, but by well directed efforts and a worthy ambition has won a place for him- self in the esteem and high regard of his townsmen. He attended the common schools of his native county when a boy and when old. enough was put at work on a farm. He followed this occupation in
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Kansas until December, 1891, when he came to California, joining his father, J. A. Hibbard, in Riverside. He had previously settled here and was one of the pioneers of West Riverside, aiding mate- rially in its upbuilding.
Upon locating in this city J. M. Hibbard at once entered into the life of the community and by his frank business methods soon won the esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He has always been a stanch Republican, though never seeking office, although having served as a delegate at various county conventions. In 1906 he was appointed roadmaster of the West Riverside district, having charge of the roads of the entire section for a time and since the division of the territory he has continued in charge of the eastern division, and has given entire satisfaction to his fellow-men. For the past seven years he has served as a member of the school board of the West Riverside district and also as clerk of same, and has always been deeply interested in the educational progress of the children of the county.
In 1887 occurred the marriage of Mr. Hibbard with Miss Mary Clark, a native of Johnson county, Kan. She passed away at their home on January 17, 1912, at the age of forty-four years. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hibbard: Wayne, who served three years in the Pacific Coast artillery and now is em- ployed by Thresher & Lewis in Riverside; Reuel, assisting his father; Wilfred, who has charge of the home ranch; Clifford; Alvin, who met death by drowning in August, 1911, aged eleven years; Inez Maude and Clarence.
In fraternal relations Mr. Hibbard is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. By his genial, kindly manner he has won the good will of all with whom he has been brought in contact.
GEORGE E. TUCKER, M. D.
Thorough general preparation embraced in a comprehensive study of belles-lettres, the sciences and the arts, and a subsequent professional preparation acquired under the tutelage of skilled instructors, enabled Dr. Tucker to enter upon active practice with a mental equipment equalled by few. Supplementing the the- oretical knowledge came the early years of active practice, during which time a varied experience added to his store of learning and deepened his ardent devotion to the science of materia medica. Since his removal from the east to California and his location in Riverside he has established an enviable reputation for skill in diagnosis and in the treatment of disease. Associated with Thomas
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R. Griffith, M. D., he established and now conducts the Griffith & Tucker sanatorium. His professional interests are further in- creased through his service as county health officer, in which office he has been retained since June of 1910, meanwhile guarding with unwavering devotion the general health of the population.
Born in Genoa, Ill., May 6, 1879, Dr. Tucker is a son of Eugene Adelmer and Alfretat (Bristol) Tucker, the former a native of Homer, N. Y., born May 13, 1856, and latter born in Rock Prairie, Wis., September 17, 1857. Attracted by the oppor- tunities offered by the vast undeveloped regions west of the Mis- sissippi, the family removed from Illinois to Nebraska and settled at Humboldt, where the ambitious lad, eager to gain an education, availed himself to the utmost of every opportunity that offered itself. Attendance at the city high school culminated in his grad- uation with the class of 1895 and with a standing that gave him entrance, with excellent markings, into the Nebraska State Uni- versity, where he took a classical course of study. Upon leaving the state institution in 1898 he matriculated in the scientific depart- ment of Chicago University, from which in 1900 he received the degree of S. B. on the occasion of graduation. The following year was devoted to post-graduate work in the same institution. Such a thorough general education furnished a substantial foundation upon which was built a professional superstructure. With his graduation in 1903 from Rush Medical College, one of the most prominent institutions of its kind in the country, he was qualified for active participation in professional labors.
One year of varied experiences while serving as an interne in the Norwegian Lutheran Tabitha hospital in Chicago was fol- lowed by the opening of an office for private practice in that city, where the young physician remained for another year. From there he came to Riverside and opened an office for practice. Since then he has established a patronage of proportions that testify as to his zeal and ability. During 1906 he was chosen secretary of the Riverside County Medical Society and at each subsequent annual business meeting of the organization he has been selected as his own successor, so that he has filled the office for five years. In addition he is identified with the American Medical Association and the Southern California Medical Society, also acts as a director of the California Public Health League, and secretary of the California Association for Study and Prevention of Tubercu- losis. His attractive residence in Riverside in presided over with refined graciousness by his wife, whom he married on New Year's day of 1906 and who was formerly Miss May Heller, of this city. In religion he and his wife affiliate with the Congregational Church. Politically he votes with the Republican party in all national elec-
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tions. Fond of congenial companionship, popular among his fel- low-citizens, he finds social recreation through his membership in the Victoria Club, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, all of which organizations have flourishing memberships in his home city.
CHARLES McDONALD
One of the leading business men of Coachella is Charles Mc- Donald, whose untiring efforts in behalf of the city's development merit the highest commendation, his manly principles, united with a progressive, cheery spirit, having established his popularity in the community.
Born in Ontario, Canada, October 7, 1853, Mr. McDonald spent his boyhood near Belleville, Point Ann, and upon graduating from the common school engaged in the fishing industry on Lake Ontario. At the age of twenty-six years he abandoned this pursuit to take up lumber and mill work in Bay City, Mich., but shortly thereafter came to California, where, after visiting various sections, in 1888 he located at Anaheim, securing employment as a carpenter and builder. In 1895 he moved to Westminster, where for six years he operated a ranch, and at that juncture, in 1901, having heard many favorable reports concerning Coachella, permanently located in this community. He at once entered the lumber business, working also as a carpenter, and three years later, having erected a frame store building, opened a mercantile establishment with E. L. Young as a partner. His success was most encouraging and in 1908 he replaced his frame structure with one of concrete, the frontage being sixty feet. Later he erected two additional buildings, each with a depth of fifty feet, the total frontage being one hundred and ten feet, which will be utilized for bank and drug store. For four years Mr. McDonald held the position of deputy sheriff, discharging his duties both capably and conscientiously. In addition to his other interests he operates the Coachella livery business as well as the lumber yard, and is also developing one hundred and sixty acres in fruit twelve miles west of town in section twenty, township five south, range six east.
The marriage of Mr. McDonald, which took place in 1880, united him with Miss Susan J. Maxon, a native of Bay City, Mich., who, with her husband, enjoys the high regard of many friends and asso- ciates.
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LYCURGUS S. WILSON
That opportunities were not lacking in Riverside during the early period of its development no less than during the present era of horticultural and commercial activity is proved by the gratify- ing degree of success which has rewarded the efforts of Mr. Wil- son, a pioneer of 1886 in this city and the owner of a well-improved ranch of twenty-five acres. At the time of his arrival he was with- out capital and had a growing family dependent upon his exertions. Previous efforts to earn a livelihood upon a Missouri farm had not brought their merited fruition in accumulated capital and he there- fore sought the West with the hope of improving his financial cir- cumstances. The outlook at the first was not especially encourag- ing. For three years he worked at a compensation of $50 per month, an amount that seemed scarcely sufficient for the sustenance of his family, but with frugal thrift they saved a portion of the earnings and this formed a basis of his subsequent acquisitions of land.
The encouraging degree of success secured by Mr. Wilson may be attributed to some extent to habits of self-reliance and industry formed in a boyhood singularly lacking in opportunity. Educa- tional advantages were limited; indeed, his broad fund of informa- tion has been acquired mainly through his personal efforts. Born in Platte county, Mo., August 20, 1845, he lived the busy, uneventful life of a farmer boy and had no experience in boyhood more thrill- ing than his association of two years with the Missouri State Militia during the Civil War. About the time that the war ended he took up agricultural pursuits for himself and for a long period he remained in Platte county, meanwhile serving as justice of the peace and becoming well known as a broad-minded, high-principled citizen.
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