History of Riverside County, California, Part 70

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 70


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Upon a partial recovery of his health, Mr. Edmiston resumed his labors in behalf of the moral welfare of the people about him, establishing in 1885 the new church society of the Swedenborgian faith, and chiefly through his efforts in 1886 a chapel was remod- eled from a building erected for a school house on Central avenue, though services had been held in private homes from 1880. Mr. Edmiston not only acted as the first officiating minister of that church, but has since served continuously as pastor of that denomi- nation, his people being thoroughly appreciative of the exceptional qualities of their leader. This chapel was later sold and moved to Arlington, where it is used as a house of worship by the Christian Church. In 1905 a modern building was erected on Locust street, costing $3,000, and here are held the meetings of the society.


Mr. and Mrs. Edmiston were blessed with three children: Joseph L., of Los Angeles; Charles H., and Lloyd H., who reside in River- side. Sincere Christians, exemplifying in their daily lives the won- derful precepts of the Golden Rule, Mr. and Mrs. Edmiston enjoy the high regard of their many friends and co-laborers in the field where they cheerfully serve.


ROBERT D. CRAWFORD


A native of California, his birth having occurred in Downey, Los Angeles county, October 13, 1866, Mr. Crawford is well known as an enterprising and successful citizen of Riverside county, to the development of which since his arrival in the Wildomar section in 1901, he has given his best efforts. His parents, John and Hester Ann (Bidwell) Crawford, natives of Tennessee and Arkansas, re- spectively, left their home in Texas in 1861 and came across the plains with ox teams, arriving in Los Angeles county in 1863. Their train camped on the spot where the Oatman family were massacred. In their overland trip they had many fights with the Indians and


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were continually on guard to prevent an attack. On going into camp one night, after everything was made ready, it was noticed that some of the mules were uneasy and as it was known that a mule could smell Indians, after a time it was decided to break camp and move along. This was carried out and it was well that it was, as they avoided the terrible calamity that befell the Oatman family that made camp on that same spot that same night. After many hardships the family arrived in this state and made settle- ment at Downey, purchasing land from Governor Downey, which was farmed for about ten years. The next location was at San Jacinto, but being unable to get full title to the property he had intended to purchase, Mr. Crawford moved to Los Angeles and lived at the corner of Temple and Broadway, on property owned by a relative, James Potts. For a year Mr. Crawford worked for this man and then went to Ventura county and bought a tract of land along the Santa Clara river, which he farmed for about seven years. He then returned to Los Angeles and five years later he went to San Diego, where he passed away. His widow returned to Downey, and there she spent her last days. Mr. and Mrs. Craw- ford were of that pioneer stock that never knew failure and in every place they made their home made and retained a host of friends. Their tales of trying experiences in reaching this state were always entertaining and at their passing, California lost two of her sturdy pioneers.


R. D. Crawford received his schooling in Los Angeles and Ven- tura counties. Later, in 1888-9, he became a driver and conductor on one of the old horse-car lines running from the junction of Main and Spring streets to Agricultural park. In 1889 he took up his residence in San Diego county, proved up on a claim and farmed for six years, with indifferent success. His next move was to Cahuilla, where he engaged in mining for two years, but this was another unfortunate move and he returned to Los Angeles county. There he secured employment as superintendent of the McNally ranch at La Mirada, and he continued ranch pursuits thereafter in that county until he came to his present place in 1901 in the vicinity of Wildomar, Riverside county. Here he carried on farming and stock raising with fair success. This enabled him to purchase eighteen acres in 1905, upon which he now resides and which he devotes to alfalfa and fruit. He also leases about three hundred acres of land that he devotes to grain. Since taking up his home in his present location Mr. Crawford has prospered and while he has devoted his entire time to his affairs he is never found wanting when it comes to supporting enterprises for the upbuilding of the county in general. He has seen the rapid growth throughout the


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entire southern part of the state and takes pride in the fact that he is a native son of the Golden West.


Mr. Crawford was united in marriage in 1890 with Miss Mary Jane Willard, a native of Yolo county, and a daughter of John Willard, a pioneer of that county. Of this union four children were born: John Robert, born 1891; Ora Emily, Mrs. Earl Timmis, born 1893 and living in Elsinore; Clyde, born 1895, attending the Elsi- nore Union high school; and Bessie, born in 1898, adopted by Lee Green and wife of San Jacinto. The wife and mother died in 1898 and in 1900 Mr. Crawford married Miss Barbara McDonald, who was born in Scotland, December 25, 1863, and came to the United States in 1886, and who with her husband enjoys the good-will and esteem of a wide circle of friends throughout the valley.


THOMAS CHRISTIAN GULLIVER


A Civil war veteran, holding membership in T. B. Stevens Post No. 103, G. A. R., Mr. Gulliver is well known in Elsinore and vicin- ity as a citizen of sterling character and progressive spirit, his share in the development of the community having been both gener- ous and practical. A Pennsylvanian, his birth having occurred in Lycoming county, April 21, 1841, Mr. Gulliver received educational advantages common to that period. At an early age he secured a position with the Pennsylvania Canal Company, with whom he re- mained until 1859. Upon the declaration of war between the North and the South he gladly offered his services in behalf of his country, enlisting August 14, 1861, in Company C, Fiftieth Pennsylvania In- fantry, under Capt. Daniel Burgett, serving in this division throughout the long and terrible struggle which ensued. During his military career he was twice wounded, May 9, 1864, in the Battle of the Wilderness, and May 12, 1864, at Spottsylvania, where he was captured and placed in Libby prison, in which he was confined four months; this experience, perhaps more than actual warfare, made upon his mind an indelible impression of horror and injustice. Among the thirty-eight engagements in which he participated none is clearer in memory than the Battle of Antietam, in which he took the flag from the Eighth Louisiana, receiving for his courage a medal from General Mcclellan.


Upon his honorable discharge in 1865, Mr. Gulliver settled in Grand Island county, Neb., where he resided seven years prior to his immigration in 1885 to Riverside county, which he has ever con-


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sidered the most delightful locality in which he has made his home. There were but seven houses and three tents in Elsinore at that time. During his residence in California he has followed mining in the desert, and after locating in Sawtelle he ran a 'bus line for about twelve years.


. While a resident of Sawtelle Mr. Gulliver was married March 9, 1905, to Mrs. Hensine Duvall, the widow of a soldier. In maiden- hood she was Miss Voigt and was born in Hedemarken, Norway, and came to the United States in 1884. Mr. Gulliver assisted in the organization of T. B. Stevens Post, G. A. R., and was the second commander of the post. He has always been a stanch Republican, has ever maintained a practical interest in civic and national af- fairs, and now in the evening of his days enjoys life to the fullest extent.


MARTIN HOOVER


While not having the distinction of being one of the pioneers of Riverside, the city had been founded but ten years when Mr. Hoover came hither and ever since then he has been identified with its development, having been for twenty-seven years the owner of the same orange grove, a highly cultivated and productive tract situated on Magnolia avenue. At the time of his arrival in 1880 property was still low and he was able to buy twenty acres without large outlay of money. Orange trees were bought and planted and when the grove came into bearing it proved a profitable venture, returning large dividends on the original investment and subse- quent expenditure. It was not until January of 1907, when ad- vancing years rendered continued exertion unwise, that the owner consented to part with the homestead and since he sold out he has lived in retirement, enjoying the companionship of the friends of olden days as well as the respect of the younger generation. He served as a member of the board of the Riverside Water Company for years. For twenty-seven years he has officiated as an elder in the Arlington Avenue Presbyterian Church and meanwhile he has been a leader in the manifold missionary movements of that society. On the organization of the city of Riverside he was chosen a member of the board of trustees and aided in establishing wisely and well the county's official and financial system. It was from a small be- ginning and with crude implements that the present beautiful city with her unsurpassed streets, has sprung.


The Hoover family comes of old eastern stock. Martin, Sr., a


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native of Franklin county, Pa., born in the year 1796, spent much of his active life in that locality, where he conducted a grist mill, a woolen factory and a country store. The destruction of the plant by fire in 1842 left him without means. Seeking a new start he went to Ohio and settled at Dalton, where he carried on a grocery business. Thirteen years after going to that place he removed to Illinois and in 1855 became a resident of Galesburg, where he en- gaged with his sons in the grocery business, continuing in the same occupation until his death in 1870. Among the children born to his union with Mary Snively, a native of Pennsylvania, there was a son who bore his father's name and who like him was a native of Franklin county. Born January 20, 1830, he was sent to the public . schools of his native county from the age of six to that of twelve years, after which he was a pupil for a few years in the schools of Dalton, Ohio.


At the time of the discovery of gold in California and the mi- gration thither of gold-seekers Martin Hoover determined to come to the then unknown west. With two of his brothers in the spring of 1850 he started across the plains and in the autumn of the same year he arrived in the northern part of the state. At once he began to try his luck in the mines and until 1865 he continued at the occu- pation, mainly working in Placer and Plumas counties. Meanwhile he had experienced the ups and downs of a miner's life and had ac- cepted successes and reverses with equal composure. In 1865 he returned to the east and joined his parents who had established their home in Galesburg, Ill., and in that city he and a brother with their father's assistance conducted a large trade as grocers. In 1872 he disposed of his interest in the store and removed to Kan- sas, where he embarked in the grocery business at Leavenworth. A fair degree of success came to him there, but the climate was not entirely satisfactory and in 1880 he sold out in order to seek a more congenial environment at Riverside.


Ten years before he came west Mr. Hoover established domestic ties, having been united in marriage with Miss Kate E. Craven, No- vember 23, 1870, at Winfield, Henry county, Iowa. No children came to bless their union, so that they are deprived of the pleasure of utilizing their ample means for the benefit of descendants. Other opportunities for helpfulness, however, are ever open to them and of these they have availed themselves to the utmost. No worthy person has been denied in an appeal for aid. With quiet and un- ostentatious generosity they have helped many in temporary dis- tress and urgent need. The principles of the Republican party have received the support of Mr. Hoover, who served on the first board of supervisors as that party's choice. A man of striking personal-


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ity, erect in stature and genial in manner, he bears his years with graceful dignity and his calm and benevolent countenance shows little trace of the stress and strain of life's stirring activities.


PHILIP A. GUNSOLUS


Not far from the shores of Lake Ontario in the district of Hastings several successive generations of the Gunsolus family lived and labored and the present generation, scattered through various portions of the United States, exhibit in temperament and character the traits that distinguished their Canadian progenitors as far back as the records can be traced. Devoted as he is to the land of his birth and the scenes of his childhood, Mr. Gunsolus en- tertains no desire to return to the bleak climate with its extremes of cold and snow and since he completed a common-school educa- tion he has earned his livelihood on this side of the line. His resi- dence in Riverside dates from February 21, 1883. More than twenty-nine years have brought their changes to the country since he first beheld its inviting environment, but in all of that period his loyalty to his adopted locality has never wavered, his interest in local progress has never lessened.


Andrew and Eliza Gunsolus, the parents of Philip A., were born and reared in Hastings, Canada, where they continued to live after marriage and where their son was born November 17, 1849. During 1871 the father moved to Michigan and settled in St. Clair county, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. After four years he sold his farm and went into Brockway Center (now Yale), St. Clair county, where he embarked in the grocery business and also acted as postmaster. Retiring from business in 1880, he re- mained in Michigan for five years and then came to California, joining a son in Amador county and taking no part in business activities. During 1888 he returned to the east and settled at Con- nellsville, Ohio, where his remaining years were quietly passed and where in 1909 his useful existence came to an end.


Primarily educated in Hastings, Canada, and later a student in the public schools of Brockway Center, St. Clair county, Mich., Philip A. Gunsolus in 1870 took a course of study in the business college at East Saginaw, Mich. Immediately after leaving school he secured employment as a day laborer in a lumber yard in Michi- gan, where he remained until 1876. In that year he removed to Illinois and rented land in Knox county, but farming proved uncon- genial and was relinquished for other occupations. At first he was salesman in a general mercantile store in Illinois, but soon a desire


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to see the west led him to resign the position and he thereupon re- moved to California, settling at Riverside. Until 1886 he was em- ployed as a bookkeeper with the Riverside Land & Irrigating Com- pany, after which he spent two years as a clerk in the dry-goods establishment of E. Rosenthal & Co., and then one year as salesman with the dry-goods firm of Wilbur & Reynolds. Subsequent employ- ment as bookkeeper with the Pioneer Lumber & Mill Company was followed by a clerkship with the mercantile house of McBean & Co., where he continued for three years. A period of four years was de- voted to the work of horticultural inspector and a similar period was spent as night watchman at the courthouse, after which he was elected to his present position as city treasurer of Riverside, this being his second term.


For a considerable period after coming to Riverside Mr. Gun- solus remained a bachelor, but he established domestic ties May 24, 1894, on which day he married Miss Hattie B. Lyon, of this city. They are the parents of an only child, Hobart, born June 20, 1896, and is now a pupil in the public schools. Partisanship makes no appeal to Mr. Gunsolus, but he is firm in his political convictions and ever since he became a voting citizen of our country he has supported the men and measures of the Republican party. In fra- ternal relations he is active in Masonic circles and is a member of Evergreen Lodge No. 259, F. & A. M., past high priest of Riverside Chapter No. 67, R. A. M .; and past eminent commander of Riverside Commandery No. 28, K. T., and is also a member of Riverside Lodge No. 282, I. O. O. F. He is a devoted believer in the philan- thropic work of these organizations and as near as possible lives to the tenets of the Golden Rule.


M. R. WHIFFIN


Cosmopolitan culture acquired through contact with the people in various portions of the world predominates among the traits that impress a stranger concerning Mr. Whiffin's striking per- sonality. His privilege it was to enjoy the broad educational ad- vantages offered by old England, his native country and the home of his ancestors as far back as the genealogical record can be traced. It was further his privilege to acquire a vast fund of information concerning Indian lore and people while carrying on special work in that distant land. Later he came under the old flag in Canada, where he experimented with the raising of wheat and other small


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grains in Manitoba. Eventually, and this he considers his most fortunate move, he came to Southern California and settled at Riverside, where success has crowned his resourceful activities and a competency rewarded his painstaking efforts.


A son of Henry E. and Jessie Whiffin and descended, as before mentioned, from an ancient English family, M. R. Whiffin was born in the shire of Surrey near London September 9, 1868, and during boyhood received educational advantages of the usual char- acter. After his graduation from the local high school in 1884 he matriculated in the United Services College in England and there carried on the regular course of study, graduating in 1886. Imme- diately after the completion of his studies he went to India and embarked in the raising of indigo utilized for dyeing purposes, but a brief experience with the occupation and the climate convinced him he would find a more satisfactory environment elsewhere. Crossing the Atlantic ocean in 1888 he went to Canada and took up land in Manitoba, where he engaged in general farming and in cattle-buying. The rigorous climate proved very trying and led him to seek a home further south.


At the time of his arrival in Riverside in April of 1898, Mr. Whiffin had very limited means and it was necessary for him to secure employment without delay. His first occupation was that of laborer with the Arlington Heights Fruit Company. Later he became foreman of the orange pickers and from that position he rose to be superintendent of the Prenda packing house, said to be the largest of its kind in the entire world. During October of 1910 he received a further promotion, being appointed general manager of the four packing houses owned by the company. Two of these buildings are utilized for the packing of lemons and the others are for oranges. Employment is furnished to two hundred and seventy- five persons, all of whom come under the direct supervision of Mr. Whiffin and work under his instructions. The leading brands in the fancies are the Golden and the Squirrel oranges, while in choice grades a specialty is made of the varieties known as Palm Tree and Prairie Chicken. The most scrupulous care is exercised in the picking and packing of the fruit. The process of sorting is car- ried forward rapidly but so efficiently that grades of different kinds are never found in the same box. In no plant has the work been maintained at a higher standard than in the one owned by this company.


In addition to the general management of the large business Mr. Whiffin holds a position as vice-president of the Riverside Development Company. Movements for the benefit of the city receive his steadfast support, whether along educational lines, relig- ious activities or civic affairs. Since he became a citizen of our


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country he has allied himself with the Republican party and has been pronounced in his adherence to the principles of that organi- zation. During boyhood he became a communicant of the Church of England and his faith in its doctrines remains strong to the present day, so that he gives generous support to its missionary measures and contributes also to its general maintenance. At the time of coming to California he had not established domestic ties, but two years later he founded a home of his own, his marriage in Los Angeles uniting him with Miss Vivian Lovelock of that city and being solemnized in June of 1900. They are the parents of two daughters, Maxine and Virginia, who form the joy of the home as well as the delight of a large circle of friends.


THOMAS FARMER


By his unwavering courage and determination, Mr. Farmer has achieved success in life and though practically retired from active pursuits, maintains an interest in the progress of the community which he has assisted in developing. As a man of sterling qualities, ever considerate of the rights of others, he has made countless friends who respect him for his ability and unfailing generosity, and now in the twilight of life's activites he and his wife are living quietly at their home on Central avenue, San Jacinto.


. Thomas Farmer was born in Breewood Parish, England, July 7, 1842, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Farmer, both lifelong resi- dents of that country. Only one other member of the family is living in California, a brother of Thomas, and a pioneer of San Ja- cinto, but now a resident of Covina. Mr. Farmer received a com- mon school education and as soon as old enough was apprenticed to the wheelwright's trade, but did not follow it. After he had served his time he worked at various occupations, learning parts of sev- eral trades in the course of his career, having a natural mechanical ability. He worked as a contractor in the construction of a plant at a large colliery in Hednesford, England, and after completing it accepted a position as foreman of the colliery, remaining so em- ployed until he left there, in 1888, for California, coming direct to San Jacinto, where he had a brother who had written of the wonder- ful climate of this section. Upon his arrival he built a small cottage and engaged in any employment that would bring an honest living for his family. He carried on truck gardening with success, sup- plying in season the first and best plants produced in this place.


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For two years he engaged in working for the San Jacinto Lumber Company and the O. B. Fuller Company, at their lumber camps in the mountains. Returning to town, he opened a wood-working shop, meanwhile his wife and daughters started a hotel, known as the San Jacinto Hotel. Some time later the family moved to a ranch on the river, but the high waters washed away part of their land and they returned to town. He resumed woodworking and the wife and daughters opened up the Farmer Hotel. Beginning on a small scale the business increased to such proportions that Mr. Farmer gave up his work and assisted in the management of the hotel. For many years they carried on the business, developing the property until he sold out. The hotel is now conducted by W. G. Vosburgh, who in 1912 added improvements costing over $12,000.


The marriage of Mr. Farmer occurred in 1868, uniting him with Miss Jane Williams, a native of England, and of this union four children were born, three living and residents of San Jacinto: Florence married Percy Walker and died in 1898; Frank, an en- gineer on the Santa Fe, has two daughters; Emma Jane is Mrs. E. J. Dunham and the mother of two children; and Hannah is the wife of W. G. Vosburgh and they are parents of two children.


JOHN W. KISHLAR


One of Riverside's early settlers, who materially aided in its general development, was Mr. Kishlar, a man of unquestioned honor and progressive, generous principles, active in his work as a prominent orchardist and as a devoted citizen until his death, May 14, 1901. Born in Rochester, N. Y., February 20, 1837, he received a thorough public school education, and upon completion of his studies secured a position as station agent in Marshall, Mich., which he retained until 1860. The following year he opened a farming implement establishment in Brookston, Ind., which he successfully conducted until 1872, then removing to Warren, Ohio, where he be- came a manufacturer of carriages. Four years later he entered the dry goods business in Goodland, Ind., but disposed of his business in 1888 to locate in Riverside, Cal., having long desired to make a home in the west. Purchasing fifteen acres in Riverside which he set out in oranges he thereupon devoted his time and attention to orange culture, conducting also a fertilizing business with profit.




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