USA > California > Riverside County > History of Riverside County, California > Part 73
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JOHN W. CLAYTON
For the past twenty-six years a factor in the development of Elsinore, Riverside county, Mr. Clayton's manly characteristics and unquestioned executive ability have placed him among the most influential and prosperous business men of the community. Since 1910 he has served as landscape gardner of the city park, having discharged his duties with an interest and ability which have won the commendation of his fellow citizens.
Mr. Clayton was born February 8, 1842, in Ralls county, Mo., and spent his youth upon the farm of his parents, James R., and Elmira A. (Conn) Clayton, natives of Kentucky. In the fall of 1864 he enlisted in Company B, Forty-ninth Missouri Infantry, under Col. Patrick Dyer, serving faithfully until the close of the war in 1865, having taken part in numerous important engage- ments, including the siege of Mobile, running fights and skirmishes.
In 1880 Mr. Clayton was united in marriage with Miss Susan E. McConnell, of Carlisle, Ky., whose parents were natives of that state.
In the hope of benefiting his health Mr. Clayton came to Cali- fornia in 1886, arriving in Elsinore on September 6, his sole capi- tal consisting of $400. With the industry and foresight which have. characterized all his efforts and being willing to work at any em-
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ployment, he succeeded in improving the state of his finances until at present his property is worth at least $8,000.
Mr. Clayton has always been a Republican of activity and was elected to serve on the city council of Elsinore, declining to become a candidate after one term. At one time he held membership in the Masons and Odd Fellows and also in the Grand Army, but at present is affiliated with no fraternities on account of impaired hearing. He enjoys life to its fullest extent, is genial and kindly to all.
H. L. THOMPSON
No citizen has contributed more materially toward the perma- nent development of Hemet valley than has Mr. Thompson, who, as manager of the Hemet Land Company, has, perhaps, located a larger number of settlers than any other real estate man in the community. Not confined to the commercial field are his capabili- ties, however, his engineering skill having won him universal renown by virtue of his invention of the ball-bearing device, which in reducing friction to a minimum has proved of incalculable value to the mechanical world.
A native of Maine, Mr. Thompson was born September 10, 1860, in Wilton, Franklin county. He was educated in the public schools of his home section and in 1878 removed to Mount Vernon, Me., with his parents. As a salesman of nursery stock he subse- quently traveled through Maine, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, but later transferred his services to a Massachusetts piano house, with which firm he remained twenty years, serving also in the interim as director of the Orient and president of the Comet bicycle companies, which he assisted in promoting and in which he held considerable stock. In 1905 he sold his eastern interests and as representative of the Hemet Land Company came to Riverside county, in company with a number of Boston families whom he located in the Hemet section. Since then he has given his atten- tion to real estate enterprises, in which his success has been most gratifying, his sales in the valley having approximated thirteen thousand acres. In addition to a substantial interest in a twenty- five acre orange grove, recently matured, he is the owner of forty acres of land, a thirty-acre walnut orchard in bearing and a ten- acre tract planted to apricots and peaches, his property being among the most highly cultivated in the valley.
Mr. Thompson was united in marriage March 15, 1889, with Miss E. Whittier, a niece of Dr. W. F. Whittier, formerly of Hemet
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but now a resident of San Francisco, the ceremony taking place in Mount Vernon, Me., the birthplace of the bride. Frank L., the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, is now engaged with his father in the real estate business and with his wife and son Leslie K. resides in Hemet. An enthusiastic member of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Thompson serves also as a director of the Hemet Land & Water Company and holds active membership in the Repub- lican Club. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias and he is also a member of the Rebekahs, which his wife now serves as vice grand. They are also actively asso- ciated with the Hemet Methodist Episcopal Church, Mrs. Thompson being a leading worker in the women's auxiliaries and Sunday school connected therewith.
JOHN E. CUTTER
One of Riverside's well known pioneers is Mr. Cutter, who, since his arrival in the city, March, 1878, has been closely associated with its development, his untiring energy and progressive spirit having largely contributed to the optimism of his fellow-citizens. He was born March 16, 1844, in Webster, Me., a son of Dr. Benoni and Olive S. (Drinkwater) Cutter, the former a native of Jaffrey, N. H., and the latter of Cumberland county, Me.
John E. Cutter was educated in the common schools of his home town and grew to manhood there. In 1862 he enlisted for service in the Civil war, in Company E, Twenty-third Maine Regiment, served for the term of his enlistment and was discharged in 1863, after which he again offered himself for duty,re-enlisting in Company K, Twenty-ninth Maine Regiment, serving under General Banks in Louisiana and afterwards under Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley, all in Gen. W. H. Emory's Nineteenth Army Corps. After the war was over he returned to his home and completed his schooling by taking an advanced course in the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kent's Hill, and soon after his graduation secured a position as a teacher and taught in the public schools in various places in Maine. Later he went to Murray county, Minn., where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, and in 1872 was appointed the first county superintendent of schools upon the organization of that county. During winters of his residence in Minnesota he engaged in teaching in Olmsted county. Later, in 1872, he returned to his home in Sabatis, Me., and devoted his attention principally to teaching for the next five years, the last two years being principal of the Litch-
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field Academy at Litchfield Corners. Here he continued his duties until he came to California early in 1878 and located in Riverside, where for a year he served as principal of the school and later he taught elsewhere for two terms. In 1879 he had purchased eight acres on Cypress avenue which he planted to oranges and grapes. In 1887 he bought ten acres on East Eighth street and engaged in the nursery business with A. J. and D. C. Twogood, disposing of this interest in 1894.
Mr. Cutter was united in marriage in March, 1876, in Litchfield, Me., with Miss Annie L. Dinsmore, who was a native of Canaan, Me., a teacher by occupation, and after settling in Riverside she taught at different times while her husband was engaged in horti- cultural work. She died in this city in May, 1894. Of this union there was one child, a daughter, Charlotte Mary, who is now the wife of F. A. Noyes, Jr., and is living in Los Angeles. The second marriage of Mr. Cutter took place in June, 1897, in Trinidad, Colo., and united him with Miss Ellen E. Prescott, also a native of Maine. They reside at their home in Riverside at No. 1496 Lemon street.
Although retired from the strenuous duties of ranching Mr. Cutter still superintends the work on his ranch. He is a director and was one of the organizers of the Riverside Heights Orange Growers' Association, in 1894; is also. a director of the Riverside Fruit Exchange. In politics he is a Republican, but never has been an aspirant for office. As an active member of the Riverside Meth- odist Church he has given of his time and means to promote its philanthropies, and he is a member of Riverside Post No. 118, G. A. R. Mr. Cutter has been an occasional contributor to various news- papers and magazines on horticultural and other topics, both in prose and verse. During all the years that he has been a resident of this county he has been a firm believer in and an advocate of all movements that have had for their object the best interests of the county and citizens and no one takes more pride in the growth of the city and county than he.
CHARLES R. CAWTHON
A public spirited and leading citizen of Coachella, having also been one of its pioneers, Mr. Cawthon has done much towards the development of Riverside county. He was born in 1872 in Los Angeles county, near Norwalk, where he spent his boyhood, receiv- ing a public school education. Later he engaged in the nursery business, but after three years he took up hydraulic well digging
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in the vicinity of his home town, as well as in Orange county prior to 1899, when, in response to a call from Indio, he drilled the first hydraulic well established in the valley. The same year he home- steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land. During that year also he drilled altogether two hundred wells, twenty-two of which, under one contract, were installed on a United States Indian reservation. At the same time he raised on his ranch sufficient feed for the stock which he used in connection with his well work, and also put in a truck garden. In 1909 he engaged in hog raising, shortly there- after drilling on his property a twelve-inch artesian well twelve hundred and sixty-three feet deep, developing seventy inches of water. This is the pioneer artesian well, also the largest of that section, its cost having been $6,000.
Mr. Cawthon devotes five acres of his ranch to alfalfa, a por- tion being in Kaffir and field corn, two acres in onions and a small tract in vegetables. He has also a nursery stock of twelve thousand orange trees set out in 1910, three acres of grapes which will bear in June or July, and three hundred date trees, his plan being to specialize on dates and oranges. In addition to his one hundred and sixty-acre ranch he owns near Indio an excellent twenty-acre tract, the value of which has increased materially since its purchase.
In 1898 Mr. Cawthon was united in marriage with Miss Mollie Sawtelle, a native of Illinois and later a resident of Artesia, Cal. Five children have been born to them: Edna, Ray, George, John and Eppsie. By his honorable business methods and untiring efforts in behalf of the community Mr. Cawthon has won wide com- mendation.
THOMAS D. BARNETT
It was as a Kansas farmer and land-owner that Mr. Barnett accumulated the means which now enables him in his cozy home at Elsinore to enjoy an old age of comfortable independence, sur- rounded by the visible evidence of years of practical forethought and sagacious industry. The course of existence has brought to him an especially comprehensive knowledge of three sections of our great country, namely: Indiana, where in youth he learned the lessons of frugality and self-reliance indispensable to the frontier environment of that period; Kansas, where he passed through in- numerable hardships yet achieved a satisfactory degree of material success; and California, whither considerations of health brought him after his retirement from agricultural pursuits. While memory lingers affectionately with the home of his boyhood and the later
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scenes of diligent activity, he cherishes a peculiar devotion for his present abiding place and among the citizens of Elsinore none is more loyal than he, his co-operation being relied upon for the advancement of movements of general importance.
A short distance west of the Ohio state line in Wayne county, Ind., lies the country hamlet of Economy, where Thomas D. Barnett was born May 28, 1834. Then as now the community was the home of a frugal, industrious class of farmers, who in choosing a name for their village gave expression to the creed which necessity had forced upon them. When the boy was four years of age the family removed to Noblesville, Hamilton county, Ind., and there he re- ceived his early education. At the age of thirteen he accompanied his parents to Randolph county and a few years later took a course of study at Whitewater College in Centerville, Wayne county. After leaving school he became a tiller of the soil and continued in Randolph county until about 1868 and in 1870 he removed to Kansas after having spent two years in his native county.
The first marriage of Mr. Barnett took place in Indiana and united him with Miss Nancy L. Jordan, a native of the Hoosier state. Six children were born of the union, of whom George Wash- ington, William, Mary Tabitha and Harriet Rachel are deceased. Cyrus Sylvester, who was born in Randolph county, Ind., in 1855, is now postmaster at Stark, Neosho county, Kan., and ranks among the leading men of his locality. Naomi Ellen, who was born in Randolph county in 1857, is now married and living at Winfield, Cowley county, Kan. The mother of these children died at Winfield and the second wife of Mr. Barnett also died in Kansas. April 19, 1900, he was united with Mrs. Robert M. Fuller, a native of New Jersey, but a resident of Kansas from early childhood. She bore the maiden name of Phoebe S. Challender and became Mr. Fuller's wife in 1868, after which they remained in Kansas until his death. Seven children were born of their marriage and all reside in California, but only one, Miss Jessie May Fuller, remains with her mother.
After having made his home at Garnett, Anderson county, Kan., from 1870 until 1875, Mr. Barnett then removed to Neosho county, the same state, and for twenty years identified himself with the development of that part of the commonwealth. During 1896 he established his residence in Winfield, but four years later he re- moved to Longton, Elk county, Kan., and in 1903 came to Riverside county, Cal., where he has since identified himself with the growth and progress of Elsinore. Throughout active life he devoted his time principally to agriculture, but in addition he taught twelve terms of school and both as a teacher and as a farmer he proved energetic, progressive and resourceful. Community affairs have
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received his thoughtful consideration and in earlier years he served both as township trustee and township clerk. During the existence of the Grange he gave to it his steadfast support. For years he was active with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his consist- ent support also was given to the Order of Good Templars. To- gether with his wife he holds membership in the Elsinore Meth- odist Episcopal Church and during the sixty years of his identifica- tion therewith he has held various of its offices, has contributed regularly to its maintenance and in his life has endeavored to ex- emplify its ennobling doctrines.
HANS H. PAULSON
Ancestry and birth alike form links binding Mr. Paulson closely to the rugged and thrifty kingdom of Denmark, where his progeni- tors lived and labored as far back as genealogical records and tra- ditional lore throw light upon the family history. No stirring or un- usual events differentiated their lives from those of the people around them. In times of war they furnished gallant men to help their country and in seasons of peace they toiled as industrious, honorable citizens, some tilling the sterile soil and some going out upon the seas as sailors or as fishermen. The first to break away from the tradition of his elders was John, a native of Denmark, born in October of 1839, and for some years connected with a mili- tary school in his native country. Accompanied by his wife, Han- cine, and their children, in 1872 he crossed the ocean to the United States, where he hoped he might better his financial condition. A search for a location ended near Waterloo, Iowa, where he bought a tract of land and began to till the soil. The results were encourag- ing and he became fairly well-to-do, but climatic conditions were unsatisfactory and he therefore disposed of his property there in 1890, coming in that year to Southern California and settling in Riverside. The acquisition of a small orange grove here furnished him with an occupation and a livelihood and he found horticulture a pleasant and profitable pursuit, continuing the work until his demise in 1902 at his suburban home.
No recollection of the trip across the ocean lingers in the mem- ory of Hans H. Paulson, for he was only an infant at the time of the immigration to America. Born July 27, 1872, he is a typical American in all save birth and his devotion to commonwealth and country is surpassed by none. His education was begun in country schools in Iowa and completed in the Riverside schools, after which
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he began to work by the day on ranches in the district. Notwith- standing the fact that in those days wages were low, he gradually accumulated a neat little sum of money and eventually was in a position to buy a place of his own. The property which he pur- chased stands on the corner of Monroe and Colorado streets and comprises ten acres available for various crops.
The marriage of Mr. Paulson took place in Riverside January 8, 1894, and united him with Miss Ellen Ringsburg, of this city. They are the parents of four children, namely: Paul, born in 1897 and now a student in the Riverside schools; Walter, born in 1899; Dorothy, whose birth occurred in 1903; and Mildred, 1907. Each child will be given good educational advantages and prepared for the responsibilities of the world. Activity in politics is not a char- acteristic of Mr. Paulson, whose tastes and inclination lead him to prefer the quiet round of farming duties and social affairs rather than any participation in civic or county projects. However, he keeps posted concerning national issues and gives his support to Democratic principles. At one time he served as deputy assessor in his district. The Fraternal Brotherhood has the benefit of his participation in its local affairs and he has been a contributor to its charitable work. In addition he has been warmly interested in the lodge work of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and for years has been a quiet, earnest worker in its many local activities.
WILLIAM W. POOLE
One of Riverside's most successful young men is W. W. Poole, who, since his arrival in the city, January 3, 1906, has proven his ability and manliness. He was born in Yuma, Ariz., March 19, 1876, a son of William and Sarah (Williams) Poole, natives of Scot- land and England, respectively. The father went to sea when a lad and followed that calling for many years and in 1852 landed in San Francisco from a vessel of which he was mate. Leaving the ship he went to the mines and later worked at various kinds of employ- ment and in different parts of the state for some time. He then went to Yuma, Ariz., where he made his headquarters and became captain of a vessel that plied a trade on the Colorado river, carry- ing passengers and supplies for that section from the gulf, as well as transporting ore from the mines, down the river. During the Indian troubles in that territory he carried the soldiers who were sent to quell the disturbances. He remained in that section until the railroad was built through Arizona in 1878, after which the
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services he was rendering were no longer necessary. In the above named year he removed to San Francisco and entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, becoming captain of the ferry boat Solano, running between Port Costa and Benicia and later was captain of the Piedmont, running between Oakland and San Francisco. During his many years of service on these boats he contracted rheumatism and retired from active work, being in poor health for about nine years before his death, which occurred in 1904. The mother is still living in San Francisco.
William W. Poole, after completing his studies in the grammar school in San Francisco in 1889, took a thorough engineering course in the Van der Nailen School of Engineering, from which he was graduated. He served some time in the drafting room of the San Francisco Tool Company after having served an apprenticeship in the shops, during which time he attended a school of drafting, nights. He finally rose to the position of superintendent of the shops of the Krogh Manufacturing Company, successors to the San Francisco Tool Company, remaining there until he entered the em- ploy of the Henshaw-Buckley Company as chief engineer, and while he was in their employ traveled extensively throughout the west. In 1900 he accepted a position with the Southern California Cement Company and spent five months in the east studying the cement plants in various localities, after which he returned to California and located in Riverside, where he took charge of construction of the plant of that company, now the Riverside Portland Cement Company, and later being promoted to the position of general man- ager, which position he still occupies.
This plant, which was designed to produce three thousand bar- rels per day, now turns out five thousand daily and also supplies a commercial product of crushed rock which is used extensively throughout the city and county of Riverside in general concrete and road work. The Los Angeles highway commission also used a large amount of this material throughout Los Angeles county. The stockholders of the Riverside Cement Company own the Cres- cent City Railway, running from First street, Riverside, to Bloom- ington, a distance of nine miles. This road was built under the supervision of Mr. Poole. This company adds materially to the welfare of Riverside, giving employment to about five hundred men. Their holdings approximate about two thousand acres of which four hundred acres are planted to oranges.
Mr. Poole was united in marriage, in San Francisco, November 1, 1900, with Miss Gertrude F. Austin, a native of that city. Two children have been born to them, Bernice M. and Worth Tyler. Mr. Poole is a member of Oriental Lodge, F. & A. M., and Mission Chap- ter, R. A. M., in San Francisco. He is also a member of Riverside
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Lodge No. 643, B. P. O. E., of the Jonathan Club of Los Angeles and the Victoria and Country clubs of Riverside. In politics he is a Republican and thoroughly in touch with political developments, and is a member of the Riverside Episcopal Church.
HARRY M. MAY
The fact that the district of Riverside has been prosperous to an unusual degree is attributed by many to the adaptability of its soil to orange cultivation and by many to the patriotic loyalty and civic devotion of its citizens. In a degree both of these causes are responsible for the attainment of the desired result. The presence of a large proportion of energetic, resourceful and capable young men has been most helpful to the increased prosperity of the dis- trict. Their energies have promoted the local welfare and their enterprise has fostered local progress. Not the least prominent among these progressive young men is the secretary of the River- side Chamber of Commerce, for some years a well-known resident of the city and the promoter, through his official capacity, of move- ments for the direct upbuilding of the place. Since he was chosen to fill this position, in June of 1907, he has been a leading factor in civic enterprises and has aided in promoting the growth of a town noted as a law-abiding, prosperous and contented community, whose commercial interests are important, whose churches and schoolhouses are unsurpassed and whose moral conditions indicate culture and a high plane of living.
Born in the city of Rochelle, Ill., January 18, 1878, Harry M. May is a son of Henry R. and Ida M. May and received the best educational advantages his native place afforded. After his gradu- ation from the Rochelle high school in 1893 he matriculated in the University of Illinois and began a thorough course in the depart- ment of electrical engineering, from which he was graduated in 1898 with a high standing. Going to Chicago he secured employ- ment with the Western Electric Company as installer and telephone engineer, which work he carried forward with recognized ability as long as he remained with the company. For a time after he came to Riverside in 1902 he was not connected with the company, but in 1906-07 he served with their telephone sales department in San Francisco. Upon his return to Riverside after twelve months in the northern part of the state he was elected secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and since then has filled the position with devotion and signal success. Mr. May is also serving as secretary
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