USA > California > Sacramento County > History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1913 > Part 54
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and learned the business in all of its details, has been able to utilize his thorough knowledge for the permanent upbuilding of the business and the increased efficiency of the equipment.
The management of the plant by no means represents the limit of the business activities of Mr. Muddox, who is indeed one of the lead- ing business men and financiers of Sacramento and is now president of the Citizens Bank, a director of the Capital National Bank and also a director of the Capital Bank & Trust Company of Sacramento. Upon the organization of the Capital Fire Insurance Company of California, January 21, 1911, his energy in the promoting of the new concern was recognized in his election as president of the company and chairman of the board of directors, in which capacity he since has served with the same zeal, the same high-minded devotion and the same power of concentration noticeable in his every association. Out- side of financial and business interests, he has found leisure to partici- pate in the workings of the Sons of St. George, the presidency of which he has filled with honor, in addition to having served as a delegate to the Grand Lodge during nine different sessions. At Vacaville, Solano county, this state, August 26, 1893, he married Jessie E. Long, who was born, reared and educated in that city. They are the parents of three children, Ruth Fay, Forest C. and Isabelle E.
EDWARD MORRIS
To a period far exceeding the usual business activities of even the most robust men Mr. Morris has retained his old-time quickness of mental faculties, energy of action and vigor of health, thereby en- abling him to continue the pursuits in which he is most deeply inter- ested. Notwithstanding his inore than four score years he still keeps posted concerning national problems, reads current literature with un- abated interest and carries his daily duties through to a successful accomplishment. The printing business has been his life occupation. When a mere lad, just from Grammar School No. 2 in New York City, he began an apprenticeship to the trade and soon had mastered its many intricacies so that he was qualified to work as a journeyman. Born in New York City February 22, 1828, he spent not only child- hood there but also youth and young manhood and for twenty-two years was a valued employe of the Appleton Publishing Company.
The marriage of Mr. Morris took place in the eastern metropolis November 10, 1850, in the Church of the Epiphany (Episcopal); and united him with Miss Julia Fiddes, who was born in London, England. Six children were born of the union, but one daughter, Julia, died when
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only nine months old. The eldest son, James F., has resided with his parents since the death of his wife, who left two children, a son and a daughter. The second son, Edward, formerly a noted baseball player, is now a resident of Pittsburg, Pa. The daughters are Mrs. Phoebe Leadley, Mrs. Jane L. Wiggins and Adelaide, wife of Charles Schoenfeldt. During 1877 Mr. Morris crossed the continent to San Francisco and secured employment as a printer. Being pleased with the western country, he sent for his wife and family, who joined him later, thus establishing a permanent home in this state. After a con- siderable period in San Francisco, removal was made to Sacramento in 1885, and in this city Mr. Morris has been engaged with the state printing office for twenty-seven consecutive years, meanwhile winning a reputation for fidelity, intelligent service and thorough familiarity with the printing business.
After he had become a resident of Sacramento and had felt the need of a permanent residence, Mr. Morris bought property well located and erected a neat cottage, where he and his wife have since improved their grounds and made an attractive home. In addition, he has owned other property in the city and occasionally has helped to promote local enterprises by the loan of funds, doing this less from hope of moneyed returns than from a desire to advance the wel- fare of the city. On two occasions he and his wife have returned to New York City to visit the scenes familiar to their younger days. Their last trip was made during the summer of 1911, when they stopped at El Paso, Memphis, Denver and Chicago, also visited their son in Pittsburg, and found in the renewal of old associations and the visits to new scenes such a delightful change that they returned to their Sacramento home refreshed in body and mind, but firm in their long-cherished belief that no part of the country excels our own west in all that makes life enjoyable. Indeed, they attribute their own preservation of health to such advanced years almost wholly to their removal to the western coast and their identification with a climate healthful and invigorating.
GEORGE H. NETHERCOTT
Desire to see the then unknown west and an innate love of adven- ture were the principal factors entering into the decision of Mr. Neth- ercott, then a youth of about eighteen years, to join an expedition bound for the Pacific coast. For only three years had he been a resi- dent of the United States, and those years had been passed in St. Louis, Mo., where he earned his livelihood by day labor. He was fairly well educated for the period in which he attended school, and
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had received excellent advantages through the efforts of his parents, James and Rachael (James) Nethercott, of Oxfordshire, England. He was born at Shillingford, Oxfordshire, England, October 23, 1834, and was brought to America by his parents in 1850, crossing the Atlantic on the sailer "Hartley" to New Orleans, La., whence, after a voyage of eight weeks and three days, they proceeded up the Mississippi to St. Louis. Mr. Nethercott possessed a restless temperament that found no satisfaction in the midst of the conditions then existent in his locality, therefore he sought the freer opportunities of the new world, where his love of travel found abundant gratification in the expedition across the plains with ox-teams in 1853. The party to which he joined himself cousisted of thirty-five men, five women and five children, with all of the necessary provisions and supplies. In ad- dition, the men drove two hundred and fifty head of cattle and fifty head of horses. Good fortune attended the trip and only a few head of stock were lost.
Having been employed as a teamster in St. Louis, the young emigrant sought similar work in California and he soon found a job with excellent pay. From teaming he drifted into ranching as offer- ing a more permanent and satisfactory source of livelihood. It soon became evident that Sacramento was short in its milk supply and that caused him to buy a herd of dairy cows, with which he started in the dairy business in 1860. When the great flood of 1861 occurred he was forced to keep his stock on the hills all winter. The catastrophe con- siderably affected the growth of his dairy and temporarily changed his profits to losses, but when everything had resumed the even tenor of its way he again found dairying profitable, and he has continued in the business up to the present time.
From the time of his marriage in 1861 Mr. Nethercott received the energetic assistance of his wife, a woman of great industry as well as wise judgment, and her death in 1894, just as they were be- ginning to enjoy the results of their years of labor, proved a heavy blow to him. She was a native of Ireland and bore the maiden name of Anna O'Neil. During the year 1858 she became a resident of Cali- fornia, where she formed the acquaintance of Mr. Nethercott. Their union resulted in the birth of seven children, two of whom died in early childhood, Edward at the age of twenty-six years, and John Albert died Jannary 27, 1912, at the age of thirty-six years. The two surviving sons, George H., Jr., and Arthur D., are interested with their father in the dairy business, and their energetic, intelligent co- operation has proved of the greatest value to the permanent pros- perity of the industry. The only daughter, Catherine, is making her home with her father. In politics Mr. Nethercott gives his influence to the Republican party in national affairs. Movements for the bene- fit of Sacramento and the adjacent country receive his hearty support. As a citizen he exerts that solid influence known only to men who
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have made a success of what they started out to do. It has been his privilege to witness the development of the Sacramento valley from a barren country to a rich and productive tract. To this growth he has been a personal contributor, and now in the days of his prosperity he enjoys recounting experiences when settlers were few, improve- ments conspicuous by their absence and when that spirit of hearty hospitality prevailed which is so esentially a characteristic of every new country.
CHAUNCEY HOMER DUNN
High on the roll of prominent professional men who have achieved wide reputation for honesty of principle, integrity of purpose and exceptional force of will, is Chauncey Homer Dunn, now senior mem- ber of the well-known law firm of Dunn, Cowan & Brand, whose offices are located in Sacramento, but whose clientele embraces a large area of the surrounding country. Inheriting the brilliant proclivities of his honored father, who though following a different walk in the profes- sional life, left an indelible impress upon his locality as a kindly, generous and unselfish character, full of thoughtful acts and charitable undertakings, Chauncey H. Dunn grew to manhood, giving close attention to his studies, being very observing and possessing a re- tentive memory. Of studious nature, he attained rare mental achieve- ment, which, added to a naturally strong personality and a self-pos- sessed, cool attitude, enabled him to become the brilliant, keensighted and unusually successful lawyer he is today. Among his fellow work- ers he is recognized as an nerring, alert and accurate thinker, his active mind and intuitive power being valuable attributes in his profes- sional make-up, to say nothing of his clever delivery and forceful manner of bringing his subjects to the attention of his hearers, who are compelled by his very presence to feel his influence. He is most conscientious in the handling of all cases and his reputation is that of a most generous, kind-hearted and charitable gentleman, whose manner of giving is unostentatious and quiet, and the many who have felt the aid of his helping hand have reason to hold him in the high respect he receives today.
The father of Chauncey H. Dunn was the Rev. Thomas S. Dunn. who with his wife, Freelove M. (Conkling) Dunn, came from Ohio to California in 1860, via the Isthmus of Panama. At San Jose, Cal., Rev. Dunn became pastor of a Methodist church, in which he labored among the poor and needy for many years, giving of his time and means wherever needed with an unselfish hand, and his memory is revered in many parts of the country where his benevolence and un-
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tiring perseverance were felt. The Rev. Dunn was a member of the California Methodist Episcopal conference from 1860 until his death, in February, 1899, since which time his widow has made her home with her daughter in San Jose.
Chauncey H. Dunn was born September 25, 1856, at Laurel, Cler- mont county, Ohio, where his father was pastor of the Methodist Church. When he was four years old he was brought by his parents to San Jose, Cal., where he received his elementary education, supple- menting attendance at the public schools there with a course at Napa College and at the University of the Pacific near San Jose, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1878 with the degree of A. B. His legal training was obtained in the Hastings Law School of San Francisco, and since becoming a member of the bar he has continued in active practice in Sacramento, May 1, 1912, being the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of his professional career. He is now senior member of the law firm of Dunn, Cowan & Brand, in which capacity he has accomplished many splendid actions in court and elsewhere, and he is retained by various firms and corporations in Sacramento, his practice being extensive and most gratifying. Mr. Dunn organized Reclamation district No. 537, known as the Lovdal district, above the town of Washington, Yolo county, and represents it as its attorney ; in Sutter county he also improved a farm from the tules until it was brought to a high state of cultivation, when he dis- posed of it and is now building one of the largest modern apartment houses in Sacramento. He is a director of the Chamber of Com- merce of Sacramento, of which he is a very active member, and his interest in his adopted city is such that he is ever ready to contribute of his time, means and influence for the betterment of conditions there and the upbuilding and development of its resources.
For twenty years, almost without interruption, Mr. Dunn was the president of the Sacramento Young Men's Christian Association, and he has been a member of its board of directors for twenty-seven years. A loyal worker in the First Methodist Episcopal Church at Sacra- mento, he has filled the position of Sunday-school superintendent for twenty years. When the Law and Order League was organized he was.its president for two years, and since it has been known as the Municipal League he has served in that capacity for a like period, proving a most valued official. Mr. Dunn is a public-spirited man in the fullest sense of the word, and all interests for the welfare of his community receive his hearty co-operation.
The marriage of Mr. Dunn occurred in 1884, when he was united with Miss Merrinm V. Blasdel, of Oakland, Cal., niece of the Hon. Henry G. Blasdel, who was the first governor of Nevada. Mrs. Dunn is a member of the Tuesday Club and of the Woman's Council, a fed- erated club of all the women's clubs of the city of Sacramento; is vice-president and director of the California Civic League, a new
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organization whose mission is the instruction of women as to their political rights, and she is also an active suffragist. Mr. and Mrs. Dunn are the parents of three children: Winifred Blasdel, born in 1890, is a student at Mills College; Carroll Conkling, born in 1892, is attending Belmont school; and Chauncey Homer, Jr., born in 1897, is a student in the Sacramento high school.
JAMES V. HART
To the man who realizes early in life the necessity of choosing a specific vocation, centering therein his most faithful attention and guided at all times by principles of justice and honor, success is both sure and permanent. Although one of the youngest members of his profession, city attorney of Sacramento, James V. Hart has attained a place among his colleagues which is entirely the result of his own perseverance and manly courage, and he is regarded justly as well worthy of the confidence and approbation which he enjoys throughout the community.
A native of California, his birth having occurred February 5, 1882, in Willows, Glenn county, Mr. Hart received a public school education in his home town and in 1904 graduated from the University of the Pacific in San Jose. The following fall he entered Stanford University, his spirit of determination and love of intellectual pur- snits lending to his most arduous mental tasks an interest which enabled him to not only keep abreast of his fellow students but, also, to win a place among those who ranked highest in his classes. Sup- plementing a year's law course at Stanford, he was appointed county law librarian in 1907 and during his service studied his chosen voca- tion with increasing pleasure, his thorough mastery of the subject admitting him to the bar in 1908. In November, scarcely a year later, owing to the general favor with which he was regarded, not only by his associates, but by leading citizens, as well, he was elected to the office of city attorney, conducting his new duties with a skill and wise judgment that won him unanimous commendation.
June 2, 1910, in Sacramento, Mr. Hart was united in marriage with Miss Frances Panabaker, who was born in 1886, the daughter of Ed E. and Rose (Williams) Panabaker of Sacramento. Mrs. Hart is a woman of exceptional tact and sympathetic understanding and renders her husband immeasurable aid in maintaining the serenity of spirit so essential to the proper discharge of public duties.
A Republican of note, Mr. Hart is recognized as a man who not only plans improvements in party measures, but who, by means of
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his influence and executive ability is enabled to carry them out, and in all his dealings exhibits the most candid methods, free from a shadow of equivocation. Fraternally he is allied with Sunset Parlor, N. S. G. W., and is also an active and popular member of the Sutter Club.
OWEN G. HOPKINS, A. M.
No life is more useful to a city or of greater service to the com- monwealth than that which, through forceful and unaided efforts, rises out of obscurity, triumphs over difficulties and emerges into useful- ness through the narrow path of self-denial and self-reliance. Such in brief is the history of O. G. Hopkins, a native Californian, whose early years were filled with privations and whose unusual educational attainments are the result of his own determined efforts. It is the good fortune of Sacramento to have attracted to its professional coterie a man so eminently qualified to benefit civic enterprises by personal interest and to adorn the bar by his thorough knowledge of jurisprudence. As city trustee, to which office he was elected in 1907, he showed a disposition to willingly serve the people and also displayed the ability to bring that service to a successful conclusion. By education, training and experience he is qualified for important work and successful association with professional affairs.
Eldorado county is the native locality of Mr. Hopkins and May 21, 1866, the date of his birth. The paternal genealogy shows a long line of Welsh ancestors. His father, Griffith Hopkins, was born in Wales September 28, 1829, and at the age of three years was brought to the United States by his parents, who settled at Carbondale, Pa. The advantages of free-school education in the east aided him in the preparation for life's duties. During 1853 he became a resident of Coalport, Meigs county, Pa. The year 1855 found him joining the pioneers of California, coming via Panama, and from San Fran- cisco he went to Eldorado county and tried his luck in the mines. Like the majority who follow that occupation he had his good fortune and his ill luck, but he earned a livelihood at the work, so he con- tinued for many years to give much attention to prospecting and mining. Eventually, in 1886, he retired from business and came to Sacramento, where in 1900 his death occurred.
After having completed the studies of the common schools O. G. Hopkins came to Sacramento in 1884, without money or friends, but with an abundance of hope and ambition. The first position offered was that of clerk in John Riley's grocery and there he worked for three months. Next for two months he worked for A. A. Van Voor- 30
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hies & Co., saddlery manufacturers. During the ensuing two months he worked for John Eitel, manufacturer of candy, and for a month was employed by Siller Bros., contractors and builders. With them he gained his first knowledge of carpentering and in order to com- plete the trade he entered the employ of J. H. Moon, a building con- tractor, with whom he continued for two and one-half years. On starting out to work for wages he seenred employment as a bench hand with the Telegraph Planing Mill Company and there he re- mained for three years. These various positions had brought him enongh to pay for his board and clothing, but had enabled him to save up little for other expenses, and always he had been ambitious to secure an education beyond that of the public schools. With that purpose in view he entered the Atkinson Business College and studied for three months.
With only $35 in his pocket as his total capital, Mr. Hopkins left Sacramento for San Jose and entered the preparatory department of the University of the Pacific. By working for others during his leisure hours he was able to pay his expenses for the one year of his study in the institution, and he adopted a similar course in order to earn his way through Stanford University, When he was gradu- ated from that institution in 1895, the pioneer class with the degree of A. B., it was with the satisfaction of knowing that his unaided efforts had given him a splendid education and yet left him without debt. After his graduation he remained at Stanford for one year in order to complete the course in law. In 1896 he received the degree of A. M. from his alma mater. Upon returning to Sacramento he began the practice of law, which he has continued on a growing scale up to the present. Besides his professional work he has served as a director in the Fort Sutter Bank and as a director of the Roseville Banking & Trust Co., at Roseville, Placer county.
The marriage of Mr. Hopkins and Miss Jennie S. DeMerritt took place in Sacramento October 12, 1899, and has been blessed with two children. The danghter, Evelyn E., and the son, Marshall G., are both students in the Sacramento schools. The family are communicants of the Congregational Church and contribute to the missionary and benevolent measures under the auspices of the denomination. The Republican party has received the support of Mr. Hopkins ever since he attained his majority, and in 1912 was nominated at the primary for State Senator of the Seventh district, embracing Sacramento county. Various fraternities have had the benefit of his active co- operation. In the Independent Order of Foresters he is officiating as past high chief ranger of the High Court of California, an office which he has filled for the past six years. A believer in the splendid principles for which Masonry stands, he has been staunch in his association with its lodge at Sacramento, being a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, and is a member of Islam Temple, N. M. S., of
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San Francisco. Other fraternal connections include membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World, Knights of Pythias, Loyal Order of Moose and Improved Order of Red Men.
EUGENE A. JUNIOR
For more than twenty-five years a resident of the vicinity of Antelope, Mr. Junior ranks deservedly among the most influential and progressive citizens of this portion of Sacramento county and the place that he owns and occupies, improved through his laborious ef- forts and cultivated under his scientific supervision, represents the fruits of his years of intelligent toil. Visitors state that the farm is one of the most attractive in the region, while the testimony of his own financial returns indicates that the property is remunerative as well as artistically beautiful. When he first came to the locality he was entirely without means and, in order to secure a start, was obliged to work out as a ranch hand for a number of years. Begin- ning as a property owner in 1893, he acquired the title to twenty-one acres near Antelope and later purchased an adjacent tract of twenty acres. On this farm he since has engaged in the growing of almonds. As a specialist he has won wide recognition and distinct success, and the products of his ranch find a ready sale at the highest market prices.
A son of Joseph and Mary Junior and a native of Brandon, Rut- land county, Vt., Eugene A. Junior was born February 20, 1855, and attended the public schools of the home neighborhood from 1861 until the spring of 1873. At the latter time he removed to Michigan and secured employment as a clerk in a general mercantile store at Me- nominee, continuing in the same position until January of 1876, when he came west to California. Here his first employment detained him for one year in Trinity county, where he worked in a quicksilver mine. From that section he drifted to other localities and worked at any honest occupation that promised a livelihood. His advent into Sacra- mento county in 1886 was not auspicions, for he was without friends or capital or influence. However, he possessed an abundance of de- termination and energy and these qualities, backed by honorable prin- ciples and intelligent judgment, have brought him a fair degree of success. His life has been so occupied with private concerns that he has had no leisure for political interests nor have his tastes led him in the direction of public activities. In political sentiments he is inde- pendent, supporting the men and the measures rather than the party. In the work of the Grange he has been an intelligent participant, having
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