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 60
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The marriage of Mr. Cooper and Miss Joanna Powelson, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., was solemnized in Sacramento October 19, 1869. Mrs. Cooper is the daughter of a California pioneer who died while still in young manhood. Afterward her mother became the wife of Captain Cunningham, a Mississippi river captain of the early days, but later until his death a captain on a Sacramento river steamboat. When a girl Mrs. Cooper studied music under Mulder Fabri, a world- famous instructor. No expense was spared in the cultivation of her rich soprano voice and she became one of the most popular soloists in Sacramento. Her two daughters, Misses Lanra and Ruby Cooper, are also accomplished musicians and prominent in musical, literary, golf, tennis and other club affairs of the city.
LOUIS H. STEWART
It may be said that the entire life of Louis H. Stewart, the man- ager of the Sacramento branch of the Central California canneries, has been passed in or near a fruit cannery. Born in Healdsburg,
Mr and Mas John Studen as
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Sonoma county, during the year 1868, he was the son of Joseph E. and Harriette (Fiero) Stewart, and in this vale of fruitage and bloom known as the Valley of the Sotoyome, he practically finished his school days and childhood at seventeen, and was prepared for work. He found his first job in T. S. Merchant's fruit canneries in that place, and held it for five years, a portion, or the latter portion of that period being the foreman of the establishment. In 1890 he was employed with Miller & Hotchkiss, fruit canners and packers, also in Healdsburg, and he remained in that place until 1894. His next change was to Geyserville of that county, a warm-belted fruit region, where he took charge of the Walden & Co. fruit canneries until 1901. He then removed to Sacramento, became foreman in the Sacramento branch of the Central California canneries, and two years after was appointed manager.
Mr. Stewart is as successful as a manager as he was as a fore- man. The same care in detail and the same faithfulness in all the obligations that ever burden the business man receive his closest attention. Under his direction are three hundred and fifty people busy handling their part of the great pack of fruit that passes through those canneries every season. He was married in San Francisco February 22, 1893, to Miss Effie Willis, and their chil- dren are Freda, Norma, Charlotte and Willis. The family have a pleasant home at No. 1228 O street. Fraternally the father is an Odd Fellow and in religion is a Baptist, two characteristics believed in the west to make for the best citizenship. Also, he is Repub- lican in his politics, but this does not detract from his civic perfec- tions, as he aids all movements for the upbuilding of the city, where his business interests are centered.
JOHN STUDARUS
About the middle of the nineteenth century John Studarus left his native place in St. Gall, Switzerland, and crossed the ocean to the United States, settling in West Virginia, where he married Mary Reich. On their farm in Hancock county, that state, a son, John, Jr., was born April 12, 1852. No part of the world at that time so deeply engrossed the attention of men as did California, and the Swiss family soon determined to cross the continent to the unknown regions of the west. The necessities of such a long journey were loaded in a wagon, and with an ox-team for motive power the "prairie schooner" slowly bore the family across the vast expanse of unsettled country until finally the destination was reached in safety. The trip had con-
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sumed more than six months of the year 1853, and they located in Eldorado county, continuing there until 1855. Settlement was then made near Perkins, Sacramento county, the father eventually acquir- ing title to vast tracts of raw land near Mills Station. He proved a successful farmer and horticulturist, and his ranch became valuable with the passing of the years. Believing the soil and climate favored horticultural efforts, he experimented with the raising of fruit and was one of the pioneers in that industry in the whole valley. Both parents died on the old home place. Nine children were born of their marriage, and all but one are living in California. The eldest of the children, Mrs. J. Broder, of Folsom, crossed the plains to this state.
John Studarus was next to the oldest of the parental family, and the old homestead in Sacramento county has been familiar to him from his earliest childhood years. Upon it he learned needed lessons in agriculture and from it he was sent during the winter months to the country school of the district, where he received a fair education. After he reached the age of twenty-two he began working on ranches, and during two years saved $900 from his wages. At the expiration of that time he turned his attention to the shipping of cobblestones to Sacramento and found that business quite profitable. Later he bought two hundred and fifty acres near Mills, and for four years he de- voted himself to the improvement of the place. Coming from there into the village of Mills, he bought five acres of ground and established a mercantile business, besides which he built and conducted a hotel. For years he has served as postmaster of Mills, and always has sup- ported Republican principles.
The erection of a large business house in 1911 has given Mr. Studarus excellent advantages for the management of his mercantile establishment, and, by a division into different rooms, he has an abundance of space for the care of the mail and the other duties de- volving upon a postmaster. On the completion of the new store and before it had been stocked with merchandise, the owner gave a ball and banquet, to which he invited the people of the entire country. A free entertainment was given, and the guests came from miles in every direction. Many of the guests were young people whose only desire was the enjoyment of the banquet, but there were also present not a few of the older people, some of whom had been acquainted with Mr. Studarus since his boyhood years and had enjoyed his friendship through all the intervening era. Fraternally he has been connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1885. His marriage took place at Mills December 25, 1879, and united him with Miss Sine Lauridson, who was born and reared in Denmark. They became the parents of four sons, but one of these, John, Jr., died when only two years of age. Howard passed away in 1909, at the age of nineteen years, when he had just completed the high school course in Sacra-
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mento. Lawrence, a young man of excellent education, is now em- ployed in Seattle. Henry, a graduate of Hcald's Business college, San Francisco, who is married and lives at Mills, assists his father in the management of the business.
BENJAMIN WELCH
The earliest period in which cognizance can be had concerning the Welch family found them identified with Yorkshire, England, and genealogical records show that they became transplanted in the north of Ireland, where several successive generations lived and labored. Prior to the first struggle with England they crossed the ocean to the settlements along the Atlantic coast. The first representative of the name in New England was James Welch, a brave soldier in the Revolutionary war and a man whose noble attributes of charac- ter gave to his descendants an inheritance of incalculable value. Among his children was a son, James, who followed the sea and acquired ample means through the persistency of his efforts and the sagacity of his judgment. By marriage he became connected with one of the most ancient families of New England, his wife, Lucinda Brackett, having traced her ancestry to Scotch forbears who settled along the Atlantic coast as early as 1636. The Brackett family was closely related to George Cleves, the famous pioneer of the city of Portland, Me., and an early settler whose vision of the future was prophetic.
On Peaks Island in Casco bay near Portland, Me., Benjamin Welch was born in August, 1827, a grandson of James Welch, the Revolutionary soldier. At the age of sixteen he began to work in the Portland Locomotive and Car shops, a plant engaged in build- ing motive power for the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad (after- ward known as the Grand Trunk). For five years he served an apprenticeship or worked for wages in the shops under the super- intendency of Horace Felton and John Sparrow. In the spring of 1852 he came to California via Greytown and the Nicaragua river. The ship on which he sailed north cast anchor at San Francisco on the 26th of March and he found employment in that city. March 4. 1855, he left San Francisco for the Kern river mining district and also visited mines in the San Joaquin and Bear valleys. Next he entered the employ of the Sacramento Valley Railroad Company as a car-builder and for seven years he remained with them, mainly at their Folsom shop. Later he assisted in the construction of the San Jose road and made his headquarters at Seventeen-Mile house.
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Through a personal friend, T. D. Judah, chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad, Mr. Welch was engaged by Mr. Huntington as car master and general superintendent of construction. The first shop which he built was 20x150 feet in dimensions and gave employ- ment to six men during the first year. With additions 130x130 this shop was used until 1867, when a shop 60x200 feet was erected. The next year a building was constructed 90x230 feet, with an L 90x40 feet, which was soon followed by another, 100x200, and the round- house. At a cost of $2400 he built in 1865 his famous snow-plow, which was in successful use for many years. Another of his im- portant tasks was the reconstruction of the American river bridge which had been destroyed by fire. During 1869 he completed the invention of a framer and tenon machine, which saved much time and labor in the construction of cars. The tourist car, which later came into general use throughout the world, was constructed in 1870 after his plans, the original models and later improvements having been exhibited at the Railroad Exposition in Chicago held during 1884. The Pullman Company adopted the models and carried on the manufacture of the cars. Mr. Welch continued for years at the head of the shop employing abont two thousand workmen and when finally he retired to private life it was with the highest reputation for success in his chosen field of activity.
In connection with railroad affairs Mr. Welch held many posi- tions of honor and trust. For many years, beginning in 1870, he was a member of the Car Builders' Association. The committee on brakes, of which he was a member, held a session at Burlington, Iowa, that continued for thirty days in 1886, then met again the following year. Among the most staunch of his friends in railroad circles was A. J. Stephens, master mechanic and superintendent of motive power. Other railroad men of high ability reposed in him the fullest confidence and he enjoyed intimate personal relations with many of the master spirits in railroad development of that day and generation. To friends and workmen as well he has been known for years as Uncle Ben, a familiar title that was given him in rec- ognition of his kindly spirit, friendly nature and generous helpful- ness. Early in manhood he became a Mason, identifying himself successively with Union Lodge No. 58, F. & .A. M .; Sacramento Chapter No. 3, R. A. M .; Sacramento Commandery No. 2, K. T., and Sacramento Council No. 1. The benevolent principles of the order received exemplification in his own philanthropic temperament.
The marriage of Benjamin Welch occurred January 4, 1860, and united him with Mrs. Ellen Marsh, nee Boobar, a native of Maine. Their union was blessed with four sons who attained years of ma- turity, namely: George Henry, Walter Hatch, Frank Cummings and Benjamin Bradford. The eldest of these, George H., was born in Sacramento August 5, 1861, and received his education in the public
Isidor looken
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schools of Howes Academy. During 1881 he began to work in the car-builders' department of the Southern Pacific Railroad and there learned the trade. From 1886 nntil 1888 he acted as assistant fore- man of the same department in Los Angeles, after which he served for four years as a car-builder in the Oakland division. During 1892 he was transferred to Ogden, Utah, as assistant foreman of the car- bnilders' department, from which place in 1894 he was transferred to Wadsworth, Nev., as foreman of the same department. October 7, 1895, he returned to Sacramento and since then has held the re- sponsible position of gang foreman in the car-building department. Through his long association with the Southern Pacific Railroad he has proved trustworthy, intelligent and capable and has added pres- tige to an honored family name.
The Masonic order, whose ennobling principles appealed strongly to the elder Welch, also has the active co-operation of George H. Welch, who is an influential member of the blue lodge and a faithful exponent of the philanthropic creed of the fraternity. In addition, he has been actively connected with the Knights of Pythias. Politic- ally he has given steadfast allegiance to Republican principles. In religion he is of the Protestant faith and a contributor to various church enterprises. By his marriage, September 9, 1884, to Miss Small of Oakland, he is the father of three children. The eldest son, Edward N., is now proprietor of a garage in Sacramento. The other son, Ben, is ten years the junior of his brother and is now a student in the Sacramento schools. The only daughter, Helen, is the wife of Frank McCormick, and resides in Sacramento.
ISIDOR COHEN
Adventurous experiences in many localities came to an end with the permanent settlement of Mr. Cohen in Sacramento, which place had won his liking during previous brief sojourns and thus became the eventual inducement affecting his decision to establish here a permanent business headquarters. Like the majority of the German people, his talents have led him into different lines of merchandising and in his youthful years, when he had no capital whatever, he earned a livelihood through the strennons existence of a peddler. Through all of his changes of residence and his variations in forms of work, he has retained his deep devotion to the Jewish religion and his love for the race of which he is a member. This does not prevent him from being a true and loyal citizen of his adopted country. His in- terest in national issues is constant and his belief in Republican prin-
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ciples leads him to support that party in all national campaigns. Near the city of Posen, Germany, Mr. Cohen was born April 17, 1843, being a son of S. and Sarah Cohen, whose residence in the father- land continued until death. His early educational opportunities were small indeed, for the necessity of self-support forced him to leave school to take up ocenpative labors. The trade which he learned, that of a baker, occupied him until he left Germany at the age of seventeen and came via Hull, England, to America, settling in New York City and securing work as a baker. Next he took up peddling and thus earned enough to pay his passage to California in 1863, when he traveled via Nicaragua and there took the Moses Taylor to San Francisco and thence came to Sacramento. As a peddler he visited the principal mining camps of Eldorado county. In abont six weeks he returned to San Francisco, where for one year he sold fruit at the Metropolitan theatre. Upon his return to Sacramento he bought a cigar and fruit store, but this he sold at the expiration of abont twelve months, returning thereupon to New York City via Panama and resuming business pnrsnits there with a partner. A year later he removed to Williamsburg, N. Y., where for two years he carried on a store. Next he engaged in merchandising in Chicago, Ill., after which he was similarly occupied successively at Silver City, Idaho, for six months, and then located in Virginia City, Nev. A few months later he was burned out in the big fire of 1875 with a total loss, after which, in January, 1876, he became a permanent resident of Sacra- mento and began anew.
As an assistant in the establishment owned by his brother, Ben- jamin Cohen, a dealer in carpets and oil cloth, Mr. Cohen remained for nine years, meanwhile saving his earnings so that finally he was able to buy ont a cigar store on J between Fifth and Sixth streets. Two years after he had bought the business he disposed of it and spent three months in European travel. Upon his return to Sacra- mento he bought from Edward Busch the present cigar store at No. 326 J street, and at this place he since has conducted a jobbing and retail business in cigars and tobacco. In all of his travels and his sojonrns in various parts of the country he has retained his devotion to the tenets of the Golden Rule, and has been a liberal and active contributor to various charities, both private and institutional. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Elks, the B. B.'s and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while in politics he is a staunch Republican and a patriotic supporter of the institutions of his adopted country.
There is no ostentation, no attempted display or show in the acts of Isidor Cohen. By hard labor and close attention to his own bnsi- ness, he has acquired a modest fortune. The spirit of true, gen- nine philanthropy seems to have been born in him. His deep interest in the welfare of the poor little orphans has made him a central figure in the bestowal of permanent charity for the care of the helpless
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orphan children of this community. The Orphans' Home is largely indebted to his beneficent acts for its existence. He established com- fortable quarters for the boys at the earliest stage, and later founded an orchard, and garden, where the older boys and girls might learn the art of agriculture; also provided choice cows for their dairy. The expense of conducting each and all of these is borne by Mr. Cohen. Recently he conceived and put into execution the idea of having those orphans old enough to work, cultivate the gardens and orchards, and after the products necessary for the use of the home, the surplus should be sold and the proceeds credited to the producers on their own account. These amounts are given to the producers in proportion to their earnings, and placed in a savings bank to the credit of each. The first statement of accounts showed that ten or twelve had bank accounts ranging from $5 to $20 each. There is no man in this com- munity who has a more charitable heart than Mr. Cohen, who now devotes his entire income to pure and unselfish charity.
PETER A. FITZGERALD
On our Independence Day, in 1865, Peter A. Fitzgerald, who was to become an American citizen, a leader in American enterprise and a director of American thought, was born in Ireland. He was educated in Ireland, Scotland, England and France. He came to the United States in 1888 and, locating in San Francisco, took up educational work, teaching special branches to private pupils. Later he taught in the Christian Brothers college at Oakland one year and in the Chris- tian Brothers college at Sacramento one year. In the period 1891- 1901 he was a clerk in the freight department of the Southern Pacific railroad at Sacramento. Then he was called to the management of the California winery, with which he was employed one year. Later he was for five years with the John Breuner Company and then for one year with the Ruhstaller brewery as traveling agent. Resigning that position, he was for several months in 1908 in business in Tono- pah, Nev. Later he became the owner and is the editor and publisher of the Yolo Independent, a weekly newspaper, in Sacramento. The Yolo Independent was started in 1895, and has been published as a weekly paper ever since, devoted to the interests of Yolo county. Mr. Fitzgerald edits the paper on strictly independent lines, taking up measures of reform, progress and all methods for the advancement of the moral, educational and commercial importance of the com- munity.
The lady who became Mr. Fitzgerald's wife June 26, 1893, was
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Miss Mollie F. Walsh, a native of Ireland, who came to Sacramento in 1887. She has borne her husband two children, Gerald and Ger- aldine. Politically Mr. Fitzgerald is an independent; he affiliates with the Royal Arch chapter, and he and his family are communicants of the Catholic church. Devoting his time exclusively to newspaper work, Mr. Fitzgerald is in a position to give his public spirit full sway, and there is no good work for the uplift and benefit of his community that he does not aid with his time, means and influence.
WILLIAM BARTON BRADFORD
A study of the Bradford genealogy indicates that the family were identified with the pioneer element in every portion of our country. Beginning near the shores of the Atlantic they followed the westward drift of migration and always were to be found in the vanguard of civilization, developing land, building up villages and aiding in the transformation of forest or prairie into regions of productivity and scenic charm. Some remote ancestor had erected a mill on one of the Connecticut streams and around it were built a few houses, thus starting a hamlet known as Bradford Mills, but later called merely by the title of Bradford. There occurred the birth of George Brad- ford in 1790 and there he early learned lessons of endurance of hard- ship and self-reliance in labor. The location and period alike pre- cluded educational opportunities, yet he was fortunate enough to attend a neighboring school for some years prior to the age of thirteen. After that his information was gained solely by experience, reading and observation.
When the great valley of the Mississippi was in the infancy of its development George Bradford traveled along much of its length and studied its possibilities. Settling in New Orleans he began to operate keel boats on the river and for some five years continued to do a freighting business with his small crafts. At the expiration of that period he disposed of his interests in the south and settled at Washington, Daviess county, Ind., where he soon acquired varied com- mercial connections. For a time he owned a mill. The distilling business also engaged his attention. Mercantile pursuits contributed to the variety of his ocenpations, while the ownership and cultivation of land kept him in close touch with the most important occupation of the county. While living at Washington he met and married Miss Mary Bruce, a native of Mason, Ky. During 1856 he followed his sons to California and after having made the trip via Panama to San
Mun WB Bradford
W. B. Bradford
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Francisco he proceeded to Sacramento, where he made his home until his death.
Born in Washington, Ind., February 10, 1826, William Barton Bradford spent the years of boyhood in attendance upon the country schools of the period and in helping with the work on the home farm. Possibly he might have settled on an Indiana farm and passed his entire life in that state had it not been for the discovery of gold in California. As soon as he had heard the exciting tales brought by messengers from the far-distant mines he decided to come to the west and the year 1849 found him en route for Panama, whence he came to San Francisco. His first experience as a miner occurred at Geor- gia's bar on the American river in 1850 and proved not especially encouraging. An unprofitable summer in the mines was followed by return to San Francisco and a trip on the ocean from there to Port- land, Ore., where he remained for one year, returning in the fall of 1851 via the Oregon trail to Sacramento, where he bonght a team and engaged in the hauling business with his brother, James B., for eighteen months, with headquarters at Diamond Springs.
An experience of six years in the teaming business was followed by the removal of Mr. Bradford to Yankee Jim's, but later he came back to Sacramento and bought a livery barn on Eighth and K streets. His ventures had proved so successful that when he resumed mining he had a large sum with which to work. However, an experience in the mines at Last Chance proved so disastrons that he lost $45,000 within eighteen months. It was then necessary to start anew. Dissolv- ing a long-continued partnership with his brother he bought one hun- dred and sixty acres in the fall of 1859. During the following year he bought a team, drove to Aurora and engaged in the general mer- cantile business for three years. Following 1864, however, he resided continuously on the ranch which he bought in 1859 and which lies near Brnceville, Sacramento county, operating it until his death, August 17, 1912. A specialty was made of the grape industry, one hundred and twenty acres being in vineyard and the balance of the ranch, forty acres, in pasture. To an unnsnal degree he met with success in the development of his vineyard and the sale of the annnal product. The reputation of his grapes extended throughont the surrounding country and the crop always commanded the highest market prices.
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