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 64
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The country was filled with miners, some joyful over discov- ered gold, some disappointed concerning hopes long deferred. The population was cosmopolitan. Hither had come people from every quarter of the civilized world. As a consequence of the sudden aggregation of newcomers there was little attempt at law and order. In his old age the elder Kavanaugh used frequently to narrate in- teresting incidents concerning the problems faced by those pioneer communities temporarily collected at mining camps. He himself did not remain long at Hangtown, but soon drifted to other min- ing camps and as early as 1851 became a permanent resident of Michigan Bluff, where his death in 1894 terminated an identifica- tion of forty-four years with the mining interests of the west.
At the age of sixteen years, after having concluded the studies of the public schools, Edward C. Kavanaugh became interested in mining and for a long period he was directly or indirectly con- nected with that industry, but in 1893 he turned his attention in large degree to other activities. For two years he was engaged as clerk in the Forest Hill hotel in Placer county. This place he purchased in 1895 and conducted the inn besides managing several mines. Upon selling the hotel in 1904 he removed to Sacramento and embarked in the wholesale liquor business with J. S. Casey under the firm name of Casey & Kavanaugh. During May of 1911 he bought out the interest of his partner and has since been sole proprietor of the place at No. 401 J street. In addition he operates mines in Placer and Tuolumne counties. Throughout all of his life he has been a devoted and generous member of the Roman Catholic Church, while since attaining his majority he has given his ballot in the in- terests of the Democratic party. During November of 1897, at
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Forest Hill, Cal., he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Mc- Hale, and three sons have blessed their union, namely: Emmet and Edward, who are pupils in the Christian Brothers College; and Allen, who attends the Sacramento public schools.
JEROME F. BRICKELL
Two different eras in his life found Mr. Brickell a newcomer il Sacramento. The occasion of his first trip to the west occurred during 1858, when he followed the usual tedious and even dangerous mode of travel across the plains and eventually landed in an as- piring town of tents, the temporary abode of a cosmopolitan throng of people attracted to the coast by the discovery of gold. Returning to his old home in the middle west during the year 1865, he passed many years of energetic activity in Michigan and Missouri, and not again did he return to the far west until he was practically about to retire from business activities, having disposed of his farm in Missouri. The second trip was radically different from that made forty-five years before. All of the comforts of twentieth century travel were his to enjoy. Nor was the city of his destination at all similar to the hamlet of his memory. No old familiar faces remained to greet him. Beautiful homes had replaced the temporary abodes of his former experiences. Substantial business blocks had replaced the shaeks of the '50s. On every hand were evidences of wealth and culture. With gratification he viewed the remarkable transforma- tion wrought by the energy of citizens during the passing years. when the west was coming into her own.
Among the thirteen sons and daughters forming the family of Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Brickell there are nine still living, and one of these is Jerome F., who was born and reared on the old homestead near Niles, Mich., and attended the schools of that city and Kalamazoo. Upon starting out for himself he came to Cali- fornia in 1858 and engaged in teaming between Sacramento and the mines of Placer county, continuing in that occupation until he re- turned to Michigan in 1865. Meanwhile, in 1861, he married Miss Mary A. Collier, who was born in Massachusetts, but accompanied relatives to California at a very early age and grew to womanhood in Placer county. For a time she taught school there. Upon his return to Michigan Mr. Brickell engaged in the livery business at Niles for five years. Next he removed to Missouri and bought a
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raw tract of two hundred and eighty acres, to the development of which he devoted many years of unwearied toil. When eventually he felt himself no longer equal to the many responsibilities connected with agriculture he disposed of his holdings in Missouri and in 1903 again came to Sacramento, this time establishing a home in Oak Park and investing largely in property at this point. The results proved the wisdom of his investments. Early in 1907 the Oak Park Realty Company was incorporated, with Jerome F. Brickell as presi- dent and Thomas E. Brickell as secretary. While still connected with the business, Mr. Brickell has retired from heavy responsibilities and is in a financial position to enjoy the fruits of his former efforts. The firm has handled an immense amount of real estate and has largely limited its efforts to Oak Park, the upbuilding of which it has pro- moted in a material degree.
During the period of his residence in Missouri Mr. Brickell was a local leader of the Democratic party. While he was never an aspirant for office, he maintained a deep interest in public affairs, and at one time, upon the solicitation of leading Democrats of Macon county, he consented to accept the nomination for county treasurer. Duly elected to the office, he filled it for four years with marked efficiency. His interest in educational movements was unchanging. For years he served as one of the school directors of his township. In religion he favors Baptist doctrines and gives generous support to the missionary movements of the denomination.
Edgar J. Brickell, son of Jerome F. Brickell, was born at Niles, Mich., February 17, 1867, and received a public school education in Missouri, later attending a college at Dixon, Ill., from which he was graduated in 1890. After leaving college he was employed in the express and freight department of the Burlington Railroad Company for four years. Next he spent three years as a clerk in a clothing and men's furnishing store, while he also taught school in Macon county, Mo., for four years. The mercantile business at Clark, Mo., engaged his attention for five years, and for three years he con- ducted a grocery in St. Louis, Mo., from which city, in 1908, lie came to Sacramento for the purpose of identifying himself with the Oak Park Realty Company. During February of 1911 he severed his connection with the real estate firm and opened a modern grocery on the corner of Thirty-fourth street and Park avenue, where now he has built up a growing trade, and he holds a reputation for honesty in all business transactions. Like his father, he is of the Baptist faith, and like him, also, he favors Democratic principles in politics. In fraternal matters he holds membership with the Knights of Pythias. During 1891 he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth M. Clarkson, who was born and reared in Macon county, Mo., and received a fair education in the schools of that locality.
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WILLIAM LAUGHLIN KNIGHT
The sincere but unostentatious devotion to duty that charac- terized the life of Mr. Knight holds out much for the encouragement and emulation of young men struggling to gain a foothold in the business world. His the painstaking discharge of every responsi- bility and the untiring ardor for work that forms the foundation of every success, whether small or great. Both in the discharge of civic duties and in gallant army service (for he was a captain in the Civil War) he proved himself equal to every emergency, dependable, resourceful and resolute, the possessor of sterling qualities inherited from a long line of New England forebears and exhibiting also the traits more peculiarly associated with the breezy aud bustling boom- ers of the west. A generation of development had transformed the entire Pacific coast while he was working his way with patient in- dustry from a lowly position on the Southern Pacific Railroad to a post of honor and trust, whose duties he discharged with such zeal and intelligence that when finally advancing years and failing health caused his retirement he was not only granted a pension, but in ad- dition he received many testimonials of praise in recognition of his fidelity and uprightness of character.
Descended from ancestors long and prominently connected with the vicinity of Ryegate, Vt., and the son of a prosperous farmer who gave liberally of time and means to the cause of religion in his community, William Laughlin Knight was born in 1835 at the old Vermont homestead and there he passed the uneventful years of boyhood and youth. Upon attaining his majority and being thus free to carry out any wishes he had formed concerning future ac- tivities, he came to California and in 1856 settled at Diamond Springs, Placer county, where for some years he was employed in the in- terests of mining properties, his special work being the supervision of the irrigation ditches. As soon as war was declared between the the north and the south he offered his services to the Union and was accepted as a private, assigned to duty and stationed in the northern part of the state, where various sanguinary contests with the In- dians gave him an experience of the horrors of war. Through con- scientious devotion to duty and gallantry in service he won promo- tion from the ranks to the captaincy of Company D, Second Cali- fornia Infantry, and at the close of the war he was still command- ing his company near the Indian hunting grounds.
Coming to Sacramento at the close of the Civil War Mr. Knight entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company as a brakeman, from which he received promotion to the position of conductor. A subsequent promotion placed him at the head of the
Theo SEnight
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local ticket department, where he had the distinction of being the highest-salaried employe of the company at the time. Later he became associated with the office of the traveling ticket agent and in that position made frequent trips to the east in the interests of the railroad company. After a total service with the Southern Pa- cific of more than thirty-nine years he was placed on the retired list and granted a pension, but he was not long spared to enjoy the com- forts of release from business activities. On the 24th of September, 1906, his earth life came to an end with his peaceful passing into eternity. For years he had been a devoted member of the Baptist Church and his last days were cheered by the Christian's hope,- cheered also by the sympathetic ministrations of a large circle of friends, prominent among whom were old soldiers of the Civil War. For years he had been a leading worker in the Grand Army of the Republic and at one time he was an officer in the George H. Thomas Post at San Francisco.
Surviving Mr. Knight are his two children, Lillian and Ralph, both residents of Sacramento. In this city, January 24, 1867, oc- curred his marriage to Miss Mary D. Reid, of Broderick, Yolo county, daughter of James and Margaret Reid. The father, who owned large tracts of land in Yolo county, remained an employe in the boiler shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad for many years, but finally retired when advanced in age. At the time of his death he was ninety-four years old. Ralph Knight, who is head of the drafting department with the Southern Pacific Railroad, is a lead- ing member of the Christian Science Church in Sacramento and fra- ternally has been associated with the local lodge of Odd Fellows. Possessing ability and force of character, he is deservedly winning a high place in the citizenship of his native city.
RAY D. MCFARLAND
The proportion of native sons of California engaged actively in commercial enterprises is as yet comparatively small. Even more rare is it to find an instance of two generations, father and son, both born in our state, both reared within its boundaries and both educated in its schools, both later following similar lines of business activity and impressing their forceful characters upon associates and acquaint- ances. Such in brief was the personal history of the late Thaddeus J. McFarland, a native of Vallejo, Solano county; such are the present prospects and the business possibilities of Ray D. McFarland, also a native of California, and now identified with the printing and pub-
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lishing business in Sacramento county, following the occupation which engaged the attention of his father for a long period.
The son of an adventurous and resourceful pioneer who had been attracted to the Pacific coast by tales concerning the riches of the mines, the late T. J. McFarland became familiar with frontier con- ditions at an early age. As he became more mature in years he saw the gradual advancement of the state, witnessed the slow but sure development of its resources and grasped the possibilities of the com- monwealth. No citizen was more loyal than he and his devotion to the state was one of the most pronounced attributes of his character. Through the medium of his paper he often dwelt upon the opportun- ities afforded by the coast country, the attractiveness of its climate, the charm of its scenery and the high character of its citizenship. While praising the loyalty of others and always disclaiming any merit of his own, he was entitled nevertheless to mention in the annals of his locality, for he was a true patriot and a progressive citizen. Early in manhood he had married Mary F. Dudley, who was born in Illinois on New Year's Day of 1861. Since his demise, which occurred in the year 1896, she has resided in Folsom.
Ray D. MeFarland belongs to the younger generation of rising professional men, for he was born January 24, 1881. An excellent education secured in the Folsom grammar school and the Sacramento high school qualified him for responsibilities awaiting him. Early training in a newspaper office fitted him for journalistic work, so that when his father passed away he was able to assume the difficult task of acting as his successor as editor and manager of the Folsom Telegraph. For several years he has been managing editor and pub- lisher of The Live Stock and Dairy Journal of Sacramento, and in addition he serves as president of the Agricultural Publishing Com- pany, owning the publication and printing plant. Besides his connec- tion with and financial interest in the paper he owns the Bank build- ing and the Folsom postoffice building, as well as a neat and tasteful cottage.
Mrs. McFarland, formerly Miss Carrie Hansen, was born in Sacramento county February 21, 1887, and is a young lady of educa- tion and culture, a hospitable hostess, welcoming friends to her home with simple dignity and genuine pleasure. Together with Mr. Mc- Farland she is prominently connected with the local chapter of the Eastern Star, while he further holds membership with the Masons, Eagles and the Native Sons of the Golden West. The principles of the Republican party have received his ballot ever since he attained his majority. Political affairs are well understood by him, while his mastery of national problems is so complete that he is regarded as one of the best-posted Republicans in his home town.
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JACOB NELSON
Prominent in the agricultural and educational circles of Isleton, Sacramento county, Cal., is Jacob Nelson, who, as a member of the local school board, is rendering good service to his fellow townsinen and to the school children of this and future generations.
Mr. Nelson's father, Christian Nelson, was a native of Norway, and upon coming to America made his way to California, where he arrived in 1859. The family settled in Alameda county, Cal., and here Jacob Nelson was born in 1864. While still a babe, his parents moved to a ranch in the Montezuma Hills, near Denverton, Cal., and there he grew to manhood, receiving his education in the public schools. Having become familiar with the life of a ranchman, he adopted that as his vocation, and his ranch is numbered among the most productive and best in the county. In 1895 Mr. Nelson mar- ried Georgietta Knott, whose father, George Andrew Knott, was a native of Maryland. He came to California in 1852, crossing the plains in the manner of the pioneer emigrants of that time. His marriage to Janet Craib, a native of Scotland, occurred in 1858; they settled on Andrus island in 1865, and it is on this ranch that Jacob Nelson and his wife are now living. Mr. Knott died in 1899, and his wife followed him in 1902.
The lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Franklin, Sacramento county, includes Mr. Nelson in its membership, while the Onisbo Chapter No. 164, O. E. S., claims both Mr. and Mrs. Nelson. He also affiliates with Isleton Lodge, I. O. O. F. As a farmer, Mr. Nel- son takes high rank in his community, and as a citizen he is ready at all times to encourage any proposition for the advancement of the interests of his community. He and his estimable wife hold the esteem of the entire community.
CHARLES KIRKPATRICK DAVIS
This prominent citizen of Isleton, Sacramento county, Cal., was born on his father's ranch in this county in 1861, was educated in the public schools and was early initiated into the mysteries of farming. Hugh Davis, his father, was born in Canada in 1834 and immigrated to Illinois, when six years of age, and there grew to manhood. He came to California in 1855 and located in Sacramento county. About two years later he took up one hundred and seven
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and thirteen one-hundredths acres of government land where his son Charles K. now lives. In the early days no levee had been built to protect the lands thereabout from the encroachment of water, and Mr. Davis suffered seriously from the floods of 1861 and 1862. He died May 1, 1871, his widow in 1909.
It was on the ranch above referred to that Charles K. Davis was born. He married Hilda Johnson, a native of Sacramento county, Cal., and they have five children, Angie, Christene, Charles K. J., Marion and a child still unnamed. As a farmer he takes rank with the best in his vicinity. His principal crop is fruit, but he gives much attention to growing fine vegetables which invariably bring the highest market prices. Besides his ranch, he owns one hundred and seventeen acres of land near Walnut Grove. He has taken an interest in public affairs and been an active Republican. At different times he has filled township offices, notably those of roadmaster, tax assessor and member of the school board, and he is at this time and for years has been serving ably as a deputy sheriff. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Free and Accepted Masons.
FELTON LOWRY
The fact of having been reared in Ohio and the additional op- portunities afforded by subsequent travel through almost every por- tion of the United States give to Mr. Lowry a comprehensive knowl- edge of our country. As a result of his study and observation he still adheres to the opinion formed many years ago that California stands without a rival in its resources, its climate and its material possibilities. Employment with railroad companies took him through- out the west when he was still a young man and enabled him to gain a broad information as to every section of the region west of the Rocky Mountains, but no place visited by him has offered in- ducements sufficient to weaken his faith in or lessen his affection for the commonwealth of his choice.
Born at Zanesville, Ohio, July 20, 1838, Felton Lowry was the son of John and Elizabeth (France) Lowry of Pennsylvania, who removed to and operated a farm in Vinton county, Ohio, and he still has living in the Buckeye state one brother and three sisters. Not content to remain there but allured to the west by reports concern- ing its opportunities, in the spring of 1860 he bade farewell to home and relatives and traveled via the Isthmus of Panama to San Fran- cisco and came on to Sacramento. It was not his fortune to possess
Felton Lowany
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any capital nor to have enjoyed a good education, but he was a young man of tireless energy and force of will. To such, employment comes as an open sesame to their ability. He first tried his luck at mining at Indian Diggings, Eldorado county. Later he helped build a bridge at Live Oak, of which he was the toll-keeper. Subsequently he went to Reese River, Nev., where he engaged in carpentering, and while there he helped in the erection of the Reese River court house.
During the progress of the Civil War Mr. Lowry enlisted in Company K, Eighth Regiment of California Volunteers, and at the time of the riots served in San Francisco, being mustered out at the close of the war. He then returned to Sacramento and resumed work on the Central Pacific Railroad. Beginning at the bottom he soon became foreman and finally became assistant superintendent of grading. For six years he remained with the same company. Meanwhile he helped to build the line to Salt Lake and reached and completed the end of his contract during May of 1869. In the latter part of the same year he entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and served as superintendent of construction through the San Joaquin valley, remaining on that division until the completion of the road to its Los Angeles terminus.
The task of grading roads in other parts of California brought Mr. Lowry profitable employment for a number of years. At one time he was dispatched to grade the road toward Imperial Junc- tion and the Colorado river. When he had three hundred men in camp as helpers the war department wired Major Dunn not to al- low men to tamper with the bridge at Fort Yuma or to lay rails. Notification was sent to Mr. Lowry, but at one o'clock in the morn- ing he had all of his three hundred men up and ready to assist him. A flat car loaded with rails was forced on the bridge and the rails were then thrown off. Twenty soldiers threatened to shoot them, but Mr. Lowry claimed that a man was under the car and it was absolutely necessary to throw off the rails in order to save his life. Under these representations the work was allowed to be con- tinned. In a short time the rails were laid and there the matter ended so far as Mr. Lowry was concerned, the officials of the road later taking up the question with the government employes.
After having built more than three hundred and fifty miles of road for the Southern Pacific Company Mr. Lowry left its employ and turned his attention to other enterprises. For four years he acted as traveling representative for the Atlantic Dynamite Com- pany of New York City and during that period he traveled exten- sively in every part of the country. At one time he owned four thousand acres of range land in Kern county and maintained thereon a herd of some fifteen thousand sheep, but years ago the flock was sold and the land disposed of. During 1892, associated with Tur- ton & Knox, he had the contract for the building of the levee from
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the Pioneer mill to Twelfth street in Sacramento. After completing this, with the same men he built part of the Central Canal in Colusa county. The company also built forty miles of railroad between Merced and Oakdale, fifty miles of road between Bakersfield and Asphalt, and one hundred and fifty miles on the west side of San Joaquin valley, from Newman south, and twenty-five miles between Burbank and Chatsworth Park, all for the Southern Pacific Rail- road. As superintendent for the Pacific Improvement Company he laid out and superintended the building of a seventeen-mile drive at Monterey, and alone he contracted for and built many sections of road for the Southern Pacific Railroad, besides which he has built many levees along the Sacramento river. Eventually Mr. Lowry retired from contracting and in the twilight of his active existence he enjoys the comforts rendered possible by years of intelligent ex- ertion. He is now the oldest railroad contractor in the state.
At Adah, Ohio, Mr. Lowry was married March 27, 1890, to Miss Ida Sisson, who was born in Fort Smith, Ark., but was reared in McArthur, Ohio. She was the daughter of George and Sarah (Syl- vester) Sisson, the latter the youngest daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, a member of the Daughters of the Revolution, and a resident of Adah, Ohio. Four children were born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lowry, Eva, Fondalite, Agnes and Georgia, all of whom reside with their father at No. 1610 K street, Sacramento. Politically Mr. Lowry is a Republican and is a member of Sumner Post, G. A. R. In 1912 he was a candidate at the primary election for supervisor of the third district, but failed of election by fifty-three votes. The family are communicants of the Christian Church and earnest sup- porters of religious and philanthropic measures.
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