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, 1923, Part 139

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026

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, 1923 > Part 139

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In November, 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Bettencourt lo- cated on a portion of the John Smith ranch on An- drus Island where Mr. Smith had built a house for them. Upon the death of her father, Mrs. Betten- court received as her share of the estate, seventy- seven acres of the home place where she has since made her home. Mr. and Mrs. Bettencourt were the parents of four children: Rose married John Bisista, a native of Hungary, and they have three children, Winona, Dariel, and Winston; they reside on a por- tion of the home ranch; Mary; Elsie married Peter Lausten, a native of California and they have two children, Iris and Dorothy; and this family also lives on the home place; John is the fourth child. MIr. Bettencourt passed away March 22, 1909. The sec- ond marriage of Mrs. Bettencourt occurred May 7. 1910, which united her with Joseph G. Sarment.

GEORGE J. CALDER .- A liberal-minded, large- hearted citizen of Sacramento who has been instru- mental in helping to build up his community, is George J. Calder, who was born at Sonora, Cal., on August 5, 1884, the son of George B. and Louise (Klein) Calder. In 1856, his father, an expert mining man and miller of ores, came to California via Pan- ama and located at Sonora. Mrs. Calder passed away at Oakland in 1911, while her husband died in 1917 in Sacramento.

Geo. J. Calder attended and graduated from the Stockton high school and received his B. S. degree at the University of California in 1909 in civil engi- neering. For five years after graduation, he was in the employ of the Ransome Concrete Company at San Francisco and Sacramento as structural and de- signing engineer, coming to Sacramento in 1910. During this period, he prepared the structural design for the Farmers & Mechanics Bank Building, Cali-

936

HHISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

fornia Fruit Building, Merrium Apartments and other structures and buildings in Sacramento. In 1914 he was one of the organizers and became the secretary of the George D. Hudnutt, Inc. Construction Com- pany. During the same year, he was also retained by the city of Sacramento as construction engineer on the Sacramento By-Pass, the William Land School, Washington School, Hall of Justice, City Library Building and the extension of the sewer systems for the city of Sacramento. After this work, he con- structed the Natomas Boulevard on the Sacramento River, after which he was again employed by the city of Sacramento as structural engineer and finally as the resident engineer at the Sacramento Filtration Plant.

On June 18, 1910, he married Mabel A. Adams of San Francisco, the daughter of Fred and Anna Reid Adams. He is deeply interested in trout fishing and hunting, and, in fact, all outdoor sports. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being a thirty- second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Ben Ali Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is a mem- ber of the Sutter Club, the Architects and Engineers' Club, and also the Tau Beta Phi and Phi Kappa Psi college fraternities.

LEONARD F. STARKS .- Art and life are one in their relation to the creative impulse, and it was this desire for self-expression that impelled Leonard F. Starks to take up the study of architecture. He has made rapid progress in his chosen vocation and ranks with the leading representatives of his profession in Sacramento and this section of the state. He rep- resents the third generation of the family in Califor- nia and was born in San Francisco, December 8, 1890, a son of Abner and Ella (Ackerman) Starks. The father was a native of Healdsburg, Cal., and his life was devoted to agricultural pursuits. The paternal grandfather came to the Golden State in 1849 and was one of its earliest pioneers.

The grammar and high schools of San Francisco afforded Leonard F. Starks his early educational priv- ileges, and his first knowledge of architecture was gained in the Landsburg office. Later he attended the Beaux Arts School and afterward studied for seven years under Arthur Brown. During 1911-1912 he worked under J. J. Donovan, school architect for Oakland, and he then became architectural designer for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, being thus em- ployed from 1913 until 1915. In the latter part of 1915 he entered the office of John Reed, Jr., city architect of San Francisco, with whom he remained until 1917, and during 1918-1919 was with the con- struction division of the United States Army, being stationed at Washington, D. C. After the armistice was declared he went to New York to take charge of the office of Thomas W. Lamb, a leading architect of that city, and in June, 1921, was made Mr. Lamb's representative on the Pacific Coast, with headquarters in Sacramento. He also practices his profession inde- pendently and his success has been founded upon thorough preparatory study and later practical ex- perience. He designed the Fresno Bee Building in Fresno for the owners of the Sacramento Bee, the Paramount Theater Building, the new home for W. I. Elliott, and many other examples of his skill are to be found in the city.

Mr. Starks was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Whalen, of Boston, Mass., and they are well-known

in social circles of Sacramento. Mr. Starks is a mem- ber of Golden Gate Lodge No. 30, of San Francisco, and exemplifies in his life the beneficent teachings of the order. He enjoys tennis and is also fond of walking, spending much of his leisure in the open. He is a young man of marked ability and enterprise, and the progressive spirit of the West finds embodi- ment in his career. His work represents a high standard of excellence and is a most important feature in Sacramento's upbuilding and improvement.

THOMAS E. CAIN .- A native son of California, Thomas E. Cain was born in San Francisco, October 20, 1877, the son of J. J. and Bridget ( Hynes) Cain, who were married in New Jersey and came to Cali- fornia in 1870. The father was a marble cutter and was employed on the old Palace Hotel in San Fran- cisco; both parents are now deceased.

Thomas E. Cain received his education in the pub- lic schools of the bay city, after which he served as an apprentice learning the trade of glazier with the California Door Company, later entering the employ of the W. P. Fuller Company in Oakland as manager of the glass department and remaining with the latter firm sixteen years. With his years of experience in working for others, Mr. Cain decided to en- gage in business for himself. Coming to Sacramento in 1911, he opened a shop of his own, and in the years that have passed he has built up a successful business, now employing six men to fill his contracts, with an establishment located at 707 Twelfth Street. His work is so well executed that one job brings an- other: and he is well-known all over the county as a man who can handle any contract in his line, large or small, each receiving his personal supervision.

Mr. Cain married Miss Ameida Stroehlke, a native of Michigan, and two children have been born to them, John Edward and Percy. Deeply interested in the future development of Sacramento County, Mr. Cain is interested in all progressive legislation and gives his support to all measures for the betterment of conditions throughout the county, as well as pro- jects more closely affecting his own section, and ranks as one.of the public-spirited men of the county. He is active in fraternal organizations, as a member of the Elks, Native Sons, and the Knights of Columbus. He is fond of outdoor sports as recreation, is a base- ball enthusiast and boxing fan, in fact, a typical Cali- fornian.

JACK SCHWAB .- How important is the excel- lent service of the market-merchants in Sacramento, and the role that service plays in the comfortable and delightful social life of the California capital, may be seen from the activity of such a leader as Jack Schwab, the popular dealer in poultry-in which he specializes-and fine groceries, with his busy head- quarters at the corner of Seventh and M Streets. He was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, on January 6, 1871, the son of Emanuel and Sarah Schwab, worthy, hard-working folks, who made the world better for their having lived and labored in it. They are now both deceased, and lie buried in the soil of France.

Jack Schwab attended the excellent schools of his native locality, going also to the high school there, and at the age of sixteen, came out to the United States and settled in Madison, Yolo County. From 1886 until 1889, he was in the general merchandise

937

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

trade, and then he went to Rocklin, in Placer County, worked for others for ten years, and then, for another ten years, was in the general merchandise business for himself. In 1911, he came to Sacramento and estab- lished the grocery and poultry business through which, especially on account of the high-grade poultry handled by him and always guaranteed, he has be- come locally famous. The patron dealing with Mr. Schwab finds there the choicest of groceries, domestic and imported, and many delicacies not ordinarily ob- tainable.

In Sacramento, Mr. Schwab was married to Miss Rosa Schwab, a native of Switzerland; and they have three children, Emanuel, Samuel, and Jeannette. He is a member of the 1. O. B. B.

EMERSON WORRELL READ .- A very interest- ing representative of the California bar in Sacramento County, whose life-companion is also gifted and shares the esteem and popularity of her husband, is Emerson Worrell Read, by profession an attorney-at-law, of Sacramento, likewise vice-president of the substantial Farmers & Mechanics Bank. He was born on the Round Valley Indian Reservation, in Round Valley, Mendocino County, Cal., on March 12, 1883, the son of Major William Edwards Read, who had married Miss Joanna Stephens Davis He graduated from the Mission high school, San Francisco, in 1901, later ma- triculating at the University of California. In 1906, he was granted the Bachelor of Letters degree; and two years later, having taken up the study of jurisprudence at the Hastings College of Law, he had conferred upon him the coveted degree of Bachelor of Laws.

From 1908 until 1921, Mr. Read actively practiced law, being associated with Messrs. Campbell & Bald- win, attorneys for the San Francisco Savings Union, from 1907 to 1910, and privately practicing law with Hon. Chas. H. Wilson in San Francisco until 1915, and with Messrs. Devlin and Devlin, of Sacramento, from 1915 until 1920. He became a stockholder in the Farmers & Mechanics Bank, and in 1920 was made vice-president, secretary and treasurer. He is a director of the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, is a faculty member of the Sacramento Law School, and is now law instructor for the Sacramento Chapter of the American Institute of Banking. He is a director of Sacramento Community Chest, and being a lawyer, incorporated that corporation. He was director of the Mining Camp of the "'49 Celebration." He is now president of the Sacramento Lions Club.

At Ukiah, Mendocino County, in June, 1909, Mr. Read and Miss Alice Mary Gorham were made man and wife, the wedding proving one of the delightful social events of the season. The bride was the daugh- ter of M. J. Gorham, president of the United Under- takers, Inc., and Delia Gorham, of San Francisco, and a graduate of the State Normal School in that city, and she also had finished successfully the thorough courses of the Girls' high school of Sacramento. Three children have been born of this union: Emerson Wil- liams Read, now eleven years old, and his sister, Alice Mary, two years his junior, and Constance Patricia Read, thirteen months old. Mr. Read belongs to Occi- dental Lodge No. 22, F. & A. M .; to Sacramento Par- lor, Native Sons of the Golden West: and to the Lions Club of Sacramento; and is a past president of the Dolphin Boating Club, of the same city, and a past president of the Sons of Veterans. He is valued as a counselor in the Republican leaders' ranks.

CHARLES LEE GILMORE .- Another Sacra- mento attorney who has shed distinction upon the California bar, is Charles Lee Gilmore, whose law offices are located at 301 Capital National Bank Build- ing, in Sacramento. A native son, he was born in Calaveras County, of Mark Twain fame, amid the comfortable environments of a well-kept farm, on June 14, 1883, the son of George W. and Minnic (Deeble) Gilmore, worthy pioneers. The father came from Kentucky, arriving in California, along with other Argonauts, in October, 1850, and at once hur- ried into the mines; and later he engaged in the rais- ing of stock. He died on November 12, 1901, having rounded out a useful and very honorable career. Mrs. Gilmore is still living, an esteemed lady, enjoying the devotion of a wide circle of friends.

Having only the advantages of the near-by public schools, Charles went early into the logging camps, and then took up mining. Meanwhile, he began to study privately, taking up civil engineering and lum- ber cruising, which he followed, and for five years he was in the government service in the general land office, and in the field service of the Federal Forest Reserve, as a timber cruiser. Then he started to practice before the land office, Department of the Interior; and later he went to work for the state of California, as a civil engineer. He continued, very sensibly, to study law privately, and in time took the necessary bar examinations; and on March 25, 1918, was admitted to practice. Since then, Mr. Gilmore has become better and better known not only as a general lawyer, but particularly as one having a spe- cial knowledge, due to his practical forester and en- gineering experience, of the greatest value to anyone seeking his professional services.

In 1912, Mr. Gilmore was married, at Visalia, to Miss Helen Swain, a native daughter from Kern County, whose brilliant career as a student led her to become a successful land attorney. In politics she is a Republican, and she is president of the Woman's Council of Sacramento. Mr. Gilmore votes with the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are fond of outdoor life, and do what they can toward the great work of conserving the resources of the state and the protecting of natural life. Mr. Gilmore is a Scottish Rite Mason, and a member of the Sacramento County and California state bar associations.

WILLIAM A. RAPP .- A busy, capable and ener- getic business man of Sacramento is William A. Rapp, the owner and proprietor of William A. Rapp & Company, manufacturers of fine window shades; he first established his business in 1917, and during the six years that he has operated his business he has been obliged to move three times in order to get sufficient space for his rapidly increasing business. He is one of California's native sons, born in Los Angeles, December 5, 1890, a son of William and Sarah (Preisser) Rapp. William Rapp came around the Horn to California in 1870 and located in south- ern California; the mother, in maidenhood Sarah Preis- ser, was born in Placer County. Grandfather Preis- ser was a pioneer and hauled the first load of granite for the Folsom state prison. William A. Rapp was educated in the public schools of Los Angeles and after his graduation from high school engaged in the window shade business, being with Talbert-Whitmore Company, manufacturers of shade cloth, for four- teen years. In August, 1917. he first established his

938

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

business in Sacramento on Sixth Street. U'ndoubtedly a large share of his success is due to his faith in the future of the city of Sacramento, which is at all times apparent. and substantiated by his ownership of a home in the capital city. The products of the Will- iam A. Rapp Company are sent as far East as Mon- tana and also shipped to Honolulu and far north in Oregon and Washington. Mr. Rapp is a director and vice-president of the Fred L. Meneley Company, Inc., manufacturers of shade cloth and window shades in Los Angeles.

The marriage of Mr. Rapp united him with Miss Ida Fredrickson, of Idaho, and they are the parents of three children: Wayne and Thayer, twins, and Audra. Mr. Rapp is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Ben Ali Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Sacramento. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club.

CHESTER F. GANNON .- Sacramento County is justly proud of her rising attorneys, as well she may be, considering the careers of such prospective bench timber as Chester F. Gannon, whose suite of offices, in the Capital National Bank Building, are among the busiest centers in Sacramento. He was born at Truckee, which may account for his natural attitude toward all things Californian, secing the light for the first time there on April 19, 1887, the son of George and Mary (Best) Gannon. The former came to the Golden State in 1880, while the mother was a native daughter. Both are still living, enjoying the fruits of their former years of honest labor, and able to see the great strides marking California's movement along the path of progress.

Chester F. Gannon attended the public schools of Sacramento, to which city the family had removed when he was young, enjoying also the high school courses. Having secured a post in the county re- corder's office, he studied law and was admitted to practice in the courts of California in 1915. He was ready to do the best of service in the walks of peace and prosperity, but when the Great War broke out. he enlisted in the United States Army, to spend fif- teen months in the Infantry. He was in the officers' training camp when the armistice was signed. He then returned to Sacramento to resume the practice of his profession. Mr. Gannon is the attorney for the California state board of pharmacy, in prosecuting all narcotic drug cases tried in Sacramento County. He is also assistant city prosecutor. He belongs to the Native Sons of the Golden West and to the Amer- ican Legion, of which he is a past commander, the Elks and K of P.'s; and in national political affairs, he seeks to improve good citizenship under the ban- ners of the Republican party.

In 1921, and at Sacramento, Mr. Gannon was mar- ried to Miss Ruth Oakley, of Sacramento, the daugh- ter of Paul Oakley, the well-known hardware mer- chant of that city, and both Mr. and Mrs. Gannon arc among the popular frequenters of the circles of the Elks, in which he is a member, and both are alive to every opportunity to show their devotion to Sacra- mento.

Mr. Gannon was at one time rather famous as an amateur athlete, and now boasts of many medals showing his prowess in track and field events. One of these is for a national championship, won at Chicago in 1913; while another trophy such as anyone might prize was won at the National Track and Field Cham-

pionships held in conjunction with the Panama-Paci- fic Exposition at San Francisco in 1915. He won medals, in fact, whenever he contested in either statc or national contests, and he is very naturally inter- ested in promoting athletics.

EDWARD FLEMING .- A real estate and insur- ance broker of wide experience, to whom many citi- zens of Sacramento are glad to apply both for service and advice, is Edward Fleming, of Messrs. Grit- fith & Company, whose busy offices are at 920 Eighth Street. in the capital city. He was born in County Lenox, Ontario, Canada, on December 21, 1870, the son of James and Mary (Cronin) Fleming, substan- tial and worthy folk who, having rounded out prac- tical useful lives, now rest from their labors.

Edward Fleming attended the excellent Canadian schools, and then learned the trade of the carriage blacksmith and wood-worker, which he followed until he came to California, in 1917. Prior to coming out to the Golden State, he passed some years in Detroit, and on July 1 he reached the Coast. Being a man of experience and much resource, Mr. Fleming was not long in getting his bearings; and he has been identified with the Griffith Company for the past five or six years. Sacramento, city and county, have wel- comed him and patronized his service; and it is nat- ural that he should be enthusiastically devoted to both, interested in the historic past, and confident as to the promising future of this portion of the state. He is a Democrat, which means that he heartily sup- ports the nation, and the best interests of the Golden State.

In 1900, Mr. Fleming was married to Miss Jane Rankin, born in Canada, who is thankful that she has come to reside in California. Mr. Fleming is a mem- ber of the Woodmen of the World. He is ever ready to extend a helpful hand to all who need the proper kind of guidance when they settle here to enjoy a bit of earth's paradise.

HYMAN W. ZAGOREN .- A successful attorney whose knowledge of the law, together with his in- valuable experience, has enabled him to add lustre to the history of the California bar in Sacramento County, is Hyman W. Zagoren, located in the Farm- ers & Mechanics Bank Building, Sacramento. He is a native of the Empire State, where he was born, in New York City, on May 21, 1891, the son of Charles and Sarah Zagoren, his father being a business man who came West to San Francisco, and settled in the bay city. As a consequence, Hyman attended the San Francisco public schools, until his father and mother removed to Sacramento, where he availed him- self of the business college courses in the evening school.

Our subject meanwhile worked for J. Stoll, and as a boy entered the law office of Devlin & Devlin, getting the sum of $2.50 per week for his services.

He was next with White & Miller, and then with George & Hinsdale, seven years in all, and during all this time he was studying law, and with such suc- cess that he was admitetd to the bar, on February 25, 1915. Since 1916, Mr. Zagoren has been practicing law for himself, in which he has enjoyed a reasonable measure of success. He is a loyal Republican; but his intelligence and patriotism prevent him from with- holding generous support to any non-partisan, well- directed effort to endorse good men and good meas-

939

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ures, especially such as have to do with local issues and local conditions.

In 1913, when at San Francisco, Mr. Zagoren was married to Miss Alice Miller, a daughter of Henry Miller, of San Francisco, and their union has resulted in the birth of two sons, Walter H. and Todd Charles Zagoren. Mr. Zagoren is a member of the Order of Elks.

ANDREW CRUIKSHANKS .- An efficient execu- tive whose wide experience has proven of inestimable value both to the corporate interests he represents and also to the many persons, often in sorrow and per- plexity, with whom he has to deal, is Andrew Cruik- shanks, the affable, accommodating and popular: super- intendent of the East Lawn Cemetery at Sacramento. He was born in the city of Belfast, province of Ulster. Ireland, on October 30, 1874, the son of Hugh and Helen (Davis) Cruikshanks, of Scotch descent, both of whom, after lives exceptionally useful and honor- able, are now deceased.

Our subject attended the excellent schools of Belfast, enjoying the advantages of the national system, and when old enough to do so, he took up bookkeeping. In 1911, however, he found the prospects of life and work in America more attractive than ledgers, and he came out to the United States and California, and located in the city of supreme attraction, Sacramento. For six months he was a special correspondent for the Wein- stock-Lubin Company, and then in 1912 he became bookkeeper for the East Lawn Cemetery Association. He was also made assistant secretary, and in that capacity rounded out his three years with the com- pany.

In 1915, Mr. Cruikshanks was appointed superintend- ent of the cemetery and its nursery, with the most greenhouses in northern California, and he has ren- dered great service to all interested. In his care of this resting place of the dead, he is ever mindful of the future of Sacramento County as well as the past. He is a Royal Arch Mason, but his sympathies and interests, as befits one in his responsible station, are universal.

In Larne, Ulster, in the year f900, Mr. Cruikshanks was married to Miss Agnes Whiteside, also a native of Ireland; and their union has been made happier by the birth of three children, Hester, Andrew N., and Vivian Eileen.

JAMES JOSEPH O'CONNOR .- Among the na- tive sons of California, a worthy representative of the O'Connor family is James Joseph O'Connor, the son of John and Rose ( Dolan) O'Connor. He was born September 4, 1896, at San Francisco. John O'Connor came to California in 1881 and engaged in the grocery business, and at the present time is con- nected with the police department.

James Joseph O'Connor was educated in the public and high schools of San Francisco, and studied law for one year. He was employed as a clerk in the W. B. Allen Company, and the Pacific Hardware & Steel Company, until he became connected with the Dolan Wrecking Company. He enlisted in the United States Auxiliary Naval Reserve on May 29, 1918, and saw eight months' service during the World War, and re- ceived his release from active service in March, 1959. On his return, he obtained his former position with the Dolan Wrecking Company. Early in 1920, he joined with Dan P. Dolan, located on Mission Street,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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, 1923, Part 139

Author: Reed, G. Walter Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1026

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026