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 57

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

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CHARLES LUMBARD .- Prominent among the most efficient and proficient accountants in northern California may well be numbered Messrs. Lumbard & Dolge, of Sacramento whose senior member, Charles Lumbard, is the subject of this review. He was born in Wheatland, California, on April 13, 1883, the son of William Lumbard, an Englishman who came to California from England in 1870. He bc- came cashier in the Farmers Bank of Wheatland, and remained in that responsible position until he died, in 1919. He had married in Wheatland, Miss Julia Holland, and she passed away, in 1896.

Charles Lumbard attended the grammar and high schools of Sacramento, from which he was graduated with credit, and for three years he pursued special work in accounting at the University of California. Next he became a certified public accountant of the State of California, and came to Sacramento in 1896. He was connected with the D. O. Mills Bank from 1903 to 1912, and was auditor of the Fort Sutter Bank for a short time. He started public practice August 1, 1912, first with Roy W. Blair, in the firm of Lumbard & Blair, and then, beginning January, 1919, with William Dolge, in the firm mentioned above. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, and has been secretary of the Rotary Club since its organization in September, 1913. He became a member of the University Club soon after its organization and served as its secretary, and later as its president for one year.

On April 1, 1918, Mr. Lumbard was married to Emily Gladys Gillis, the daughter of James Gillis, who was for years State Librarian; and Emily Char- lotte is the one child of this happy union. Mr. Lum- bard belongs to the Sutter Club and the Del Paso

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Country Club; he is an enthusiast for lawn tennis, and for two years, or from 1904 to 1906, he held the championship and was manager of tennis at the Uni- versity of California. He served as vice-president of the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club. For two years he was in training with the University of California cadets, and during the war he was active in various drives.

MRS. ADA L. OSGOOD .- Among the honored pioneers of Fair Oaks is numbered Mrs. Ada L. Os- good, who for twenty-seven years has made her home in the village; and there is no phase of its history with which she is not familiar. She was born in Winneshiek County, Iowa, September 12, 1863, the eldest daughter of Horace and Caroline C. (Taber) Williams, the former a native of New York and the latter of Vermont. Mrs. Osgood has an interesting genealogy of the Taber family, which was compiled by Russell Taber and shows that the American progenitor of the name left his home in England in the year 1634 and settled in Massachusetts.

Ada L. Williams was reared and educated in her native state, where her parents were among the early settlers. On December 31, 1881, she married Samuel I. Osgood, who was born in New York State, Novem- ber 17, 1851, a son of Daniel and Prudence (Darrow) Osgood, who were also natives of the Empire State, whence they removed to Minnesota in an early day. For some time Samuel I. Osgood engaged in car- pentering in Iowa, and later took up the occupation of farming, which he there followed until 1896, when he came with his family to Caifornia, establishing his home in Fair Oaks soon after that colony was founded. He purchased a ten-acre ranch, and his attention and effort were concentrated upon the development and improvement of that property until his demise, which occurred on January 15, 1910. He was honorable and straightforward in his business dealings, loyal and progressive in matters of citizenship, and true to the ties of home and friendship. He stood high in the community, and his loss was deeply regretted by all who knew him. His father, Daniel Osgood, made his home with the family during his later years, passing away on July 19, 1914. Two children were born to Samuel I. and Ada L. Osgood: Carrie, who married DeWitt Rice and has two children, Iva and Daniel; and Ethel, the wife of Bertram R. Kerns, of Fair Oaks.

Mrs. Osgood is a good business woman, and since her husband's death has sold a portion of the ranch, which will be utilized for commercial purposes. She is a member of the Fair Oaks Parent-Teacher's Asso- ciation and devotes much time to church work, in which she takes an active and helpful part. She has many friends in Fair Oaks, where she has so long resided; and she has watched with interest the work of upbuilding and improvement, rejoicing in what has been accomplished.

EDWARD A. RILEY .- A rancher whose methods have long been a source of interest to his neighbors and friends, is Edward A. Riley, who lives and oper- ates about eight miles northeast of Galt. He is a native son, and as such has always been very devoted to California; having been born at Sacramento on May 7, 1854, the son of Peter and Margaret (Clark) Riley, the former a native of County Cavan, Ireland, who as a young lad came to Boston and there was reared, while he learned the blacksmith and car-

riage-making trade. In 1849, he came out to Cali- fornia, by way of the Panama route, and at Michi- gan Bar he went into the mines. It was when he returned to New York from California that he was married; and in 1851 he returned to California with his bride and settled in Sacramento City. He joined with a man named Hayes in forming a co-partner- ship under the firm name of Hayes & Riley, to do a blacksmithing business, and they had a shop at the corner of 11th and J Streets, where the Native Sons building now stands; and they were widely known for their expert workmanship and the honesty of their methods. Mr. Riley died at the rather early age of forty-five, having already accomplished an immense amount of hard work; and Mrs. Riley passed away in her fifty-seventh year. In the autumn of 1854, Mr. Riley gave up blacksmithing and settled on 500 acres about five miles north of Galt; and there he lived for the rest of his days, the father of five children, among whom our subject was the second in the order of birth. Augusta, the eldest, is deceased; Edward A. is our subject; and John, Mary Ellen and Thomas P. are all deceased. The latter married and left four children; Alice, Nellie, Eva and Thomas E.

Edward A. attended the Hicksville district school, and also a school in San Francisco; and after his father's death, he lived with his mother until she died. Of the original land purchased by his father, Edward received 204 acres, now lying on the state highway; and he later sold 100 acres, so that he to- day owns 104 acres situated on the east side of the state highway, eight miles north of Galt. At Sacra- mento, on October 26, 1881, Mr. Riley was married to Elizabeth Davis, who was born on the Davis ranch, along the Cosumnes River, southeast of Elk Grove, the daughter of David L. and Elizabeth (Mur- ray) Davis. David L. Davis came out to California in 1851, from Cedar County, lowa; he was a native of Ohio, but Mrs. Davis was a native of County Down, Ireland. Mr. Davis mined at first, and later he went to farming on the Cosumnes River, in Sac- ramento County. The worthy parents had twelve children, all of whom proved worthy of their par- entage. John J. resides in Idaho; Mrs. D. S. Wat- kins lives in Sacramento; Mrs. C. H. Cantrell is of Elk Grove; David L. is deceased; Elizabeth, Mrs. Riley, and Phoebe were twins; the latter died aged seventeen months. The others are: William, David L., Alexander Henry, Thomas Napoleon and Jason Hamilton, twins, and Charles Dickinson. There was a school district named after Mr. Davis, and Mrs. Riley when a girl attended this school. Mr. Davis died at the age of seventy-two, and Mrs. Davis breathed her last on May 9, 1921, at the age of eighty-nine.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Riley lived at his old home for three months, and then they pur- chased 218 acres northeast of Hicksville, onto which they moved; these 218 acres were known as the old Chadwick ranch. Mr. Riley did general farming upon it until a few years ago, when he took up stock- raising. He keeps from fifty to 100 head of cattle, and still owns the 104 acres of the home place. Mrs. Riley owns three parcels of land, a sixty-acre piece, and two forty-acre pieces. Mr. Riley is a Democrat and Mrs. Riley is a Republican, but they both sup port the best men and best measures, regardless of party lines.

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CHARLES AUGUST YOERK .- The life history of this late pioneer is of especial interest, in that it tells the early struggles of one who landed in a strange country with very little funds and, after a setback or two, gradually climbed the ladder of suc- cess. Charles August Yoerk, the pioneer butcher of Sacramento, was born in the province of Württem- berg, Germany, and in his native country learned the trade in which he was later so successful in an en- tirely different environment. In 1855, at the age of twenty-four, he came to the United States, and for two years engaged in the butcher business in Phila- delphia.

In 1857 Mr. Yoerk came to California by way of Panama, and after his arrival in Sacramento, went to the mines to try his fortune, as did so many of the pioneers, and with a like result, for he came back to Sacramento "broke." Nothing daunted, he formed a partnership and opened up a butcher shop with Mr. Schwartz, at Seventh and L Streets, under the firm name of Yoerk & Schwartz. After five years together, Mr. Yoerk sold out his interest and returned to Phila- delphia, in 1862, and on June 22, of that year, mar- ried Margaret Lenz, also a native of Württemberg. After two years spent in Philadelphia, during which time their first child, Carrie, was born, the family came to Sacramento and Mr. Yoerk, in partnership with Louis Mohr, opened a butcher shop at Eleventh and J Streets, under the firm name of Mohr & Yoerk; later the store was removed to Eleventh and K Streets and there continued a successful business.

Six children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Yoerk, all except the eldest being natives of Cali- fornia: Carrie; Fred, with Hall, Luhrs & Company, Sacramento; Mrs. Rose Geiser of Berkeley; George P. is the manager of Mohr & Yoerk; August, man- ager of Hall, Luhrs & Company; Mrs. Lulu New- house, of Berkeley; and there are eight grandchil- dren. All of the sons and daughters are interested in the firm of Mohr & Yoerk. Mr. Yoerk was called from his earthly career in August, 1912, and his loss was keenly felt by a host of friends, as well as the members of his devoted family. Fraternally, Mr. Yoerk was a Mason and a member of the Turnverein. He was a member of the German Lutheran Church, and was liberal in his contributions, and he also al- ways stood ready to help other denominations, for he believed the orthodox church was the foundation for obtaining the highest standard of morals and civic righteousness. He was also liberal in support of any worthy cause during the long years of his residence in Sacramento. Since her husband's death, Mrs. Yoerk continues to reside at the family home at 1413 H Street, surrounded by her devoted children, who look after her interests, thus relieving her from any unnecessary worry or care.

Mr. and Mrs. Yoerk were of the old school, gen- erous and kind-hearted, ready at all times to help the needy and afflicted, but all of their benefactions were done in an unostentatious manner. They were greatly endeared to the people of Sacramento, who remem- ber their modest, kindly charities, and unpretentious hospitality and goodness, and keep them in loving remembrance. Mrs. Yoerk, though in her eighty- sixth year, is well and hearty for one of her age, and is well posted on the early days and occurrences. It is a pleasure to know and converse with this inter- esting pioneer woman of Sacramento.

JOHN HILLHOUSE .- Modern agriculture re- quires for its development an efficiency and thorough understanding which amount almost to a science. The truth of this statement is forcibly illustrated in the career of John Hillhouse, manager of the Hill- house orchard ranch at Fair Oaks, which formerly produced an income of less than $600 per annum, but now, owing to his systematic and intelligently directed efforts, has become one of the finest and best-paying properties in this favored region.

Mr. Hillhouse was born at Mineral Point, Wis., February 6, 1849, a son of the late John and Jane (Jackson) Hillhouse, the former a native of Scot- land. In 1849 the father came to California. Leaving his family in the East, he crossed the plains with ox-teams and wagon, arriving at White Rock, Eldo- rado County, six months later. He embarked in general merchandising at Slug Gulch, where he also opened a hotel, and was joined by his family in 1852. Mr. Hillhouse was very successful in both ventures, but owing to his easy-going methods and implicit trust in those with whom he dealt, his affairs became badly involved, so that at his death his widow was left with very limited means. A large number of miners had purchased merchandise at the store for which they had never paid, and the outstanding ac- counts amounted to about $8,000. Mrs. Hillhouse started out on horseback to collect this sum, but was unsuccessful, returning after many days with but a few dollars, all that was ever realized from the estate; and so the mother found it a difficult task to care for herself and her two sons. In 1872 she removed with her children to Brownsville, and later became a resident of Sacramento, where she cou- tinued to live until her demise in 1892, at the ad- vanced age of eighty-two years. She was devoted to the welfare of her family, and her admirable traits of character won for her the high regard of many friends.

The public schools at Indian Diggings afforded John Hillhouse his educational privileges, and fol- lowing the removal of the family to Brownsville he there engaged in placer and quartz mining. After following mining for some years he decided to take up a trade, and for some time worked as a moulder in the Sutter Creek Foundry, under Frank Tibbetts. In 1875 he made his way to Sacramento and secured employment in the shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, working under A. J. Stevens, master mechanic. His fidelity and ability won him promotion to the position of assistant foreman of the car-wheel foundry, which he filled until 1903, when he tendered his resignation. As a testimonial of their esteem the men at the shops presented Mr. Hillhouse with a fine watch and charm, and in ac- cepting the gift he said in part: "Thank you. I now lay down the wheels of transit and take with me the wheels of time."

Since severing his connection with the Southern Pacific, Mr. Hillhouse has given his entire time to the management of the twenty-acre orchard of which his wife is the owner. It is situated on Sunset Ave- nue, in Fair Oaks, and was originally a portion of the Vehmieyer estate of eighty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Hillhouse occupy that part of the property on which stood the home, and theirs is regarded as one of the show places of this section of the valley. Lemon trees have been replaced by prunes and almonds, and by hard work and careful study of the state and

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county horticultural journals, Mr. Hillhouse has transformed the tract into a most desirable and val- uable property.

In 1872 Mr. Hillhouse returned to Wisconsin and was there married to Miss Martha Jacka, a native of Wisconsin, born January 6, 1851. She passed away at Sacramento in 1896, leaving the following chil- dren: John, who is city clerk at Healdsburg, Sono- ma County; Mrs. Mable A. Greenlaw, of Spreckels, Monterey County; Martha, now deccased; Mrs. Ada J. Vincent, of Alpaugh, Tulare County; Frank, also deceased, who followed a seafaring life for twenty years; Mrs. Myrtle I. Howiey, of Klamath Falls, Ore .: and Clarence, manager of the Sixth Avenue branch of the Mercantile Trust Company of Califor- nia in San Francisco. There are also seven grand- children. For his second wife Mr. Hillhouse chose Mrs. Martha J. (McGee) Williams, whom he married at Sacramento on the 4th of August, 1897. She was born near Independence, Mo., January 13, 1851, and her parents were John F. and Elizabeth Margaret (Shelton) McGee. The father was born in Missouri in 1823, and the mother's birth occurred in Tennes- see in 1828. They crossed the plains with ox-teams and wagons in 1853, and after reaching California established their home at Beals Bar, near Folsom. They had many head of stock and supplied the miners with milk in the early days. Later the father also engaged in mining at Beals Bar. Mr. and Mrs. McGee had a family of six children, of whom Martha J. was the eldest. In 1868, at Placerville, Cal., she was married to John R. Williams, the ceremony being performed by Rev. C. C. Pierce. Mr. Williams was a native of North Carolina, and in 1866 came to the Golden State, where he became interested in mining operations. He passed away in 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were the parents of five children: Edwin A., of San Francisco; Mrs. Laura W. Mckenzie, of Chico, Cal .; Luella, the widow of J. A. Wilson and a resident of Sacramento; Mattie V., the wife of E. C. Phoenix, of Fair Oaks; and Mrs. Mable Dor- man of Sacramento.

Mr. and Mrs. Hillhouse are earnest and consist- ent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their deep interest in the welfare of their fellow- men has found expression in practical benevolent work, and Mrs. Hillhouse recently gave a large sub- scription to the College of the Pacific, thus aiding in promoting the educational advancement of her state. She has always taken an active part in tem- perance work, as did also her mother before her. She owns real estate in Sacramento, in addition to her Fair Oaks ranch, and is loyal to the interests of her community, county and commonwealth. Mr. Hillhouse is a Republican in his political views, but is not bound by the narrow ties of partisanship, sup- porting the candidate whom he regards as best quali- fied for office when local issues are at stake. He is identified with Sutter Creek Lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, which he joined on the 28th of April, 1875, and is numbered among its oldest and most valued members. He brings to his horticultural pursuits an intelligent, open and liberal mind and a keen interest in modern agricultural de- velopment, and combines in his. character all of the qualities of a useful and desirable citizen.

ALEXANDER BROWN. - Sacramento County may well be proud of its captains of industry and finance, prominent among whom is Alexander Brown, who was born at Portsmouth, N. H., and has more than made good, with typical Yankee enterprise, in the Golden State of his adoption. He first saw light on March 10, 1849, when thousands were seeking to find the Land of Gold. His parents were John and Agnes (Robinson) Brown, both natives of Renark, Scotland. The father came to the United States when a young man, and engaged in weaving, having a fac- tory at Portsmouth; and there he died, in 1858, at the early age of thirty-three. The brave widowed mother brought the family to San Francisco, but re- turned again to the East a few years later, and settled at Lawrence, Mass. The lure of California, however, brought her out to San Francisco again in 1866, and since then the Browns have remained in California. There were six children in the family, but only two are living. Agnes, John and Marian are deceased; Alexander is the subject of our story; Christina is Mrs. Drury of Oakland, and is a widow; William is also deccased.

Alexander Brown went to school until he was twelve years old, and then, when old and strong enough to work, he struck out for himself. He was reared at Lawrence until he was fifteen, getting his "keep" for work in a grocery store, there laying, in his apprenticeship, the foundation for that later ex- perience which enabled him to become such an im- portant man of affairs. In San Francisco, he found odd jobs until 1879, when his mother, a remarkable woman, moved to Walnut Grove. There she con- ducted a hotel, assisted by Alexander. She died at the age of eighty-three, mourned by the many who had come to love her and respect her worth. In 1881, Mr. Brown embarked in the general merchandise business for himself, at Walnut Grove, and this proved also a stepping-stone for him to advance to other and larger things. In 1921, Nelson Barry took over the business he had until then conducted so well.

Mr. Brown soon tried his hand at farming, buying 6,000 acres in Stony Creek Valley. The property was then a stock farm, with some land very valuable for general farming; and he still owns this acreage and has brought it to a high state of improvement. From 700 to 1,000 head of cattle are kept on this ranch, which is irrigated in part from the waters of Stony Creek. From time to time, he has also acquired vari- ous other parcels of land in the Sacramento River delta, and he has 100 acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Walnut Grove. He owns 1,200 acres on Tyler Island, and 240 acres on Grand Island, back of Ryde. He also leased 1,200 acres of land on Tyler Island, devoted to the raising of asparagus; of his 1,600 acres of delta land, only about fifty acres are given to fruit, and the balance is devoted to aspara- gus and truck-garden stuff. He does not irrigate his delta land to any great extent, but relies more on intensified cultivation.

Mr. Brown built and owns his own packing-house for the packing of asparagus, and is the largest indi- vidual grower of asparagus in California, if not in the United States. He cither owns or leases 2,700 acres devoted to the growing of this choice edible, and employs in the packing-shed from forty to 150 men, according to the season's run. He is also the largest individual shipper of asparagus in California,

alex Mowry

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and sends to the New York market, through E. A. Myers & Company, commission merchants of New York City, from ten to fifty-two cars of green aspar- agus each season. He is also one of the earliest shippers to the Eastern market. He owns and oper- ates two tow-boats on the Sacramento River, and thus hauls asparagus and fruit to market. And he uses many trucks in conducting his asparagus trade.

Mr. Brown is the founder of the Bank of Alexander Brown, of Walnut Grove, of which he has been presi- dent since its beginning, in 1914, when he erected the bank building; and in 1915 he purchased the business block in which he conducted his general merchandise business. The new Walnut Grove Hotel was one year in building, and in 1918 it was finished at a cost of $120.000. for building and furniture. It is built of the best red brick obtainable, is a handsome structure, and is also the most modern and the largest hotel on the river. Mr. Brown built, and leases out, fourteen cottages directly back of the bank building. He built and owns the two water-systems of Walnut Grove, one supplying Jap-town and China-town, and the other supplying the American settlement. He also has fire-fighting apparatus for the town. He is a director of the California National Bank of Com- merce, and is both able and disposed to further, in matters of important financial venture, the best inter- ests of Walnut Grove, both locally and as relating to her commerce with the outside world. A Repub- lican in his preference for political platforms, tradi- tions and leaders, Mr. Brown is most democratic in his relations to those having business dealings with him. One of his business methods is so eminently characteristic of the man as to merit mention here. Instead of hiring men outright to work his lands, he leases the various acreages to tenants on a crop- share basis, thus guaranteeing a cooperative interest on the part of the men tilling the soil and cultivating its products.

Mr. Brown was married at San Francisco, on Feb- ruary 3, 1871. to Miss Kate Stanford, who was born in Placer County, the daughter of Charles P. and Helen Stanford-the former a cousin of Leland Stan- ford, promoter, governor and founder of Stanford University. Charles P. Stanford moved to San Fran- cisco, where the Stanford home was established. and Mrs. Brown enjoyed the educational advantages of that cosmopolitan center. Charles P. Stanford was a mining and lumber-mill man, and had interests in various parts of the state. Six children blessed this union of Mr. and Mrs. Brown, of whom only two are now living; and there are thirteen grandchildren. Lottie died in infancy. John is now the manager of his father's bank. Arthur is associated with his fa- ther in Walnut Grove. Frank E. is deceased, as are also Helen (Mrs. Durbin), and Alexander R., who passed away in 1918, a victim to the influenza .. The son John has four children: Stanford B., John. Jeanette and Hubert: Arthur has two children. Myron M. and Kathryn; two children gave joy to the late Mrs. Durbin: Jean and Robert; and Frank E., Jr., bears the honored name of his late father: while Alexander R., previous to his demise, had four children: Josephine, Christine, Alexander and Nora. Mr. Brown is a great "home-body," and associated all of his family with him, in some capacity or other. until their demise, giving each the best and most promising berth at his command, and doing what he could to develop their lives so that living might

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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 57

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