USA > California > San Bernardino County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume II > Part 46
USA > California > Riverside County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume II > Part 46
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John H. Simonds came to California in 1890, and Dr. Simonds. then a young boy, accompanied him. He commenced his education in the public schools of Pontiac, Michigan. In California he attended Napa
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College, taking the academic course. He then majored in science in the University of Denver, Colorado, and coming back to California, was gradu- ated from the University of California with the degree of M. D., class of 1908.
In his first practice, which was in Los Angeles, he was associated with Dr. Stanley T. Black for four years. He than located in Hemet, River- side County, where he practiced successfully until 1916, when he decided to make his permanent home in Riverside City, where he since practiced continuously. He is a most loyal citizen and always ready to work for anything which will be of material advantage to his home city.
Dr. Simonds is a member of the American Congress on Internal Med- icine ; of the American Medical Association ; of the California State Medi- cal Association and the Southern California Medical Association. He is secretary-treasurer of the Riverside County Medical Society and is a delegate to the State Society, which meets in San Diego in May, 1921.
He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a past noble grand of Hemet Lodge. He is also a member of the Fraternal Brotherhood. He was a charter member of the famous National Guard, Denver City Troop, of Colorado, to which it is a great distinction to have belonged. He was a first corporal for three years, 1896-1899, and saw real service, notably during the Leadville strike.
Dr. Simonds was the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board No. I, covering San Bernardino, Riverside County and Imperial County, dur- ing the period of the World war, with headquarters in San Bernardino, a board which was of no small aid to the Government.
On account of his health Dr. Simonds has ranched quite a little both in Colorado and Southern California. He is a nature lover, an en- tomologist and naturalist, and he has quite a fine collection of insects, which he enjoys collecting. His chief pleasure though is in birds and in butterflies.
Dr. Simonds is considered an unusually fine singer, his voice being a beautiful barytone, and he sings now in the choir of the First Congrega- tional Church. He is also an accomplished violoncellist, and for six years played that instrument in the orchestra of the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, being first cellist. Being very fond of music, he has culti- vated his talent in both vocal and instrumental music.
Dr. Simonds is the father of two children: William and Catherine, both of whom are students.
ALBERT S. MEAD was trained as a technological engineer, was for a time a teacher, also trained himself for foreign missionary service, was with the Y. M. C. A. in France for some months during the war, but in Riverside is best known as one of the members of the city's leading real estate and insurance organizations, the Riverside Realty Company, Incorporated.
Mr. Mead was born at Atlanta, Georgia, March 4, 1880, but is of New England ancestry. His father was a Union soldier, while his mother, still living at Riverside, is the daughter of a Confederate soldier and a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy. He is of English descent, the family having settled in Connecticut in pioneer times. He had two or three ancestors in the Revolutionary war. Calvin Mead by four enlist- ments served as a private during the Revolution under Captain Matthew Mead, Colonel John Mead, Captain Isaac Howe Lawrence and Captain Isaac Lockwood. One of Mr. Mead's ancestors was a niece of Oliver Goldsmith. His great-great-aunt was a niece of the Lord Mayor of Lon- don. One of his great-grandfathers was a New York editor, owner of the
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Gazette, afterward the New York Advertiser and later the New York Globe. Horace Greeley received his training as a printer in that office.
The Meads came originally from Cowfold and Bolney, England. The great-great-grandfather of Albert S. Mead was once a preacher in Lady Huntington's Chapel at Bath, England.
The grandfather of Albert S. Mead earned high distinction as an educator. He was president of Oglethorpe University in Georgia, founded during the thirties, an institution that enjoyed a high rank for a number of years, until after the Civil war. His most famous student was the South's greatest poet and man of letters, Sidney Lanier. Leaving the South just before the outbreak of the Civil war grandfather Mead sub- sequently conducted a high class private school at Morristown, New Jersey.
Eugene N. Mead, father of the Riverside business man, was also born in Georgia, but returned to Connecticut with his parents when he was six years of age. As a Union soldier he was in the Thirty-ninth New Jersey Infantry, serving actively nine months, participating in two battles, and spent seven months in hospital. After the war he was a buisness man, and he died at Sierra Madre, California, in 1915.
A. S. Mead's mother was of the Wynne family. Her brother Fred Wynne was color bearer on Joe Wheeler's staff in the Civil war.
Albert S. Mead was the first honor man ever graduated in the textile course south of Mason and Dixon's line. He received the degree B. S. T. E. from the University of Georgia in 1901. He had prepared for college in private schools. This was the first class ever graduated in textile engineering, and Mr. Mead was the first man to receive a medal as first honor man in that division. He began teaching at the age of twenty-one, and was connected with the School of Technology two years. In 1899 he was on the survey of a line of railroad owned by the Southern Railway from Marysville, Kentucky, to the Cumberland Mountains. In 1903 he came to Monterey, California, spending one year recuperating. In 1905 he left Monterey for San Anselmo, Marine County, California, where he entered the Presbyterian Theological Seminary with the inten- tion of preparing for foreign missionary service in China. He remained in the seminary two years and had charge of the church at Bolinas. As a result of overwork he was sent South, to Long Beach, and from there to Sierra Madre, where he was engaged in the real estate business until 1914. He was the secretary and later president of the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce.
Coming to Riverside in June, 1914, Mr. Mead resumed the real estate business and is vice president and general manager of the Riverside Realty Company, Incorporated. During the year 1921, the Riverside Mortgage Company, a financing corporation was incorporated with Mr. Mead as vice president and general manager. G. E. Dole is secretary. It is the largest organization of its kind in Riverside, handling general real estate, loans and insurance. During the first ten months of 1920 more than half a million dollars worth of real estate was sold through this organization. At the beginning of the World war of the four men active in the office of the company three entered the service.
Mr. Mead joined the Y. M. C. A. work, and was in the Training Service in Paris, France, and later was put in charge of the Y. M. C. A. Information Department for the whole of Paris. Before assuming the duties of this office he contracted pneumonia, and was sent home in June, 1918. He contracted his illness in France at the Cathedral of Rheims. Mr. Mead at one time sold his home in California for the purpose of going to China in the interest of Mrs. Russell Sage, as busi-
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ness manager of two mission stations and supervising engineer for the erection of colleges at Hang Chow. On his first preliminary medical ยท examination he was disqualified for disability.
August 30, 1904, Mr. Mead married Miss Susie Hunter, of Louis- ville, Georgia, daughter of a prominent attorney, Edward Hunter, who at one time was professor of mathematics in the University of Georgia. She comes of three generations of Meachers. One of her granfathers was a surgeon and a Confederate soldier who died from wounds received in battle. Mr. Mead's ancestors came to this country in 1707. Her mother and two sisters are Daughters of the American Revolution and Mrs. Mead has recently qualified for membership in that order. She is of English and Irish-Scotch descent. Some of her ancestors were among the founders of Georgia, who came over with Oglethorpe.
Mr. and Mrs. Mead have four children: Elizabeth and Hunter, high school students at Riverside; Susan, also in school; and Eugene West. Mr. Mead is affiliated with the Masonic order, the college fraternity Sigma Nu, the Kiwanis Club at Riverside, is vice president of the River- side Realty Board, and is superintendent of the Sunday School of the Congregational Church.
H. S. DENICK has been a resident of Riverside thirteen years. He came to Southern California with a prospect of three months' vacation here. He fell in love with Riverside, the city beautiful, and, having ar- ranged to his advantage a business transaction, has remained here per- manently and is one of the most successful of Riverside's real estate men.
Mr. Denick is a native of New York State, where the family has lived from the colonization of that Province by the Holland Dutch. His father, James Denick, spent his active life as a farmer in New York, was also a merchant and a school teacher. The mother of Mr. Denick was Emeline Sidman, a native of New York. Some of her ancestors came from France with Lafayette. Her great-grandfather was a guard to General Washington, showing the passes over the highlands of New York to a point where the British were entrenched in the Ramapo Moun- tains. This service enabled General Washington to keep his advantage in the subsequent conflict with that part of the British Army.
H. S. Denick was educated in the public schools of Cayuga and Os- wego counties, New York. After leaving school he spent some years as a grower and purchaser for a large tobacco firm, and for a large part of that time was growing tobacco for tobacco handling concerns in New York, one of which, Schoverling & Company, dealt in leaf tobacco to the extent of twenty-two hundred cases per year. Following that for several years Mr. Denick sold grass and grain cutting machinery with an agency at Fulton, New York.
He gave up that business in 1907, and on January 6, 1908, left for California. While at Riverside he effected an exchange of some of his New York property for some local property owned by George Frost. This enabled him to locate permanently at Riverside, and ever since he has been engaged in the real estate business. He handles general real estate, largely city property, but also some orange groves and alfalfa ranches. He platted one highly attractive and profitable subdivision, the Richard Sub- division in the Magnolia district.
Mr. Denick is a member of the Realty Board. He is a democrat, but has never looked to politics for any personal advantage. He attends the Congregational Church. Mr. Denick married Miss Josephine Pooler, daughter of Joseph Pooler. She is a native of New York State. This
Vol. 11-21
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is an old American family of English descent. Some of her uncles were soldiers in the Civil war.
BYRON W. ALLEN-In the years succeeding every great war this country has experienced a remarkable growth and development, and the causes for this are apparent. In the first place after a man has risked his life in behalf of his country he takes more interest in its welfare and is not willing to have his civic duties performed for him. The careful training and discipline of military service oftentimes devel- ops latent capabilities which when released in private life result in awakening to new possibilities for individual progress. The love of change and need for excitement are other contributing forces which urge the returned soldier to get out of the rut of the common- place and accomplish something worth recording. Judging, therefore. the future by the light of the past it is safe to predict for the United States during the next decade, once the distressing problems of the reconstruction period are solved and an adjustment is made to nor- malcy, a prosperity never before reached. In some of the Western states where there is more room for growth and new openings for the young men of the period this awakening is already very noticeable. One of the returned soldiers of the World war who is making his name known and his influence felt in industrial circles in San Bernardino County is Lieut. Col. Byron W. Allen, manufacturer of iron and steel products, whose plant is the largest of its kind in the interior of South- ern California.
Byron W. Allen was born at Homer, Michigan, June 17, 1880, a son of Oliver A. and Rose (Knapp) Allen. Oliver A. Allen was born at Chardon. Geauga County. Ohio, October 5. 1850, a son of Ira and Rebecca (Calkins) Allen. When a child Oliver A. Allen was taken to Homer, Michigan, by his parents, and there he was reared, and there he attended the public schools. He learned the trade of a blacksmith, which calling was followed by his father, grandfather and other members of his immediate family. In 1884 he came to San Bernardino, California, and for three years worked at his trade for a Mr. Lehman. At the expiration of that period he purchased the busi- ness, and developed it into a very large industrial plant, now owned and operated by his son, Colonel Allen. The latter has photographs showing the original equipment when his father bought the business, and the present plant. These illustrations conclusively prove that staying with and properly developing a business is a paying project. Oliver A. Allen continued to conduct his plant until his death, and became one of the constructive factors of this region. Oliver A. Allen married Miss Rose Knapp, who was born at Albion, Michigan, Sep- tember 20, 1850, and died at San Bernardino in November, 1889, leaving two small children, Edna and Colonel Allen. Subsequently Mr. Allen married Miss Sarah Hiller of Litchfield, Michigan. Frater- nally Mr. Allen was a Mason. For some years he was a valued member of the San Bernardino Board of Trade.
Colonel Allen attended the public schools of San Bernardino and was early taught the dignity of honest labor and the value of thrifty habits. He has grown up in his father's business, and since returning from the World war has devoted his attention and interest to its further expansion and proper conduct. He is a man of many interests and maintains membership with the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. Fraternally he belongs to the Masons, in which order
Bynow To allew
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he has been raised to the thirty-second degree, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Colonel Allen is married.
For a man of his age Colonel Allen has a most remarkable military experience, and not only was the highest ranking officer in the World war from San Bernardino and Riverside counties, but has had over twenty years' service, fifteen years being spent in the California National Guards and five years in the United States Army.
In 1896, when only sixteen years old, Byron W. Allen enlisted March 16 in Company K, Seventh California Infantry, National Guard. On June 8, 1901, he was commissioned first lieutenant of this company. and September 6, 1910, was commissioned captain. On April 18, 1915, he was commissioned major of his regiment.
During the Spanish-American war, in 1898, Colonel Allen served as sergeant, and was attached to the Eighth United States Infantry, on the Mexican border as captain of his company, and in 1916 he was again on the Mexican Border with the National Guard. During that campaign he was promoted to be major of the Seventh California Infantry.
When this country entered the World war he was major of the California National Guards, and entered the Federal Army with that rank. He was first located at Camp Arcadia, California, where he was given his choice by Anita Baldwin of a saddle horse from her stable of thoroughbreds for his personal use.
On July 31, 1917, he began the field officers' course at the school of musketry at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His record at this school, together with his past military record, was the cause of his being detached from the One Hundred and Sixtieth Infantry and instructed to report to the commanding officer of the Fortieth Division at Camp Kearney, for duty organizing Schools of Instruction and was assigned for duty in the office of the chief of staff.
On October 4, 1917, he was ordered back to the One Hundred and Sixtieth Infantry, and placed in command of the First Battalion. Colonel Allen was appointed divisional machine gun officer, in charge of machine gun instruction, January 2, 1918.
On February 2, 1918, he was again taken from the One Hundred and Sixtieth Infantry and placed in command of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion, in addition to his other duties.
On July 3, 1918, Colonel Allen was relieved from the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Machine Gun Battalion and detailed as divisional ma- chine gun officer.
About this time he submitted to the chief of invention, Department Army War College, a machine gun sight for indirect firing, which the ordnance department made up, and sent to all machine gun centers for testing.
On about August 5 or 6, 1918, Colonel Allen embarked from New York for France, on the Lapland, an English vessel, with a convoy of his division. They arrived at Liverpool, England two weeks later, having taken the Northern route. They went from Liverpool to Winchester by train, and after two weeks stay in the latter city, moved on to Southampton, and from there his division embarked on small vessels, leaving at night for Cherbourg, France. Of necessity they were packed in like sardines in a box. When depth bombs were dropped for their protection from submarines the jar given their vessel was such that, having no knowledge that this was going on, many were at least willing to leave the ship on their arrival at port.
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Two days later they left Cherbourg on "side-door" Pullmans made to accommodate eight horses or forty men. They had marched all day in a driving rain and went aboard this train in their wet clothing, and for two days and nights had very little to eat. At the end of this period they reached La Guerche and one-half of the division was sent on for replacement at the front.
Colonel Allen organized and was made commandant of Base Train- ing School for the Sixth Army Corps. On October 9, 1918, he was sent to report for duty with the inter-allied transport Commission, composed of officers of the allied forces. It was their duty to guard all of the advance zones, and to have charge of all allied transportation of troops and supplies in advanced zones.
In order to co-ordinate all allied means of transportation it was necessary for the purpose of instruction for those in command to be at all active fronts, in consequence of which Colonel Allen was present at all offensive and defensive sectors until the armistice was signed, being under fire at Verdun, St. Mihiel, Somme, Oise-Argonne and others.
He has in his possession a German machine gun that he secured at Somme. and ammunition for it which he annexed at the Argonne Forest offensive.
While with the commission there were weeks at a time that he did not have a drink of water, as it was all unfit for use, and was obliged to quench his thirst, as did the others, with light wines and beer.
After he left the commission Colonel Allen received a personal letter of commendation from Major-General Comday, Sixth Depot Division.
On the morning of November 11, 1918, while on his way to the front on approaching a small village, he and his command met a parade composed of old men, women, boys and girls, all yelling, crying and playing instruments. They had received word that the armistice had been signed. This was the first knowledge that Colonel Allen had that the war was over. They proceeded to invade the village and bought all the flags and bunting to decorate their automobiles, and they did not neglect to kiss all the pretty girls in the store.
As senior member of the American officers he was given option as to whether he should be sent preparatory to his return to the United States, and he chose the Fortieth Division, which was the replace- ment division at Revigny, and was made assistant chief of staff. His command and staff officers, except himself, left for the United States so that he was in command of the rear party to conduct the business of the division headquarters.
On December 29, 1918, he was ordered to Beautran as advance party for his division. His first duties were the making up of train schedules and movement orders for the division, so the different sec- tions could be moved from the various towns in which they were bil- letted to their embarkation point at Bordeaux, and see them on board ship bound for the United States. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry while in France, on Feb. 14, 1918.
On his return to California he was granted a leave of absence for fourteen days. On April 21, 1919, he was attached to the Thirty- second United States Infantry, but was relieved from duty April 29, 1919, in the Thirty-second and assigned to the Twenty-fifth Infantry of Arizona. On May 12, 1919. he was detailed as range officer in Camp Stephen D. Little.
On June 16, 1919, Colonel Allen was detailed as president of the Board of Officers for the purpose of examining provisional officers
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for permanent commissions in the United States Army. For a short time he was in command of the Twenty-fifth United States Infantry.
On september 17, 1919, Colonel Allen was detailed president of special court martial. He was discharged October 25, 1919, with a commission of lieutenant colonel of infantry section Officers Reserve Corps of the United States of America.
Colonel Allen received the following letter from Major-Gen. F. S. Strong :
"Lt .- Col. Bryon W. Allen,
Infantry, U. S. A.
Subject-Commendation.
"The Division Commander desires to express his appreciation of the very efficient manner in which you have performed your duties both as a Machine Gun Battalion Commander and as Divisional Machine Gun Officer.
"Your work in charge of the Divisional Machine Gun School at Camp Kearney was most satisfactory and produced excellent results. It is recognized by all that the high efficiency of the machine gun units of the Division was in a very great measure due to your energy and untiring efforts during the training period and after the Division arrived in France.
"It is to be hoped that your services may be retained in the Regular Establishment.
"The undersigned would consider himself privileged in having you under his command.
"Signed, F. S. Strong, Major General, U. S. A."
Lieut. Col. Allen has a great many medals as souvenirs of his mili- tary service. He returned to San Bernardino in December, 1919, and resumed control of his business. During his absence it had been run- ning under the supervision of his wife and a foreman. It still retains the firm name of Allen & Son Machine Works. He is a firm believer that the San Bernardino district is going to become a great oil producer, and has built extensive additions to the shop to care for this trade in support of his belief.
He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers and of the Rotary Club. He is senior deacon of San Bernardino Lodge No. 348, F. and A. M., and a member of the San Diego Consistory, and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Chamber of Commerce, the Automobile Roads Association and is eligible to the Sons of the American Revolution.
Lieut. Col. Allen married in San Bernardino in July, 1905, Miss Fannie D. Garner, a native of that city and daughter of one of its old and honored residents. They have three children: Jack Garner Allen, a member of the high school, Class of 1922, who is active in school athletics, both track and of the gymnasium, and he was the first young man who made the debating class of the high school. William Atwal Allen, a member of the high school class of 1925, and Byron William Allen, Jr., in infancy.
ADDISON HENRY HOLMES, whose death occurred at Riverside, Cali- fornia, in 1909, was born in Ohio, of English ancestry, and was a repre- sentative of a family that gained pioneer distinction in the vicinity of Akron, Ohio. His paternal grandfather was an early settler in that sec- tion of the Buckeye State, and of this ancestor it is related that in going to church he had to walk over a log which served as a bridge over a stream, and that on one occasion a large bear appeared at the other end, with
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the result that he returned home for his gun and then shot the bear. For this action on Sunday he was expelled from the church, and his wife likewise met the same punitive injustice. The subject of this memoir at- tended school at Greenfield, Pennsylvania, until he was eighteen years old, but two years earlier he had initiated apprenticeship to the trade of harnessmaker. He followed his trade until the Civil war, when he promptly enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, of whose band he was made drum major. He took part in many engagements and was with General Sherman on the historic march from Atlanta to the Sea. After the war he established his home at Akron, Ohio, where for twenty years he was associated with the manufacturing of bottles.
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