History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 130

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660

USA > California > San Joaquin County > History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 130

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On his return home he continued employed there until 1875, when he came to Contra Costa County, Cal., engaging in farming near Antioch until 1883, when he located in Stockton. For four years he followed the building business and then July 21, 1887, entered the postal service as a letter carrier, being

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Philip 86 Burgess

Emma Burgers.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

the first letter carrier sworn in in Stockton Here he continued faithfully doing most efficient work for a period of thirty-three years, when he was retired on a pension. He had been a student of Christian Science for many years and was a very successful practitioner, so after he retired he gave all of his attention to his practice, serving two different periods as second reader at the Christian Science Church. He passed away on May 10, 1922, mourned by his family and many friends, and particularly of Raw- lins Post No. 23, G. A. R., of which he had been a member for thirty-six years.

Mrs. Burgess had for a number of years been in- terested in pension work, aiding the old veterans and widows of veterans to secure pensions, and in 1917 she was admitted to practice before the Department of the Interior at Washington, and since then as pension attorney has practiced here and has been very successful in her work, her office being at her home, 1643 South San Joaquin Street.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Burgess was blessed with three children: Irvin H. died in 1900; Herbert and Dwight E., the latter one of the leading con- tracting painters in this city. They also adopted a niece, Lois E. Burgess, now the wife of Archie C. Toal; they have one child, Vivian Esther. Mrs. Burgess is very prominent in civic and social circles having taken an active part in temperance work in connection with the W. C. T. U., and is a past noble grand of Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 97, Stockton, as well as a member of Rawlins Relief Corps No. 23, and Roosevelt Circle, Ladies of the G. A. R. She is a member of the Christian Science Church and is a stanch Republican.

WILLIAM J. RHOADS .- Among the recog- nized and successful leaders in the realty field of Stockton, William J. Rhoads, of 15 North Cali- fornia Street, is eminent. A native of the great Prairie State, he was born in Pekin, Ill., on Novem- ber 16, 1850, and as a youth started in railroading with the Pekin, Lincoln & Decatur Railroad, now known as the Illinois Central. He was fireman, and then worked his way to be both locomotive enigneer and a master of transportation. In 1874, he made a trip to California, and passed through Stockton on going south, and he worked on the construction of the San Fernando. Tunnel of the Southern Pacific Railroad, under Frank Freitas, general superintend- ent when 4,000 white men, and 10,000 Chinamen were employed on the great work.

Returning to Pekin, Ill., he continued railroading, and later entered the Internal Revenue Department of the United States under President Harrison, act- ing as gauger, and at the defeat of Harrison, in 1892, he resigned and came to California. He intended to locate at Fresno, but on revisiting Stockton, view- ing the waterfront and seeing the heavy shipments of grain and the activity of the place, he perceived that Stockton was destined, in time, to be a large city. He therefore settled here, and here he has ever since had his shoulder to the wheel.

With Oullahan & Adams, he entered the real estate and brokerage business at 108 East Main Street, and after a year with that well-established firm, he set up in business for himself at the corner of Market and San Joaquin streets. He next occu- pied the basement under the Stockton Savings Bank, and at one time William Dudley was his partner. Later, he occupied a store on North Hunter Street.

Some fourteen years ago, he moved to the corner of California and Main strets, and then he came to his present place in the same block, at 15 North Cali- fornia Street, where some of the notable deals in the history of Stockton real estate have been con- summated. For a number of years, and up to death of Mrs. Maria Hubbard, he was agent of the M. S. Hubbard estate. He specializes in country property, nor could anyone be found whose knowledge and word are of more value, in the matter of advice, to the would-be purchaser.

In 1896, Mr. Rhoads made the first subdivision in San Joaquin County-the John Caine Ranch of 160 acres located one and one-half miles east of Man- teca; and having bought the property for $8 per acre, it was put on the market at $25-$5 in cash down, and $5 per year, until the balance was paid. Since that time, Mr. Rhoads has sold land in that same tract at $500 per acre. A few years ago, he also sold, by subdivision, the Sharp Tract of 450 acres east of French Camp, which he offered in five to twenty-acres pieces; and all of this tract he disposed of, save 100 acres including the old home site, which he retained and he made his home for eighteen years and then sold. This ranch was known as the Hedgeside Dairy Ranch.

When Mr. Rhoads married, he chose for his wife, Miss Minnie O'Finley, a native of Union County, Ill. and the daughter of the popular sheriff of that county, who had held that office for twenty-five years, and at one time also county clerk, and prominent generally in political life. Two sons have blessed the union: Samuel is with the California Corrugated Iron and Concrete Company of Oakland, and Wil- liam is in the oil business. There are three grand- children. Mr. Rhoads is a Mason, and belongs to San Joaquin Lodge No. 19 F. & A. M., Stockton Chapter, No. 28 R. A. M., Stockton Commandery, No. 8 K. T. and Aahmes Temple A. A. O. N. M. S. of Oakland. He was made a Scottish Rite Mason April 26, 1887 in Peoria and holds membership with the Peoria Consistory.

HARRY T. FANNING .- Years before the discov- ery of gold in California made this the center of at- traction for men ambitious to gain sudden wealth, H. T. Fanning came to the state for the purpose of making his permanent residence here. He was not only a pioneer of the state, but was as well, one of the first residents of what is now the city of Stockton. Mr. Fanning was a native of Troy, N. Y., born in November, 1819, and was a brother of the late How- ard M. Fanning, also an early settler of Stockton. By way of Cape Horn Mr. Fanning came to California in 1843, and at the time of the breaking-out of the Mexican War he went to the scene of the difficulty and lent his services. He was in Monterey at the time that city was made the first capital of Califor- nia, on June 3, 1843.

After the close of the war Mr. Fanning came to San Joaquin County and engaged in the cattle business in partnership with Captain Weber, driving his cattle from Sacramento to San Jose; and in so doing he passed the section of country which is now the site of the city of Stockton. After selling their cattle they went to San Francisco and purchased lumber with which to build a house in Stockton, two weeks being required to transport the lumber by boat to this city. With this material they construced the first house ever erected in the city, this being located on

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

the water front near the present site of the steamboat landing. For a. number of years Mr. Fanning derived a good income from the dairy business, which he established here, and later the produce business. This he carried on up to within a short time before his death, which occurred in 1875.

JOHN J. POPE .- A review of the life of John J. Pope shows how potent an element is persistency of purpose in the active affairs of life. Dependent upon his own resources from ten years of age he came to California in the days of its mining excite- ment and has steadily worked his way upward. He was born in Washington County, Ark., December 22, 1854, a son of Robert and Sarah (Eddlemon) Pope. Robert Pope met an accidental death in 1858. Grandfather and Grandmother Pope were natives of North Carolina. They left their native state when very young and settled in East Tennessee in 1818 and were married there in 1827; they removed to Arkansas in 1841, and in 1861 came to California, both of them dying ten years later. They were the parents of thirteen children, three of whom died before their parents came west. On coming West they left Washington County, Ark. March 10, and with ox teams and with some livestock they crossed the plains and mountains, having some trouble with the Indians on the way, who stole their cattle, two horses and two mules. Thomas Pope, an uncle of our subject pursued the Indians and recovered the cattle, but not the other property: They landed in San Joaquin County, September 6, 1861. Grand- father Pope was made captain of the train to pilot it across the plains and Mrs. Robert Pope, with her family, joined the train. There were ten children in the family: Lee; John J .; Benjamin F. of Lodi; Robert and Tilly, deceased; Nettie resides at Bakers- field; Daisy resides in Arizona; the three younger children - died in infancy. Mrs. Sarah Pope later married a Mr. McFadden who settled at Copper- opolis and worked in the mines; later they removed to Oakdale where they purchased a home. She lived to be seventy years of age.

John J. Pope had very little opportunity for at- tending school; however, before leaving his native state of Arkansas he attended school for a short time; then later he was able to attend the old Salem school in Lodi for a short time. After his mother's marriage to Mr. McFadden, his stepfather made life unbearable for him, so he left home when he was ten years old and never returned for any length of time, except an occasional visit to his mother, to whom he was devoted. After leaving home he went to Butte County and worked at various jobs, then he returned to San Joaquin County and worked on threshing machines, hard work for a young boy. In 1876, he and his brother Benjamin F. bought a 250-acre grain farm on the Waterloo Road north- east of Stockton; this place was afterwards sold and Mr. Pope purchased 160 acres across the road from the Harmony Grove school house, where he has since made his home. About twelve years ago the first house erected on the ranch burned down and Mr. Pope erected another on the same spot.

On December 8, 1866, at Waterloo, Mr. Pope was married to Miss Laura Light, a native of Waterloo, Cal., a daughter of Solomon and Mary (Straiter) Light, the former a native of Illinois and the latter

of Missouri. Her parents came to California in 1864 and settled three-quarters of a mile east of Waterloo where Mr. Light bought a quarter-section of land, thirty-five acres of which he set to vineyard. They were the parents of six children: Sarah Eliza- beath, deceased; Louisa Alice is Mrs. Benjamin F. Pope of Lodi; Lucy Ella is Mrs. M. E. Mason of Waterloo; Mary M. is Mrs. Bouckou of Oakdale; Mrs. Pope; George W. resides at Escalon. Mr Light passed away at the age of seventy-two and the mother at the age of forty-four. Mr. and Mrs. Pope are the parents of three children: Clora, Mrs. Wesley A. Mowrey of Waterloo, has one son, James; Jessie is Mrs. Kay Willits of Linden, and Ila is Mrs. J. P. Milligan of Stockton and the mother of two sons, Roland and John Robert. Mr. Pope has equipped his ranch with fine buildings and other im- provements. Of the original quarter section, he now owns 100 acres, having disposed of sixty acres some time ago, and he is now engaged in buying and sell- ing horses and cattle. In politics he is a Republican and with his family are members of the Methodist Church of Lodi.

GEORGE E. FRIOUX .- Numbered among the younger members of the San Joaquin County bar, where he is meeting with success in the practice of law, George E. Frioux is a descendant of one of Cali- fornia's pioneer families. His parents are Louis and Katherine (Waters) Frioux, both natives of Calaveras County. The father, who is now deceased, came from a pioneer French family, and for many years he followed mining, teaming and stage driving in the Mother Lode . country. Mrs. Frioux's father, James Waters, is still living in Calaveras County at the age of eighty-eight: A native of Boston. born there in 1833, he left his home in 1849, coming around Cape Horn in a sailing vessel, and landing at San Francisco early in 1850, and he has now been a resident of Calaveras County for more than seventy years.

George E. Frioux was born at San Andreas, Cal., May 7, 1895, and was educated in the schools of San Andreas and Mokelumne Hill. In 1912 he received a teacher's certificate and for three years he was en- gaged in teaching in Calaveras County; he was also deputy treasurer and tax collector of Calaveras Coun- ty for two and a half years. During this time he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Septem- ber, 1917. Two months later he entered the service of his country, and trained at Camp Lewis with the famous.91st Division. He was attached to the Sani- tary Unit and went overseas with this contingent, serving with the U. S. forces until July, 1919, when he returned to San Francisco and received his dis- charge at the Presidio. Looking about for a loca- tion he selected Stockton, opened his office in the Yosemite building on January 1, 1920, where he is engaged in the general practice of law.

On June 3, 1922, Mr. Frioux was united in mar- riage with Miss Nina Caldwell, a native of Kentville, Nova Scotia. He has entered heartily into the activi- ties of Stockton and is a member of the San Joaquin County Bar Association, Karl Ross Post, American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and is also a member of San Andreas Parlor, N. S. G. W. in which he is a past president, and belongs to the Anteros Club. He is president of the Calaveras Society of San Joaquin County.

Leo E troux

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

HARVEY M. ODELL .- An efficient public offi- cial of San Joaquin County, Harvey M. Odell, the present public administrator, is a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent pioneer families in the county, his maternal grandfather, Capt. Wil- liam S. Moss, a native of Illinois and California pioneer being represented elsewhere in this work.

Harvey M. Odell was born November 24, 1883, at Lathrop, San Joaquin County, the son of Dr. Thomas H. and Mary B. (Moss) Odell. The father, who was a physician, was a native of Alabama and came to Stockton in 1880, and here he practiced his profession until his death in 1887. Mrs. Odell, who was born at Peoria, Ill., came across the plains with her father, Captain William S. Moss. She is still living and makes her home at Stockton. Harvey M. Odell. attended the public schools of Stockton and Heald's Business College, and went in for grain farming and stock raising on a large scale and is at present farming between five and six hundred acres. He is also engaged in buying and selling real estate. Mr. Odell was married at Stockton on December 4, 1907, to Miss Susan S. Southwell, a native of Colo- rado, and they have a son, Clayton H. A Republi- can in politics Mr. Odell has always taken an active interest in political affairs and in 1918 was elected to the post of public administrator.

LOUIS R. SANGUINETTI .- Prominent among the most enterprising firms of San Joaquin County are Sanguinetti Bros., the successful vineyardists and independent packers of table grapes of Lodi, worthily represented by Louis R. Sanguinetti, a na- tive of that county where he was born on May 13. 1877. His father, Stephen Sanguinetti, a native of Italy, now deceased, came to America in early days and tried his luck at mining; but it did not suit him, so he located in Stockton, in the early '60s. He was given hard work in a vegetable garden at fifteen dollars per month. With his savings he bought land in the Delta district near that city, and engaged in farming; and he erected a brick house of thirteen rooms, and improved the place with flowers, palms and a garden, making it one of the show-places, in pioneer times. Some forty years ago, he bought the old Ayers Vineyard located on the Woodbridge Road, north of Lodi, and both of these places are still owned by the family. Stephen Sanguinetti mar- ried Miss Geronima Largomassino, and he was an exemplary husband, father, neighbor and friend. Several children were born to Mr. and Mrs. San- guinetti: Fred, Louis R., the subject of our review; Henry, and Silvia. A daughter, Anna, married a gentleman of the same family name; Rose became Mrs. Vignola; and Palmira married J. Mezzera.

Louis, after finishing school, worked for awhile with his father on the home ranch, and when it was found that the Ayers Vineyard was not doing well, he was sent by his father to take charge of the place. From that time, the Ayers Ranch began to be a paying property, through the young man's able management; although he was only twenty-one when, in 1898, he took charge of it. This vineyard is one of the oldest in the county, some of the vines being sixty years old. It has sixty-five acres of Black Prince, Mission, Muscat, and Tokay grapes, and there is also a second orchard. With a brother, Henry, Mr. Sanguinetti packs independently, under 54

the brand of Sanguinetti Bros., and this brand tops the prices in nineteen out of twenty cars shipped East. Mr. Sanguinetti has a one-third interest, with W. A. Spooner and James Anderson in a vineyard of eighty-seven acres; he also owns valuable real estate in Stockton, including two business blocks, and in 1922, he completed the Traveller's Hotel at Lodi.

At Stockton, November 27, 1900, Mr. Sanguinetti was married to Miss Tillie Sturla, a daughter of Paul Sturla, an early settler in Lodi, whose rise and suc- cess is portrayed elsewhere in this volume. Melvin Stephen, the elder son who graduated at the head of his class at the Lodi high school in 1921, is now a student at Stanford University, and Allen Paul, the younger son, attends the Lodi grammar school.

FLOYD E. GARNER .- A young business man of promising ability is found in Floyd E. Garner, the capable field superintendent for the Earl Fruit Com- pany of the Lodi district. A native son, he was born near Acampo, San Joaquin County, on July 18, 1894, a son of Charles C. and Martha (Blodgett) Garner, the former also a native of California and the latter of Missouri. His paternal grandparents re- moved from Galena, Ill., to California in 1853 and settled in Tuolumne County and two years later Charles C. was born at Chinese Camp, Cal. In 1864 the family removed to San Joaquin County and set- tled on the Benedict ranch, which they cleared and planted to grain. The family were located on differ- ent ranches throughout the county until in 1878 when they removed to Whitman County, Wash., where they farmed for three years and then returned to San Joaquin County, purchasing a ranch near Acampo and Mr. Garner has the distinction of being one of the first men to plant Tokay grapes in that county. Charles C. Garner has always been interested in hor- ticulture and viticulture and in 1904 established a real estate business in Lodi, and he has won his way to the front by application to business and honest deal- ings with his fellowmen. He is held in high esteem in the community which he has helped to develop.

Floyd E. Garner was educated in the grammar and high schools of Lodi and completed his education by a business course at Heald's Buisness College in Stockton. For the past ten years he has been work- ing for the Earl Fruit Company, with the exception of the two years that he served in the World War, and in the fall of 1920 he was made field superinten- dent. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in the fall of 1917 and received his training at Mare Island and in May, 1918, went overseas with the fourth replacement . troops as a member of the 23rd Machine Gun Com- pany, Second Division, as a gunner. Upon his arrival he was sent to the front and from June 12 to Septem- ber 9, 1918, saw active service on five fronts, taking part in the battle of Chateau Thierry, as well as all the engagements of the Second Division and was fortunate enough to come through without a scratch; on his return to the United States he received his honorable discharge on July 15, 1919. His marriage united him with Miss Georgia Henderson, a native of San Joaquin County and they have one daughter, Dorothy Dean. Mr. Garner owns a fine twenty- acre Tokay vineyard of eighteen-year old vines near Youngstown. He is a member of the Lodi Post, American Legion.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

W. SAM CLARK .- The career of W. Sam Clark has been one of remarkable self-achievement and self-advancement. Lack of finances in his early life made it impossible to carry out his cherished ambi- tions as quickly and as easily as he had anticipated and in the end he made his own way in gaining prominence in his chosen line of work, so that his success is due rather to his energy and perseverance in pushing ahead over obstacles to the goal of his ambition, than to any fortunate circumstances. Cali- fornia is his native state and he was born at Liver- more, Alameda County, August 11, 1873.

His father, John W. Clark, was born in Illinois and there he married Jane M. Brady, a native of Indiana, who was descended from a very distin- guished old Southern family, being an, own cousin of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Southern Con- federacy. John W. Clark crossed the plains to Cali- fornia in 1862, locating at Livermore, and there he made his home until his death; Mrs. Clark passed away while on a visit to her daughter in Portland. Seven children were born to this worthy pioneer couple, five of whom are living.

W. Sam Clark received a good education in the public schools and early in life showed a natural bent for horticulture and viticulture. The culture of figs engaged his attention before this fruit became of such commercial value as it now has. In 1895, when twenty-two years old, with but one thought in mind, he set out for Alaska to make his stake, so that he could follow up his cherished ambition to buy land and engage in the culture of figs; this was two years before the discovery of Klondyke. Mr. Clark mined on the Klondyke, then on the Koy- ukuk River, 250 miles inside the Arctic Circle, in the land of the midnight sun, then in various other sections, among them Fairbanks and the Tanana River, enduring the rigors and hardships of that northern climate. He was a member of the com- mittee formed to maintain law and order and passed through many trying ordeals and narrow escapes in the formation of that frontier country. Seventeen years were spent in the far North and three differ- ent times Mr. Clark made a fortune, only to lose it, but he finally came home with enough money to start his experiments in fig growing.

In 1912 Mr. Clark removed to Fresno County and there started his first fig nursery, the variety of figs planted being known as the Kadota. Later he changed the name to Clarkadota and copyrighted it to protect his nursery business, and it is now known the world over. His first planting was eight acres near Dinuba and since that time he has established nurseries and fig orchards in different parts of the state. His large fig plantation near Stockton is one of special interest to the people of this county. The Clarkadota fig is a freak or bud-sport and was dis- covered by Stephen H. Taft of Sawtelle, Cal., some twenty-five years ago. The first large plantings were in the home orchard of Mr. Clark in Fresno County and were at that time an undeveloped possibility. Climatic conditions in Fresno which were exactly right for all other varieties of figs previously grown proved to be unfavorable for the greatest development of this fig, which is a fresh shipper and preserving fig. Slightly cooler weather conditions as found around Stockton proved to be almost ideal for its greatest production. The ideal shipping facilities by

rail and water makes Stockton the natural center for the future development of this fruit.

The first unit of the Clarkadota fig plantations, con- sisting of 370 acres, was planted four miles east of Stockton in the spring of 1921 and 700 additional acres in 1922, and still further plantings are to be made in the spring of 1923. The original project was financed by Edward S. Munford and J. L. Craig, but Mr. Munford retired from the business at the end of the first year. The plantations were subdivided and sold in tracts of five or more acres under a five year caretaking contract, Mr. Clark furnishing the stock and superintending the planting for the entire proj- ect. The early and prolific bearing of this variety of fig makes imperative the establishing of large pre- serving plants in the city of Stockton to handle this exclusive California product, which practically amounts to a state monopoly, with the whole world as a market and Stockton as the center of produc- tion. In addition to his interest in the development of the fig, Mr. Clark has been an appraiser for the Federal Farm Loan Board for a number of years and thus is one of the best-informed men in Califor- nia on land values. For five years he was a director of the Dry Fig organization of Fresno County and was also instrumental in the organization of the Cali- fornia Peach & Fig Growers Association, with head- quarters at Fresno, and at the present time is a di- rector in the Clarkadota Fig Growers Association of Stockton and a trustee of the Antelope Valley Land Development Company of Southern California. This company is developing and planting a tract of over 1,000 acres and bringing into production an orchard of figs and other fruits as well as a vine- yard. Personally Mr. Clark has his individual nur- series in the following places: Orland, Byron, San Fernando Valley, Riverside and Phoenix, Ariz. 111 each of these he is specializing in Clarkadota nur- sery stock, being the largest grower in the United States.

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History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 130

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849 Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1660

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660