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 193

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 193

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

of several, thus saving the county several thousand dollars on this contract. He uses a sand blasting process for cleaning the old paint off.

The marriage of Mr. Burgess in the fall of 1914 united him with Miss Ruth M. Morris, a native daughter of California, reared at Galt, the daughter of Charles Morris and wife, early settlers of that community. Mr. Burgess belongs to the Eagles at Stockton, and in this fraternity and in other relations is held in the highest esteem.

GUSTAV AUGUST DANIEL BUSCHKE .- A pioneer of California since 1876, Gustav August Daniel Buschke has been a resident of Tracy since 1878, and has aided in the progress and development of the city and county. He was born in Posen, Ger- many, on September 4, 1857. Finishing his school- ing in 1871, he took up the trade of harnessmaker at Zirke, Germany, where he served his apprentice- ship and became master of the trade of harness mak- ing. In 1874, his uncle, Daniel Buschke, had settled on a farm near Stockton, California, and our subject had decided to leave his native land and come to America, and on July 3, 1876, he arrived in Stockton. Here he found employment at his trade; then removed to Livermore and worked for two years in the shop owned by Theodore Gorner. In 1878 he settled in Ellis, San Joaquin County, and he was put in charge of the Ellis Harness Shop, which he purchased dur- ing the fall of that year. In 1878 there were less than ten buildings in the town of Ellis, there being no school house or church building; late in 1878, the citizens decided to move this village and the buildings were put on wheels and drawn by mules and horses the two miles to the town of Tracy. Mr. Buschke made his first purchase of real estate that same year, a corner lot at Central Avenue and Eighth Street, the purchase price being $100; later he built a small shop and opened a harness-making business, the first of its kind in Tracy. He remained in this location until 1912, when he disposed of the property to J. Schmidt. In the early '80s Mr. Buschke acquired a corner lot on the opposite side of the street, and in 1920 let the contract for a $50,000 office and bank building which is occupied by the Pioneer Bank of Tracy; there are also four stores included. In 1878 and in 1909 Mr. Buschke suffered severe losses by fire, but his spirit of determination and enterprise overruled discourage- ment and success has come to him to a great degree.

In 1908 his father, G. Buschke, made an extensive visit to his sons and daughters in San Joaquin County, returning to Germany in 1909, where, a few weeks later, he passed away at the age of seventy- eight. His wife, who was Louisa Mietzner, passed away when only forty-one years of age.

The marriage of Mr. Buschke occurred in Oakland, California, and united him with Miss Caroline Service, a native of Indiana, who came to California with her parents in 1871. Her mother is still living on a ranch near Tracy, but her father has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Buschke are the parents of eight children, six living: G. Arthur D. passed away when seven; Louisa M. is the wife of C. Ward, residing in Los Angeles, and has three children; Emilie . C. is the wife of Thomas R. Evans, residing in Los Angeles, and has two children; Esther M. is the wife of Leo J. Schmidtz, residing at Burlingame, and they have two children; Jessie I., Mrs. James C. Lane, resides at Whittier and has two children; N. Irene

died in infancy; Clinton A. served in the U. S. Army overseas with the First Division, and was with the army of occupation fourteen months at Coblenz, Germany, and upon his return to America marched in parade in New York City and Washington, D. C., with General Pershing; he is now employed with the Union Oil Company at Fullerton, Cal .; and Grace Rosemond is at home. During 1881, Mr. Buschke received his U. S. citizenship papers while residing in Stockton. In politics he is a Republican. He be- longs to the Lutheran Church of Tracy. He has been active in promoting enterprises for the good of the community, and his contributions to charities, public buildings and churches have been extensive. For a number of years he has been the sole survivor of the merchants who removed to Tracy from the village of Ellis in 1878.

JOHN R. WIEDERRICH .- A self-made man, trained from his youth to work on a farm, John R. Wiederrich was born in the rural district near the town of Tripp, S. D., April 20, 1897, a son, of Jacob and Katherine Wiederrich. His father was a farmer in South Dakota and passed away shortly after the birth of the son. There were nine children in the family, of whom only three are now living: Katie, now Mrs. Schenhenberger, of Lodi; Bertha, Mrs. Handel, on a farm near Victor; and John R.

John R. Wiederrich came with his mother to Cali- fornia when he was five years old and attended the Harmony Grove school. After coming to California, his mother was married again to, Mr. Fred Hieb, and resided on a ranch northwest of the Harmony Grove schoolhouse; later she removed to Lodi, and resides there now.

At the age of fourteen, John R. Wiederrich set out for himself, and found employment on the ranches in the county; and in 1918 he made his first purchase of land, which was thirty acres about three miles east of Lodi on the corner of Kettleman Lane and the Alpine road, all in bearing vineyard. Later he purchased seventeen acres near Kettleman Sta- tion, on the traction line, which he held for two years and then sold for a good profit. He also holds a five-year lease, with an option of purchase, on a forty-acre tract one mile south of his home place; he has already purchased thirteen and one- half acres of this tract, the sale being consummated very recently. Ten acres of the forty is in orchard and the balance is in vineyard. Mr. Wiederrich improved his home place with a fine farm house and other necessary buildings in 1918. In 1920 he organized the Crown Fruit Company, a co-partner- ship, his associates being Gottfried Handel and Louis Mettler. They built a packing house at Ket- tleman Station on the Central California Trac- tion Company's line, and are engaged in business as growers, buyers, packers and shippers of grapes. Mr. Weiderrich has been president and manager of the company since its organization. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Lodi.

At Lodi, on June 25, 1916, Mr. Wiederrich was united in marriage with Miss Clara Handel, a daugh- ter of Gottfried and Louise Handel, a native of South Dakota. Her father passed away, and her mother later became the wife of Lot Lachenmaier of Lodi. Mrs. Wiederrich also attended the Har- mony Grove school, east of Lodi. They are the

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parents of three children: Belford, Leslie and Viola. Mr. Wiederrich and his family are members of the Zion Reform Church in Lodi, and he is secretary of the board of trustees. In politics he is a Republican.

ALBERT L. BARNES .- California owes much to its experienced and highly-progressive hotel men, among whom one finds Albert L. Barnes, the efficient and popular manager of both the Hotel Stockton and the Hotel Clark of Stockton. He was born at Buffalo, N. Y., on January 15, 1882, and was sent to the public schools of that city and the high school in Paines- ville, Ohio. Then he took a course at the business college at Pittsburgh, Pa., and after that associated himself with the American Window Glass Company, and then the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, both in Pittsburgh.

In 1907, he located in Stockton, and soon thereafter entered the hotel business as a clerk, first with the Imperial and then with the Yosemite Hotel. When A. I. Wagner became the proprietor of the Hotel Stockton, in 1910, Mr. Barnes became associated with him as assistant manager; and ten years later, when Mr. Wagner took the management of the Hotel Clark, Mr. Barnes became manager of that hotel. At Mr. Wagner's death, in August, 1921, Mr. Barnes was appointed manager of both hotels, and this responsible position he now fills to everybody's satis- faction.

In 1907, at Oakland, Mr. Barnes married Miss Alma Wagner, a native of Ventura, and since coming to Stockton both Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have taken an active part in the city's civic and club life. He is a charter member of the Stockton Lions Club, belongs to Lodge No. 218 of the Stockton Elks, and to the Masons, being a member of the Stockton Lodge of Perfection, No. 12, S. R., and also the Sciots. He has a membership in the Stockton Golf and Country Club, the Yosemite Club, the Stockton Ad Club, and the Stockton Chamber of Commerce. With a natural aptitude for the important field he has chosen, and plenty of patriotic pride as well as patriotic opti- mism, Mr. Barnes has set before himself the task of making his hotels among the best in the state, regard- less of the size of the city in which they are located.

JOHN C. BRAAS .- A successful Delta farmer, John C. Braas was born in Eckenforde, Schleswig- Holstein, Germany, May 21, 1866, a son of Otto and Magdalena Braas, both natives of the same place. Otto Braas served under the Danish flag in the war of 1864 and under the Prussian flag in 1870-71; he was one of five surviving members of his company who returned from the war of 1870. Early in life John C. left home and became a clerk in a general merchandise store, but in 1886 returned to the home ranch after the death of his father, where he remained for three years; he then left for America, arriving in New York on April 4, 1889, and came directly to Cali- fornia. In 1890 he rented land in the Dangers tract on the river, southwest of Stockton, and after four years of successful farming bought a tract of fifty- four acres on the Burns Cutoff, to which he has added until he now owns 210 acres.

On April 27, 1889, in Stockton, Mr. Braas was married to Miss Louise Beberwitz, a native of Ger- many, daughter of Magnus and Maria Beberwitz, both now deceased. Mrs. Braas arrived in Stockton in 1889. They are the parents of five children; Freda is the wife of Henry Hansen and they have three

children and reside in San Francisco; Alma is the wife of William Buchan and they have one daughter and reside in San Francisco; Clara is the widow of Andrew Bowman and she has one daughter; Otto is a rancher assisting his father at home; and Louise is the wife of Herman Busch, a rancher on the Cop- peropolis Road. Mr. Braas has served seventeen years as trustee of the Independent school district, and is past president of Fidelity Lodge of the Sons of Herman.

JOSEPH C. BRICHETTO .- One of the largest grain farmers on the West Side, Joseph C. Brichetto is a native of San Joaquin County, born at Banta, California, on February 18, 1894, the youngest son of G. Joseph and Luigia (Canale) Brichetto, the former of whom is now deceased, and both of whom were natives of Italy. The father came to San Joaquin County in 1867, here mined, and then was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in tun- nel construction for a time; he then settled in the San Joaquin gardens on the river, and later located in Banta, where he raised and sold vegetables. In 1872 he opened a general merchandise store at Banta, which he conducted for many years. He became a large farmer and landowner in the Banta section, owning, at the time of his death in 1916, 9,000 acres of land on the West Side. Mr. and Mrs. Brichetto were the parents of the following children: John N., Irene, Mrs. Mollie Raspo, Minnie, and Joseph C., our subject.

The education of Joseph C. began at the age of six years when he entered the public school at Banta and continued until 1910, when he was graduated from Heald's Business College at Stockton. The follow- ing year he entered his father's store as bookkeeper, remaining in that capacity until 1914, when, in part- nership with his brother John N., he took active control of the business, Joseph C. doing the clerical work in the U. S. postoffice, located in their store since its establishment. Continuing in the business until 1917, Mr. Brichetto then sold his interest to J. J. Raspo, his brother-in-law, and became the man- ager of the vast agricultural interests of the Brichetto estate, consisting of several thousand acres of land on the West Side, which he has developed into one of the show places of Central California. The beau- tiful and modern Brichetto residence, facing on the Lincoln Highway from Sacramento to San Francisco, is one of the most complete country-seats in the county, and was built by Mrs. Luigia Brichetto in 1919 and 1920.

The marriage of Mr. Brichetto occurred at Stockton on March 30, 1921, and united him with Miss Eva Campodonico, a daughter of Emanuel and Louisa Campodonico, both natives of Italy, now retired resi- dents of Stockton.

R. C. BRIDGE .- On January 1, 1920, R. C. Bridge took over the Chevrolet agency for Stockton, and the business is now located in the new, modern garage built expressly for the company at 815 Fast Weber Avenue. A native of Wisconsin, Mr. Bridge has been connected with the automobile industry since 1904. an early date in the history of this great business. For seven years he was traveling agent for the Stude- baker, traveling west from Chicago, and later he was district manager for the company at Salt Lake City. For three years before coming to Stockton he was Pacific Coast manager for the Willard Battery Com-

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pany, with headquarters at San Francisco. Since locating at Stockton, Mr. Bridge has firmly estab- lished himself among the representative business men there, and is popular in the ranks of the Elks and of the Rotary Club of Stockton. He is also prominent in Masonic circles, belonging to all the branches, includ- ing the Shrine and Knights Templar. An enthusiast over the line he is handling, Mr. Bridge contributes the following:

Chevrolet began in July, 1921, to build a better product and every part of the car that had given trouble was re-designed. The total number.of changes between July 1, 1921, and July 1, 1922, was sixty- eight, and twenty-six additional changes were made in the 1923 model.

Three men stand out prominently in the Chevrolet resuscitation, though each denies his part. They are Pierre S. du Pont, Colin Campbell and W. S. Knud- sen. Mr. du Pont, though not generally known, has been and is the acting head of Chevrolet. Mr. Camp- bell, vice-president, in charge of sales, began July 1, 1921, one of the most intensive campaigns in the history of merchandising. He traveled over forty- eight states, holding meetings, appointing distributors and agents. In the sixteen months between July 1, 1921, and November 1, 1922, the number of Chevrolet dealers and parts depots increased from 3,200 to 12,080 and sales jumped 250 per cent. When Mr. Knudsen, vice-president in charge of production, was asked about his part in reviving Chevrolet, he said: "The public is quick to recognize a good car now- a-days. All I did was jump in here and say, 'Come on, boys!' "

MILES JOSHUA BROWN .- Visitors to Tracy, shoppers, farmers, ranchers, and others, find at Cen- tral Ave. and Seventh St. the splendidly appointed establishment conducted by the Tracy Mercantile Company, doing a general department store business, catering to all lines of patronage and handling mer- chandise that meets all requirements. The business is handled under the supervision of Miles Joshua Brown, a widely experienced merchant, who was one of the founders of the establishment, giving that personal attention to details that has won success. A native of California, he was born at Turlock on October 3, 1878, a son of Richard and Phoebe Elida (Cowell) Brown. The father, Richard Brown, was born in Illinois and when a young man crossed the plains with ox teams to California, settling at French Camp; San Joaquin County; here he married Miss Cowell, a sister of Joshua Cowell, known as the "father of Manteca," that prosperous center in the South San Joaquin Irrigation District; later, in 1872, they re- moved to Turlock where they engaged in farming.

Miles Joshua attended the schools of Turlock and when he became old enough began ranching on his own account near Vernalis, San Joaquin County; later on he became a grain dealer and in time built up an extensive grain brokerage business on the West Side, which he has successfully operated for many years. In April, 1916, upon his removal to Tracy, he purchased an interest in the general merchandise business known as the Tracy Mercantile Company. Special departments are devoted to dry goods, cloth- ing, and furnishing goods, shoes and hats, groceries, and cured meats, while the farm and agricultural implement department is well stocked to meet all demands of farmers and ranchers of the Tracy and West Side sections. Light hardware is another

specialty of the house. Courteous and attentive clerks who know their business are prompt to serve in this well-conducted store.

Mr. Brown's marriage united him with Miss Pearl Graves, a daughter of Mrs. Eliza Graves, who resides at Vernalis. Her father, the late N. H. Graves, was an honored pioneer of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of two children, Hazel and Vance. Mr. Brown takes an active interest in the affairs of the Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West. His real estate holdings in the county are extensive. He is counted among the most successful grain farmers and stockraisers in the section east of Tracy.

GEORGE WOLF .- An early settler of Stockton who is a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War is George Wolf, a successful groceryman, located at No. 147 North Aurora Street, Stockton. He inherited many of the sterling qualities of his forebears, and these, combined with his own initiative and determin- ation, have brought him a large degree of success. A native of Germany, he was born in Bavaria on Noven- ber 22, 1848. He learned the trade of baker in his native land and was occupied in that line of work when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870; he was recruited for the cavalry, but on account of his being a baker was attached to the bakery department; he was at the siege of Paris and baked bread in the field, under fire, and had many narrow escapes from being shot; however, he went through the entire cam- paign and accomplished his task under great difficul- ties. In 1876 he arrived in San Francisco and worked in a bakery, receiving $15 per month for the first three months, working from sixteen to eighteen hours per day; two years later he settled in Stockton and was employed by Jacob Miller in the City Bakery; later he was head baker for the State Bakery con- ducted by John Inglis. He then entered business for himself at the corner of Weber Avenue and Sutter Street on the site of the present Elks building; after fourteen years in that location he sold out and bought the two-story brick block at the corner of Aurora and Channel streets, his present location, where he has been since 1903; here he conducts a grocery store, and has built up a fine trade. In 1901 Mr. Wolf pur- chased a piece of property at No. 828 East Miner Ave- nue, where he built a home; later he moved the house back on the lot and erected a modern residence; this property he now leases.

Mr. Wolf's marriage at Stockton, May 14, 1901, united him with Miss Annie Tecklenburg, a native of San Francisco, Cal., a daughter of the well-known pioneer of San Joaquin County, Herman Tecklen- burg, who came to California in 1866. Her father is a native of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and sailed around the Horn to California in pioneer days and has been occupied with farming pursuits for many years in San Joaquin County. His wife, Margareta Jurgens, also came to California around Cape Horn, making the long journey in 1867. The parents are both still living and in 1920 celebrated their golden wedding. Of their seven children Mrs. Wolf is the oldest. She is possessed of much business ability and is of the greatest assistance to her husband in con- ducting his mercantile establishment, and Mr. Wolf accords her no small degree of credit for his success. Fraternally, Mr. Wolf belongs to the German Order of Druids, in which he is past arch and trustee; he is

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also a member of the Sons of Herman, in which he is a trustee. He is also a member of the American Or- der of Foresters, and the Fidelity Society, while Mrs. Wolf is a member of Ivy Circle of Druids, in which she is past arch druid. They are both mem- bers of the German Methodist Church and contribute generously to its benevolences.

ROBERT JOHN CHARLES .- One of the popular residents of the city of Stockton is Robert John Charles, the general secretary of the Y. M. C. A., whose influence on the lives of young boys and men has displayed many elements worthy of emulation. Mr. Charles was born in Flushing Harbor, Falmouth, England, on December 19, 1887, a descendant of a family of English sea captains. At the age of seven years, he was sent to London to be educated and became a student at the Red Coat School. While there he sang in the cathedral choir and in this way earned enough to pay his tuition. His particular delight was in the study of geography, especially of the United States, and in this he stood at the head of his class. After completing his education he came to the United States in 1906, locating at Quincy, Mass., where he became assistant in the boys' work of the Y. M. C. A .; at the end of three years he was called to Montpelier, Vt., to take full charge of the boys' work of the same organization, where he remained for a year and a half until he was called to Tampa, Fla. He remained in Tampa until the United States en- tered the World War, when he was appointed trans- portation secretary for the Y. M. C. A., and was the second person to leave Florida for war work with the Y. M. C. A. He was stationed at Newport News, Va., in charge of the placement of secretaries on all troop trains and transports. In November, 1919, Mr. Charles was presented with a diamond ring in token of excellent and efficient service. When the First Division came home from overseas he was sent to New York City and Washington, D. C., in charge of the Y. M. C. A. workers in connection with the demobilization. Going back in his history, in 1913 he was a delegate to the first Y. M. C. A. convention of Workers with Boys, held in Culver, Ind., and the following year went to Oxford, England, as a dele- gate to the International Convention of Workers with Boys of the Y. M. C. A., taking a prominent part. While in England he visited his old home and while there the war broke out. Mr. Charles immediately volunteered his services in the British army, but was rejected on account of physical disability and also because he had become an American citizen. His wife volunteered for Red Cross service at the same time, but when Mr. Charles was rejected she could not remain, and a month later they returned to Tampa, Fla. Mr. Charles took up the work in Stock- ton in 1920, and the city is to be congratulated on securing a man of his national reputation for effective and far-reaching work. In the report made by Mr. Charles for the years 1921 and 1922 the following is a short resumé of some of the work accomplished: seven free lectures were given to the public with an attendance of over 2,500 persons; two branch libraries held in the building, one for boys and one for men; 108 visits were made to the sick; twenty men joined local churches and over 300 New Testaments were given to men and boys; 350 men were enrolled in gymnasium classes; 250 men took physical examina- tions; employment found for forty-two deserving

boys; 130 Bible classes were held for boys with a total attendance of over 1,500; forty-five boys made Christian decisions; five boys were sent to Sacra- mento on a Christian calling conference, four of these have gone to college, one to be a minister, one to be a medical missionary, another a Christian lawyer, one a Christian civil engineer and the other is pre- paring himself to be a Y. M. C. A. secretary. Ninety- seven boys attended the summer camp; Stockton's first annual Mother's and Son's campaign with 250 mothers and sons at a dinner, reaching over 5,000 homes in Stockton; Father and Son's campaign with over 300 at a dinner; 332 gym classes held for boys with a total attendance of over 15,000, the grand total attendance in the boys' division being 59,118.

On July 3, 1913, Mr. Charles was united in mar- riage with Miss Anna Josephine Gunn, a native of Cobden, Ill., and a direct descendant of Josiah Bart- lett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. She is a graduate registered nurse from Women's Christian Association Hospital, Jamestown. N. Y. They are the parents of two children, Robert J. Jr. and Albert James. Although having a small child at the time of the flu epidemic while residing at Tampa, Mrs. Charles rendered active service during the influenza period, nursing and caring for the patients until she herself was stricken and had to give up.

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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 193

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