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 196

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 196

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

On November 2, 1922, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis cele- brated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. The "golden wedding" was held at their home and enjoyed by all. Mr. Lewis is a member of Jackson Lodge No. 4, I. O. O. F., at Jackson, Mich. Politically, he is a protectionist and a strong Republican.

DOMENICO LAGORIO .- A retired merchant and Stockton pioneer is found in Domenico La- gorio, who has lived in Stockton for the past thirty- six years. He was born in Italy, May 15, 1866, a son of Giovanni and Angela (Baronia) Lagorio. At the age of twenty years he left his home for America and came directly to San Francisco and by river boat to Stockton, arriving on October 18, 1886; he entered the employ of D. Prossi as a vege- table gardener, on land where now stands the Stock- ton high school buildings; for seventeen years he worked as gardener at the Rural Cemetery; then he bought a home and started a small store at 1502 North California street, which he conducted until two years ago, when he sold the business to his son. The marriage of Domenico Lagorio united him with Miss Paulina Battilana and six children have been born to them: Pietro, deceased; Angelino; John A; Margaretti; Pietro; and Eleanor. Twenty years ago, Mr. Lagorio was made a citizen of the United States and has since been a Republican.

John A. Lagorio, the son of our subject, was born September 10, 1894, at Stockton, and received a good education in the Stockton schools. In July, 1918, he entered the U. S. Army, 37th Field Artillery, 13th Division, and in January, 1919, received his honorable discharge. After his return from the ser- vice he entered the sales department of the Stan- dard Oil Company, where he remained for two years, then purchased his father's store; he has im- proved the store with a larger and more complete stock and has built up a fine trade. He married Miss Ann Sanguinetti, a daughter of James San- guinetti, a pioneer of San Joaquin County. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the N. S. G. W. No. 7 of Stockton.

LOREN H. CAUSEY .- One of the leading exca- vating and teaming contractors, as well as a dealer in hay, sand, gravel and land dressing, Loren H. Causey has built up a thriving business throughout San Joaquin County, even extending his operations considerably beyond its borders. His integrity of character and strict attention to detail insure for him a constantly increasing business. A native son, he was born in Sacramento County on July 10, 1891, the youngest son of the late Joel H. Causey and his good wife, Mary R. The Causey family located on a ranch near Lathrop about 1896, and there Joel H. engaged in ranching for a few years, then he moved to Stockton, bought property on South Sutter Street, improved a good home and was engaged in teaming for twenty years, until he passed away on February 22, 1918, being survived by his widow and four chil- dren: William W., residing at Los Gatos; Elva, the widow of Cleve Graves, has one son and lives in Stockton; Stella is the wife of Ed Berlin of Oakland; and Loren H., of this review. Mrs. Causey resides at the old home on South Sutter Street where she and her husband lived for so many years.

Loren H. Causey received his schooling in the Lathrop and French Camp schools and graduated from Heald's Business College at Stockton, after which he spent two years in a clerical position with the Southern Pacific Company; next he built up a good bakery route in Stockton, then spent two years in the glass works at Stockton expecting to learn the business, but did not continue. During the World War he was in charge of the machine shop for the C. N. I. Company, in Stockton, doing repair work. After the death of his father in 1918 he took charge of his teaming business and has since ex- panded his operations until he is known all over Northern California. He keeps six men employed the year round and during the busy seasons has as many as twenty-five; he owns twelve head of fine draft horses that he uses in his business and when the job demands it has used as many as 120.

Mr. Causey contracts to do any kind of work where horses can be used, no matter where the job may be located. He has executed some of the largest excavating and filling contracts in Stockton and vicinity, among which we mention the Wagner Leather Company job, Western States Gas and Elec- tric Company, Hobbs-Parsons, one where the Dodge Motor Company is now located. He did the exca- vating for the wheat bins of the Sperry Flour Com- pany, working three shifts and on account of the men working fourteen feet underground had to take out extra insurance for them. One of the largest fills done in Stockton was for the General Motors

1380

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Company when he put in 2,000 loads of dirt to fill two blocks two feet, and here he worked eighty head of horses. . At Willows, Glenn County, he harvested 2,000 acres of rice for H. M. Garnett and used 120 head of stock on the job. Besides his contracting work he deals in hay and in all that he undertakes he has met with well merited success.

The marriage of Mr. Causey, March 8, 1916, united him with Miss Maude Keller, a native of Stockton, whose parents, Richard and Minnie Keller, are Cali- fornia pioneers. One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Causey, Robert Ray. Mr. Causey is a Demo- crat in politics and fraternally is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He has erected a fine residence on his property, located at 1938 S. Sut- ter Street, adjoining the property of his mother.

FRED LANGHORST .- Since 1877 Fred Lang- horst has been a resident of San Joaquin County, where he now resides and owns a beautiful and highly productive almond orchard. He was born in Westphalia, Germany, on January 11, 1853, the sixth in a family of eight children born to Chris- tian and Doris Langhorst, the names of the chil- dren being as follows: Mary, Conrad, Minnie, Wil- liam, Marie, Fred, our subject, Sophie and Lena, the last two being twins. The father was a farmer in his native country and passed away there at the age of eighty years; the mother also lived to be about eighty years old.

Fred Langhorst from his youth was trained to the work of the farm, assisting in its development through the summer months, while in the winter seasons he went to school. When he was fifteen years old, his sister, Minnie, was coming to Beards- town, Cass County, Illinois, to be married, and so our subject prevailed on his parents to let him come along. Upon arrival in Illinois, Minnie Langhorst became Mrs. Heitcamp. Fred Langhorst remained in Illinois for six years working for wages, mean- time becoming an American citizen. At the end of that time he returned to his German home for a visit of a few months, then returned to Illinois and worked for wages for three more years, then in 1877 came to California and settled at Lodi, where he has since continuously resided. For three years after his arrival in San Joaquin County, he worked for Christ Beckman as a farm hand. In October; 1880, at Lodi, he was married to Miss Flora Blass, a native Californian, born in Tuolumne County near Columbia, and there she was reared and educated. Her father passed away when she was too young to remember him and subsequently her mother, Mrs. Minnie Blass, married John Fox, a miner in the Columbia gold mines. After his marriage, Mr. Langhorst settled five miles southeast of Lodi on the corner of Alpine Road and Harney Lane, and there bought 160 .acres of land which he farmed for twenty-one years, and then sold it and moved to Lodi. He then rented a five-acre almond orchard from Ida Hill and later purchased a ten-acre al- mond orchard on South School street, later on sell- ing five acres of it. He is a Republican in national politics and fraternally a member of the I. O. O. F. and Knights of Pythias and with Mrs. Langhorst is a member of the Rebekahs, Mrs. Langhorst hav- ing been recording secretary of the latter for the past five years; she is also recording secretary of the Pythian Sisters lodge of Lodi.

JULIUS WOOCK .- A representative vineyardist residing on a fine estate near Lodi, San Joaquin County, is Julius Woock, who has shown great abil- ity in the management of his affairs, and in the cul- tivation and development of his ranch; until it is now among the finest in. the Lodi vicinity. A native of Germany, he was born at Marienthal, near Bohn, on September 7, 1860. His father, also named Julius Woock, was a farmer in his native land and he died in 1862, leaving his widow with three children: Matil- da, now deceased, Amanda and Julius. His mother married again, being united with Gottlieb Riemer, and of that union one daughter is living, Amelia.

Our subject received a good grammar school edu- cation and spent three years at the gymnasium, but he has profited by actual experience with conditions wherever he has lived and this he considers the most valuable of educations. When he left home he went to work on one of the big estates in Germany and soon became overseer and while he was there he learned the distilling business, making liquor from potatoes, grain, etc., spending two years in this work. In 1886, he made up his mind that the United States held out more opportunities and he crossed the Atlan- tic and soon afterwards he located in Kansas, where he worked at the trade of carpenter for a time, then at farming. The following year, 1887, he settled in Southern California and was one of the first settlers at Acton Station in the hills north of Saugus. Here he homesteaded a quarter-section of land, proved up on it and lived there for fourteen years, and raised bees, having 300 stands. He then moved to Elizabeth Lake, where he again followed the work of his choice, farming, and remained there until 1904, when he located in San Joaquin County. At that time he purchased the property on which he now resides, forty acres, about one and one-half miles southeast of Lodi on Kettleman Lane. When Mr. Woock purchased this place it was a stubble field and by his intensive cultivation and development he now has thirty acres in Tokay grapes and six acres in Zin- fandels, all full bearing and yielding a handsome income each season, and about four acres in garden, buildings, and alfalfa. The following year, 1905, Mr. Woock built a house on the place and in 1919 re- placed that with a fine two-story residence; he has also put in a five-inch pump with a fifteen-horsepower motor for irrigation, by which he irrigates every part of his ranch.

The marriage of Mr. Woock occurred on December 25, 1889, at Acton, Cal., and united him with Miss Elise Nickel, born at Frankfort-on-Oder, Germany. Her father was Rudolph Nickel, a lithographer, who used the old stone lithograph presses; her mother was in maidenhood Augusta Biega, and after the death of her husband, she carried on his business with the aid of a foreman for about ten years, then she came to California to join other members of her family who had come to this state some years before. She died at Acton, Cal., at the age of seventy-one years. She and her husband had seven children: Hedwig, Richard, Elise and Eugene, the last two of Lodi. Olga died at Leavenworth, Kans .; Bruno, at Acton, and the eldest, Marie, died in Europe when a small child. Mr. and Mrs. Julius Woock are the proud parents of four children, Hattie; Walter, mar- ried Lydia Bittner and they have one child, Walter Julius Woock; Herbert. J., and Eric M. In politics Mr. Woock is a Republican and is a respected mem-

Elise Wock

Julius Woork

1383

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

ber of the Lutheran Church of Lodi. He has ever been interested in the cause of education and while residing in Los Angeles County was a trustee of the school district at both Acton and Elizabeth Lake.

JOSEPH LEAL .- The proprietor of a men's furnishing store in Tracy, Joseph Leal is a native son of the Golden State, born at San Jose, Cal., on September 28, 1896, a son of Jesse and Annie (Spangler) Leal, the former a native of the Isle of Pico, Azores, the latter of San Jose, Cal. The father, Jesse Leal, came to California in 1890 and located at San Jose, where he married Miss Spang- ler, a daughter of the late James Spangler, who was a prominent pioneer of Saratoga, Cal., and who be- came a well-to-do rancher. The property which he acquired in 1850 has, since his death, been divided among his heirs. The senior Leal has followed the merchandise business most of his lifetime and has conducted a men's furnishing store at No. 34 North Market street, San Jose, since 1895.

Joseph Leal was reared and educated in the San Jose schools, and later was graduated from St. Joseph's Academy at San Jose. Upon leaving school he entered the Adler Shop on South First street and this position covered a period of five years; then in 1916 he entered the employ of the Koehbler, Holman Tobacco Company as traveling salesman, and was thus employed at the time of his enlistment on June 28, 1917, in the 115th Ammuni- tion Train, Headquarters Company. He was sent overseas, where he served as a first-class private for fourteen months. Returning to the United States, he received his honorable discharge at the Presidio, San Francisco, on May 17, 1919. He then returned to San Jose and entered his father's store, remaining there until February, 1921, when he de- cided to enter business for himself. Removing to Tracy, he opened up a first-class shop, and as his business has grown, his stock has been increased until he now carries a full and complete line of the very best furnishing goods.

The marriage of Mr. Leal occurred on October 17. 1921, and united him with Miss Cecelia Mendia, a native Californian born at Watsonville, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raphael Mendia, now residing in San Jose. Mr. Leal is a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of San Jose.

MRS. SOPHIA HARRINGTON .- A native daughter of California, Mrs. Sophia Harrington vas born at Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County. She was in maidenhood Sophia Buyck, her father being John Francis Buyck, a native of Belgium, who, hav- ing been left an orphan when a small boy, made his way to New York City and there made his own livelihood. When he heard of the discovery of gold in California he resolved to come hither, and became one of the argonauts of '49. Coming via Panama to San Francisco, he immediately made his way to the mines in Calaveras County, where he followed mining until 1851. He returned east via Panama and was married that same year to Miss Mary Bruton, a native of the great metropolis, of Scotch-Irish parentage. In 1852 Mr. Buyck brought his bride via the Isthmus to San Fran- cisco. On the way they were wrecked on the "Georgia" and they spent three days in an oper. $6

boat, when they were picked up, and their boat was the only one ever accounted for.

On his arrival in California, Mr. Buyck again followed mining, being located at Mokelumne Hill, residing there until he died. His widow spent her last days in Stockton. Of their family of eight children four are living. Sophia, who is the fourth in order of birth, was brought up at Mokelumne Hill, receiving a good education in the public schools. About this time her mother removed to Railroad Flat, in the same county, and soon after this, in 1875, Sophia was married to Frederick J. Harrington, who was a native of Brighton, Mass., born Nov. 24, 1847, a son of Joshua and Rosina (Wright) Harrington. He came with his parents to California in 1859, where the elder Harrington owned a big copper mine at Campo Seco, Calaveras County, and there he attended public schools and assisted his father until he volunteered his services for the Civil War. On November 29, 1864, he en- listed in Company E, Seventh California Infantry, serving until he was mustered out in San Francisco, May 28, 1866, after which he resumed mining and in time became owner of the Bonanza Mine at Mokelumne Hill. After disposing of it he continued mining, and unfortunately at a cave-in the Gwinn Mine in 1900 he was severely injured, being laid up for some years. On recovery he came to Stockton in 1906, being in the employ of Robert Powell, the contractor, as timekeeper until 1918. He was taken ill by paralysis and he passed away July 16, 1918. He was a past commander of Raw- lins Post No. 29, G. A. R.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrington had seven children: George F., of Rio Vista; Samuel S., deceased; Charles R .; Mrs. Grace G. Gallagher; Mrs. Mary A. Folsom; Frederick, Jr .; and Leonard Mckinley, all of Stockton. Since her husband's death, Mrs. Harrington continues to reside in Stockton, sur- rounded by her family and many friends. She is a member of Rawlins Relief Corps and attends the Christian church, in both of which she is deservedly popular.

HENRY LINDEMANN, JR .- For the past nine years Henry Lindemann, Jr., has been actively and prominently identified with the section of San Joa- quin County known as Bethany, owning extensive holdings in this rich and productive territory. A native of Benton County, Iowa, he was born near Blairstown on April 10, 1878, and when he was four years old his parents removed to Plymouth County. Iowa, locating at Remsen, where Henry received his preliminary education and was graduated from the Remsen high school with the class of '01; he then entered the Highland Park University, Des Moines, for a short business course; then in 1904 he entered the College of LeMars. Finishing his education, he took a position as clerk in a merchan- dise store in Remsen, Iowa, which covered a period of seven years.

At Remsen, Iowa, in 1906, Mr. Lindemann was married to Miss Bertha A. Ohlendorf, a native of Remsen, Iowa, where she was reared and schooled. graduating from the high school in 1904. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ohlendorf, residents of Remsen. She became identified with the educa- tional profession as a teacher in Plymouth County, Iowa, and taught from the time of her graduation

1384

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

from the high school until she was married. Mr. and Mrs. Lindemann are the parents of five chil- dren; Lafe W .; Lyle H .; June K .; Raymond; and Evelyn. Mr. Lindemann's parents, Detlef and Flor- ena (Haupt) Lindemann, both natives of Holstein, Germany, also reside in Remsen, Iowa. Mr. Linde- mann was preceded to California in 1907 by an uncle, Henry Lindemann, a wealthy rancher of Ala- meda County, Cal.

During 1912, Mr. Lindemann purchased a tract of 708 acres near Bethany without having seen it, and the following year removed his family from the East and located upon it, arriving in February of 1913; these lands were formerly owned by Shattuck & Edinger, general engineers and contractors of canals and roads throughout California. The land was not in condition to please the eye of a new- comer, especially one who was unacquainted with the difficulties to be encountered in this arid coun- try before the development of the irrigating sys- tems, but now the splendid system of improvements and developments show the care and attention, as well as energetic ability of Mr. Lindemann. He has installed two powerful Byron-Jackson centrifugal pumps, run by electric power, which force the water to the highest point on his land, distributing it by gravity flow through canals and over the land, which, with the exception of forty acres, has been planted to alfalfa, from which wonderful results are obtained, five cuttings in one season being the maximum of production. In 1919 Mr. Lindemann became a member of the Federation of American Farmers and is a strong advocate of the Marshall plan for irrigating 5,000,000 acres of California arid lands. In politics he is a Democrat. He is enthus- iastic over farming, and believes that the Bethany district, with its natural resources, is destined to attract settlers from all parts of the country.

HENRY A. LINNE .- An eminent citizen who has long been a prominent rancher, and who is known far and wide as an enthusiastic advocate of irrigation, is Henry A. Linne, who was born in San Francisco on November 3, 1876, and now resides about two miles east of Tracy on the Lincoln High- way. He came to San Joaquin County in 1885, and located on the Fink ranch near Bethany, having been preceded to this place by his elder brother, Adolph H. Linne. He worked out for two years at Bethany, and it was after that that he removed to the Fink rancho, where he followed farm labor until 1899. The year 1898, the two brothers put up their first crop; and having experienced a dry year, they lost heavily. Year after year they kept going, how- ever, and by intelligent industry and unimpeachable integrity, they won success. They together acquired lands and have extensive holdings which are farmed on a co-partnership basis.

Henry A. Linne has thirty-five acres of well-irri- gated alfalfa, and as a member of the Tracy Local, he belongs to the Farm Bureau. He heartily sup- ports every movement likely to hasten the develop- ment and progress of the community, and he is a Republican in matters of national political import.

At Stockton, in 1909, Mr. Linne was married to Miss Margaret Austin, the daughter of the well- known pioneer, Daniel Austin, a sturdy farmer who hailed from New York. He settled for awhile, in his first move westward, in Michigan, and then,

in 1850, at the time of the continued gold excite- ment, he accompanied a party bound across the plains to California. He became prominent in the Southern mines, and he owned a freighting business operating out from, and on the return to Copper- polis, in Calaveras County. He married Mary E. Downing, who was born in Illinois, and had come west by way of the Isthmus of Panama in 1860. Their family was reared at Farmington; and two of the three children have survived. Charles W. served as a member of the State Legislature from 1896 up to the time of his death on February 11, 1898; Kate became Mrs. Mills of Stockton; and Margaret, Mrs. H. A. Linne, is a graduate of the Oakdale district school, and also York's Normal School at Stockton. She followed her profession as teacher for nine years, and having married, now has one child, Ruth Irene, a pupil of the grammar school at Tracy. Mr. and Mrs. Linne are members of the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Native Daughters of the Golden West.

FRED F. WALL .- A thoroughly progressive vine- yardist who has something to show for his wide-awake enterprise and untiring industry, is Fred F. Wall who lives one mile and a half due east of Acampo. He was born in Hutchinson County, S. D., on May 29, 1878, the son of Fred and Magdalina Wall, the former a native of Russia, who died in that country. Directly after his death, Mrs. Wall left Russia for America; and coming out to South Dakota, she settled in Hutchinson County, where she married Henry Bec- thold, an industrious and thrifty farmer who did what he could to help develop that part of the country. He took up three-fourths of a section of government land, and such were the pioneer conditions, and the de- mands imposed by them, that our subject received little chance for an education.

When Fred was a young man, his stepfather died, and he then went to Wells County, and worked by the month on ranches. After that he rented farm land until 1905, when he came out to California and bought the old Smart place, a vineyard of forty acres, which he soon sold again. Then he purchased a thirty-acre ranch, which he improved for four years and then sold. Then he leased a ranch for a year, and after that bought the forty acres upon which he now lives. Thirty acres are in vineyard, and seven acres in alfalfa. He has twenty-five acres of wine-grapes, and five acres of Tokays. He himself built all the structures improving the place, including a fine dwelling-house and necessary farm-buildings; and he developed water by sinking a good well, so that with a five-inch pump and a motor of fifteen- horse power, and a complete system of concrete pipes, he can command adequate irrigation.

At Fessenden, Wells County, N. D., Mr. Wall was married, on April 4, 1900, to Miss Elizabeth Schmidt, a native of Russia and the daughter of Phillip Schmidt, a farmer, and his good wife, Katherine. Six chil- dren blessed this union: Isaac, Ida, Edna, Clara, Lillian and Laura. A second time, Mr. Wall married, on January 26, 1916, at Lodi, choosing for his wife Miss Ella Weishauer, a native of Kansas and the daughter of Herman Weishauer; and one son has been born to them, Edwin Fred. Mr. Wall is a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Lodi, of which he was formerly a director. He is interested in town property in Lodi.

---

Fred J. Hall

1387

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

JOSEPH DOUGLAS CONDON .- A California agriculturist who well deserves the enviable repute he enjoys, both as an experienced and enterprising, and altogther successful rancher, and as a broad- minded, progressive citizen, is Joseph Douglas Con- don, living in Upper Roberts Island, about thirteen and one-quarter miles southwest of Stockton, where he has seventy acres. He is a retired Delta reclama- tion engineer, and it is not surprising that he now owns some of the richest farm-lands in this part of the state.

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

History of 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 196

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