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 197

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 197

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Mr. Condon was born on Cape Hopewell, New Brunswick, on December 28, 1856-the same day, by the way, on which Woodrow Wilson first saw the light-and enjoyed the best of early educational ad- vantages at a private academy. When eighteen years of age he decided to go to sea, and so he entered the employ of Messrs. L. H. De Veber & Company, who operated trans-Atlantic sailing vessels, and entered upon an apprenticeship under the redoubtable Captain Carter. He followed a seaman's life for five years, and in that time went three times around the Cape of Good Hope, sailed the Indian Ocean and the Sea of China, entered the South Atlantic and visited the Isles of the Southern Pacific, Rio de Janeiro, the West Indies and the British Isles, and to the ports of Con- tinental Europe, while also visiting all or most of the important ports on the Atlantic seaboard, in the United States, and along the great Gulf of Mexico.

He made his first trip into the Golden Gate in 1877, first walking the streets of San Francisco on August 7, 1877, sailing in on the Madura, a barque of 1,000 tons burden from Hong Kong, China, and at that time he had no intention of remaining in California; but after another trip to the Pacific and its beautiful tropic isles, which took twenty months, he returned to San Francisco in 1879 and disembarked there, and has been a resident of California ever since. Making his headquarters in San Francisco Mr. Condon entered the employ of the Nelson & Adams Lumber Com- pany and took up sailing on coastwise vessels, making two trips, one to Eureka and one to Puget Sound.

While in Honolulu Mr. Condon had his first engin- eering experience, that of construction work on the factory and mill of the Heeia Sugar Plantation, and this experience brought a bountiful return, for in 1880 he was able to enter the employ of J. Hackett, owner of the Pacific Dredge Company, during dredging operations at the transit wharf, Oakland, in the Oak- land creek and channel. Mr. Condon in 1883 came to Union Isle, and on the 7th of August associated himself with Captain Adams for five years, as engin- eer in charge of the river dredging and levee building. He thus helped to reclaim thousands of acres of Delta land now farmed by large interests, and for many years past famous for their heavy production. In 1888 he took charge of Dredger No. 3 on the Jersey Isle, and three years later he moved onto Twitchell Isle, reclaiming the lands later owned by ex-Senator Twitchell.

In 1892 Mr. Condon retired from active service and bought a tract of land, his present home-place, in the improvement of which he spent much time and money, bringing it up to its present fine condition. He had been given United States citizenship in Judge Jones' court at Stockton, and ever since entering into civic responsibilities he has discharged his patriotic duties in the most conscientious manner possible.

At Bethany, in 1888, Mr. Condon was married to Miss Lydia Hewson, second child of Edward and Margaret Hewson of Bethany, and their union was blessed with the birth of four children: Marjorie is deceased; John Edward served in the World War and is now a teacher in the public schools of San Joaquin County; Hattie Violet is a gifted art-student and illus- trator; and Jessie Lydia is a student in art. With such a gifted family to live for it is sad to relate that Mrs. Condon passed away on December 31, 1913, a real loss both to her intimate circle and to the com- munity at large.

JAMES A. CONDY .- Through the artistic excel- lence of his work as an interior and exterior decorator James A. Condy has built up an excellent business in this line, confining himself to the highest grade of work. His grandfather, James Condy, a native of Cornwall, England, came to California via Panama in 1867, and locating at Stockton, with his brother, he ran a sash and door mill at the corner of California and Channel streets, the present site of the Stockton Business College block, which Mr. Condy could have purchased at that time for $600. He followed building operations in Stockton for a number of years. In 1869 he was joined by his wife and four children, who made the journey by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and three children were born to them in Stockton. James H. Condy, his son, the father of our subject, was born in Philadelphia and accompanied his mother to California in 1869. He attended the Jefferson school and sold the San Francisco Chronicle on the streets of Stockton; he played the fife in the old fife and drum corps of the Emmett Guards when he was fourteen years old and followed band work for many years, playing in the Stockton and Angels Camp Bands.

For some time Mr. Condy worked for his father in the planing mill in Stockton and then went to Benicia where he was employed with the Baker & Hamilton Company, contractors and builders, and helped in the erection of the Benicia high school. He went to Angels Camp just after the town had been destroyed by fire and helped rebuild it, erecting at least half of the buildings there. In the twenty years he was in this district he put up seventy-four buildings and also engaged in mining. Coming back to Stockton he built thirty houses in the Oak Park section which he sold on the installment plan, and he has now retired from active work in this line. On June 19, 1882, he was married to Miss Lillian Burres, the daughter of Benedict and Harriet Burres; the father crossed the plains in 1858 and for years farmed on the Waterloo Road, while Mrs. Burres made the same journey four years later, in 1862. Mrs. Condy is a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Pioneer Society, while Mr. Condy belongs to Angels Camp Lodge No. 33, I. O. O. F. They are the parents of three children: Alva B., Mrs. Hattie Hodges and James A.

The youngest of the family, James A. Condy, was born at Angels Camp, Calaveras County, August 25. 1891. He attended the public school there and when sixteen years old removed to Stockton with his par- ents, where he worked with his father in building houses in the northern part of Stockton. Later he worked as foreman for Totten & Trewett, building contractors, and then he took up interior and exterior decorating. Skilful and artistic in his work, he accepts only the highest class contracts, and he has decorated all the fine homes built by Carl Nelson and some for

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Frederickson Bros. He recently completed a three- story building on Lafayette Street, a three-story busi- ness block on West Union Street, the Cinderella Dance Hall block and many bungalows throughout the city. For the past two years the firm has been Condy & Haines, paint contractors of Stockton.

Mr. Condy's marriage, which occurred at Stockton on August 29, 1911, united him with Miss Pearl Bodi- ner, a native of Chicago. One child has been born to them, a daughter, Nancy Loretta.

JUDSON L. CRAIG .- Known for more than sev- enteen years as an authority on lands, locations and values of property in the great Central California section, Judson L. Craig is today a specialist in the investment fields of his home country. He was born in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, Cal., on February 13, 1872, a son of Andrew and Mary C. (Pace) Craig, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of Mis- souri. The father, Andrew Craig, crossed the plains with his wife in 1863 and was a pioneer attorney of Stockton; later locating in Watsonville he served as superior judge of Santa Cruz County for twelve years. In 1880 he removed to San Francisco and was elected district attorney and there followed his profes- sion until the time of his death in 1903. The mother was a daughter of Judge Jonathan Pace of Chilli- cothe, Mo., and she died in 1916.

Judson L., the youngest of their six children, began his education in the grammar school of San Francisco and was later graduated from the Polytechnic high school of that city. His first position was with the Claus Spreckels Sugar Company, doing clerical work, which occupied him for five years; he then went into the wholesale coffee business. In 1903 he went to Portland, Oregon, where he remained for about four years, when he located in Stockton and became inter- ested in the development of unimproved and improved lands, later becoming identified with the South San Joaquin Irrigation District. With his partner, John A. Coley, he was one of the founders of the town of Escalon, making the first improvements there, erect- ing buildings, laying out the townsite and selling lots; he was one of the promoters and organizers of the Tidewater Southern Railway, and has been a member of its board of directors ever since the road was built. Mr. Craig is the owner of the Clarkadota Fig Planta- tions, which consist of 1,500 acres of land two miles to the southeast of Stockton, the largest fig orchard of this variety in the world. The Clarkadota fig orig- inated in California. It is seedless and differs from any other fig when cooked because it retains its origi- nal shape. It has been shipped fresh and in perfect condition to New York. A cannery for processing all the fruit produced on this plantation will be con- structed in Stockton in time to handle the fruit in the summer of 1923. This company sells the land on easy terms, plants the figs and cares for same for five, ten or more years, thus enabling professional and business men, who do not have the time to care for an orchard, to own producing land, which brings in a profit to the owner each year. The leading hotels of San Francisco, and the Merritt Hospital of Oak- land own producing fig orchards in this tract and serve their figs to their patrons and patients. The soil of the Clarkadota Fig Plantations is practically identical with that on which W. Sam Clark obtained his wonderful results, the soil being exceptionally heavy. The Clarkadota fig tree bears four and a half

to five crops a year, averaging about thirty days each, thus requiring pickers to work for thirty days at a stretch, there being an intermission of a few days between each crop. It is obvious that the orchard cannot be irrigated while the pickers are at work, therefore the soil must be sufficiently heavy to retain an abundance of water for thirty days at a time. The soil of the Clarkadota Fig Plantations is particularly favored by nature through a deposit of a large quan- tity of lime, silicate, phosphate, etc., all of which, par- ticularly the lime, is a tremendous asset in the grow- ing of figs.

The marriage of Mr. Craig united him with Miss Louise A. Williams, a daughter of a pioneer Wood- bridge family, and they are the parents of one daugh- ter, Lida L., a graduate of the Stockton high school and now a student at Mills College, Oakland. Mr. Craig is active in the Stockton Chamber of Commerce and fraternally is a member of Morning Star Lodge, F. & A. M., of Stockton, and Stockton Chapter, R. A. M.

ANGELO PALERMO .- Italy has furnished to America many worthy citizens. They have come from sunny Italy without capital, but have readily adapted themselves to changed conditions, surround- ings and customs, have taken advantage of existing opportunities, and through consecutive endeavor have gained prosperity. It is to this class that Angelo Palermo belongs. He was born in Naples, Italy, March 15, 1886, a son of Dominico and Maria Paler- mo and was only five years old when his father died. He is the youngest of a family of three children, Jos- eph, Katherine and Angelo. His father was depend- ent upon his labor day by day to support his family, and after his death Angelo was obliged to assume the family burden; consequently there was no oppor- tunity for an education. His mother is still living in Italy.

In 1906, Angelo Palermo made his way to America, and came directly to California. Stopping at Los Banos, he found employment on the Miller & Lux ranch, where he remained for six months. After the earthquake in San Francisco, he went there and worked for a year in clearing away the debris of the disastrous fire; then he went to Angels Camp and found work in the mines, but this work was not to his liking. He then went to Stockton and worked for the next five years on railroad construction work, and then came to Lodi, where he bought a wagon and peddled ice cream about the streets. From 1911 to 1918 he had accumulated enough capital to establish the Northern Valley Creamery on East Oak Street, where he makes ice cream and butter. He also con- ducts the Palace of Sweets at No. 7 West Elm Street, where he has built up a fine trade. He also owns business property on East Street in Stockton.

In September, 1911, Mr. Palermo was married to Miss Theresa Mangosta, a native of Catanzaro, Italy, a daughter of Michael and Angelina Mangosta. Miss Mangosta came to America and to California the same year Mr. Palermo did, and their acquain- tance resulted in their marriage five years later. They are the parents of two children, Dominic and Emil, and are members of the Catholic Church of Lodi. In his business career, Mr. Palermo has made for himself an honorable name and won a compe- tency that now classes him with the substantial resi- dents of the Lodi section of San Joaquin County.

angelo Palermo Teresa Palermo

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CHARLES EDWARD DOAN .- Among the sub- stantial business men of San Joaquin County, Charles Edward Doan occupies a foremost position as official court reporter of the Superior Court. A native of El Dorado County, Cal., he was born near Alta on June 21, 1865, a son of Lattimer E. Doan, a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., who crossed the plains with his parents in an ox-team train in the early '50s. Grandfather Elisha Doan was a lumberman in Michi- gan, so Lattimer E. naturally learned the lumber business. He built and owned a toll road out of Placerville to a point in the mountains, then engaged in the lumber business in El Dorado and Nevada counties, building a sawmill at Canon Creck near Alta, and then at Boca. With W. E. Terry and Capt. John Friend as partners Lattimer E. Doan established the Boca Mill & Ice Company and was its president. The mill and ice houses were established and built at the junction of the Big and Little Truckee rivers, where he got out millions of ties and lumber for the Central Pacific Railroad Company, which was then building its line through to the Pacific Coast, and he also manufactured lumber and shipped it by rail for many years to different points in Nevada and Cali- fornia. He was actively engaged in business until his death, though the last three years of his life were spent in Sacramento, his death occurring there in Feb- ruary, 1881.

Lattimer E. Doan had married Mary Elizabeth Logan, who was born in Kentucky and crossed the vast plains with her parents in an ox-team train, locat- ing at Michigan Bar, where Grandfather Logan was a miner and owned the toll bridge. Mrs. Lattimer E. Doan survived her husband many years, passing away in Stockton in November, 1919, aged eighty years. The family comprised six children, four of whom grew up and are living: Hattie A., living in Stock- ton; L. E., an oil operator in San Francisco; Charles E. of this sketch, and Mary Elizabeth of Stockton.

Charles Edward Doan attended the Sacramento public schools and for a time was in the employ of the Continental Oil Company of that city. In 1881 he and his brother, L. E. Doan, located in Stockton, where the latter became the agent for Schofield & Tevis, and also for the Continental Oil Company, and Charles E. was associated with him in these enter- prises. Later the brothers took charge of the Stock- ton Furniture Company, owned by his mother, Mrs. Mary E. Doan, and her brother, J. V. Logan, then located on the site of the Hotel Sutter on East Main Street, and here they engaged in the manufacture and sale of furniture. L. E. Doan has since become one of the leading oil men of California and with others is now operating the Doan Oil Company at Shreve- port, La., with headquarters in that city, Charles E. being one of the stockholders. When a young man Mr. Doan had become very proficient in shorthand and in 1891 he took it up as a profession in Seattle where he became a reporter in the U. S. Land Office and for the U. S. Courts of Washington. Returning to Stockton in 1893 he established the Gas City Busi- ness College, which he successfully conducted until September, 1901, when he disposed of it to J. H. Humphreys and T. F. Wolfenbarger. It is now the Stockton College of Commerce. Meanwhile, Mr. Doan had become a court reporter in the Superior Court of San Joaquin County under E. E. Hood, and upon the latter's death in 1901 Mr. Doan was unani-

mously appointed to take his place as official court reporter, a position he has since held to the entire satisfaction of the court. About seventeen years ago Mr. Doan became interested in viticulture and pur- chased fifty-two acres of raw land four miles south- east of Lodi, set it to vineyard and now has a full- bearing vineyard of table grapes. With his family he resides in the comfortable home which he erected at Rose and Monroe streets, Stockton.

In Portland, Ore., Mr. Doan was married to Miss Catherine Maurer, a native of Stockton; her father, Peter Maurer, was a pioneer farmer of San Joaquin County. Mr. and Mrs. Doan are the parents of two children: Roland E. is the proprietor of the R. E. Doan Sporting Goods House of Stockton, among the largest and best equipped houses in this line on the Coast. Alma Irma is the wife of E. C. Parks, of San Francisco. Fraternally Mr. Doan is a member of Charity Lodge, No. 6, I. O. O. F., of Stockton. He also belongs to the California Shorthand Reporters' Association and the National Shorthand Reporters' Association.

THOMAS F. DONOVAN .- A leader in the successful development of the resources of San Joa- quin County is Thomas F. Donovan, a native son who was born on his father's farm, on Upper Sac- ramento Road, three miles east of Stockton, on Feb- ruary 21, 1878, the son of Thomas Donovan, de- ceased, who had married Miss Ellen Fitzgerald, like himself a native of Ireland, and who resided on the old home place until his death, October 1, 1922, aged eighty-five. Mr. Donovan came out to California in the early sixties by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and for about eight years worked on the Wilkins ranch. Then he bought the farm of 120 acres, east of Stockton, which he continued to cultivate until his death, about fifteen years ago. Several children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dono- van; and those now living are, besides our subject, Catherine, who is the wife of Thomas Heffernan, William John, Mame, Nellie, Mrs. A. A. Fitzgerald, Margaret, Mrs. Charles Walsh, and Hannah, Mrs. James Heffernan.

Thomas F. Donovan attended the August gram- mar school, and at the early age of fourteen drove an eight-horse team on his father's ranch. When twenty years of age, he entered into a partnership with his brother, William J. Donovan, and leased 500 acres of the Wagner ranch on the Lower Sac- ramento Road, which they farmed to grain for four seasons. Then our subject sold his interest to his brother, and he bought a half-interest in the Blake Transfer Company of Stockton, owned by Mr. Car- penter, and joined the other partner, G. S. Blake, and later Blake sold his interest to O. A. Fitzgerald, and two years later, Mr. Donovan bought out Mr. Fitzgerald and became sole owner. For five years he did a large business, running one of the first motor trucks seen in Stockton.

Later Mr. Donovan again started farming with his brother, operating some 500 acres in the Termi- nal Tract northwest of Stockton. In the meantime, he sold a half-interest in the Blake Transfer Com- pany to Frank Watrous, and at the end of the year he disposed of the other half to his partner and re- tired altogether from the transfer enterprise. With his brother he then rented 600 acres of land and farmed the same for a year, and then they farmed

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about 2,200 acres to grain, on different ranches be- tween Stockton and Farmington. For the past few years Mr. Donovan has been engaged in caterpillar contracting, leveling, plowing and planting of crops. One season he plowed 2,500 acres on the Chow- chilla ranch, and the next year he harvested 4,000 acres there. At present he is devoting himself to the development of smaller ranches of 1,000 acres, or thereabouts, in the vicinity of Stockton.

While in the transfer business, he bought the lot on which now stands the Hotel Taft, which he later sold, and he erected a large barn on Madison street for the business. He is one of the veteran local members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and an ex-trustee in the same. In Stockton, January, 1910, he married Miss Ala Martin, born at Fresno. Her father, W. T. Martin, was the first white child born on the Calaveras river, near Waterloo, his parents being early pioneers and farmers. Mr. Martin, after removing to Fresno, was superintendent of the Fresno Irrigating Canal, and is now an orchardist near Selma. Her mother, who was Theo S. Wildermuth, ` was born in Calaveras County and Mrs. Donovan is the eldest living child of their four children.

JOSEPH DELUCCHI .- A native son of Stockton, who has never lost sight of his determination to become a successful lawyer, is Joseph Delucchi, who is practicing his profession in Stockton with offices located in the Realty Building. He was born in Stockton February 22, 1895, a son of Lorenzo and Lena (Armanino) Delucchi, both natives of Genoa, Italy. Thirty-two years ago Lorenzo Delucchi located in San Joaquin County and was engaged in farming. Twenty years ago William Newman, who owned an eighty-acre ranch near Linden, made the proposition to Lorenzo Delucchi that if he would plant the eighty acres to grapes and care for same, he would give him one-half of the property. Mr. Delucchi planted the ranch to Mission and Black Prince grapes and cared for same and Mr. Newman gave him forty acres as agreed upon. He still owns twenty acres of this ranch, which has been very productive; he also owns valuable real estate in the city of Stockton. Both parents are still living, and they have four children: Joseph, Mrs. Lillian Bianchini, Lawrence and Doris. Joseph, the boy, attended the Fair Oaks school, then entered the Stockton high school, from which he was duly graduated with the class of 1915; he then entered the office of Hugh McNoble, where he began the study of law. In 1917 he joined the 307th Supply Company and was stationed at Madison Barracks, N. Y., until he was sent overseas to France. He drove a motor truck carrying ammunition and sup- plies to the army and was frequently under fire. He was in the service for twenty-three months, then was returned to the United States and received his dis- charge as sergeant at the Presidio, San Francisco, Oc- tober 4, 1919. In November of the same year he resumed his study of the law in Stockton; the follow- ing year, September 1, 1920, he was admitted to prac- tice law in the appellate court, Sacramento County. Fraternally he is a member of the Karl Ross Post No. 16, American Legion, the Maccabees and the San Joaquin County Bar Association. He is a believer in the future prosperity of his home city and loses no opportunity to boost for Stockton and San Joaquin County.

ANGELO SERVENTI .- Passing away in the prime of life, the late Angelo Serventi had already established himself in the commercial circles of Stockton as a successful business man. He was born near Genoa, Italy on June 24, 1878, the oldest of five children born to Christopher and Maria (Sem- enza) Serventi descended from old families in Italy and who were agriculturists in the vicinity of Genoa. His mother died in 1891 and soon afterwards Chris- topher brought his son Angelo to San Francisco, arriving in 1891; his other children joined him later.

Angelo Serventi received a good education in the schools of his native place until he was thirteen years of age when he accompanied his father to San Francisco, Cal. On his arrival he immediately went to work, finding employment in the establish- ment of a florist. However desiring to gain know- edge in the English language he attended night school, improving the opportunity so well he was soon able to read and speak the language of his adopted country. He was deeply interested in the florist business, having a natural love for flowers, working diligently and studying the florist's art. In a few short years he mastered its details and he spent sixteen years at the trade in the city.

Meantime, January 26, 1901, in Stockton he was married to Miss Margherita Battilana, who was also born near Genoa, Italy, a daughter of Peter and Angela (Boschetto) Battilana descended from old families in Italy who were farmers. Her mother died in Italy in January, 1897, while her father now makes his home in Stockton. To them were born eight children, seven of whom are living: John Bat- tilana, a grocer; G. Battilana, a realtor; Mrs. Maria Gianelli and Mrs. Paula Lagorio, all of Stockton; Mrs. Flavia Demarchi passed away in Italy, in 1919; Mrs. Antonietta Ferrari lives near Genoa; Mrs. Mar- gherita Serventi, of this review, and Dominic, a busi- ness man in Stockton. Margherita Battilana attend- ed private school in her home locality receiving a good education. In June, 1897, she came to Stock- ton where she had brothers and sisters living.

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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 197

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