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 206

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 206

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Kick Flavor

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

shop most of the time and while there he became personally acquainted with General Leonard Wood, at that time a colonel in the Fifth Army Corps. In the spring of 1901 he returned to the United States. and after his arrival in San Francisco he reenlisted in the Twenty-ninth Infantry and was made a first sergeant; he was immediately sent to the Philippine Islands on board the S. S. Buford, and his foreign service covered a period of twelve months. His army record includes four enlistments and service up to 1907, when he was honorably discharged at Fort Mason on June 30. He then settled in Manteca and for four years was engaged in development work on the West & Wilhoit vineyard. He then pur- chased twenty acres and developed it to vineyard, which he has since sold. He owns his home and a small ranch located on the corner of Hogan and Veritas roads three miles south of Manteca.

The marriage of Mr. Buchanan united him with Miss Lucy Keen, and they are the parents of one son, Millard E., who distinguished himself during the World War with the A. E. F., and is the fifth in line since 1812 to serve the U. S. Government. Mr. Buchanan is a Republican in politics and a mem- ber of the Manteca Chamber of Commerce and con- tributes to the local newspapers as a special writer.

CARL C. BUSCH .- A progressive citizen of the Ripon section of San Joaquin County, is Carl C. Busch, who is successfully combining the develop- ment of a forty-acre ranch with contracting and building activities. His excellent fruit and dairy ranch west of Ripon demonstrates his characteristics of thoroughness and ability which he has displayed in his career. He was born near Copenhagen, Den- mark, on his father's farm, on June 4, 1872, and attended the public school in the neighborhood until he was fourteen years old. At this age he left school to work on the home farm and two years later, when he was sixteen, he was apprenticed to learn the car- penter's trade, in which, from the beginning, he showed particular ability and aptitude for the trade and became a very excellent workman. He remained in Denmark until he was thirty-two years old, then started on a trip to New Zealand on the S. S. Oroya, the voyage consuming fifty-six days. His stay in New Zealand covered a period of two and a half years, during which time he was occupied at his trade of carpenter.

In May, 1907, Mr. Busch arrived in San Francisco and for the following two years he worked at car- pentering in the Bay region, meeting with fair suc- cess. Concluding to combine his knowledge of agri- culture with his trade, he removed to San Joaquin County and settled at Ripon, where he bought his present home place of forty acres five miles west of Ripon, which he has made into a productive fruit, alfalfa and dairy ranch. During his twelve years' residence in San Joaquin County, Mr. Busch has erected the Van Allen district school building, the San Joaquin school building and numerous country and town residences in the Ripon section of the county. He is now erecting the gymnasium for the Ripon Union high school and his excellent workman- ship bespeaks for him continued prosperity. His brother, Walter Busch, is married and has a family; he is a rancher three and a half miles west of Ripon where he located in 1919. Both brothers are sub- stantial and progressive citizens and give an active support to all development measures. Mr. Busch

became a U. S. citizen in 1914 at Stockton, and since that time has voted the Democratic ticket. Fraternally he is a member of Mt. Horeb Lodge, I. O. O. F.

MRS. JENNIE H. BROWN .- An inspiring ex- ample of what an intelligent, experienced, cour- ageous and aggressively progressive woman may do, when called upon to manage farm properties, is afforded by the very enterprising rancher, Mrs. Jen- nie H. Brown, who cultivates some fifty-four acres in the upper division of Roberts Island, about thir- teen miles southwest of Stockton. A native of New York City, she was born in March, 1862, and is a daughter of Edward and Margaret (Bennett) Hew- son, who had come to America on their honeymoon from their native County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1861. She accompanied her parents to California in the spring of 1868, or when she was about six years old. Eventually, they had five children, among whom she was the eldest. For many years Mr. Hewson was a prosperous West Side rancher, having early bought a fine tract of land about six miles northwest of Mohr's Landing, now known as Bethany; and did his share to help develop that part of the country. He passed away in January, 1891, at the age of fifty, survived by his widow and five children, and widely esteemed. These children were Jennie, the subject of our story; Lydia, since deceased; William H., now residing at Bethany; George E .; and Mary A., who is the wife of Walter Mowry, of Stockton. Mrs. Hewson continued to manage the old, hospitable home, until she, too, passed away in 1914 at the age of seventy-four.

Jennie Hewson attended the district school and grew to womanhood on the home rancho. At San Francisco, on August 23, 1882, she was married to John C. Brown, the ceremony, performed by the Rev. Robert Mckinsey, taking place in the Howard Presbyterian Church. Mr. Brown was born in Scot- land, in July, 1847, and was brought to Canada by his parents when he was three years old. They set- tled at Pittsburgh, and there he was well educated, taking up engineering. In 1862 he came West and established himself as a reclamation engineer in the Delta of San Joaquin County, associating himself with Bixler & Williams; but on marrying, he aban- doned his profession for farming.

In 1882, then, Mr. Brown commenced to farm 500 acres on Union Island, and later on he bought land from the Pescadero Grant on Roberts Island, con- tinuing to cultivate the same until his death in 1919. This later purchase was the home place from 1891 until the present day. However, Mr. Brown lived to see his dream realized, and to behold an unhealthful swamp area of Delta lands transformed into one of the richest of ranch properties in the world-a tri- umph of American foresight and hard, honest labor reflecting the highest credit upon such brave pio- neers as Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who struggled to- gether for years against storms and floods. Few inen enjoyed a more honored position than that of Mr. Brown in the community, where he so long lived and labored, and where his word was regarded as even better than his bond. For thirty-eight years he was an honored member of Sumner Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Tracy, and he was also a good Mason of fifty years' standing at the time of his demise.

Mrs. Brown shared not only the hard work and the perplexing problems and heavy responsibilities

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of her husband, but also his success and honors, and today her deepest joy is in the associations afforded by her children, all of whom are a credit both to the family name and the community in which they have grown up. There were ten children: Lydia mar- ried A. J. Thompson, a rancher living near Lathrop, and is the mother of two children; Jennie has become Mrs. A. Maggini, and they reside with their one daughter at Stockton; John A. is a rancher at Bethany; Ed H. is a railway mail clerk; and William C. also follows agricultural pursuits; Robert A. also follows ranching but lives at home; Pearl is the wife of F. Tiana of Stockton; her twin sister, Ruby, is deceased; George A. farms on the home ranch; and Hazel, who graduated from the Stockton Business College, is with the Holt Manufacturing Company in Stockton. .

HENRY MURLIN COX .- Forty-nine busy years have passed since Henry Murlin Cox came to San Joaquin County, and during those years he has been a witness of and an active participant in the progress and development of the Linden section of the county. Mr. Cox is the youngest of the four Cox brothers who conduct extensive grain farms near Farming- ton, Peters, Bellota and Linden. He was born at Chatham Hill, Smyth County, Va., July 15, 1849, a son of Andrew H. and Mary (Umbarger) Cox, na- tives of Smyth County, Va., the former of an old southern family of Scotch and French descent, and the latter of German descent. Andrew H. Cox was born in 1797 and received a fine education in his native state where he became in time one of three senior judges of Smyth County. He was a miller by trade and owned and operated a large mill at Chatham Hill. He passed away in 1872, aged sev- enty-five. In November, 1874, the mother and chil- dren came West to California, arriving in Stockton the same year, which was then a small town. In 1875, Mrs. Cox purchased ten acres of land near Linden for the home place, where they began to farm and within four years added to it until in 1878 they owned 160 acres of choice land. The year 1878 was saddened by the death of the beloved mother, but she had lived long enough to see her family well along the road to prosperity. She left seven chil- dren to mourn her loss: Phillip Dodridge served in the Confederate Army, was wounded and also taken prisoner; he died at Linden in 1917; Wyrinda Smyth died in January, 1917; William M., who served as captain in the Confederate Army, died at Linden in 1895; he left a widow; Mrs. Bertha Cox, and four children: William H., Henry F., Mrs. Lillie Welch, and Mrs. Mary Archibald; James B. resides at Linden; John Bell served in the Confeder- ate Army and was wounded and captured; he died February 25, 1923; Andrew Hamilton married Sarah E. Brazelton and resides in Pacific Grove; he has a son, Perry Hamilton; Henry Murlin is the subject of this sketch. The Cox ranches have been con- ducted by the four brothers working in harmony and they have become independent and wealthy and now own over 1,000 acres of land. During the '80s they raised and supplied the Government with many fine mules and in 1886 sold Borax Smith three eight-mule teams. For the last few years the Cox brothers have leased a great part of their ranch hold- ings and are enjoying the fruits of long years of agricultural activity.

SVEND OTTO TRONDHJEM .- When S. O. Trondhjem located at Ripon in 1908 there were but six frame structures in the business section of the town, consequently this was a good opening for a first-class contractor and builder. Among the busi- ness blocks he has erected are the First National Bank Building, the postoffice and scores of attractive residences throughout the South San Joaquin section. He has also been very successful in his agricultural pursuits, for on his forty-acre ranch he has developed a very productive peach orchard of five acres and the balance of thirty-five acres produces an abund- ance of alfalfa since irrigation has been developed in the district. He was born in Nyborg, Denmark, February 16, 1881, and by the time he was thirteen years old his school days were over and he began to learn the stone and brick mason and plasterer's trade and followed this for six years in Denmark; he then went to Hamburg, Germany, where he followed his trade for four years in the large cities of central Germany; he then returned to his native country for a visit for a few months; then, believing that greater opportunities for young men to succeed financially were to be found elsewhere, he went to Cape Town, South Africa, where he soon found work and was occupied for four years in contracting and building; then he started for an extended tour and three months were consumed in visiting in Australia, South Sea Islands, Seattle, British Columbia, and in February, 1907, he arrived in San Francisco. He. remained in the Bay district about one year and during this time took out his first naturalization papers. In 1908 he located in San Joaquin County, where he bought a forty-acre ranch, a portion of the Thomas Frederick place, two miles west of Ripon, and has developed it into a most productive place.

During 1914, Mr. Trondhjem made an extended trip to Denmark to visit his old home and while there was married to Miss Anna Rasmussen, a native of Denmark and a daughter of Jasper and Mary Rasmussen, farmer folk in Denmark. Mr. and Mrs. Trondhjem are the parents of four children: Rita, Greta, Svend Otto, Jr., and Julia. Besides raising peaches and alfalfa on his ranch, Mr. Trondh- jem has a dairy, which he has leased to others for the next three years. During the spring of 1922 he completed his fine modern residence on the out- skirts of Ripon, where the family reside and from which he handles all of his contract work. Frater- nally he is a member of the Danish Brotherhood at San Francisco, Cal., the Dania Society at Modesto, and the Mt. Horeb Lodge of I. O. O. F. at Ripon.

CHARLES F. COOPER .- A native of Iowa, Charles F. Cooper was born near Charter Oak, June 19, 1897, a son of Charles A. and Olive (Cur- rier) Cooper, both natives of that state. The father was reared on the prairies in his native state and early in life became interested in stockraising; later he became a prominent figure in the livestock mar- kets of St. Louis and Chicago. In 1901 he removed with his family to McIntosh County, N. D., and became an extensive stockraiser; he still owns twelve sections of choice farming land in that state. In 1912 the Cooper family came to California to make their permanent home and located in Sanger, Cal., where the parents now reside.

Charles F. Cooper finished the grammar and San- ger high school in Fresno County, then entered the University of Southern California, where he contin-

S. Trondhjem

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

ued his studies for one year. That fall, on Septem- ber 1, 1917, he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps, Fifteenth Regiment, and served at the Mare Island Navy Yards and at Quantico, Va .; fourteen months later he went to San Domingo where he served for five months, and on February 21, 1919, he was hon- orably discharged at the Marine Barracks at Quan- tico, Va.

On May 17, 1920, Mr. Cooper was married to Miss E. Irene Simpson, born at Academy, Cal., a daugh- ter of Marvin Simpson, who married the eldest daughter of Rev. Joel Hedgepeth, the well-known pioneer minister, stock and grain farmer of Acad- emy. Mrs. Cooper received a fine education and is an accomplished and talented woman. In 1912 the property of 420 acres, the home place of the late Richard Drais, was purchased by a group of Fresno county citizens, among them being Charles A. Coop- er, the father of our subject. In 1917 Mr. Cooper purchased the interests of the other members and 100 acres was sold, leaving 320 acres which was leased. Later Charles F. Cooper chose agriculture as his field of labors and purchased the present ranch from his father. He set out thirty acres to prunes and plums and uses two tractors and the most up-to- date machinery in the cultivation and development of this ranch. Mr. Cooper has also installed a Ster- ling deep-well pump -and has laid concrete pipe for irrigating his orchards. He is a member of the Amer- ican Legion and was made a Mason in Valley Lodge No. 135, at Linden. Since his location in Farming- 'ton Mr. Cooper has won success and gained for himself the confidence and good will of those with whom he has been associated in relations of friend- ship and of business.

J. OLIVER COOPER .- A representative of the best interests of his community from the standpoint of public-spirited citizenship and useful activity in industrial affairs is found in J. Oliver Cooper, the efficient towerman for the Western Pacific Railroad at Lathrop, Cal. He was born at Columbus, Ohio, April 18, 1872, a son of Henry H. and Mary (Whit- beck) Cooper, both natives of New York. J. Oliver Cooper is the eldest. of three children and the only one residing in California. The parents are now residing in Greene County; N. Y.

J. Oliver Cooper was educated in the grammar and high schools of Greene County until he was fifteen years of age, then went to work in a store at Leeds, N. Y., where he remained for three years; later he worked in a large creamery at Schoharie, N. Y., for three years, and became thoroughly conversant with the creamery business. Later, when he went to Galilee, Pa., he became superintendent of a cooperative cream- ery and was occupied successfully for three years. In 1902 he resigned his position and came to California, locating first at San Diego and then he went into the Imperial Valley and opened up a creamery business where he remained for three years. Mr. Cooper was active for fifteen years as an expert creamery man, but since 1909, when he came to San Joaquin Coun- ty, he has been in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Turlock. Due to ill health he was forced to seek outside work, so dis- posed of his creamery interests and took up railroad work as a member of the section gang. He soon became a foreman and moved to Lathrop where he had charge of eight miles of track on the Fresno

division and remained in that capacity for three years when he became identified with the Southern Pa- cific Railroad Company as towerman at Lathrop, his service extending over a period of nine years.

The marriage of Mr. Cooper occurred at Stam- ford, N. Y., and united him with Miss Ella Sarah Hartwell, a daughter of a New York pioneer, and they are the parents of two daughters: Marjorie, Mrs. W. E. Graham, who has a son and resides at Modesto; and Mildred. Politically Mr. Cooper is a Republican; fraternally he is a Mason. The family reside in a comfortable residence at Lathrop.

DAVIS BROS .- Twelve years ago the Davis brothers came to Ripon for the purpose of establish- ing a hardware store. The first store building they occupied was of small proportions and as their busi- ness has grown three additions have been added until their floor space amounts to 14,800 square feet and the business is steadily increasing each month. Their large success has been realized entirely through their steady industry and good business management. George R. Davis, the senior partner, was born at San Francisco, July 30, 1880, while his brother, Harold T. Davis, the other member of the firm, was born near San Juan, Cal., August 9, 1882. These enterprising young men are sons of Henry Clay and Emma (Thrush) Davis, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of California. Henry Clay Davis accompanied his parents to California in '49, crossing the plains with ox teams in search for gold. They engaged in mining in Nevada County and the young man Henry C. drove stages in the mountains and later in the '80s located in San Joaquin County, where he was employed in Dr. Bentley's store at Woodbridge. Henry Clay Davis married Miss Emma Thrush, a native of Rio Vista, Cal., a daugh- ter of Richard Thrush, now deceased, who came to California in 1849 and engaged in farming. Three children were born to this pioneer couple: George R., Harold T. Davis and Mrs. O. V. Freeman, who resides at Visalia. About 1887 Henry Clay Davis removed to Fresno where he purchased a tract of land about six miles southwest of Fresno, which he developed to orchard and vineyard and the family resided there about twenty years. Mrs. Davis passed away in the Fresno home in 1917. After his wife's death the father removed to Visalia where he makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Freeman.

George R. Davis received a good education in the schools of Fresno County, graduating from the Fresno high school in 1899, then entered Heald's Business College where he completed a short busi- ness course. He then went to Spokane, Wash .. where he spent about a year and a half in clerical work, then returned to Fresno, where he took charge of the circulation department of the Fresno Herald, handling it successfully until 1910 when he resigned to enter the hardware business in conjunction with his brother in Ripon. Harold T. Davis, the junior member of the firm, was also educated in the Fresno schools, then was apprenticed to learn the plumbing business at Sacramento, where he served four years, his first wage being three dollars per week, but at the end of four years was an expert plumber. He then went to Goldfield, Nev., where he followed his trade from 1903 to 1908, having charge of plumbing inspection of the Goldfield Hotel and Elks building at that place; later he returned to the San Joaquin Valley and followed his trade in Turlock for two

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years. In March, 1910, in partnership with his brother, George R. Davis, a hardware and plumbing establishment was opened. For a number of years Harold T. Davis handled the plumbing work him- self, but the business has grown to such proportions that he has turned that part of the business over to others and is busy now with the management of his affairs. The Davis Bros. carry the John Deere line of farming implements and the Winchester hardware specialties in which company they are stockholders. They are members of the California State Hardware Association and directors in the First National Bank at Ripon, and Harold T. Davis is president of the Ripon Merchants' Association. Both brothers are prominent lodge members and own valuable property in Ripon.

PATRICK DONELON .- The ranching interests of San Joaquin County are well represented by Pat- rick Donelon, who for almost a quarter of a century has engaged in grain and stockraising in the Bellota section. His present home place consists of 515 acres seventeen miles east of Stockton, which he con- ducts as a dairy and stock farm with gratifying results. County Galway, Ireland, was his birthplace and he is a son of Thomas and Catherine (Herbert- Donelon) Donelon, both also born in Ireland.

Patrick Donelon received a good education in the schools of the town of Dunmore, and at seventeen years of age he went to England, where he was employed on a farm in County Cheshire, working for four seasons, each winter returning home to be with his parents. In 1883 he left home for America with passage paid to Sacramento, Cal., and upon his arrival in Sacramento he found work in the South- ern Pacific Railroad shops, where he worked for about one year; then he found employment on the passenger steamer Apache, one of the Sacramento River steamers to San Francisco. Mr. Donelon worked as deckhand for four years and as fireman on this steamer for ten years and was oiler for one year. For his efficient service he was given engineer papers as a second-class operator of river boats in Califor- nia. Mr. Donelon was on this boat at the time of collision in 1885 with the T. C. Walker and received a painful injury in his side and hip, which necessi- tated remaining in the Marine Hospital in San Francisco for a month. During the years of his ser- vice on the Apache he received his U. S. citizenship papers.

Mr. Donelon's marriage in San Francisco united him with Miss Ellen Donelon, born in County Gal- way, Ireland, who had come to San Francisco in 1893. After their marriage the young couple settled on their ranch four miles east of Bellota, which Mr. Donelon had purchased in 1889. For twenty years they resided on this place, and here all their chil- dren were born. They are the parents of five chil- dren: Catherine is a graduate of Notre Dame, San Francisco, and for the past two years has been teach- ing in the Fair Oaks school in Stockton; Mary is a graduate of the San Francisco Normal and Notre Dame and is a teacher in the Elmwood school; Thomas attends the Stockton vocational high school, where he is learning the auto mechanic trade; Agnes and Lucile attend school in Stockton. Five years ago Mr. Donelon acquired the present home place of 515 acres, which he is steadily improving, and he purchased a residence at 1066 North Sierra Ne- vada Street, Stockton, as a home for his daughters.

For several years he served as trustee of the Doug- las school district and at the present time is a trus- tee of the Bellota school district. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus of Stockton, and has always manifested a public-spirited interest in the general progress and development of his locality.

O. J. GALASSI .- An important branch of interior decorating is that of mosaic and terazzo work in marble and stone and the work along this line done by O. J. Galassi is worthy of creditable mention. He was born in Boston, Mass., February 20, 1880, a son of Francis and Emma (Ferretti) Galassi, born in Rome, Italy. When he was four years old his parents made a trip to their native city on a visit; returning to Boston the father worked at his trade of coppersmith until his death in 1911, aged sixty- three; the mother of our subject resides in Rome, Italy. O. J. Galassi attended school in Italy until he was twelve years old, then accompanied an uncle to Brazil; when he was thirteen years old he worked on a large coffee plantation for his board and lodging, driving an ox-cart about the plantation; later he became a jockey, riding the races. He spent six years in Brazil and then returned to Boston where he learned his trade, working for the Charles E. Old Company for five years; in 1901 he did the mosaic work in the Museum of Natural History in New York, which occupied fourteen months. After com- pleting this work he came to San Francisco and did contract work for the U. S. Government, doing the work in the postoffice building in San Francisco and Portland, Ore. He established headquarters at 1121 Fell Street, San Francisco, and among his outstand- ing work was the mosaic and terazzo work in the Palace Hotel, Standard Oil Building and the Sub- Treasury Building. In 1915 he permanently located in Stockton and opened his shop at 138 East Sonora Street, modernly equipped to do all kinds of stone and marble work; he has also invented and has received United States and Canadian patents on the Everlasting Sanitary Sink top, perfected after many years of work. It is now being used in most of the modern homes.

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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 206

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