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 223

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 223

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John Strieff and his brother Harry, during the last two years, engaged extensively in dairying; they have a dairy ranch of 600 acres on Dry Creek, about one mile north of the Elliott schoolhouse, where there are seventy-five acres in alfalfa and the rest in grain and ordinary pasture. They have fifty head of cattle, and are doing well. They follow scientific methods, have the most up-to-date apparatus, and have created and conscientiously maintain one of the most sanitary dairies in the county. Meanwhile, along with their busy industrial lives, they take a live interest in the political issues of the day, Mr. Streiff being a good, stand-pat Republican, but a fine, non-partisan "booster" for the locality in which he lives and thrives.

JOHN P. TRIOLO .- Business enterprise finds a stalwart exponent in the person of John P. Triolo, whose progressive spirit and determination have won for him a prominent position in the business circles of Stockton. Mr. Triolo was born in Chicago, Ill., on February 21, 1880, and grew to manhood and was educated in that city. He then entered the employ of Porter Brothers, fruit packers and shippers, and became their European manager; and during the ten years he was employed by them he made seven round trips to Mediterranean ports. In 1905 he came to California in the interest of the same company, locat- ing at Los Angeles, where he remained for six years.

In 1911 Mr. Triolo came to Stockton and went into partnership with Louis Calestini in a general real estate and insurance business under the firm name of Triolo & Calestini. Their operations covered a large territory, and besides conducting a most successful real estate business, they erected business blocks and residences, selling them at a profit, and in this way built up a lucrative business. Their popularity and success as realtors is demonstrated by the fact that in many instances they sold the same property twice. They consummated the sale of the Bronx Hotel, the Masonic Temple building, and the Hodgkin block on Weber Avenue. Vacant property has also received their attention, as they sold 200 lots in the business district, on which business blocks have been erected.

Many dairy and fruit ranches were also developed and sold by them. At one time they were the owners

of a seventy-acre dairy on the Calaveras River near Linden, which supported one of the best herds of Holstein cows in the county. Recently, Mr. Calestini withdrew from the firm and is now doing business under the firm name of the Louis Calestini Real Estate Company.

The marriage of Mr. Triolo united him with a na- tive daughter of California, Miss Harriet Long, and they are the parents of four children: Ellen, Charles, John and Daniel. A man of force and ability, he has ever believed in constructive measures, and he stands high in the community.

JOSIAH TOMLINSON .- A dependable citizen of the Elliott district is Josiah Tomlinson, who has at- tained to his present position after many years spent in varied lines of endeavor. A native of Pennsyl- vania, he was born at Wrightstown, Bucks County, on June 6, 1852, a son of Josiah and Mary (Croas- dale) Tomlinson, both natives of Pennsylvania, of English and Scotch descent, respectively. The father was a farmer by occupation and young Josiah had the advantage of a fair education in the Quaker schools of his native state, which were the only schools in the vicinity in which he lived. Remaining at home with his parents until he was twenty-one years old, Josiah Tomlinson then came to California where he remained for five years; then removed to Goldendale, Wash., and engaged in the building and planing mill business, which he continued until his marriage.

The marriage of Mr. Tomlinson occurred at Sum- merville, Oregon, on June 15, 1881, and united him with Miss Amelia B. Koontz, a native of Malaga, Monroe County, Ohio, a daughter of William and Mary A. (Berry) Koontz. Her father, William Koontz, came to the Northwest in 1871 and was a pioneer missionary minister of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and he was instrumental in establishing many congregations throughout Oregon and Wash- ington. After his marriage, Mr. Tomlinson removed to Tacoma, Wash., and engaged in building contract- ing for five years; he then went to Pendleton, Ore., and there built and conducted a planing mill for the next thirteen years; then removed to Oakland, Cal., and engaged in the building business for the follow- ing ten years, making his home on Lynde Street. In 1912, the family removed to San Joaquin County and purchased forty acres of land, one and one-half miles south of the Elliott school house, and he has since been engaged in the fruit and poultry business. When Mr. Tomlinson purchased his property it was a grain field; he has built his residence and developed a twelve-acre peach, prune, almond, and plum orchard, and fifteen acres has been set to Zinfandel and Mis- sion grapes; besides he has a modernly equipped poultry house, having at the present time 625 laying hens, which are yielding him a good income for his labor. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson are the parents of four children: Raymond lives at Benicia; Oreine is Mrs. W. M. Hession of Oakland and has two daugh- ters, Wilma and Eva; Harry resides at Alameda; Eva is Mrs. C. W. Russell of Sacramento and she has three children, Ruth Harriet, Phillip R. and Clyde R. For several years Mrs. Tomlinson has served the lo- cality as a schon! time .. helg

in politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Neighbors of Woodcraft of Fruitvale, Cal.

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

WILLIAM LESLIE McDONALD .- Among the prosperous and enterprising ranchers of the Wood- bridge section of San Joaquin County is William Leslie McDonald, who has made his home in Cali- fornia since 1872, coming from his native country of Canada. He was born at West Lake, Ontario, Can- ada, June 22, 1854, a son of Amos and Almira (White) McDonald. The father was of Scotch descent, and the mother was from an old New England family. The McDonald side of the house can be traced back 400 years to the Macdonald clan of Scotland, There were nine children in the family; Daniel, deceased; Gilbert resides at San Martin, Cal .; Minard, deceased; Mary, Mrs. Blankenship of Richmond, Cal .; Celestia, deceased; William L .; Euphimia Miller, and Perry and Ella, deceased. The father lived to be seventy- three years old, while the mother passed away at the age of fifty-nine years. When William Leslie took out his citizenship papers, his name was written Mc- Donald by the officer making his application and he retained that spelling instead of MacDonald.

William Leslie acquired a public school education in Canada and when almost eighteen years old came to the United States and direct to California, arriv- ing May 8, 1872, settling at Novato, Marin County, Cal., where he remained eight months; then he re- moved to Sierra County where he spent almost four years in the mines; a great part of the time was spent at the Great North American mine, then Oak Ranch and Ball Mountain mines. Mr. McDonald took out his first citizenship papers at Downieville, Cal, and completed his American citizenship at San Rafael, Cal. In 1877 he gave up mining and returned to Novato, Cal., where he rented a portion of Senator Long's ranch, known as the Black Point Farm where he ran a dairy of 125 cows for seven years; then when the Long ranch was sold he removed to Oakland and engaged in the retail milk business for a year and a half, then sold out and settled in San Joaquin County. Mr. McDonald first purchased ten acres of the Thomas Pope ranch on the Thornton Road, then later bought eighteen acres of the same tract. This land was pasture and stubble and Mr. McDonald set twenty-one acres to Zinfandel grapes and he also has a small orchard and some alfalfa; he has also im- proved the place with good farm buildings.

On December 25, 1880, at Petaluma, Cal., Mr. Mc- Donald was married to Miss Alice Hayden, a native of Plover, Wis., and daughter of Amaziah and Amanda (Young) Hayden, both natives of Corinna, Maine. Her father was a sawmill man by trade and moved from Maine to Wisconsin in the frontier days of that state. In 1864 he brought his family over the plains with an cx-team during the time of the Sioux uprising, and in six months to a day he settled in Marin County. Here Alice Hayden received her edu- cation in the public schools. Later she moved to San Joaquin County where both parents passed away, the father being ninety-eight and the mother eighty-six years old. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have one son, Scott McDonald, born in Novato but educated in the schools of Stockton, who married Miss Clara Woods, a twin sister of Clarence L. Woods, who is also repre- sented in this history; they have two children, Clar- ence Leslie and Alice Arline. Scott McDonald has charge of and operates the home place. In politics, Mr. McDonald is a Republican and fraternally is a member of Charter Oak Lodge of Stockton and the Knights of Pythias and Mrs. McDonald is a member

of the Pythian Sisters, and in their lives they exem- plify the beneficent spirit of these fraternities, which are based upon kindliness and brotherly helpfulness.

HUGH EDWARD TAYLOR .- California a half century ago was known only as a mining state, but in more recent years its splendid agricultural and horticultural resources have awakened the attention of the entire world and the products of its orchards and vineyards are sent to all parts of this country and to many foreign lands. Hugh Edward Taylor is among those engaged in the raising of grapes in San Joaquin County, located about a mile east of Lodi, where he has ten acres devoted entirely to the cultivation of the Tokay grape. He was born at New Market, Ontario, Canada, on August 9, 1855, the son of Abraham Lange and Sarah June (Coreyll) Taylor. Abraham Taylor, his father, was a farmer and lumber merchant in the vicinity of New Market, where Hugh Edward received his education in the district schools. After finishing his schooling, he remained at home with his parents, assisting his father in his business and with his farm work until 1877, when he was married, on Christmas eve, at New Market, to Miss Elizabeth Thomson, a native of Hamilton. She is the daughter of George and Sophie Thomson, natives of Scotland and England, respectively, the latter being reared in Scotland, where the father was a shoe merchant. Their daugh- ter was educated in the district school and finished in the high school of Hamilton. After his marriage, Mr. Taylor removed to the territory of Dakota, where he engaged in farming. He filed on a pre- emption and a tree claim and later took a homestead, becoming owner of 480 acres devoted to grain. The farm was located thirty-five miles northwest of Grand Forks, in the Red River Valley, N. D. He also ac- quired land by purchase in Saskatchewan, Canada. Removing from North Dakota, in 1906 Mr. Taylor came to California and settled at Lodi, and soon after sold his Dakota farm. His property is located on the extension of East Pine street, about a mile from Lodi, and consists of ten acres in vineyard; Mr. Tay- lor installed a pumping plant with a four-inch pump and a seven horse-power motor. Mr. and Mrs. Tay- lor are the parents of two children: Austin Lange resides near Spokane, Wash .; and Glen Osborne lives near Medford, Ore. In politics he is a Republi- can and fraternally a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, and with his family is a member of the Congregational Church.

LUTHER C. WALLING .- Well known as a vine- yardist and agriculturalist, Luther C. Walling has been a resident of San Joaquin County for the past twenty-six years, since he purchased his present home, consisting of fifteen acres, on Cherokee Lane, some three and a half miles south of Lodi. He has been a successful manager and has gained an excel- lent reputation for both quantity and quality of pro- ducts. He was born on a ranch south of Turlock, Cal., on January 14, 1871, a son of Andrew and Jennie Martha (Penter) Walling. The father, An- drew Walling, came to California in an early day and engaged in grain farming. He passed away when Luther C. was a child of two years. The mother is still living, residing in Oakland.

Luther C. Walling was reared by relatives and at- tended school at Placerville. Cal .. until he was fifteen years old, when he started to make his own way in

1527

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

the world, working on farms and doing teaming work. He settled at Franklin, Cal., and worked there for a number of years at farm work; then he rambled over various parts of California until 1896, when he settled in the Live Oak district of San Joa- quin County and there purchased fifteen acres of un- improved land on Cherokee Lane, just south of the Live Oak schoolhouse. On this land he set out a vineyard and developed an irrigation system. He also bought fifteen acres on the Dayton Road, set out in vineyard, then sold it. Mrs. Walling owns twenty-four acres of the old McCoy place, on the Eight-mile Road; one-half of it was set to vineyard by her father, the balance being unimproved.

The marriage of Mr. Walling occurred on Novem- ber 16, 1904, on the old McCoy ranch in the Live Oak district, which united him with Miss Alice Mc- Coy, a native Californian, a daughter of Daniel and Adelia (Dayton) McCoy, natives of Lincoln County, I11., and Michigan, respectively. In 1858 Daniel Mc- Coy left his native state for the West. Arriving on the coast he stopped for a short time in Oregon, then came to California and engaged in mining at Sonora and later teamed from Stockton and Sonora to the mines; then he removed to San Joaquin County, where he bought a quarter-section of land on Cher- okee Lane, eight miles north of Stockton, and en- gaged in grain farming. Mrs. Walling received her education. in the Davis school district north of Stock- ton. There were six children born to this pioneer couple: Ella, Mrs. Sprague, resides at Raymond, Cal .; Ann, Mrs. David Bunch, resides in Los An- geles; Alice, Mrs. Walling; Rowland Henry resides in Woodbridge; Louis is deceased; and Bel'e, Mrs. Hearn. The last days of Mr. and Mrs. McCoy were spent in Stockton, where Mr. McCoy passed away at the age of seventy-three, and his wife was sixty-odd years old when she died. For the past twenty-five years Mr. Walling has been a member of the Stock- ton Parlor No. 7, N. S. G. W. During his long resi- dence in San Joaquin County he has formed a wide acquaintance and he has also gained creditable suc- cess, and by perseverence and determination has gained a place among the substantial agriculturalists of the community.

FRED WENZELBURGER .- A very wide-awake, progressive and prosperous young rancher, who al- ways has something to show for his scientific theories and his practical devices and methods, representing the "last word" in agricultural science, is Fred Wen- zelburger, who was born on the old home ranch of his father, about six miles to the southeast of Clem- ents, on July 30, 1892, the son of Chris and Mary (Cordoza) Wenzelburger, whose interesting life-story is given in greater detail elsewhere in this work. His father first saw the light in the famous old city of Wittenberg, in Germany, in 1870, and twenty years later married into one of the old established Portu- guese-American families, enviably associated with the history of Northern California.

Fred attended the Brandt school, and later pursued the excellent courses in business training at the Heald's commercial college at Stockton. Thus well- equipped, he started out for himself when eighteen years of age, and then took up the trade of a machin- ist, and in harvesting time he worked with threshing outfits. He was in the service of Shedd & Hannah, at Tracy, and after that worked for the Harris Manu- 95

facturing Company at Stockton, joining their staff in the construction department.

At the Linn Rancho, about two miles east of his own home, on February 17, 1915, he was married to Miss Oleta Linn, who was born near Clements, and is the daughter of Daniel and Carrie (Weber) Linn. Her father came to California in early days, and lived for years on the Walter McGary Rancho, two miles east of Lockeford, until he moved to a place about four miles southeast of Clements. Here he pur- chased 320 acres, and her father still owns the ranch today. Mr. and Mrs. Wenzelburger live on their place of 320 acres, upon which he erected a bunga- low and farm buildings. Mrs. Wenzelburger received her education at the Grant and Brandt country school and the Stockton Commercial College.

Mr. Wenzelburger first bought 160 acres of land adjoining the Linn ranch. They have eight head of mules and two head of horses, and prefer the power thus derived to that of the tractor. Mr. Wenzel- burger takes great pride in both his farm land and in his working of it, and constantly endeavors to raise his standards. At the same time, he takes a live interest in what is going on in the world about him; and, as a good Republican, but what is better still, a broad-minded American, he contributes to inaking the world a better place in which to live.

CHRIS WENZELBURGER .- An enterprising, experienced and very successful rancher, and one who obtains the best results in the raising of both grain and stock, is Chris Wenzelburger, who lives about six miles to the southeast of Clements. He was born in Wittenberg, Germany, on January 25, 1870, the son of Chris and Carry (Fisher) Wenzel- burger,-the former a baker by trade who came to California at the age of twenty-one, voyaging around the Horn in a sailing vessel which made the trip in eighty-eight days. Our subject was one of six chil- dren. Mary is married and as Mrs. Gunder she is living in the state of Washington. Chris was the second in the order of birth. Paul is on the Chahales River in Washington. Kate is Mrs. Gohrman of San Francisco, her husband being a druggist at the corner of Market and Valencia streets. William is at Othello, Wash .; and Vera is Mrs. Mohrmann and lives at Driad, Wash. Mr. Wenzelburger, the father, lived to be eighty-eight years old, and passed away at his home in Washington, and Mrs. Wenzelburger died at their ranch home on the Chahales River in Washington, at the age of eighty-two. In 1880. Chris Wenzelburger, Sr., had settled on a half-sec- tion south of the present home of our subject, on land called the Mokelumne Grant, southeast of the well-known Round Timbers Rancho taken up by J. Wright Johnson. At that time, the land was thickly settled, and there was a rancher on every quarter- section. When the railroad company was given cach odd-numbered section of land, the farmers became discouraged, and rather than pay the company a second time for the land, they moved out of the county, thus depopulating that section of the coun- try. The Brandt schoo', for example, came to have only fifty pupils, while now it is discontinued. In 1800 Mr. Wenzelburger lost out on his Jan 1 1 went north to Washington, where he bought a ranch on the Chahales River, living there until he died.

Chris Wenzelburger, Jr., attended the Brandt school, and on September 15. 159 nord Vs.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Mary Cordoza, a native of Sonoma County, and the daughter of Antone and Hulda (Drew) Cordoza. Her father was a native of Portugal, who came to the United States when he was sixteen years old. He settled in Sonoma County, and there farmed for ten years; and then moved to Stone Corral, in Cala- veras County, where he lived for forty years. Five daughters were born to this worthy couple. Belle, who became Mrs. Thomas, lived at La Fevre, and died there of pneumonia. Mary is the accomplished wife of our subject. Elsie has become a San Fran- ciscan, and Lillian, Mrs. Brandt, and Genevia, Mrs. Peterson, both live in the Bay City.

After his. marriage, Mr. Wenzelburger rented and farmed land for about ten years, but he saw that he was not getting ahead in that way, so he purchased 400 acres of land about six miles to the southeast of Clements, and built a fine farm home there, and put in many improvements; and since that time he has purchased additional land adjoining his original ranch, until now he owns some 2,400 acres of fine land. Although this is suited mostly for general farming, he also uses it to some extent for the rais- ing of stock, of which he has 250 head, young and old, on the ranch, while he has sixteen head of work- horses. His main crops are barley and oats. The one son born to Mr. and Mrs. Wenzelburger, named Fred, is also successfully farming near his father's home place.

Mr. Wenzelburger is a member of the Modern Woodmen, at Clements, and he is a stand-pat Repub- lican. But he is first, last, and all the time, an Amer- ican, and, as such, is vitally and enthusiastically in- terested in the welfare of the country at large, and the prosperity of the district in which he lives, oper- ates and thrives.

CLARENCE L. WOODS .- An enterprising rancher who devotes his energies to the cultivation and raising of grapes is Clarence L. Woods, his vine- yard being located four and a half miles northwest of Woodbridge, and containing twenty-four acres. He was born on the old Samuel Woods ranch near Woodbridge, in the northern part of San Joaquin County, August 31, 1883, a son of Samuel and Francis Arline (Plummer) Woods, natives of Mis- souri and Iowa, respectively. Samuel Woods was born at Hannibal, Mo., July 14, 1841, and was a son of Samuel M. and Elizabeth (Leffler) Woods, the former a native of Virginia and of Scotch extraction, and the latter a native of Pennsylvania of German stock. When the father, Samuel Woods, was ten years old, in 1852, the family left Missouri and after a trip across the plains lasting some six months ar- rived in California; thus the grandfather of our sub- ject became a typical California pioneer. During the winter of 1853 he conducted the old-time Western Hotel at Stockton, and in 1856 was proprietor of the hotel at Pleasant Grove, and from 1857 until his death, in 1880, he was engaged in ranching on the old Samuel M. Woods ranch near Woodbridge. The father became the owner of the old homestead ranch, consisting of 320 acres; devoted to grain and stock- raising, of which forty acres was in vineyard. Samuel Woods married Miss Francis Arline Plummer, and they were the parents of four children: Clarence L., of this review; his twin sister, Clara; the wife of Scott McDonald; Mrs. Rita Borden of San Jose; Evelyn, Mrs. W. H. Sparling of Capitola, Cal. The

father passed away March 16, 1915, and the mother on April 10, 1922.

Clarence L. Woods received his education at the Ray district school of San Joaquin County, which was supplemented with a course at the Stockton Business College. In 1909 he started out for him- self and began work as a machinist with the Western Pacific Railroad Company in Stockton, and also worked for them in the shops at Oakland and Sacra- mento for four years; then for six years he was em- ployed on the construction of the County and State highways as roller-man; then in 1919 he settled on his present ranch four miles northwest of Wood- bridge, consisting of twenty-four acres, which was planted to grapes of the Tokay, Black Prince and Zinfandel varieties, now in full bearing.

On October 23, 1915, at Oakland, Mr. Woods was married to Miss Edna Anglin, also a native of Cali- fornia, born at Pittville, Shasta County, and a daugh- ter of Elmer E. and Margaret Susan (Baker) Ang- lin, the former a native of Oregon, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Grandfather Joshua Thomas Anglin was a native of Tennessee and a veteran of the Mexican and Indian wars. He left home at the age of fourteen and joined the army, and never returned to his home in Tennessee, but migrated westward. About seventy years ago he settled in the Hood River country of Oregon; in 1866 he moved to Cali- fornia and farmed at Dixon; later he moved to Shasta County, where he died. Mrs. Woods is one of four children: Willard resides at Ione, Cal .; May, Mrs. Richardson, a resident of Westwood; Mrs. Edna Woods; Tracy resides at Ione. Mrs. Woods received her education in the grammar schools of Shasta County, and when eighteen years old came to Stock- ton, where she entered the Western Normal, and then became a teacher. She taught one year at Red Bluff, Cal., then two years at Coalinga, Cal., and two years at the Ray school in San Joaquin County, where she met and married Mr. Woods. They are the parents of three children: Samuel, Margaret and Edith Eliza- beth. Mr. and Mrs. Woods are Democrats and Mrs. Woods is a member of the school board of the Ray district.

GEORGE MASON BANCROFT .- An energetic citizen of Woodbridge, to whom the community is much indebted, particularly for its fine new school- house, which was built under his supervision as clerk of the school board, is George Mason Bancroft, who was born in Caledonia County, Vt., on September 23, 1876. The family of his father, Parker Ban- croft, dates back to colonial days; the great historian, George Bancroft, being a cousin. Parker Bancroft married Miss Mary Ann Morrison, whose family are associated with some of the most interesting annals of Maine. He was a merchant, who died while they were living in New Hampshire, when George was only three years old; and as Mrs. Ban- croft also passed away there, the lad had to get his education as best he could. At first he worked on farms in Vermont and New Hampshire, and later took work at the Groton, Vt. Mills. In 1899 he came to California, and to Acampo. Near there he labored for awhile as a ranch hand; and then, going to San Francisco, took a job with the Southern Pac- ific Railroad Company, in the maintenance of way department, covering the line from Ashland, Ore., to El Paso, Tex., on all parts of the Western Division.

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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 223

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