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 229

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 229

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1548

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

farmer who moved to Olmsted County, Minn., where he lived a few years, then moved to Anoka, the same state, where he passed away. Mrs. Goodman's mother died in California at the age of ninety-four years. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Goodman pur- chased a 120-acre farm and engaged in grain raising for three years, then disposed of the farm at a good profit. He then removed to Grand Forks, N. D., where he homesteaded a tract of land and later took up a timber claim and still later added a quarter sec- tion to what he already had, by purchase; this land he farmed for twenty years, front 1874 until 1895, when he sold out and removed to Lodi, Cal. He still owns a timber claim in Aitkin County, Minn., con- sisting of eighty acres.

Upon settling at Lodi, Mr. Goodman bought eight- een acres of grain land and immediately set about to improve it, planting thirteen acres to vineyard, the vines being now twelve years old, and five acres devoted to orchard, alfalfa and building space; he also erected a comfortable residence and has installed a pumping plant. One acre of the orchard is in full- bearing cherries and one acre in young trees. Mr. and Mrs. Goodman are the parents of four children: Minerva, a practicing physician at Stockton; Etta; Roy A., owner and proprietor of Goodman's Groce- teria at Lodi, and Alice, Mrs. Burnett, of Stockton. Mr. Goodman and a daughter jointly own ten acres just off of Kettleman Lane one mile south of Lodi; seven and one-half acres is in Tokay grapes and the balance Empress, all full bearing. While residing in Dakota, Mr. Goodman was supervisor of Inkster township and for three years was township assessor and three years township treasurer. Politically he is a Republican and fraternally a member of the Forest- ers of America, and with his family is a member of the Congregational Church of Lodi.

CHARLES W. COFFELT .- A resident of Cali- fornia since 1891, Charles W. Coffelt was born near Monticello, Piatt County, Ill., February 22, 1861. His father, George W. Coffelt, a native of Indiana, came of an old Eastern family. He married Mary Nasal- woods of Indiana. They were farmers and removed to Piatt County, Ill., and later to Kansas, purchasing prairie land in Bourbon County and improved a farm and there the parents passed away. Of their seven children five are living, our subject and his brother, I. Newton, being the only ones in California.

From the age of four years Charles W. was reared on the Kansas farm and attended the local schools. When he started for himself he worked in the coal mines for a time, then in a nursery. He made a trip back to Illinois and was married in Piatt County in 1884 to Miss Ella Haltorn, born in that county, and they engaged in farming in Linn County, Kansas. In September, 1891, they came to Stockton, where for a time Mr. Coffelt was employed at ranching. Later he was employed at the Clark Sanitarium, where he had charge of the stock and the grounds over a period of seven years. He then was for three years with the Naumkeg Bakery until he became an employee of the City Park Commission. He was in charge of Weber Park for three years and then Independent Park for six months, and then transferred to Liberty Park, where he had charge for three years, and since the spring of 1915 he has had charge of Independent Park. He built a residence at 129 East Clay, where he re- sides with his family. His union has been blessed

with two children: Curtis F. and Mrs. Hazel D. Duff, both residing in Stockton and each has a child. Mr. Coffelt is a liberal and kindhearted man and he and his wife are highly esteemed by all who know them. He is a member of Truth Lodge of Odd Fellows and the Junior Order A. O. U. M., and with his wife is a member of Daughters of America.

ROBERT W. HANNA .- A native of Missouri, Robert W. Hanna was born at Forsyth, Taney County, March 10, 1848. His father, Dr. John G. Hanna, was born in Indiana, where he married Miss Salina J. Hopkins, a native of Ohio. They removed to Missouri and later to Madrid, Boone County, Iowa, where they were farmers. Mr. Hanna volunteered his services for the Civil War and enlisted in Company A, 10th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, being commissioned a first lieutenant. He was mustered out at the close of the war and then studied medicine. Removing to Sumner County, Kansas, he practiced medicine, later removing to Linn County, the same state, and fol- lowed his profession until his death. His widow after- wards came to Stockton and spent her last days with her son, Robert W., who was the youngest of her three children, two of whom are living. He attended school in Iowa and also in Sumner County, Kansas.

Mr. Hanna was married at Wellington, Kansas, to Miss Alice Evelyn Reardon, born in Bowling Green, Ind., a daughter of John and Margaret (Mitchell) Reardon, natives of Indiana and Ohio, re- spectively; the mother having been born in the same town as General Grant. John Reardon died in 1852 and the widow, with her two little girls removed to Boone, Iowa, accompanying her father to that place, and there she engaged in the millinery business, reared and educated her children. Later she removed to Napoleon, Kans., where she engaged in business until her. death. Alice Evelyn, the youngest of her two daughters, received a good education in the public schools.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hanna farmed in Sumner County, Kans., until 1872, then came to Modesto, Calif., and after farming there for four years, returned to Sumner County, Kans., and there in 1876 they homesteaded 160 acres of land which they improved from the raw prairie and engaged in raising wheat, for five years, then sold out and made a trip to Colorado, and returning to Kansas engaged in farming in Linn County. They always had a de- sire to return to California, and as their son had come hither in 1900, they came out to Stockton in 1902. For five years he was in the Numkeg Bakery and then ranched until he entered the employ of the Stock- ton Electric Railway in 1909, as caretaker and man- ager of Oak Park, and when the city purchased the park he and his wife were requested to remain in charge. Since then the city has added a zoo and Mr. and Mrs. Hanna are caring for the animals and birds, studying their habits as well as the preparation of their food; a part of the park has been developed as picnic playgrounds and some as tourist camp grounds, and has become very popular.

Mr. and Mrs. Hanna have been blessed with three children: William is with the Holt Manufacturing Company; George in the employ of the Rural Ceme- tery; Gertrude is Mrs. Meek of Oklahoma. Mr. Hanna is a member of the Order of Railway Em- ployees and Mrs. Hanna is chaplain of the local W. R. C., and both are stanch Republicans.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

GEORGE W. HEMPHILL .- A representative of the agricultural interests of San Joaquin County, who is also a native son of California, is George W. Hemp- hill, who was born and reared on the old Hemphill ranch west of Lodi on the Sargent Road. His birth occurred April 6, 1891, and he is a son of Edward H. and Lena (Walkmeister) Hemphill, natives of Iowa and Switzerland, respectively. Originally the Hemp- hills came from Ireland to the United States and set- tled in Ohio. Grandfather John Hemphill was a vet- eran of the Civil War, and was with General Sherman on the famous march to the sea. Grandfather Hemp- hill came to California in 1866 in search of a milder climate than that of Iowa, and the following year brought his family to San Joaquin County, where he had bought 160 acres. He added to this until he owned 640 acres, a portion of which is still owned by Edward H. Hemphill, the father of our subject. Two of his daughters also own their portions. The mother passed away in January, 1911, while the father resides at the present time in Lodi. They had three children, of whom two grew up. George W. Hemphill is the youngest of them. He received his early education at the Lafayette public school, then entered the Lodi high school. After his school days were over he assisted his father on the home ranch. He leased the home place of 185 acres and for eight years ran it, doing general farming. Since 1921 his brother, John Lester, is operating half of it and our subject is farm- ing the balance.

The marriage of Mr. Hemphill occurred on Novem- ber 11, 1914, at Stockton, and united him with Miss Ethel Geirmann, a native of Walnut Grove, Cal., daughter of Charles and Amanda (Kelly) Geirmann. Her mother was born at Michigan Bar, Cal., and came to San Joaquin County with her father, where she was reared and educated in the Henderson district school. Her parents are living at Woodbridge, where Mr. Geirmann conducts the blacksmith shop. In poli- tics Mr. Hemphill is a Republican, and fraternally he is affiliated with Woodbridge Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M., with the Sciots, No. 5, of Stockton, and with his wife is a member of Woodbridge Chapter, No. 118, O. E. S. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias of Lodi. The Hemphill name is a highly honored one in this part of California, and its bearers have proved themselves worthy of esteem in every relation of life.

JOHN LESTER HEMPHILL .- Many years have passed since the family to which John Lester Hemp- hill belongs became identified with the agricultural interests of San Joaquin County. Its members have been active in its progress and development, and our subject, too, since old enough to hold a plow, has done his share toward the development of this section of the state. He was born on the old Hemphill ranch, located about five miles west of Lodi on the Sargent Road, May 11, 1888, the youngest of two sons of Edward H. and Lena (Walkmeister) Hemphill, the former a native of Linn County, Iowa, and the latter of Canton Berne, Switzerland. The Hemphill family originally came from Ireland and settled in Ohio, but when grandfather John Hemphill was twenty-one years old he removed to Linn County, Iowa, and was living there when the Civil War broke out. He served under Sherman and was in the celebrated march to the sea, at which time he lost his health. At the close of the war he was mustered out of service and re-

turned to his home in Iowa. In 1866 he came to California for his health, and finding this climate a congenial one, in 1857 he brought his family here and located in San Joaquin County, where he bought a ranch of 160 acres, now the home place of our sub- ject. He married Miss Elizabeth Thompson, a native of Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of four children, of whom the father of our subject was the eldest. Grandfather Hemphill owned a section of land at the time of his death in 1885, and became a very successful farmer. Of the old Hemphill ranch, the father still owns 160 acres, and twenty-five more adjoining, of which fifty-two acres is in vineyard; and our subject leases the place from his father and resides there. The father is still living and resides in Lodi, but the mother passed away in January, 1911.

John Lester Hemphill received a grammar school education in the schools of Lodi. On July 27, 1911, at Sacramento, Cal., he was married to Miss Adele Jones, born west of Woodbridge on the old Jones ranch. Her father, Thomas Jones, a native of Wales, was a pioneer of California; and her mother, Amelia (Bishofberger) Jones, was a daughter of a very early pioneer of California, who came from Switzerland. Both parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hemphill are the parents of five sons: Maurice, Elwin, Delbert, Donald, and Wesley. In 1911, Mr. Hemphill began work as a helper in old Lodi Garage, and learned auto- mobile repairing. In 1913 he went to Woodland, where he was a mechanic in Allen's Garage and later Meier's Garage. In 1915 he removed to Sacra- mento, where he started business as a member of the firm of R. A. Meier Reo Company, located at 1308 K Street, handling Reo cars. In 1917 he sold out and entered the employ of the State Highway Company, where he had charge, as foreman of maintenance of the Ford cars at 34th and R Streets. He continued there until 1921, when he resigned to return home and engage in ranching. In politics he is a Republican.

FRED HOFF .- An honored Californian who has made agriculture his lifelong pursuit is Fred Hoff, who, since 1917, has made his home on his choice estate of 300 acres, about five and a half miles south- west of Lodi on the Lincoln Highway. Mr. Hoff is a man of great enterprise and industry and he has been engaged in steady and worthy endeavor ever since boyhood. He was born at Menno, S. D., October 25, 1883, a son of Jacob and Charlotte Hoff, the former a farmer in South Dakota, who died three months before our subject was born. There were two other children in the family, Mary, deceased, and Eva, Mrs. Chris Suesse. Subsequently the mother married Wil- liam Hieb and reared a large family.

Fred Hoff had little opportunity to secure an educa- tion, for he was a lad of only eight years when he was obliged to begin earning his own living, working for his board and clothes. In 1896, his stepfather brought the family to California and Fred worked on a ranch about a mile and a half east of Lodi, but this job was of short duration; he then worked three months for Mr. Hogan on Cherokee Lane, receiving twenty dollars per month, then he went to Galt, c'al., where he worked for Gallagher Bros. for two years. when he returned to lul grain and stod Ta: 1 . july Lodi.

On January 1, 1905, in Lodi, Mr. Hoff was married to Miss Bertha Schenkenberger, a native of Scotland.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

S. D., a daughter of John and Louise (Barrett) Schen- kenberger, both natives of South Russia. John Schen- kenberger came to California in 1898 from Dakota and both parents are now living in Lodi. They reared a family of eleven children: Louise died at the age of forty-two; Amelia, Mrs. Lange, resides in North Dakota; Lydia, Mrs. Stoddard, resides in Fresno; Bertha, Mrs. Hoff; John and Henry reside in Lodi; Pauline, Mrs. John A. Bender, resides in Lodi; Chris- tine, Mrs. Hieb, resides in Oakland; Jacob W. resides in Lodi; Sarah, Mrs. W. A. Moore, resides in Lodi, and Samuel. Mr. Hoff's first purchase of land was a fourteen acre tract southeast of Lodi on Kettleman Lane; this he set to vineyard and in 1909 sold it and bought forty acres in the Victor section, which he set to orchard and vineyard, then sold it and moved to the Barnhart tract on Kettleman Lane, where he leased a tract of land for a year; later he rented the McMurtry ranch of eighty acres and the Beatty and Earl ranches of 100 acres each, and farmed them six years. In 1917 he purchased the Earl ranch and after holding it for one year sold it. In 1920 he had 260 acres in tomatoes which made him a loss of $18,000. In 1921 he purchased 200 acres of the Mettler ranch, five and a half miles southwest of Lodi on the Lin- coln Highway, where he now resides. He leveled the ranch for irrigation and put in three pumping plants, and has set the entire 200 acres to Tokay and Zin- fandel grapes. That same year he bought the Beatty ranch of 100 acres, leveled it and set it to Tokays. Mr. Hoff has helped various farmers during harvest time for the past twenty-five years and for the past four years has done contract harvesting with a Holt twenty-foot harvester and a forty-five horsepower Holt caterpillar engine. About 1904 he began operat- ing a hay-baler and still continues that work. He does contract leveling, ditching and road work, working fifty head of mules and twenty head of horses, besides tractors, and has as high as thirty men on his pay- roll. For a number of years he was among the larg- est vineyardists of this section, controlling a large acreage. He has set out about 1500 acres to vines and trees under contract in the last twenty years. He has a lease on 600 acres of tule land which he farms to grain. On the 100-acre vineyard he had under lease before the price of grapes went up, he pulled the vines out, much to his regret and loss; recently he has reset this 100 acres to young vines. He mar- kets his fruit through the Pacific Fruit Exchange. Mr. and Mrs. Hoff are the parents of seven children: Vera, Henrietta, Viola, Earl, Walter, Edwin, and Donald. Fraternally he is a member of the Eagles of Lodi and in politics is a Republican.

MAXWELL H. CUSICK .- A successful stock- raiser, Maxwell H. Cusick owns and conducts a thirty- two acre ranch, where he breeds pure Holstein dairy cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. He was born near Rochester, Monroe County, N. Y., on May 9, 1862, a son of James Maxwell and Mary E. (Wellman) Cusick, the former a native of Monroe County, N. Y., and the latter of Albany Co., N. Y. When Maxwell H. Cusick was a little over four years old, he was taken by his parents to Minnesota where they settled near Owatonna, Steele County, where he first attended school. The father, James Maxwell Cusick, bought school land in Minnesota and lived there until 1897, when he came to Southern California. There were eight children in the family: Morris resides at Fuller-

ton, Cal .; Maxwell of this review; George lives at Byron, Cal .; Mary resides in Rochester, Minn .; Emma lives at Geneva, Minn .; Augusta lives in Man- kato, Minn .; Henrietta, deceased; Jessie resides in Los Angeles, Cal. The father passed away at Whit- tier, Cal., at the age of ninety-five years. Mrs. Cusick lived to reach her ninety-first year. This worthy cou- ple lived together for almost sixty-five years.

When Maxwell H. Cusick was seventeen years of age, he left home and began teaching school in Min- nesota and attended the Academy, teaching between times to support himself. In 1887 he attended Madi- son University (now Colgate University), Hamilton, N. Y., and in 1891 finished at the University of Roch- ester, N. Y. He then entered the ministry of the Bap- tist Church at St. Charles and Granite Falls, Minn .; and later was minister at Rose and Walworth, N. Y. Giving up the ministry, he engaged in farming near Rochester, N. Y., for seven years, and in 1903 sold his real estate there and came to California, settling at La Habra, where he continued his farming opera- tions until 1908. Removing to Oregon, he home- steaded a ranch on the Rogue River, which he proved up on and later sold on account of his wife's health. The family then moved to Santa Rosa, Cal., and in 1914, Mrs. Cusick passed away. They were the par- ents of six children. Milton resides in Stockton. He served as second lieutenant of infantry during the World War, trained troops in the United States, then was sent to Europe and was there when the armistice was signed; he remained there during the winter and was sent to Edinburgh University at Edinburgh, where he took an agricultural course for four months, then returned to the United States. Mary lives at Stockton; James and Roy live at Ripon; James served as a sergeant in the air service, as a mechanic, spend- ing two years in Europe, then returned to the United States and received his discharge; Henrietta lives in Stockton; and Ida is at home.

After Mrs. Cusick's death, the family came to San Joaquin County to the present home about one mile east of Harmony Grove schoolhouse, where Mr. Cusick purchased thirty-two acres of land and where he maintains his herd of pure-bred Holstein cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. In politics, he is a Republican, and while residing in Oregon was justice of the peace of his township.

OLIVER C. CUTTS .- A progressive, prosperous rancher, whose methods and results would afford a theme for profitable study, is Oliver C. Cutts, the owner of some choice Delta farms about nine miles to the southwest of Stockton, in the Middle Division of Roberts Isle, just off Tracy Road. He was born in Rio Vista on the 25th of November, 1868, his father being Henry Harrison Cutts, a native of the Empire State, who came out to California in the early fifties, and as the owner of a river boat undertook the trans- portation of freight and passengers from Rio Vista to Sacramento. After a while, he sold the boat and con- ducted a hotel at Rio Vista. He also had a rancho off Steamboat Slough, and there he passed away, near Walnut Grove, in 1871, survived by his wife-who was Mary P. Odell before her marriage-and three sons. In 1872, on May 2, the widow was remarried to Ben- son D. Beckley, who proved both a considerate step- father and a devoted husband. Mrs. Cutts-Beckley was born in Michigan, on June 1, 1848, and with her parents crossed the great plains with ox teams, about

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

1854, to California, where they settled on land on the Sacramento River, near the capital. Grandfather Odell was an early pioneer of Walnut Grove, and had a farm in early days, the center of which is now the site of the Libby-McNeil-Libby plant. The old home, a large, pretentious red brick house, can be seen today in passing along the Sacramento River, standing out as a silent monument to the foresight and grit, as well as the taste, of the man who built it. The city of Walnut Grove is located on a portion of the Odell ranch, but the pioneer-as is so often the case-did not reap the benefit of his struggle for success, that benefit having fallen to later comers. Benson D. Beckley was born in Dayton, Ohio, and came West with his parents in the early fifties; they settled in Sacramento County, where they reared their six chil- dren, and where the old home is today. He served as a member of the state militia, founded by Governor Stanford in 1861, and was among those who helped preserve peace and order among both the Indians and the natives. He carried the United States mail by pack-horse from Fort Yuma to Fort McDowell, and later as a stage driver between Walnut Grove and Sacramento City. He died on August 10, 1918, at a venerable age, breathing his last in the Soldiers' Home at Napa.

Among the most satisfying recollections of our sub- ject is the fact that he always stood by his parents, sending them, after leaving home, what money he could, to help keep up the home, as those were hard years for the farmers on the Sacramento Delta. In 1886, he came into San Joaquin County and worked on the Odell ranch near Lathrop. Later he found employment on the J. M. Blankenship ranch near French Camp. Each winter he returned to his home in Sacramento County, and there he remained after 1889. The year previous, he entered the Delta on Roberts Island, and he has ever since been identified with its development, first as a farm hand, then as a foreman on a large tract of land, and finally as the owner of two fine ranches. The first was purchased in 1901, and embraced forty acres; and to that he added by subsequent purchases, so that now he has ninety acres in the home place, and eighty acres nearby.

On January 21, 1910, Mr. Cutts received a clear title to a claim in Calaveras County, including 160 acres; but due to priority mining claims, this property was segregated, and now he owns only ninety-two acres; but it is valuable range land, and the patent was signed by President Taft. In 1912, however, Mr. Cutts suffered severe loss in the destruction of his home by fire, but two years later he rebuilt his resi- dence, erecting a far handsomer and more comfort- able home than before.

As early as April 25, 1899, Mr. Cutts had married, at Stockton, Miss Sarah Etta Brown, the daughter of George W. and Mary (White) Brown, natives of Illi- nois and Arkansas, respectively. When they were children of nine years and two years, respectively, they crossed the plains with their parents in an ox- team train, being nine months en route. The family friendship thus formed continued after the arrival in California, and in due time the young folks were mar- ried. The paternal grandparents settled near Stockton, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The maternal grandparents, the Whites, settled in Cala- veras County, and when the Copperopolis Mine was

opened, they opened the first boarding-house. Later on, Mr. White was engaged in freighting, but soon purchased a farm near Stockton, where he became one of the progressive farmers. Selling out, he re- moved to Texas, after raising a family of thirteen children. In Texas, he became a large farmer and stockman, continuing active until his death in 1917, at the age of ninety-eight, his wife having passed away fifteen years previously. Mr. White was a decided optimist and a public-spirited man, and his was a very interesting and worthy career.

George W. Brown was a very progressive farmer at Collegeville, where he owned about a thousand acres of land, and farmed other ranches besides. He also ran a stationary thresher all over the county, and was well and favorably known. He finally discontinued operating on such a large scale, and thereafter devoted his time to general farming on his ranch. Mr. Brown was a Democrat, and was prominent in county con- ventions and committees. He died at Lathrop, in 1907. His widow still lives and is the mother of ten children, all living, of whom Mrs. Cutts is the fourth in order of birth. She was born at Collegeville and received her education in the public school of the Wildwood district.

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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 229

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