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 231

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 231

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ALTON GARSIDE .- A San Joaquin County rancher of prominence living to the north of the Galt- Elliott road, between the Cherokee Lane road and the state highway, about eight miles north of Lodi, is Alton Garside, born in Jones County, Iowa, on April 28, 1883, the son of J. F. and Rosalie S. (Bill) Gar- side. Grandfather Garside was a native of England, and came to the United States when only ten years of age, settling in Ohio. The father, J. F. Garside, was born in Jackson County, Iowa, the grandfather hav- ing moved to the Hawkeye State in frontier days,

where the family were farmers. Alton Garside was the fourth-born child and eldest son in a family of eight children born to his parents. J. F. Garside was married in Wyoming, Iowa, on December 28, 1881, to Miss Rosalie S. Bill. She was born at Wyoming, Iowa and was a daughter of Sedley C. Bill and Miriam (Fawcett) Bill. Grandfather Bill was a New Yorker, who came to Iowa and homesteaded land in early days. Grandmother Fawcett and his wife both died in Ohio. He had three sons who came to Cali- fornia in the early days, one of whom returned to the East and died there. Two, William and Richard, re- mained in California.

Richard Fawcett went into the mines in the gold- rush days and met with moderate success. He came across the plains in the Argonaut year of 1849, accom- panied by William. They started out with a company of people, but later withdrew from the company and came on by themselves. They did not fare as well, however, as they had anticipated, and little by little lost their effects until they had only a mule left be- tween them. Necessity compelled them to dispose of even this, and as a result they had to make their way into California on foot. William Fawcett became a teaming contractor. He did hauling throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the mountain camps, but did not go into the mines. He made three trips across the plains, and returned with horses and stock to California. Later, William and Richard Fawcett came down into the Dry Creek country. William acquired 200 acres near Galt, in San Joaquin County, on the south side of Dry Creek; and Richard acquired 120 acres directly north of his brother, in Sacramento County, just across Dry Creek. Later Richard sold out his 120 acres to his brother William, and the 320 acres thus acquired became the home place of Wil- liam Fawcett. William Fawcett had also acquired other land before his death, and became quite an ex- tensive landowner. Upon his death he willed the 200 acres of his ranch lying in San Joaquin County to his two sisters (who had married brothers), Miriam A. (Fawcett) Bill and Mary A. (Fawcett) Bill; and Grandfather Sedley C. Bill then bought out the por- tion of this estate belonging to his wife's sister, which finally brought the 200 acres into the possession of Sedley C. Bill. His daughter, Rosalie S. (Bill) Gar- side, Alton Garside's mother, was the fourth child in a family of seven children. She has a brother, George S. Bill, who married Miss Kate Todd, as his first wife, who became the mother of three sons. He is living on sixty acres of the old Fawcett ranch. This George S. Bill had three children: B. S. Bill, B. H. Bill, and Sedley C., who was killed by a runaway team when he was very small.

J. F. Garside, after his marriage in 1881, went to Cheyenne County, Neb., and took up a tree claim, and also homesteaded government land, getting altogether a half-section. He lived five and a half years in Nebraska, and then came to Galt and settled on the ranch of eighty acres upon which they now reside, on a part of the Fawcett estate deeded to the mother of Alton Garside. Of this eighty acres, Alton Garside owns twenty, while his mother retains sixty acres. Ten of the eighty acres are irrigated abundantly by means of a pumping plant. Alton Garside is the eldest of a family of three children: Alton, Gladys M., and Fern. All living at Battery they

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GEORGE H. GIBSON .- A resident of Stockton for more than forty years, during his busy life as one of the foremost interior and exterior decorators here, George H. Gibson has still found time to take a public-spirited interest in civic and educational affairs. A native son of the Golden State, he was born at San Jose, February 5, 1868. His father, Dr. William Gib- son, a native of Pennsylvania, crossed the plains to California in about 1851, coming on horseback with comrades. He was a graduate of William and Mary College and of a medical school, receiving the M. D. degree. He practiced medicine at San Jose until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he returned to his home in' Hornsburg, Pa., and was commissioned a surgeon in a Pennsylvania regiment. After the war he was married at Chicago in 1867 to Lucy M. Blanch- ard, born in Boston, Mass., who was teaching music in Chicago at the time of her marriage. He brought his bride via the Isthmus of Panama to San Jose and there engaged in the practice of medicine until he retired, passing away while on a visit at Santa Rosa. Mrs. Gibson survived him until 1917, when she was fatally injured by a motorcycle at Alameda.

The eldest of five children, all boys, George H. Gib- son was only eight years old when his father died. He went to school in San Jose until he was twelve years old, then came to Stockton to learn the painter's trade with Badger Bros., and later he was with James Kidd and then with Stoetzer & Bender. In the early days he worked on the George Sperry home, the Bours residence, the old Odd Fellows block, the Shippee Bank, the Hart & Thrift Grocery and many other of the older buildings. About sixteen years ago Mr. Gibson formed a partnership with Claude Stew- art, this continuing until Mr. Stewart died, then nine years ago he joined forces with Julius Eichenberger, under the name of Gibson & Eichenberger. This firm has done some of the best work in Stockton, among which the following may be named: Smith & Lang Building, Yost & Dohrmann Building, St. Agnes Academy, the A. E. Gianelli residence, all the beauti- ful mahogany finish, tapestry hangings, etc., in the Wong Jew home, one of the finest residences in Stockton, any many other of the best residences here. In Tracy they decorated the new Odd Fellows Build- ing and the Bank of Tracy.

Mr. Gibson's marriage united him with Miss Mary Polfer, a native of Kansas, and they have four sons. Howard A. and Clair A. are assisting their father in business, while Louis S. and George B. are attending the Stockton high school. Howard was in Company H, 12th U. S. Infantry, for fourteen months during the World War and Clair was in the aviation section of the U. S. Army, for twenty-three months, being stationed in Texas. The family make their home on a ten-acre chicken ranch near French Camp and Mrs. Gibson has shown much ability in its management, having an average of 500 laying hens. A lifelong Democrat, Mr. Gibson has been a member of the Democratic County Central Committee, serving as its chairman for one year. He was elected a member of the Stockton Board of Education in 1914, and served on this board until 1918. It was during his term of office that many of the new school buildings were erected, the El Dorado, the Lottie Grunsky, the Hazelton and the new Weber school. In early days Mr. Gibson was a member of the old Stockton Guard, which later became a unit of the California National Guard, as Company A, Sixth Regiment, under Cap-

tain Eugene Lehe. In 1894 this company was called to Dunsmuir, Cal., to quell a strike riot of the rail- road men. Mr. Gibson is a member of the Woodmen of the World and the Red Men, having occupied all the chairs of the latter order.

CHARLES W. GAWNE .- A valuable grain farm of 800 acres, located some thirteen miles southeast of Stockton on the Mariposa road, is the property of Charles W. Gawne, who has made his residence in San Francisco for the past forty years, and for the past twenty-five years has been active in the import and export business there. He now makes his home at 1224 Hyde Street, and is living retired from active business cares. He is a native Californian, having been born at Shasta, March 6, 1860, a son of John and Mercer (Burns) Gawne, California pioneers of 1850. John Gawne was born on the Isle of Man, England, and was but a lad when he came to New York. He was energetic and enterprising, and got along well in the new country. In young manhood he was married to a native daughter, of White Plains, N. Y .; and soon thereafter the young couple came to California and settled in Shasta County, where the wife passed away in 1865, survived by three children, of whom Charles W. Gawne is the eldest, and the only survivor. For many years John Gawne con- ducted a flour mill in Shasta and supplied the mines in that vicinity. In the early seventies he removed to Stockton and in partnership with Mr. Moore estab- lished the Stockton Lumber Yards, which he con- ducted for fifteen years. He also established the Stockton Navigation Company, and owned and oper- ated the first large river power-boats; he also owned the Stockton Warehouse Company, and by his enter- prise and good management acquired large tracts of land, owning at the time of his death 2,200 acres of choice wheat land thirteen miles southeast of Stock- ton on the Mariposa road. John Gawne always stood for progress and improvement, and was one of the representative men of the county. After his death 1,400 acres of his real estate in San Joaquin County was sold to the Stockton Improvement Company; the balance of 800 acres is still in the possession of our subject, who leases it from year to year for the pur- pose of raising grain.

Charles W. Gawne received a fine education, includ- ing a business course, at Eastman's College in Pough- keepsie, N. Y. In 1877 he entered the employ of the Moore & Gawne Lumber Yards, where he remained for two years, and at the same time managed his father's warehouse. In 1882 he removed to San Francisco, where he has since resided and for the past twenty-five years has been in the import and export business with marked success.

The marriage of Mr. Gawne occurred in Oregon in 1885, uniting him with Miss A. C. Young, a daugh- ter of Robert and Teresa Young, pioneers of San Joaquin County. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gawne. Delsie, a graduate of the Uni- versity of California, class of 1916, is now head of the department of Bacteriology in the Zion Hospital, San Francisco. Beatrice, also a graduate of the University of California, class of 1916, is librarian at Salinas, Cal. During the World War Mr. Gawne returned to Stockton and personally conducted his large wheat ranch, raising large crops which he disposed of to the Government. He is widely and favorably known in San Joaquin County.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

BORCHERT H. VON GLAHN .- Known through- out San Joaquin County, not only for his successful participation in practical agriculture, but also for his untiring efforts in the support of all worthy move- ments for the development and prosperity of the county, B. H. von Glahn, a native son of Stockton, Cal., born August 14, 1859, resides in the Van Allen school district, nineteen miles southeast of Stockton on a portion of his father's ranch, originally taken up as government land in the '50s. He is the eldest son of Christopher von Glahn, one of the earliest set- tlers of Stockton and a pioneer farmer of the Van Allen district. Christopher von Glahn arrived in Cali- fornia in 1855, with his wife and daughter, coming from New York City via the Isthmus of Panama, and from San Francisco they proceeded directly to Stock- ton, where they resided until 1859. In that year they settled on the ranch, on the French Camp Road near Atlanta, which has ever since been the family home. Here Christopher von Glahn took up Government land, being among the first settlers to arrive for per- manent residence in this vicinity. He was a hard worker and an able manager, and at his death he left an estate of 640 acres with all its valuable improve- ments, one of the landmarks in southern San Joaquin County. Christopher von Glahn was born near Brem- erhaven, Germany, September 26, 1824, being the son of Frederick W. and Anna von Glahn, also natives of Germany. He was reared to young manhood and was equipped with a fair education before leaving his na- tive land. He was twenty years old when, in 1844, he emigrated to America. He embarked on a salling vessel at Bremerhaven, and was sixty days in getting to New York City, where he was engaged in the gro- cery business until he set out for California in 1855. He was married in New York City in May, 1852, to Miss Catherine Boschen, who was born July 2, 1827, also near Bremerhaven, being the daughter of Henry and Katherine (Muhler) Boschen, both natives of Germany. Mrs. von Glahn had emigrated to America in 1848 and she and her husband had a happy married life extending over more than forty years. Seven children were born to them: William Henry, died in infancy; Catharine M., resides in Stockton; Anna C., is the wife of Anderson Allen, a biographical men- tion of whom may be found elsewhere in this volume; Borchert Hinrich, the subject of this sketch; Fred- erick William is a prosperous rancher in the Van Allen district; Henrietta R., Mrs. J. R. Hitchcock, resides at San Francisco; Rev. Christopher H. von Glahn, D. D., is pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paterson, N. J. Christopher von Glahn took much interest in the progress and welfare of his community and served for several years as a trustee of the Van Allen school district, and for a portion of the time was clerk of the board. He was Republican in politics and a member of the Atlanta Methodist Church, where for several years he served as steward. On February 16, 1896, he surrendered the duties of life and passed on to his reward at the age of seventy- two years, his wife surviving him until 1911.

Borchert H. von Glahn received a good education in the Van Allen district school, and has been in con- tact with the practical affairs of life since an early age. His marriage occurred on Christmas Eve, 1884, and united him with Miss Georgie M. Farrow, a na- tive of Maine, a daughter of George Farrow, who lost his life in the Civil War; her mother, whose maiden name was Delilah Sherman, passed away at Lathrop,

Cal., in January, 1892. Six children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. von Glahn: E. Gertrude, a graduate of the San Jose Normal School, followed the profession of teacher five years and is now the wife of C. A. Moore, residing at Modesto; Lila C., is Mrs. A. F. Landon and resides in the Van Allen district; Anna L., a graduate of the College of the Pacific and a post-graduate of Stanford University, is now the wife of G. A. Cowan, city editor of the Chico Enter- prise; Delmar resides in Stockton; George F. is at home and assists in the operation of the ranch; while Genevieve is a stenographer in the office of Levinsky and Jones, attorneys-at-law, Stockton, Cal. Soon after the death of Christopher von Glahn his estate was divided among his children and B. H. received 106 acres as his share and on this ranch he makes his home. He has been very successful in his farming pursuits and in 1909 he erected a comfortable and commodious residence and his orchard of apricots and peaches and his vineyard of Tokay grapes reward him for his labor in large profits. Mr. von Glahn has served for a number of years as trustee of the Van Allen school district and in politics he is a Republican. His sons, Delmar and George F., are members of Stockton Parlor, N. S. G. W. Mr. Von Glahn has been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since he was eighteen years old and for more than twenty years held the office of superintendent of Sunday School in that church at various places, namely, Atlanta, Oakdale, Lone Tree, and Escalon. being at present a trustee and an active member of the church at Escalon. As was his father before him, he is public-spirited in all matters of local interest, and during his long residence in the county has made himself a factor for progress and advancement in all lines.

RUSSELL T. WORDEN .- A pioneer of Stockton who has been a resident of the city for more than fifty years and has seen the place grow from a small town intersected with sloughs and swamp roads, where teams and wagons bogged down during the rainy sea- son, into a large city teeming with manufactories and large modern business blocks as well as beautiful parks and paved streets, a delight alike to residents and tourists, Russell Worden was born in Keithsburg. Mercer County, Ill., May 4, 1846, a son of Joseph J. and Sophia (Brown) Worden, natives of New York and Ohio, respectively. They were married in the latter state and in 1832 went to Mercer County, Ill .. where Joseph Worden purchased Government land and improved a farm. Being a wagon maker, he opened a wagon shop in Keithsburg and was the pio- neer wagon maker in that region and followed that business until he retired. After his wife died he re- moved to St. Louis, Mo., where he spent his remaining days. The worthy pioneer couple had five boys and two girls, of whom Russell was the fourth. Two of his brothers served in the Civil War, Chas. C. in the 9th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and Henry B. in the 102nd Illinois Infantry.

Russell Worden was educated in the local public schools and when sixteen years of the i al rade ran away from home to enlist in the Civil War. They arrived in Davenport, where a cavalry regiment was being recruited but aring

on the steep hills around that old inland town, he ielt he could not . . . returned home

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ences said: "My son, if you are determined to go to war, enlist right at home so your own state gets the credit for your enlistment." So in June, 1863, he joined Company A, 30th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was in the Georgia campaign under General Sherman, taking part in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, Dalton, Snake Creek, Peach Tree Creek, Buzzard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta, after which he went with Sherman's army on his march to the sea and was a part of the big army that surrounded and caused the surrender of General Lee. Mr. Wor- den took part in the Grand Review in Washington. Returning to Springfield, Ill., he was mustered out in the fall of 1865.

After the war he was the manager of a warehouse in his native place until 1872, when he determined to locate in California and came to Stockton in the spring of that year. He became a clerk in the grocery store of Hart & Thrift on Sutter and Weber Ave- nue, continuing with them steadily for twenty years. Next he clerked for Southworth & Gratten, gro- cers, about three years, when he again clerked for Mr. Thrift, who was then in business alone, until he sold out. Mr. Worden then again clerked for South- worth & Gratten for about three years until he de- cided to engage in the retail milk business in Stockton. He established a dairy and had a successful milk route, running two delivery wagons, for eight years until he sold out in 1912, since which time he has been in the employ of the Santa Fe railroad, and he resides with his family at 825 East Second Street, Stockton. In San Francisco Mr. Worden was united in marriage with Mrs. Leonora Johnson, who was born at Red- wood City, and they have been blessed with one child Gwynne, who is a graduate of the Stockton Business College. Mr. Worden is a charter member of Raw- lins Post No. 23, G. A. R., in which he served as senior vice-commander. Mrs. Worden is an active member of Rawlins Post No. 29, W. R. C., of which she is past president. In political views Mr. Worden is a Democrat.

ROBT. GEORGIA WILLIAMS .- A native son of California, Robert Georgia Williams was born Au- gust 19, 1864, at the old family home six miles north of Stockton, on the Lower Sacramento Road, where he now resides with his family. His parents were Elnathan Gavett and Mary Ann Delilah (Landrum) Williams.

Mr. Williams was educated in the public schools and graduated in the Stockton Business College and Normal Institute. October 18, 1899, he was married to Miss Mollie Jane Swartz of Terre Haute, Indiana. Three children, Raymond Gavett, Leroy Robert, and Ruth Delilah Williams are the result of this union. Raymond lost his life with the influenza when in his twenty-first year. Leroy married Miss Beth Blain of Stockton, and Ruth is a senior in the Stockton high school. Mr. Williams is a farmer and fruit grower by occupation. He is a past master of Woodbridge Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M., also a member of Stock- ton Chapter, R. A. M. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Eastern Star and of the First Congrega- tional Church of Stockton.

In the year 1769 John Williams was living on Northern Neck, near Richmond, Va. He was the ancestor of Robt. G. Williams. Research made re- cently revealed the record of his owning land and of his signing the protest against the "Stamp Act." He

came from a Welsh family in Maryland, and it seems possible that his father was a brother of Joseph Wil- liams, the father of Gen. Otho Holland Williams of Revolutionary fame. John Williams of Richmond died about the year 1823 aged ninety-five. He had three sons by a first marriage, Joseph, Mordecai, and Benja- min. Benjamin was lost in the war of 1812. Morde- cai and Joseph moved to Broadtop, Pa., where Joseph was married to Mary Evans, who was born January 27, 1775. Joseph was born near Richmond, Va., May 15, 1769. He lived at Broadtop until 1814, when he moved to Mansfield, Ohio, where he owned the land which is the present site of the city and was in the banking business. On arriving at Mansfield, then a small village, he, with his wife and seven sons, moved into the old block-house which still stands in the City Park at Mansfield. The mother cleaned the blood from the floor, as there had been fighting. The town was then threatened by a band of British and Indians, who on hearing of the treaty of peace decamped.

Joseph Williams moved to Batesville, Ark., in the year 1838, with three of his sons, Miles, Septimus and Robert. He died there February, 1840. Robert died in Batesville, leaving five children, Mary Ellen (Moore), Amanda (Debnam), John R., Chas. W., and Sarah (Moore). These children all came to Stockton with their Uncles Miles and Septimus, and their families in 1853. They are all well known. John R. was a prominent druggist and Charles was once mayor of Stockton. "Uncle" Septimus was one of the first supervisors of San Joaquin County.

The other four sons of Joseph who remained and reared families and died in Ohio were Amos, John, Thomas and Aaron. Amos had two daughters. John had five children, Joseph, Christy, Miles, John Quigley and Myra. These brothers were college classmates of Dr. Harding, father of the President. John Q. taught school in Bloominggrove, Ohio, where President Harding, then a small boy, was a student. Thomas left four children, all deceased. Aaron had two sons and two daughters.

Miles Williams, the grandfather of Robt. G. Wil- liams, was born September 26, 1801, and was the father of thirteen children, Alfred E., Cyrus A., Elna- than G., William Curry, John E., Eliza S. (Spooner), Sarah E. (Spooner), Amanda A., Emmer, Anna, Mary J., R. F., and Malinda A. (White). Miles, with his wife and children and brother Septimus left Bates- ville, Ark., in the Moore train, in April, 1853, for Cali- fornia, where they arrived October 23, 1853, just six months and two days of tedious travel by ox team. Joseph Williams (son of John) left Bloominggrove, Ohio, April 18, 1853, traveled down the Mississippi to Arkansas and started May 1 to overtake the Moore train, which he did July 1, 1853, at the Platte River. Their route extended northwest to Cherry Creek. They camped where Denver now stands. From this point they traveled northward into Yellowstone Park, crossed the summit to the head waters of the Hum- boldt River and traveled down that river to the sink and Walker River. The Sierra Nevada Mountains were crossed near Castle Peak in Mono County and Sonora.

Elnathan G. Williams, father of Robt. G. Williams, was then a lad of fifteen years of age. He walked and drove one of the ox teams of the family conveyance all of the way. A diary of the trip describes the plains as swarming with buffaloes. It speaks of letting the wagons down steep inclines with ropes; of wagons

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overturned in a river; finding a dead man in the road; using willows for hay; Indians stealing stock; de- scribes a geyser of the Yellowstone; and petrified bones. They paid forty cents per pound for flour. forty cents for bacon, thirty-five cents for sugar. Sonora is described as having a rough, drinking, gam- bling, mixed population, talking, quarrelling and danc- ing. Six days were consumed from Sonora to Stock- ton. Less than ten miles was a day's drive. Through many perils this family followed civilization across the continent. Their movement westward consumed eighty-four years until their homes were established in California.

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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 231

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