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 237

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 237

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

On November 11, 1914, in Lodi, Mr. Post was mar- ried to Miss Eugenia Villinger, born at Covina, Cal .. a daughter of Asa and Martha (Kaiser) Villinger. Her father was born on a sailing vessel en route to California around the Horn in the carly days. Mr. Post is a Republican in politics and fraternally be- longs to the Masonic Lodge in Lodi, the Command- ery at Stockton, also the Royal Arch of that city and Ben Ali Temple at Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Post are the parents of one daughter, Isabelle. Mr. Post is an excellent business man and his zumal for himself a handsome competence hin among the community's substantial residents.

LOUIS J. CHAPPUIS .- For the past fifteen years Louis J. Chappuis has resided on his ranch three miles southeast of Lodi on Kettleman Lane, which consists of twelve and one-half acres devoted to vine- 1. 1

iten bort 10 1 11 0 . . ..

1578

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Minn., where the father engaged in farming near the town of Faribault, and in the grammar schools of that place Louis J. received his education. During twenty-seven years of his life he remained at home with his parents and the practical knowledge of agri- culture he gained has been of great value to him in grape culture.

In 1880 Mr. Chappuis went into the Red River country and homesteaded a tract of land in Polk County, Mo .; however, he longed for his old associa- tions of home and friends, and sold his homestead rights and moved back to Faribault, where he pur- chased sixty acres on which he raised grain and ran a dairy, and there his marriage occurred on January 9, 1889, which united him with Miss Mary J. Chap- delaine, a native of Faribault, and a daughter of Francis and Philistie Chapdelaine. Success crowned the industry of Mr. Chappuis and in 1907, when he decided to remove to California, he had sufficient means to purchase a home place of twelve and one- half acres, which was set to young vineyard; later he bought thirteen and a half acres, a little south of his home place, which was also set to young vineyard, and Mr. Chappuis has further improved the places with an irrigation system by which he has an abund- ance of water for the cultivation of his vineyards. Mr. and Mrs. Chappuis are the parents of eight chil- dren: John C., an engineer in the Stockton Paper Mills, died July 2, 1922; Nellie is Mrs. Eugene Beck- man of Lodi; Peter, Alexander, Albert and George; Dollie, Mrs. Vernon Pope, lives in Lodi, and Henry is at home. In politics Mr. Chappuis is a Republican, and fraternally is a member of the Modern Wood- men of Lodi. He and his family are members of the Catholic Church. Peter and Albert served about a year in the army, but before they saw active field duty, the armistice was signed.

PETER SARGENTI .- A successful vineyardist and orchardist, from Canton Ticino, Switzerland, is Peter Sargenti, who is ranching about two miles north of Acampo, off the Cherokee Lane road. He was born at Magadino on February 12, 1872, the son of Paul and Theresa (Macagni) Sargenti, industrious, honest and progressive farmer folks, who were blessed with eight children, four sons and four daugh- ters. Peter had a good education, so that when he was seventeen, and ready to push out into the world, he was well prepared. He not only came to the United States, but he luckily pushed on to California, and settled at San Rafael, in Marin County, in 1889, where he worked for two years on a dairy farm. He then spent seven years in dairy work, at Half Moon Bay, in San Mateo County, and after that he went to Solano County, where he was in dairying for four or five years. In 1903 he returned to Switzerland for five months, enjoying again the scenes in the republic so familiar to him, but also glad to get back to the Golden State.

On his return he settled in Contra Costa County, at Knightsen, and there he had a fine dairy of his own, continuing to operate it for two and one-half years. Then he came to Holt Station, Roberts Island, in San Joaquin County, and for three years was fore- man of a dairy there. He then removed to Banta, running a dairy for four and one-half years; and from Banta he moved to his present location, where he bought thirty-two acres. This ranch has thirteen

acres of vineyard, eight acres of orchard, and eight acres of alfalfa; and there is a small dairy on his present ranch. He has developed the orchard of prunes, peaches and cherries and the alfalfa there.

At Suisun, on July 5, 1904, Mr. Sargenti was mar- ried to Miss Ernestine Madonna, who was born in Solano County, near Suisun, the daughter of Paul and Theresa (Piezzoni) Madonna, both born in In- tragna, Ticino, Switzerland. Her father was a dairy farmer, who came to California in 1872, and settled in Solano County, where he was married. He lived to be seventy-one years old, and died in 1909. Her mother is still alive, residing on a ranch south of Lodi. Ernestine was sent for a while to the schools in Half Moon Bay, and then, when her parents moved back to Suisun, she finished her studies there. They have one son, Peter, who is attending the Lodi high school, class of 1925. Mr. Sargenti is a Repub- lican, and is a good "booster" for the locality in which he lives and thrives.

ALFRED R. STROTHER .- A native son of whom Californians may well be proud is Alfred R. Strother, the progressive and very successful dairy- farmer, living three and one-half miles northwest of Lodi. He was born in Stanislaus County, not far from Salida and about half a mile from the old Dale ranch, on June 22, 1881, the son of William E. and Ella (Feagan) Strother; his father was a pioneer of Cali- fornia, who came here from Missouri and settled in the Salida district, where Alfred went to school. The worthy couple were blessed with seven children, among whom Anna was the eldest, and Bertha, Rob- ert, William and Ella the next youngest. Then came the subject of our story; and after him the youngest, Ora. William Strother, the father, was a grain farmer, and few knew better what could be produced under the favoring agricultural conditions of the Golden State.

In 1900 Alfred Strother left his home, and ever since he has made his own way. When he came to the vicinity of Lodi he worked on ranches; and near Acampo he was married to Miss Gertrude Hartman, the ceremony occurring on the 25th of October, 1910. She was born in Kulm, N. D., the daughter of Joseph Hartman, the well-known vineyardist, whose life story is elsewhere given in this work; and there she was educated. Both her father and mother (who was Miss Caroline Relinger before her marriage) favored her home as well as her school education.

Mr. Strother purchased a ranch of twenty-five acres about three and one-half miles northwest of Acampo, and there he has one of the best-appointed and most up-to-date, sanitary dairies to be found anywhere in the county. He has pastures of alfalfa on his ranch and the milk he delivers has the richest of cream. He also has his own irrigation plant and he has improved his farm in many ways, including the erection of various buildings. He has lived on this ranch for the past seven years; and he formerly ran a ranch of 400 acres owned by Mr. Bender, his neigh- bor. This ranch he conducted for four years, prior to its being taken charge of by Mr. Bender's son.

Five children make up the family of Mr. and Mrs. Strother: Ella, Ora, Evelyn, Alfred, and Grace. Mr. Strother is an independent in politics, and a good "booster" in his community.

1 1

--- -

----------- 1 1

1579

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

F. H. TAYLOR .- An enterprising addition to Stockton's business circles is F. H. Taylor, manager of the Stockton Milk Company, who in the short space of two years has been instrumental in building up a splendid business. Mr. Taylor was born at Oakland, Cal., February 6, 1898, and after attending the public schools until twelve years old, went to work delivering milk on his bicycle for the Walnut Grove Creamery of Oakland, owned by Burroughs Brothers, now one of the largest creameries of the Bay district, distributing about 5,500 gallons of milk daily. Gaining a thorough knowledge of this line of work while in their employ, Mr. Taylor came to Stockton in 1921 to start a milk business of his own. He solicited for three days before he obtained his first customer, but once established, the business grew rapidly and he is now the manager of the best- equipped pasteurized milk plants in Central Cali- fornia. The Stockton Milk Company was organized in 1921 as the Taylor Milk Company and in 1922 the name was changed to the Stockton Milk Com- pany and incorporated for $100,000. The president is B. R. Burroughs, and F. H. Taylor is manager.

The new cement and brick building occupied by the Stockton Milk Company was erected at the cor- ner of Union and Oak streets at a cost of $10,000 and opened its doors for business on October 28, 1922. The milk inspector on a recent visit pronounced it the best equipped plant in the state. It has an excellent system of ventilation, a complete pasteurizing plant where the milk is heated to 142 degrees and cooled almost instantly, and an automatic filler and capper for the bottles, with an hourly capacity of 1,200 bottles. The company manufactures its own ice, and another special feature is the direct motor shafting, doing away with insanitary belts. Mr. Taylor is deserving of great credit for the rapid establishment of this business and the company now serves more indi- vidual customers than any other dairy in the city.

PETER J. WALLACE,-A progressive business man of Stockton whose success is entirely due to his own perseverance and industry is Peter J. Wallace, the owner and proprietor of the Golden West Laun- dry located at 501 North Sierra Nevada Street. He was born in Greece, August 5, 1890, and while still a young boy was left an orphan. When he was seventeen years old he started for the United States and when he arrived in New York City he had very little money in his pockets; he secured work in the factory of the American Tobacco Company. From New York he went to Newburyport, Mass., where he worked in a cotton mill and a shoe factory; then he went to Milwaukee, Wis., where he worked as a core maker in an iron foundry; then to Kiel, Wis., and worked in a furniture factory. Four years were consumed from the time he landed in New York City until he arrived in California. He found employment in the Golden Eagle Hotel in Sacramento for a time; then to San Francisco in the employ of the Golden State Baking Company for three and a half years and in May, 1916, he arrived in Stockton. He purchased a small laundry at 317 East Street and built up a fine profitable business; later he bought a lot on Sierra Nevada Street, where he erected a building for a new laundry and he now enjoys a very lucrative busi- ness; he specializes in family washings and four de- livery wagons are required to take care of the busi- ness. When he started in business on East Street,

three people handled the work, as now Mr. Wallace employs twenty people; he has installed modern laundry machinery and as his business expands he intends to erect a larger plant on his property.

The marriage of Mr. Wallace occurred in San Francisco and united him with Miss Lena Stack, a native of New Mexico, and they are the parents of one son, Frank, born in San Francisco. Mr. Wal- lace is an active member of the Woodmen of the World, being a member of the drill team and treas- urer of same.

LOUIS BRONICH .- When Louis Bronich was a young man of twenty-two years of age, he came to California to join his brother, M. M. Bronich, who had arrived in the Golden State in 1891. Mr. Bron- ich was a young man, vigorous in mind and body, but his worldly possessions lay in what the future years, by his diligence and thrift, would bring him. He was born in Dalmatia, now Jugo-Slavia, on October 2, 1876, a son of M. M. Borovinich, (as the name was spelled in Dalmatia) a well-to-do, retired larmer, living in Dalmatia, at the age of eighty-two.

Louis Bronich was reared on his father's farm in Dalmatia, and attended the public schools of his dis- trict. He lived in his native country until 1898, when he made the decisive move of his life by coming to America and direct to Stockton, California, whither his brother had preceded him by a number of years. For two years before leaving his native country, he was a soldier in the Austrian army, and was ad- vanced to the rank of sergeant. At the end of his service, he was commended highly for his splendid discipline and character during his term of service. Arriving in San Joaquin County, he went into part- nership with his brother and farmed the Delta lands on Union Island, where they put in six successful years; meanwhile Louis attended night school and learned to speak and write the English language, and in a few years he was able to start out for himself in farming pursuits.

At Stockton, in August, 1907, Mr. Bronich was married to Miss Mary Deranga, a daughter of An- tone Deranga and his wife, Mrs. Ella Deranga, both born and reared in Dalmatia, and there passed away. Mrs. Bronich was born in Grudda, Dalmatia, August 16, 1883, and in August, 1906, came to Stockton, where she met her future husband. The first five years of their married life were spent on Union Is- land, and in 1912 the family moved to the Ramsay ranch near Lathrop, where they remained for three years, when the family moved to the Rossi River ranch. Mr. Bronich, however, was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his labor, for in 1918 he was stricken with influenza and he passed away on Jan- uary 1 of that year. He had always enjoyed the best of health and his untimely passing was a severe blow to his immediate family. Mr. and Mrs. Bronich were the parents of four children: Pauline, born on U'nion Island, is a pupil in the Mossdale school; Nellie was born in Stockton, and also attends the Mossdale school; Mary died in infancy; and Martin was born on the river ranch. Mrs. Bronich is a woman of splendid business capabilities and is successfully man- aging her ranch and at the Same educating her three children. Mr. Bronich became an American citizen in San Joaquin County, and voted the Republican ticket from that time on

---------

1580

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

L. R. HALL .- The owner of a fine and well im- proved ranch located fourteen miles southeast of Stockton is L. R. Hall, who is a representative of the best agricultural interests of San Joaquin County. He was born on his father's farm, where he now resides and which is known as the Wildwood farm, January 28, 1873, the eldest son of Geo. S. and Julia (White) Hall, both natives of Missouri. Grandfather Samuel Hall, in company with C. H. Morrow, conducted a party of emigrants to California in 1859. The emigrant train was made up of ten wagons drawn by oxen and mules, and besides there were 750 head of cattle, mostly cows, which they drove overland. Six months were consumed in the journey, arriving in the fall of 1859. Geo. S. Hall, the father of our subject, and another boy, were left at the Calaveras big trees in charge of the cattle, as there was an abundance of grazing in the meadows. The emigrant train contin- ued on their journey toward Stockton, but finally set- tled near Byrneville on the Stanislaus River, now known as the Monroe Ranch. There were no fences nor roads in those early pioneer days, only cattle trails, and after resting the cattle for six weeks, G. S. Hall and his comrade drove them on to the Monroe Ranch. The final lap of the journey was not without many interesting incidents, the most notable being the meeting of several grizzly bears while herding the cattle at the big trees. Grandfather Hall leased a portion of the Blue Tent Ranch, two miles east of where Escalon now stands; and he ran a tavern on the French Camp Road, which he conducted for sev- eral years, until they moved away from there.

George S. Hall returned to Missouri and there mar- ried Miss Julia White and brought her to California on an overland train. The young married couple set- tled on a half section of land fourteen miles southeast of Stockton when there were but three families in a radius of six miles. On this ranch their two children, L. R., our subject, and his brother, Geo. D. Hall, of Stockton, were born and reared. Geo. S. Hall, the father, gave a portion of his land for the Wildwood school, which still stands. He was a man of fine char- acter and stood for the best along all lines of prog- ress. In the early days he engaged in freighting and owned a number of outfits, but his principal occupa- tion was wheat raising and stock business; he owned a fine stock range in the hills in east San Joaquin County, but this was disposed of some time before his death. The mother passed away in 1916, the father surviving until 1918.

L. R. Hall attended the Wildwood school on his father's ranch and from early youth was set to work at farm work. Since reaching his teens he has been closely associated with his father in farming the home ranch. After the death of the father, the Wildwood ranch was equally divided between L. R. Hall and his brother, each receiving 160 acres, but as his brother resides in Stockton, our subject is farming the whole 320 acres Mr. Hall is a member of Stockton Lodge No. 128, B. P. O. E., and the Modern Woodmen of America at Escalon, and is a Republican in his polit- ical views. From 1911 to 1920 he served as deputy county assessor for the Escalon district of San Joa- quin County. He has contributed to public progress through his co-operation in many movements ad- vanced for the public good, and has made for himself a position among influential men in San Joaquin County.

CLARENCE E. HARRIS .- A wide-awake and successful business man who has become an impor- tant factor in his field of trade and its contribution to local commercial activity, is Clarence E. Harris, the accommodating proprietor of the popular Lyric Candy Store, at 114 North Sutter Street, and well known as commander of the Spanish-American War Veterans. He was born in Stockton on August 20, 1881, the son of Andrew Jackson and Lillian (Gay) Harris, the for- mer a native of Illinois, who is still alive in Stockton. He was a handy man with tools and could skillfully do almost any work where his services might be needed. Miss Gay was born in Placerville, her father having come from New York State to California in 1858 and settled at that place. Grandfather Gay was a merchant in New York, in the old days when it meant something to be a figure in the store-keeping circles of the Empire State.

Clarence completed the grammar school and when he was about sixteen he entered the U. S. Navy as landsman, enlisting at Mare Island. He was sent out to sea on the Charlestown, the ship that was wrecked and sank to the bottom of the ocean, in the vicinity of the Philippine Islands, about twenty-five miles off- shore from an unpopulated island. The survivors rowed to the island and lived for fifteen days 'there before being picked up by the Helena, from which vessel our subject was transferred to the Monterey. Somewhat later, he was assigned to the battleship Oregon, upon which he went to the Orient, and while in the Gulf of Pechili, that vessel was wrecked, and he was returned home on the Solas. The Oregon had been sent to the Orient on account of the Boxer troubles; but never reached there. At Mare Island, in 1901, Mr. Harris was honorably discharged.

Returning to Stockton, he worked for three years for the City Street Car Company, and then he became a clerk in a wholesale and retail candy business owned by Cook Reyner at Stockton. He next bought out their retail department at 915 East Main Street, a shop that was then known as The Purity; but after one year and a half he sold out, and went to Nevada, where he worked as overseer for C. H. Mott for a year. He then returned to Stockton, but going to the Bay region, tried his hand at various things at Oak- land. In 1919, he returned to Stockton and with O. O. Farnsworth, formed a partnership for the manufac- ture and sale of candy. They opened two places of business, one at 114 North Sutter Street, called The Lyric, and the other at 3 South California Street. In November, 1920, he bought out Mr. Farnsworth; and selling the place at 3 South California Street, he re- tained the Lyric, where he still manufactures a large variety of first-class confectionery.

At Stockton, on September 14, 1902, Mr. Harris was married to Miss Martha Jane Fann, who was born at Tehachepi, the daughter of James and Jane Fann, who came to California in 1876 and became pioneer farmers in the Tehachepi region. There were five older children in their family, and they bore the names of Louis, Ed., Dan, Jack and Estella. Having lost her mother at birth, Martha Jane was reared by Mrs. Alice Carey, who cared for her education in Stockton. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harris, Alice Jennie and Elma Lillian. In national politics Mr. Harris is a Republican; but in local affairs he supports all accredited movements and candidates deemed best for the locality. He is a member of the

1581

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Spanish War Veterans, and in 1918-19 and 1921 and 1922, he was the commander of the Stockton Post. As a Mason, he belongs to San Joaquin Lodge No. 19. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World, and he is on the advisory board of the Volunteers of America.

TIMOTHY JOHN HARRISON .- A well-known pioneer family of San Joaquin County is that of the Harrisons, now represented by Timothy John Harri- son, who has been a resident here all his life. He was born on the Calaveras River in the Moore school district, San Joaquin County, November 12, 1862, and is the fourth in a family of ten children born to David and Mary E. (Winner) Harrison, natives of Virginia and Iowa, respectively. Two of the family were born in Iowa before they started across the plains to Cali- fornia and while enroute their third child was born, and was named Nevada. At that time the entire be- longings of the Harrison family were carried in one covered wagon. The family arrived in California in the fall of 1860, after an eight month' trip and settled on the Calaveras River. In 1863 the father bought 160 acres of land in the Waterloo district; later he ac- quired 280 acres, part of the old Sam Foreman ranch in the Linden district, on which he settled and farmed. He was a man of fine character and a friend of educa- tion, serving as school trustee in his district. Both parents lived to a good old age, the father passing away in 1908, his wife having preceded him three years. Five of their ten children now survive.

Timothy J. Harrison, the fourth oldest, obtained his education in the public schools of San Joaquin County and from the time he was old enough he helped his father with the ranch work until his nineteenth year, when he decided to learn a trade, that of miller. For the next ten years he was employed at Ione with the Bloomington Mills; then with the Farmers Union iviilling Company in Stockton for eight years. Resign- ing, he went to Colfax, where he had charge of a great-uncle's estate of 100 acres and then came to Linden to make his home.

The marriage of Mr. Harrison, at Linden, united him with Miss Gipsy Cox, daughter of William H. Cox, a pioneer farmer at Linden. Mrs. Harrison passed away ten years after their marriage. In 1914, Mr. Harrison was married the second time to Mrs. Amber (Whitcomb) Sawyer, a native of Vermont, a daughter of the late Charles Whitcomb. Her mother is a resident of Linden and the owner of an orchard. Mr. Harrison owns forty acres of the old homestead near Linden, where he has made fine improvements and where he raises alfalfa and conducts a dairy; he also owns desirable real estate in Stockton. He is an active member of the local Farm Bureau and in poli- tics is a Democrat.

MRS. MELINDA C. HILD .- A native daughter with great admiration for the land of gold and sun- shine is Mrs. Melinda C. Hild, who was born at Sonora, May 23, 1856, a daughter of Mark and Susan Hughes, natives of Ireland. Her father learned the blacksmith trade in Scotland. While still in his latter teens he came to Baltimore, Md., and there met and married Miss Susan Hughes, who had come with an aunt when a girl to the metropolis on the Chesapeake Bay and there she grew to womanhood, receiving an excellent education. In 1850 Mark Hughes came around Cape Horn on a sailer, and after a six months

trip he landed in San Francisco. He found his way to the Southern mines, locating at Sonora. In 1852 his wife and their first born joined him, having made the journey via Panama. Mr. Hughes established himself in the blacksmith business in Sonora and continued until Cleveland was elected president. when he was appointed master mechanic at Mare Island, but his health was not robust so could not accept and was then appointed postmaster at Sonora, a position he filled ably until the close of his term, when he lived retired until his death. His wife had preceded him many years before, having passed on in 1875.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 237

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