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 245

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 245

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Salvador Mauro received his education in the schools of Lathrop and Mossdale; then learned the machinist trade in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Tracy. In 1918 he became con- struction foreman on the Western Pacific Railroad, on the Stockton Division, and was occupied for eighteen months in this capacity; later Mr. Mauro was employed as an expert machinist on the Holt caterpillar tractors in the vicinity of Lathrop and Manteca. In 1918, in partnership with Charles Aber- sold, he opened a garage on the Lincoln Highway where they furnish gas and oils and do all kinds of automobile repairing in a most satisfactory manner and are meeting with well-deserved success.

ROSARIO MAURO .- Among the residents who fittingly represent the agricultural interests of San Joaquin County is Rosario Mauro, a successful, pub- lic-spirited citizen. He has been located on his pres- ent ranch since 1890, where he has demonstrated thor- ough and up-to-date methods in his agricultural enter- prises, and is considered one of the most prosperous and influential men of the San Joaquin Valley. He was born in the province of Cosenza, Italy, July 15, 1869, a son of Antonio and Angelina Mauro, who lost their lives when several villages were destroyed by a volcanic eruption and earthquake in 1871. He was cared for by friends and relatives until he could make his own way, and when he had reached the age of twenty he decided to come to America, sailing from Naples on a steamer bound for New York, where he arrived in April, 1889. From New York he went to Nova Scotia and worked on the railroad; then he went to British Columbia where he had a hard time making a living. From there he drifted down the coast to Oregon and then on to California, landing in Stockton with just enough money to pay his board and room for one week. He found a friend in Joseph Corteri, a fuel dealer, and for several years Mr. Mauro

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worked for him. By applying himself to his work and practicing strict economy he was able to pur- chase his present place of twenty acres located near the Mossdale bridge. This land was unimproved and was covered with tule and much of it was swamp land, but by hard work and painstaking persistency this property has been long since transformed into a model fruit and vegetable farm, where he has contin- uously resided.

On March 25, 1895, at Stockton, occurred the mar- riage of Mr. Mauro and Miss Giovannia Bambiana, a daughter of Carlo and Maria Bambiana of Lathrop, and all natives of the province of Cosenza, Italy. They are the parents of seven children: Angelina, deceased, survived by one child, Emma; Mary, Anto- nette, Antone, Ida, Matilda, and Frank, now twelve years old. In politics Mr. Mauro is a Republican, and the family are members of the Catholic Church. Besides his home place Mr. Mauro owns valuable real estate in Tracy. He has demonstrated his busi- ness qualifications through the successful control of his agricultural interests, which have made him one of the substantial farmers of his neighborhood.

ARTHUR R. McCARTY .- A widely experienced, general contractor who has made an enviable name for himself throughout San Joaquin County and even beyond its confines, is Arthur R. McCarty, of 215 North Aurora Street, Stockton. He was born at Copperopolis, in Calaveras County, Cal., on Septem- ber 10, 1886, the eldest son of Ransome Thomas Mc- Carty, a well-known pioneer who followed stockrais- ing and general farming until his death in 1908, aged fifty-two years, and who was esteemed as a progres- sive man of affairs, a patriotic citizen with the r kind of neighborly, helpful feeling. Mrs. McCarty is still living and resides in Stockton, aged fifty-nine years.

Arthur Mccarty is the eldest of ten children, all of whom were born in the mountains of Calaveras County; he attended the district school, and then worked on his father's farm and stock ranch. Saving up his money for a business education, he at length came to Stockton and attended the Stockton Business College; and when proficient for larger responsibility he entered the Government service as a forest ranger, riding the range from 1905 to 1909, from Lake Tahoe south to the San Joaquin River.

In 1910 he located in Stockton and entered the employ of the Clark & Henery Construction Com- pany, starting, as one says, at the bottom of the ladder; and soon he was appointed timekeeper and located in San Mateo and Sacramento. In 1914 he became field superintendent of construction, with headquarters at Lodi, and from 1914 to 1919 he had charge of all the street paving in Lodi, except on Sac- ramento and West Pine streets. Coming to Stockton he superintended the paving of Weber Avenue from American Street to East Street, all of Yosemite Ter- race, and all of East Market Street from Fair Oaks Avenue to the city limits. He also paved the Gam- betta Addition, the east part of the town north of the Copperopolis Road, and all of the Sperry Addition and Kelly Addition. All in all, he has superintended several million square feet of paving in San Joaquin County, including the largest single job under one contract, in the city of Stockton, namely, 1,300,000 square feet of the Homestead Addition, comprising all between Sutter St. and the Southern Pacific Rail-

road, and South and Ninth streets. In addition to the paving he laid approximately twelve miles of curbs and gutters and sidewalks on this job; and he paved all of the tracks on Weber Avenue and South San Joaquin Street for the Central California Traction Co., and the Stockton Electric Railroad Co.

On October 1, 1920, Mr. McCarty severed his con- nection with the Clark & Henery Construction Com- pany and established himself as a general contractor; and not long after he was given the Linden Revet- ment contract near Bellota for the county, which con- sisted of the pouring of several thousand cubic yards of concrete along Mormon Channel for levee protec- tion. He did 15,000 cubic yards of excavation for the National Paper Products Company and laid nearly 100,000 square feet of concrete pavement around the Paper Mill. He constructed the culverts over Mc- Dougald Canal at Anderson Street and Church Street for the city of Stockton. He laid the gravel streets in the Bewley Suburban Acres in Lodi, and approxi- mately four miles of gravel streets for Dietrich & Leistner in the Burkett Gardens, Stockton; and in all that he has pledged himself to do, he has never failed to maintain the highest standards, regardless of profit in the work.

Mr. McCarty is a family man with five healthy children to bless him and his good wife, who was reared in Stockton, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Sollars, natives of Oakdale and Lodi. Mr. Sollars was at one time a prominent business man in Lodi. The children are: Arthur R., Jr., Aileen June, Clarke Henery, Blendon O., and Norma Katheryn.

WILLIAM H. MENZEL .- An enterprising man of business affairs is William H. Menzel, who was born in Minnesota, having first seen the light in Lac qui Parle County, on September 16, 1887, the son of August A. and Louise Menzel. His father, a native of Wisconsin, was a farmer, and he is still living in Lodi, but his mother, esteemed and beloved by all who were privileged to know her, died in San Joaquin County in 1908.

In 1906 Mr. Menzel settled in this county at Lodi. William had attended the school of their district in Minnesota; and when eighteen years old he started to work for himself. He found employment for a short time in the steam laundry, and after that he clerked in various stores in Lodi, and in 1915 he returned to the laundry business, as a driver. He worked in this capacity for five years, and then he purchased F. R. Polenske's business, making the deal for this important establishment in August, 1920. There was another partner, a Mr. Stevens; and since his death his widow has managed her husband's affairs, being the partner now with Mr. Menzel, and contributing much toward the success of the under- taking.

At Hamburg, Minn., on May 12, 1913, Mr. Menzel was married to Miss Helena Buckentin, the daughter of Fred and Louise Buckentin, pioneer farmer folks of high standing in Minnesota, in which state she was born. Three children have blessed their union: Ewald A. F., Mildred Louise, and Ellen Emma. Mr. Menzel may well be proud of what he has accom- plished for Lodi in his laundry service. Having be- gun very modestly he has today three auto-delivery wagons covering a territory of about twenty square miles in the Lodi vicinity; and he employs from twenty to twenty-two persons the year around. He

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has installed strictly modern equipment throughout since he purchased the business, including presses and tumblers, and has left no stone unturned to make his laundry most sanitary and it is widely known on ac- count of the care taken of all the fine fabrics com- mitted to its charge.

FRANK L. MATTEONI .- A well-known figure in Stockton's automobile circles is Frank L. Matteoni, the local dealer in Pennsylvania Vacuum Cup tires. Mr. Matteoni was born at San Bernardino, Cal., Oc- tober 10, 1892, the son of A. and Josie ( Ferretti) Mat- teoni; the former a native of Lucca, Italy, died in 1911, but Mrs. Matteoni, who was born in Chicago, Ill., is still living. The father came to California when seventeen years old from his native country where he had learned the trade of tailor and he was also a fine Italian and French cook. In 1906 he came to Stockton and purchased a section of land on Vic- toria Island, which he farmed and later engaged in the hotel business in Stockton. He was a member of Lodi Grove of the Druids.

Mr. and Mrs. Matteoni were the parents of four children: Frank L., Fred, Edna and Silvia. The eldest of the family, Frank L. Matteoni, attended school in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Stockton, coming here with his parents in 1906. His first employment was with the Robinson & Clark planing mill, and then with the Totten & Brandt planing mill. The next five years were spent with E. S. Berkeley in the Tourist Garage; then when America entered the war he answered the call to arms and went to Camp Lewis, where he was assigned to the aviation corps and stationed at Vancouver, Wash., until he was discharged from the service December 20, 1918. On his return to Stockton he entered busi- ness for himself in a small shop at 240 East Miner Avenue, and later embarked in a tire business with Eric Chemnitz at 242 North San Joaquin Street, but he is now the sole proprietor. He started in with a capital of $1,000 but now has a fine paying business that is steadily growing.

Mr. Matteoni was married in Stockton in 1917 to Miss Elvira Giottonini, born in Salinas, Cal., and they have a son, Frank L., Jr. Several years ago Mr. Matteoni was well known as a ball player, pitching for the Stockton All Stars, but the strain affected his heart and he was obliged to quit. His brother, Fred Matteoni, is known as one of the cleverest shortstops in this part of the country and is now with the Sacra- mento team. Mr. Matteoni is a member of the Elks and the Eagles, of the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club.

EVERTS F. MILLS .- Many years have passed since the family to which this well-known citizen belongs became identified with the interests of San Joaquin County. Its members have taken an active and prominent part in the development of this sec- tion of the state, in many ways promoting its pro- gress and advancement, and their reputation is in no way diminished in this generation, for our subject, who is numbered among the leading horticulturists of San Joaquin County, displays in a marked degree the admirable characteristics which his name implies. The birth of Everts F. Mills occurred on the Mills ranch one and one-half miles west of Lodi on March 29, 1889, his parents being Freeman B. and Carrie C. (Ellis) Mills, both natives of San Joaquin County.

The father was born on the same ranch. Freeman B. Mills is represented on another page of this work.

Everts F. Mills began his education at the Wood- bridge grammar school; then entered the Lodi high school, later was a student at the Stockton high school, and after his graduation entered the Univer- sity of California, where he spent two years studying mining engineering and chemistry. Since leaving the University, his attention has been taken up with land development, being associated with his father in the development of 400 acres north of the Mokelumne River near Lockeford. He is the owner of 100 acres on the Lower Sacramento Road one and one-half miles west of Acampo, sixty acres of which is in vine- yard and the balance of forty acres is devoted to orchard. This ranch is piped with concrete pipe for irrigation, and the water is obtained by means of four- inch and six-inch pumps driven by ten and twenty- horsepower motors.

The marriage of Mr. Mills occurred at Stockton on September 6, 1914, and united him with Miss Regina Smallfield, a native of Stockton, and daughter of A. A. and Sadie Smallfield. She obtained her education in the Stockton schools. Her father came to Stockton in the early days and is now manager for Austin Brothers of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Mills are the parents of three children: Albert F., Frank E., and Margaret C. Mr. Mills is interested in and a director of the Rio Oso Fruit Company of Wheatland, of which his father is president, and which is developing 900 acres of the Bear River land; and is also a direc- tor in the Woodbridge Fruit Company. In politics he is a Republican; and fraternally he is a member and past master of the Woodbridge Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M .; Stockton Chapter No. 28, R. A. M .; Stockton Council, R. & S. M .; Stockton Commandery No. 8, K. T .; and Ben Ali Shrine, A. A. O. N. M. S., Sacramento; and with his wife is a member of Wood- bridge Chapter 118, O. E. S., of which he is Past Patron; and California Chapter, Acacia Fraternity, Berkeley. He is also a member of the Mokelumne Club and Lions Club of Lodi, and the Woodbridge Gun Club.

CHARLES MILOSLAVICH .- A popular restau- rateur of Stockton, Charles Miloslavich is the owner and proprietor of a restaurant located at 328 East Weber Street. He is a native of Dalmatia, born December 18, 1885, a son of Charles and Catherine Miloslavich. The father of our subject passed away two months before the birth of his son Charles; and the mother still makes her home in Dalmatia, now aged eighty years. Nicholas Miloslavich, a brother of our subject, was a soldier in the army of Austria and was severely wounded and has been disabled, so remained in the old home with his mother; a brother, Antone, left home for America and arrived in Cali- fornia in 1900; he secured employment and sent money home for the passage of Charles, and in 1901 he arrived in New York and came direct to Stockton. where he joined his brother. He soon found employ- ment in a restaurant at fifteen dollars per month, a part of which he laid by and in 1912 he had saved enough money to buy an interest in a Weber Street cafe, and within three years time he had purchased the interests of the other partner in the business, and today is the owner of what is known as Charlie's Popular Restaurant, and has built up a prosperous business.

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At Stockton in 1910 Mr. Miloslavich was married to Miss Mary L. Capitanich, a daughter of N. Cap- itanich, a pioneer fruit and vineyard rancher of San Joaquin County; she was born in Lead City, S. D., and was five years old when her parents re- moved to Stockton, Cal. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miloslavich: Charles, Jr., Kathryn and Robert. Mr. Miloslavich owns a resi- dence in North Crest at 647 North Baker Street; also another residence at 847 West Park Street, and desir- able real estate on East Street; in 1921 he sold his Yosemite Lake property to the city of Stockton. Mr. Miloslavich belongs to the Stockton Merchants' Asso- ciation and the Chamber of Commerce, and fraternally is a member of the B. P. O. Elks, No. 218, the Stock- ton Eagles and the Red Men.

PAUL R. MINDACH .- Although he is of German birth and parentage, Paul R. Mindach is to all intents and purposes an American-born citizen taking a keen interest in everything pertaining to the locality he has selected for his permanent home. He was born about twenty miles from Berlin, Germany, on Sep- tember 20, 1864, a son of Wilhelmina Mindach. His father was a shoemaker by trade in his native coun- try. There are two sons in the family, Paul R., our subject, and Felix.

Paul R. Mindach received a very thorough grammar school education in his native land and worked for wages until he was twenty-three years old, when he left for America. The first year after his arrival in the United States he worked in Rochester, N. Y .; then came to California, settling at Red Bluff, Tehama County, and for the following three years worked for wages; he then purchased 200 acres of grain land and farmed it for some twenty years when he sold out and came to San Joaquin County, January 1, 1913, locating on his present ranch about one and a half miles from Lockeford, containing twenty acres, thir- teen acres in full-bearing vineyard and orchard. Mr. Mindach has installed a good irrigation plant on his ranch.

The marriage of Mr. Mindach in San Francisco on September 19, 1899, united him with Miss Mary Raible, a native of Wittenberg, Germany. Mrs. Min- dach came to California about the same year that her husband did and settled in San Francisco. They are the parents of four children: Gertrude, Martha, Os- car, and Walter, all residing at home. In politics Mr. Mindach is a Democrat, and fraternally is a member of the Woodmen of the World, joining at Corning, but demitted to the Lodi lodge. While busy in the cultivation and care of his vineyard, Mr. Mindach looks to the welfare of his community and is a sup- porter of all movements that have for their goal the prosperity and development of the locality.

SAMUEL G. MIX .- The efficient superintendent and part owner of the Engineering & Foundry Com- pany of Stockton, Samuel G. Mix is one of the city's most progressive and capable business men. His ad- vancement in the industrial world has been through his own efforts, and today he is enjoying a richly merited success, while his future is assured. He was born at Laporte, Ind., on March 20, 1873, and was reared and educated in his native city. His vacation periods were spent in a local foundry making cores and when he was sixteen years old he learned the trade of moulder in the foundry of M. Rumley Com-

pany of Laporte. His ability was soon recognized and as he became proficient he was made general foreman of the plant. For many years he followed his trade in Indiana. In 1911 he came to Stockton to take charge of the foundry department of the Holt Manufacturing Company where he remained until 1915 when the Engineering & Foundry Company was organized' with Morris Davidson president, and our subject as superintendent, and he is also a stockholder in the company. Mr. Mix brought to that company expert knowledge of all kinds of foundry work and they deal in semi-steel and gray iron castings and their plant is equipped with the most modern and approved machinery; they also manufacture gas en- gine equipment. Mr. Mix was one of the first on the Pacific Coast to introduce scientific metal mixing, by which process it can be determined in advance what metals are to be used to make both hard and soft iron. Before this method was known it was entirely guess work whether the iron produced would be hard or soft. Like so many others who have won prominence in their particular line of work, Mr. Mix started with all his capital in brains and energy, not in money, and has progressed by self-achievement and is now one of the best informed men in his line in Central Cali- fornia.

The marriage of Mr. Mix united him with Miss Bertha Kelling, a native of Laporte, Ind. In frater- nal circles he is a member of the Elks of Stockton.

WILLIAM MORTENSON .- Among the more re- cent agriculturists of the Lodi section of San Joaquin County is William Mortenson, who permanently set- tled in that portion of the county in 1912 and there purchased twelve acres, which is devoted to the culti- vation of grapes and berries. A native of Wisconsin, he was born in Racine County on August 1, 1865, a son of James and Karen (Olsen) Mortenson, both parents natives of Denmark, and they were the par- ents of twelve children: Mary, Hans, Anna and Wil- liam, Julius, Ella, Lena, John, Charles, Tilly, Henry and Ferdinand. When William was four years old his parents removed to Minnesota, forty miles west of Mankato, and here the father bought a quarter- section of land on the Sioux Indian reservation. He passed away at the age of eighty-four and the mother at the age of seventy-six.

William Mortenson remained at home with the family until he was of age, then took up the carpen- ter's trade. Later he went to Mount Angel, Ore., where he established a sawmill which had a capacity of 10,000 feet of lumber per day. He conducted this mill from 1889 until 1912, when he sold out and came to Lodi where he purchased his present twelve-acre ranch, about one mile south of Lodi on South Stock- ton Street. Six acres of this ranch is in vineyard and the balance is devoted to the growing of the Cory thornless blackberry; Mr. Mortenson has also built a fine residence on this ranch as well as fine farm buildings.

The marriage of Mr. Mortenson occurred at Ore- gon City, Ore., on February 19, 1894, and united him with Miss Margaret Jensen, a native of Copenhagen, Denmark, a daughter of Lars P. and Mary Jensen. Her father came to the United States when she was two years old, and settled in Freeborn County, Minn., and there the daughter received her education in the public schools. There were five children in the family : George, Mrs. Margaret Mortenson, Hazel,

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Emma, and James. Mr. and Mrs. Mortenson are the parents of three children: Alberta, the wife of James R. Voris, of Los Angeles, and the mother of three sons; Raymond and Florence. The family are mem- bers of the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Lodi.

LOUIS MORESCO .- A native son of San Joaquin County who has been actively interested in horticul- ture from early youth, Louis Moresco was born on the ranch where he now makes his home on March 28, 1900, a son of Antonio and Mary Moresco, both natives of Genoa, Italy. Antonio Moresco came to California from his native country while still a young man and worked for wages until he was able, by the strictest economy, to purchase a place of his own. He bought forty-five acres on the Calaveras River north of Stockton and set it out to fruit; this was about twenty-seven years ago. There are five children in the family: Louis, the eldest, and Angeline, Ralph, Claude, and Ray. The father passed away some elev- en years ago, while the mother still lives on the home place. Louis Moresco attended the August district school on the Waterloo Road and is now the manager of the Moresco estate, which consists of thirty-five acres, all of which is devoted to different kinds of fruits; the ranch having a splendid irrigation system.

The marriage of Mr. Moresco occurred in Stockton on December 9, 1921, and united him with Miss Edith Sanguinetti, born in the Waterloo district of San Joaquin County, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Sanguinetti, both natives of Italy. Mrs. Moresco was educated in the Waterloo grammar school. Mr. Mo- resco has erected a comfortable and commodious bungalow residence on the ranch, where they reside. In politics he is a Republican, and fraternally is affili- ated with the Eagles Lodge in Stockton.

A. PIETRO MUZIO .- Among the most successful business men of Stockton is A. Pietro Muzio, whose steady advancement toward an independent fortune was made step by step. He was born on a farm in the province of Genoa, Italy, on March 8, 1869, and among other branches of his education learned the baker's trade. During 1888 he came to America, and locating in Stockton he secured work at his trade in the French and Italian Bakery on South Hunter Street, where he worked for two years; then to San Francisco where he worked for the Ligurio Bakery, where he remained until 1893, when he took a trip back to his native land, and while there married Miss Anestasia Gianelli, a sister of Joe Gianelli of Stock- ton. Returning to Stockton he was for the next five years employed as a clerk in the grocery store of his brother-in-law, Joe Gianelli. In 1898 Mr. Muzio purchased the French and Italian Bakery on South Hunter Street, where he had first found employment upon his arrival in Stockton. For the following four- teen years he conducted his business there with suc- cess, when he moved his bakery to his new block, which he had erected at 317 East Market Street, conducting it with increasing patronage for the next six years, when he sold out and is now living retired from business cares. The real estate holdings of Mr. Muzio are so extensive that his time is well taken up in looking after them; he has erected two business blocks in Stockton; in 1910 he erected a three-story brick block 75 by 100 feet on East Market Street, adjoining the Joe Gianelli building; in 1912 he pur- chased the lot at 317 East Market Street, 41 by 103

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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 245

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