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 72

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 72

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"Faithful toiler, thy work all done, Beautiful soul, into glory gone; Virtuous life, with the crown now won, God giveth thee rest."

OSCAR MARSHALL .- A man of genius, of most interesting personality, and the worthy representative of a pioneer, historic family, the late Oscar Marshall was highly esteemed as a man whose honor was above reproach by his generation, in which he was widely known, and will be long and pleasantly remembered by posterity as a Californian who did much to make in truth the Golden State, and as a distinguished citi- zen of Stockton in particular. He was born at Daven- port, Iowa, on March 17, 1847, the son of Thomas and Rebecca (Butterfield) Marshall, the former a native of Nantucket, Mass., and the latter of New Hampshire, both now deceased. Thomas Marshall emigrated to Iowa in early days, and from there, in 1849, started across the plains for California. Early in the spring of the next year he arrived here, and soon bought some land from Captain Weber, on the Calaveras River. There he farmed to grain and raised cattle in the Delta district; and in later years, or during Governor Haight's administration, he was a deputy in the Secretary of State's office at Sacra- mento. In 1856 he bought a house at the corner of American and Sonora streets in Stockton, which had been brought around the Horn by Captain Taylor, and is still standing there, in a good state of preserva- tion. Four children were born to this worthy couple. Mrs. Sarah Hall of Berkeley and Oscar were born

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

in Iowa, and Mrs. Eureka Washburn, deceased, and December 1, 1887, and has been in continuous opera- Mary P. were born in Stockton.

Coming to California so early, Oscar Marshall was educated in the Stockton schools, and during the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad, he helped in the survey. He spent a deal of his time on the islands in the Delta district working with his father and enjoying hunting and fishing. He was a born genius, a great lover of nature and a close student of natural resources. He built a catamaran which ran for many years between Stockton and islands upon the San Joaquin River. He was an authority on soil conditions, and opposed to the building of the divert- ing canal, having made a thorough study of the Delta waterways. He was a very progressive man, with brilliant, practical ideas, but was ahead of his time. In early years he joined the Stockton police force, when that efficient and faithful body was small, and he served for many years, or until he was retired, as one of the first men to have been appointed. He was frugal in habits and believed in the future of Stockton and invested wisely in real estate which has greatly increased in value in the passing years.

Mr. Marshall and his sister, Mary P., were close companions, for our subject never married; and before his death, in May, 1911, he willed his estate to his sister, who makes her home at 1035 North Edison Street, in a home she had built according to her own ideas. She is fond of outdoor life and has a fine collection of birds, the pheasant and finch in par- ticular being well represented. She takes a keen inter- est in California history, and is proud of the fact that Grandfather Marshall built for his residence what was the first frame house in Stockton, and which has been in the possession of the family ever since.

RICHARD LAUXEN .- As a pioneer in the furni- ture business in Stockton, Richard Lauxen held a position in the commercial world second to none, and he deserved the good-will and universal esteem which was accorded him for his unselfish devotion to the best interests of the community in which he lived, and helped very materially to build up. A native of Germany, he was born on January 21, 1854, in the little picturesque town of Ulmen, neaf Coblenz, a village noted for its ruined castle that stood near his boyhood home. As a lad he was accorded the best of educational advantages and when he was only seventeen he was proficient in Latin, Greek and French, and was preparing for the profession of the law, when the war of 1870 materially changed his plans and he decided he would seek the opportunities offered by the New World and California. Leaving home he sailed for America and came direct to Cali- fornia, arriving when in his seventeenth year in San Francisco and soon found employment with the firm of W. J. Heney & Company, furniture dealers, with whom he remained for several years. In 1880 he made his first trip back to his native land and re- mained for about two years, and on returning located in Stockton, arriving March 17, 1882.

Mr. Lauxen entered the employ of Sylvester & Moye, who had a furniture store in the Newell Build- ing on Main Street, and who also carried on a furni- ture factory of their own. In 1886, at the time of the great boom in Southern California he went south but returned to Stockton in September of the follow- ing year. Immediately Mr. Lauxen organized the firm of Lauxen & Catts, which opened its doors on

tion ever since, his partner being George Catts, his brother-in-law. Their store was first located where Tully & Kramm are now situated, but later they moved into more commodious quarters next door, now the site of the Yost-Dohrmann Company, at that time being on the extreme eastern edge of the business district. Eventually the firm bought out the local interests of the John Breuner Company, and moved into the Hubbard Building at the corner of Weber Avenue and San Joaquin Street, where they have maintained headquarters ever since. With their characteristic energy, honesty and reliability, the founders built up a business which today has an enviable trade throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the Mother Lode district. The standing of Richard Lauxen as a representative business man is shown in his participation in all progressive move- ments that had for their object the building up and the upbuilding of San Joaquin County; he was one of the organizers and a member of the first board of directors of the Commercial & Savings Bank, and formerly was on the directorate of the Stockton Sav- ings Bank, now the City Bank. His health began to fail in 1906 and five years later he disposed of his interests in the company of Lauxen & Catts to Mr. Catts, and for the following ten years spent consid- erable time in travel; but in February, 1921, he came back into the firm, purchasing the half interest that he had once sold. It has been said of Mr. Lauxen that he was one of the very best furniture men in the state, which is attested by the large and lucrative trade that he was instrumental in building up here.

The marriage of Mr. Lauxen on April 16, 1884, united him with Miss Margaret Letitia Catts, a native daughter of Stockton and a lady well qualified in every way to be just the helpmate of a man with Mr. Lauxen's ambitions. Of this fortunate union three children survive: Miss B. Lita Lauxen; Rich- ard Lauxen, Jr., and Miss Margaret Lauxen, all of whom have graduated from the University of Cali- fornia. The son is acting as secretary and treasurer of the Lauxen & Catts corporation. In 1892 Mr. Lauxen made a second trip back to Germany, taking his family with him and they enjoyed a year abroad; again they accompanied him in 1908, staying for several months. He made another trip in 1913, with his friend of long years standing, John H. Smith, now deceased. Mr. Lauxen was active in fraternal circles and was a member of Stockton Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. E .; took an active part in the reorgani- zation of the lodge in 1893, and later was president of the building committee which erected the Elks' Building; he was also a member of the Yosemite Club. As a charter member of the Young Men's Institute he took an active interest in the order, helped organize it in 1884, and he served as a dele- gate to the Grand Institute on various occasions; and he was a member of the Knights of Columbus, where his character and influence were welcomed. He was a member of the Turnverein, now the Fidel- ity Lodge of Stockton. Mr. Lauxen was a man

among men, popular among all classes, of a kindly disposition and winning personality which enabled him to make friends wherever he went, and when he died on December 6, 1921, he was mourned by a wide circle who knew him as a man whose loss to the state can never be filled.

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

CAPTAIN JOHN McMULLIN .- Possessed of a temperament that fitted him for daring deeds and the endurance of frontier hardships, Captain John McMullin came to the regions of the Southwest at a period when ample opportunity was afforded him for the exercise of his natural instincts and the grati- fication of his desire for adventure. The record of his life reads like a romance, such as was often lived out in the careers of the hardy pioneers of the early part of the nineteenth century, but it was not his good fortune to be spared to witness the marvelous prosperity of the West and the remarkable de- velopment of its vast resources. Death ended his labors ere success had crowned his efforts, yet he had been able to lay the foundations of a prosperity that later brought ample returns to his family and, in addition, he had been an integral factor in laying the foundations of our commonwealth broad, deep and strong, capable of sustaining the superstructure of twentieth century civilization.

Born in Baltimore, Md., June 27, 1824, John Mc- Mullin was taken to Florida at the age of four years and afterward attended the schools of Talla- hassee. When fifteen years of age the desire for adventure led him to run away from home for the purpose of joining Col. Jack Hays. After arriving at San Antonio, Texas, he traveled westward alone through the country of hostile Indians and in due time arrived safely at the camp of Colonel Hays, whom he told that he was not afraid of any hard- ships endured by soldiers. Many times in later days his courage was brought to a test and in every in- stance he proved himself undaunted by any hard- ship, undismayed by any peril, and through all that wil dregion he became known as a brave Indian fighter. Though always in the thickest of the fights, he escaped without injury and seemed to lead a charmed life, for none was more eager than he to throw himself into the most dangerous places and sustain the weakest division. His bravery elicited the highest approval of his superiors and led to his promotion to the rank of captain, in which capacity he took part in the Texas and Mexican wars. As a member of a party of 180 soldiers he made a raid from Texas into Mexico. During the war he was taken prisoner by the Mexicans and for two years he was confined in the City of Mexico, in the castle of Perote, which is still standing. Eventually he was exchanged, though in the meantime he had made several unsuccessful efforts to escape rather than suffer the indignities heaped upon the prisoners.

As early as 1848 Captain McMullin had decided to establish himself in California and had already started via the Mexican overland route when he recevied news of the discovery of gold. When he started for California Captain McMullin came through Vera Cruz, and while there met a banker and the two be- came well acquainted. This banker said that he had a brother somewhere in California and gave Captain McMullin a letter to hand him if he should run across him in the new country. A comrade on his journey from Mexico was G. W. Trahern, who had served with the Captain in the Mexican war. On their arrival in the mines they concluded to go into the cattle business, buying them in Southern California and driving them to the mines. Meantime an inci- dent occurred which was remarkable. Going into a business house in one of the early mining towns to sec the proprietor, on learning his name he found him to be the brother of his Vera Cruz friend and

the Captain said, "I have a letter for you." After reading the letter the gentleman said, "Do you know what this letter contains?" The Captain replied that he di dnot have the least idea. The gentleman then said, "This letter contains unlimited credit for your- self," but the Captain said he could not accept it for he was a stranger to him as well as his brother. The gentleman, who was a wealthy business man, said that the offer was always open, nevertheless, but Captain McMullin remained firm and did not use the credit volunteered him. He and Mr. Trahern then proceeded to Los Angeles and purchased a band of cattle which they drove to the Southern Mines, crossing the San Joaquin River at Casa Blanca. Sell- ing the cattle in the mines they netted splendid re- turns. At the crossing of the San Joaquin River they became acquainted with the Imus Brothers who had settled there. Finding this was a favorite cross- ing for the herds of cattle driven to the mines, Cap- tain McMullin concluded it could be a good loca- tion for his headquarters, so he purchased the place from the young claimants and this became the nucleus of his large holdings. The Imus boys had sent to Boston for the material for their house and it came in parts around the Horn on a sailer. This house they had painted white, from which it had taken its name, Casa Blanca. The tract comprises 640 acres, to which he added by purchase from time to time until he had a ranch of about 30,000 acres lying in San Joaquin County between the Stan- islaus and San Joaquin rivers. Here he engaged in raising stock, finding the mountain range very suit- able for breeding horses, for they thrived better here than in the valley and he raised some fine specimens of horseflesh, of which he was a great admirer.

Throughout his life Captain McMullin was loyally devoted to the progress of Stockton and his death, which occurred in 1868, was a serious loss to the highest citizenship of the entire county. Through his large holdings and his commanding personality he had ever been a prominent figure in the history of the county and had been instrumental in promoting movements for the general welfare. One of his hobbies was a fondness for fine stock. As an organizer and president of the first county fair association, he had been in a position to arouse an interest in stock among the ranchers of the valley and had introduced many breeds of exceptional merit through his own efforts. In spite of maintaining a constant interest in politics he never aspired to office and invariably declined ap- peals to fill positions of that nature, yet in other ways he was ever alert to aid in the upbuilding of the community. The first theatre building in Stock- ton was owned by him and many other early enter- prices were fostered by his progressive spirit. Dur- ing the Civil War the governor of Texas offered him a post as chief of cavalry, but although he desired to go he had a family of little children and felt that his first duty was to them, so declined the honor. Land in Texas which he secured in an early day is still owned by his heirs, as is also the Stanislaus and San Joaquin county lands and the Stockton real estate.

During a visit in Washington, D. C., Captain Mc- Mullin met Miss Eliza Fleming Morgan, who like himself came from a sturdy stock fitted to endure the privations in frontier regions. She was a native of Kentucky, a daughter of an officer famous in the annals of that state, and he was the son of Col. Simon Morgan, an officer in the Revolutionary War.

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CAPT. JOHN McMULLIN

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Her father, Gen. Daniel Morgan, was born in Vir- ginia and with his father was a pioneer of Kentucky, where he became a large landowner and a man of wealth and distinction. Influential in politics, he served in the Kentucky Senate for twenty-five years, where he helped to make the constitution of that state, and he also served as a member of Congress. He married Miss Anna Clarkson, a native of Vir- ginia, descended from some of the most prominent old Virginia families, including the Picketts, Mar- shalls, Keiths and Scotts.

The youngest child of the family, Eliza Fleming Morgan, was educated at Bishop McIlvain's finishing school in Cincinnati. About the time she completed her education, John J. Crittenden, a warm friend of the family, was U. S. senator from Kentucky and he persuaded General Morgan to let his daughter ac- company his family to Washington to spend the winter. It was there she met Captain McMullin, the acquaintance resulting in their marriage at her home in Kentucky June 18, 1857. Their wedding trip took them to White Chapel Springs, Va., and soon after their return they came to San Francisco, reaching there in the fall of that year. Captain McMullin pur- chased a home in the city, but as soon as Mrs. Mc- Mullin discovered that so much of her husband's time had to be spent on the ranch she expressed a desire to make their home there, so he had Casa Blanca fitted up for their reception. Mrs. McMullin had always been a lover of the great outdoors and particularly of horseback riding, and the years of outdoor life she enjoyed here have undoubtedly con- tributed to her continued good health and wonder- ful constitution.

All of their nine children were born in California, with the exception of Eliza M., who is a native of Kentucky. Anna married John C. Hays, Jr., of Oak- land, son of Col. John Coffee Hays of the Mexican war and better known as "Jack" Hays, the celebrated Texas ranger. Mr. and Mrs. John C. Hays, Jr., have two sons, John Coffee, Jr., and Harry T .; Eliza M. married E. B. Perrin of Williams, Ariz., and they have a son-Lilo McMullin Perrin; Rebecca was the wife of Francis J. Heney of San Francisco; Beaure- gard is unmarried; Elizabeth M. married Judge C. L. Weller, and their daughter Anna is the wife of Com- mander Earl B. Shipp, who is stationed at Washing- ton. John, a graduate of Princeton, was one of the leading men of Fresno, Cal., where he was president of the Fresno National Bank, as well as of the Fresno Irrigation Company and the Fresno Ice Company, and identified with other business activities. By his marriage to Miss Betty Hays, daughter of Col. John Coffee Hays, he had three children, John, Jr., Eliza Morgan and Harmon Hays, by whom he is survived; Susan H., who first married Thos. S. Williams, later became Mrs. Edward Fant; Morgan and Hen- rietta.

After the death of her husband, Mrs. McMullin made her home in Kentucky for ten years, then re- turned to California. Changes of residence, however, left undimmed her loyalty to San Joaquin County, for which she cherishes a deep affection as the home of her happy married years, the birthplace of all of her children but one, and the center of many warm friendships formed during those busy years. Proud of the military records of her ancestry, she taught her children to display a patriotic spirit in every act and in her own life has shown the pos-

session of the loyalty of her ancestors. On the organization of the Sons of the Confederacy at Lex- ington, Ky., she became a charter member. At that time there was no ladies' auxiliary, but later she identified herself with the Daughters of the Con- federacy and in 1906 she became a member of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of San Francisco. She is also a member of the Daughters of the Rev- olution. In her religious life she is affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church of San Francisco but her broad-mindedness and charitable disposition leads her to liberally assist various churches, regardless of denomination. Possessed of much native business ability, she has been deeply interested in improving the vast acres left by Captain McMullin and thus has greatly enhanced their value. She has also acquired other tracts of land in the various coun- ties of the Valley which have become very valuable by the improvements she has made upon them. A cultured woman, she has left her impress on the civic and social life of the county in her stand for righteousness in public and social life and for the high moral uplift of the community. Like her gal- lant husband she has been a liberal contributor to all public movements for the betterment of county and state.

ALFRED L. COWELL .- Prominent among the representatives of the bar in California is Alfred L. Cowell, the attorney-at-law and irrigation expert of Stockton, who was born at Woodland, Yolo County, Cal., on March 17, 1870, the son of Alfred H. and Emeline (Hubbard) Cowell, both natives of Ohio. Mr. Cowell crossed the great plains in 1858, riding a mule, while Mrs. Cowell came out to California, when only ten years old, by way of the Isthmus, so that they were married in the Golden State. In 1885, Mr. Cowell removed from Woodland and lo- cated at Woodbridge, in San Joaquin County, where he kept a general store.

Alfred Cowell attended the San Joaquin Valley College at Woodbridge, from which he was gradu- ated in 1892, when he went East and became a stu- dent at Union Biblical Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, after which he returned to Woodbridge and became presi- dent of the San Joaquin Valley College, which re- sponsible office he held from 1895 through 1897. For the next year he was principal of the Lodi high school, and from 1898 to 1899 he was principal of the Siski- you County high school at Yreka. In July, 1899, he became reporter for the Mail newspaper at Stockton, and later, until 1911, he was editor of that influential journal, and then, going to Modesto, he bought an interest in the Modesto News. While there, he be- came particularly interested in irrigation, and he was appointed secretary of the California Irrigation Dis- tricts Association, and since then he has been active in behalf of irrigation projects in the San Joaquin Valley. During the session of the California Legis- lature in 1913, he represented the association at Sac- ramento in securing important amendments to the irrigation district laws of the state.

From 1914 to 1916, Mr. Cowell was assistant direc- tor of congresses at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, held in San Francisco in 1915, working under Director J. A. Barr, of Stockton; and he also taught in the Stockton high school for a year. Then he studied law, and in 1918 was admitted to the bar. Since then, making irrigation matters a specialty, he has taken 24

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part in the organization of some of the largest irriga- tion districts in the San Joaquin Valley and devotes nearly all his time to district affairs.

When Mr. Cowell married, at Woodbridge, in 1896, he chose for his life-companion, Miss Alice Gingrich, a native of Pennsylvania. He is a member of Charity Lodge No. 6, I. O. O. F., at Stockton.

JOHN WHEELER JONES .- Among the fore- most pioneers of the farming sections of San Joaquin County we mention John Wheeler Jones, one of the progressive grain and stock raisers whose name is indelibly stamped in the minds of the descendants of those who laid firm the foundation of this glorious commonwealth. A native of North Carolina, he was born in Guilford County, March 10, 1821, and was descended from ancestors whose blood is of English, Irish, Welsh and Scotch mixture, making up that hardy type that is continually pressing towards the frontier. His parents were Electus and Mary (Lam- beth) Jones, the father having served in the Navy during the War of 1812, and who had died before John W. started for California. His mother lived to reach the fine old age of ninety-one and passed away at the home of her son in California on Febru- ary 20, 1885, leaving three sons and two daughters, all now passed to the Great Beyond.

John W. Jones was reared on a farm in South Car- olina, later going to Georgia, where he became an overseer on a large plantation but threw up his job rather than whip a female slave. He next moved into Tennessee, where his first marriage was cele- brated on December 2, 1842, which united him with Miss Mary Ann Allen. Six children were born to them, two dying in early childhood in Missouri, whither they had moved soon after their marriage. That state continued to be their home until 1852, when Mr. Jones, accompanied by his wife and four children and his mother, joined an emigrant train bound for California and after about six months' travel they arrived at the end of their journey, but with saddened hearts, for the good wife died of the dreaded cholera and was buried on the plains. Soon after his arrival here Mr. Jones began teaming to the mines from Stockton and met with the usual success which followed that business. In 1855 he located a homestead on part of a quarter section of land and bought out squatters who had the rest, and this parcel of land was always known as the "old homestead" and is situated where the town of Escalon now stands. Very soon after he had located on his ranch and while teaming, Mr. Jones made his home a place where the freighter and traveler could find a good meal, the fresh meat being antelope and killed by Mr. Jones, who was a fine shot, nearby in the sagebrush. On one parcel of land he later owned had been located the Blue Tent Tavern, so-called on account of the tent cloth being that color. This was known far and wide as a stopping place of all passers- by and was located on the French Camp Road one mile east of his home place. He aded to his holdings as he prospered in later years and was rated one of the largest landholders in this part of the state, own- ing 8,000 acres in Dent Township, surrounding the old home place, with one mile frontage on the Stanis- laus River; in 1866 he bought about 25,000 acres in Stanislaus County; and he also had 2,500 acres of grazing land on the West Side in San Joaquin County. Showing his foresight he bought 8,000 acres in Tulare

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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 72

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