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 75

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 75

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CHARLES L. ORTMAN .- It is interesting to chronicle the life of a native son who had the ambi- tion and courage to take a stand for the right and then fight for it, and who won the confidence and respect of the community where he was born and reared. Such a man was the late Charles L. Ortman, the son of pioneer parents, prominent in the develop- ment and building up of the Stockton section. He was one of Stockton's most successful business men, and he served for three terms as county assessor, his acquaintance throughout the county being perhaps second to none. Born on the old Ortman homestead at the junction of the Linden and Jack Tone roads he spent his entire life there. Mr. Ortman, of late years took a great pride in his boyhood home place and made it a very attractive property, an excellent almond orchard thriving there at the present time; and was one of the first San Joaquin farmers to go into the almond growing business on a large scale, planting sixty acres, from which he received profit- able returns each season.

As county assessor, Mr. Ortman made a great rec- ord. He was the first California assessor to assess the Western Union Telegraph Company's franchise as a county property, and defeated a bill in the legis- lature which practically exempted franchises from taxation. When the Western Union refused to pay, Mr. Ortman levied on the company's safe, hired a drayman and walking into the telegraph office, seized the safe and carted it away. Thus was the payment compelled and a state-wide precedent established. He was the first assessor to assess railroad fencing, rail- road cars other than those belonging to the corpora- tion; first to assess gas wells; he lowered the tax on land and raised the assessment on valuable income producing property; had framed by his private attor- ney and secured the passage by the state legislature a law assessing national bank stock; compelled the Santa Fe Railroad Company to pay taxes in San Joaquin County on its valuable land holdings; added millions of dollars to the assessment rolls of the state, thereby reducing the rate of taxation. In five law- suits with tax shirkers he was upheld in every in- stance. He found that some of the larger stores in Stockton were assessed lower than the smaller ones, and in raising the valuation on income property, also raised the valuation of some of the larger stores five

times more than the previous assessment; he was also the first assessor to assess the barges belonging to the Navigation Company. He appeared many times before the legislature at Sacramento, and although many corporations fought him on their assessments, he won out every time, but in some instances carried the cases to the Supreme Court of the state. His motto was, "the rich man, as well as the man of moderate property, should bear his just proportion of taxation." He was ever a progressive Republican, and was never weary in contributing to raise the the standard of civic ideals. Mr. Ortman was noted for his fairness and honesty, but he was firm in his convictions and once he reached a conclusion he pro- ceeded to carry out his plans regardless of counter influences. Upon quitting public life, Mr. Ortman entered the automobile business as a partner of Wal- ter Hansel, whose biographical sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume, under the firm name of Hansel & Ortman. Success rewarded them from their earliest operations. The firm is one of the oldest on auto row and one of the largest in the San Joa- quin Valley. Keenly attentive to business, kindly, courteous and obliging, Mr. Ortman made friends of all with whom he came in contact. His death brought genuine sorrow to a great many residents of San Joaquin County who held him in the highest regard. Mr. Ortman was fifty-nine years old when he passed away and is survived by a devoted wife, and a son, Carl S. Ortman. Fraternally he was a member of the Stockton Lodge of Elks and Stockton Parlor of Native Sons of the Golden West.

Carl S. Ortman is also a native son of California and was born in Stockton October 22, 1892, and re- ceived his education in the public schools of his native city. After finishing his education he entered the automobile business with his father and later became manager of Hansel & Ortman, auto dealers. Frater- nally he is a thirty-second degree Mason, is a director in the San Joaquin Auto Trades Association; and a director in the Lions Club of Stockton. His mar- riage united him with Miss Althea Morse, a native of Rhode Island, and they are the parents of one daughter, Carla. Mr. Ortman is following closely the standards as maintained by his prominent father, and stands high in the estimation of the citizens of the community.

FISHER R. CLARKE, M. D .- On the pages of Stockton's pioneer history appears the name of Fisher R. Clarke, who, for more than thirty years, has prac- ticed the medical profession in that city. He was born in the rural districts near Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine and received his education in the public schools of his native county; he was then employed as a school teacher in Somerset and Penobscot Counties for several years. During the year of 1872 he came west to California on one of the early emigrant trains to cross the continent and upon arrival in Sacra- mento taught school for two years. In 1874 he took up his residence in Stockton and founded the Stockton Business College, which he conducted successfully for twelve years. For two years he taught mathematics in the California Military Academy in Oakland, Cal. Following this he took up the study of medicine in the Cooper Medical College of San Francisco and in 1891 was graduated from the Kentucky School of Medicine located at Louisville, and during the same year started practicing medicine in Stockton. For

ChOrtman

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the past twenty-eight years he has been surgeon for the Southern Pacific Railroad at Stockton. Dr. Clarke has also been interested and active in farming pur- suits in the San Joaquin Valley, having owned and farmed to grain and stock, a section of land near Escalon, which he later disposed of.

Dr. Clarke's marriage united him with Miss Mae A. Corson, a native of Maine and an old student. They are the parents of one son, Reed M. Clarke, an at- torney of San Francisco. He is a graduate of the Stockton high school and the University of Califor- nia; at one time was assistant district attorney of San Joaquin County; he is now associated with the firm of Klein, Clarke & Gerlach. During the World War he was commissioned a lieutenant. Dr. Clarke has always been active in the educational affairs of Stock- ton and San Joaquin County and has served as a member of Stockton Board of Education. Many prominent business and professional men of Stockton were students of Dr. Clarke during the time of his management of the Stockton Business College He is a member of the national, state and county medical societies, and fraternally is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the United Workmen. In whatever line of work he has been engaged, his plans and ideas have been of a constructive nature, and his popularity and success has been achieved by conscientious toil and intelligent application to the task in hand.

THOMAS J. STEPHENS .- Among the early set- tlers of San Joaquin County and the proprietor of the Stockton Nursery, Thomas J. Stephens has long been an authority on soil conditions and horticulture. Coming to this state with his parents when only six years old, he has thus, for more than a half century, been a witness of the great changes which have occurred here. He is a native of Marion County. Ind., born on September 27, 1854. His father, Chris- topher S. Stephens, was a native of Kentucky and served in the Mexican War, and after the war located in Marion County on a soldier's bonus claim of eighty acres, which is now a part of the city of Indianapolis, Ind. On his property he erected and operated a sawmill, one among the first in that sec- tion. In the fall of 1860, Christopher S. Stephens left Indiana for Missouri and the following spring of 1861 started across the plains to California with an ox-team and arrived in Lockeford in the early fall. He farmed rented land until 1863 when he pur- chased 200 acres from Moses Long, a part of the Captain Weber grant at Waterloo, where he lived and farmed to grain for many years. He passed away in 1918 at the ripe old age of ninety-one. In those early days of the county, Christopher S. Stephens was prominent in Democratic politics, served as justice of the peace of O'Neill township, for many years was a school trustee, and in 1884 served one term as member of the assembly. He was a member of the Stockton Grange and of the Mexican War Veterans of Stockton. He married Miss Melissa Walker, a native of Indiana, and they were the parents of five children, one daughter was born while crossing the plains and the youngest child was the only one born in California. Mrs. May Penny, the oldest daughter, is now deceased; Thomas J. is the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Ambrose re- sides in Lockeford; Mrs. J. E. Hall lives in Stockton, and Fred resides in Waterloo. Mrs. Stephens died

in 1874. Mr. Stephens married a second time and had three children.

Thomas J. Stephens was educated in the district schools of the county and later attended the Stockton high school. As a boy he helped his father on the home place and when he was twenty-one years old he rented two ranches in the vicinity of Waterloo and began raising grain on his own hook. In 1879 he rented grain land on Roberts Island which he farmed for seven years; in the meantime, in 1881, he had purchased 100 acres adjoining the old home ranch, this he farmed until 1890 when he removed to Stockton and three years later disposed of his Waterloo ranch. He was one of the first men to plant an orchard in that district, planting five acres to nearly 100 varieties of fruit trees, for the purpose of ascertaining the fruit best adapted to the soil of that locality. For fifteen years he engaged in ship- ping green fruit to Eastern markets and shipped the first carload of grapes from Lodi, and the first car- load of fruit from Oakdale, shipping through the Earl Fruit Company and averaging seventy-five carloads each season. When he settled in Stockton in 1890 he bought the Stockton Nursery, which was then located on the spot now occupied by the Hotel Stock- ton; then was moved to 24 South Hunter Street, the present site of the Masonic Temple, and in the fall of 1921 moved to his present quarters on East Lind- say Street. This nursery is one of the oldest in California and was established in 1854 by W. B. West. Mr. Stephens specializes in fruit stock which he buys in California, Iowa, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Kentucky, and other Eastern places; he also carries ornamental trees and shrubs. He is an authority on soil adapted to fruit growing and his advice is frequently sought along these lines. He fur- nished the cuttings and laid out for planting the Baldwin & Howell Colony now being developed at Peters; also the Asa Clark ranch near French Camp. He furnished 7,000 pear trees for planting in the Delta district and cherry trees in large numbers recently planted in the eastern part of the county.

The marriage of Mr. Stephens united him with Miss Jessie Moreing, a native of Wisconsin, and they are the parents of five children: Nellie, Mrs. W. E. Dawson, of Stockton; Theodore J. married Evelyn Gerschbacher and has three children; Roy R. married Miss Lucile Budd and has one child; Myrtle, Mrs. Asa M. Clark, of Stockton, has one son; and Leah. Theodore J. and Roy R. are the founders of Stephens Bros., Boat Builders of Stockton. As lads they were always making toy boats which they sailed on the river; they left school when they were

sixteen years old and earned enough money to buy a lot of boat lumber in San Francisco, and their first boat was started in their father's back yard; this was fifty long and ten feet wide, and after being finished it was launched and found to be seaworthy. This boat was sold and they took a contract to build a speed boat run by gasoline for a Stockton man, the first of its kind built in Stockton, called the Gee Whiz. The boat was a success and as the business grew they established a plant on the river front and have built all sizes of boats from a small row boat to large river barges and tug boats; they have built for the Coleburg Motor Boat Company and the Island Transportation Company, both of Stockton, operating on the river. Since the establishment of their business they have constructed more than 150

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launches and speed boats and their shipyard and plant is modern and well equipped. Fraternally Mr. Stephens is a member of the Woodmen of the World of Stockton, and he is a member of the Pacific Coast Nursery Association and the California Nursery Association.

GEORGE W. DOHRMANN .- For over a half century the name of Dohrmann has figured conspic- uously in insurance circles of Stockton and George W. Dohrmann is ably sustaining the reputation of the family in this connection, being president of the Dohrmann-Wolf Agency, which is conducting one of the leading insurance agencies in Central California. He is one of Stockton's native sons and was born September 10, 1878, of the union of Charles W. and Pauline (Wetzler) Dohrmann, both natives of Ger- many. The father was born in the province of Schleswig-Holstein, June 21, 1846, and his parents were William and Frederika (Behred) Dohrmann, the former of whom was born in 1805 and died at San Francisco, Cal., in 1886, while the latter passed away in Germany in 1856. As a young man Charles W. Dohrmann came to the United States and from New York City he made his way to California, going by the Isthmus route. On January 6, 1864, he ar- rived at San Francisco and then came to Stockton to join his brother Adolph, who had preceded him to this country and was engaged in the grocery business in this city. For a time Charles W. Dohrmann worked for his brother and in 1868 purchased the business, which he conducted until 1871. In May, 1868, he embarked in the insurance business in Stock- ton, his being the second agency established in the city, and he was very successful in this field. He originated the plan of insuring growing grain crops, being the first man in California to adopt that policy, and with the passing years his business steadily grew until it extended all over the San Joaquin and Sacra- mento Valleys. He organized the Alta Insurance Company of Stockton, of which he acted as manager for many years, and he also engaged in farming, being the first man to break ground on the upper portion of Roberts Island. At one time he owned about 1,000 acres of land which is now the site of the State Hospital Farm on the Lower Sacramento Road, all of which was planted to grain, and he was one of the first to subdivide ranch property, opening the Meyers tract northeast of Stockton. His initia- tive spirit and notable business ability led him into important connections and he was numbered among the foremost citizens of Stockton. In 1884 he joined the California National Guard and in 1888 served as a major of the Third Brigade. He was a member of the Turnverein, the Ancient Order of Druids, the Knights of Pythias, Stockton Lodge, No. 218, B. P. O. E., and San Joaquin Lodge, No. 7, of the Ma- sonic order. On June 23, 1870, he married Pauline Wetzler, who was born in Saxony, Germany, and came to Stockton from Dixon, Ill., during her child- hood. She was an instructor in the Sacramento schools and later both she and her sister became teachers in a young ladies' seminary at Stockton. She served as grand matron of the Grand Chapter of California, Order of the Eastern Star and visited more lodges during her term of office than any other incumbent in the position. After her husband's death, which occurred on October 26, 1893, she carried on his insurance Business successfully and later was

joined by her son, George W., at which time the firm style of P. W. Dohrmann & Son was assumed. She is a most capable business woman and became an active member of the Stockton Chamber of Com- merce. To Mr. and Mrs. Dohrmann were born six children, four living: Augusta E., the wife of Wil- liam Clayton; Louise B., now Mrs. A. Weiss Berger; Marie J., now Mrs. E. C. Warner; and George W. One of the daughters, Louise, was the first woman in this part of the state to be employed as a special agent representing insurance companies as traveling representative.

George W. Dohrmann, the only son in the family, was educated in the Stockton public schools and as a young man went to San Francisco, completing an apprenticeship to the machinist's trade in the Union Iron Works. Following the outbreak of the Spanish- American War he enlisted in the transport service, starting as an oiler and being advanced to the posi- tion of third assistant engineer. In 1900 he returned to Stockton and joined his mother in the insurance business, with which he has since been identified. In 1914 the Peters-Wolf Dohrmann Insurance Com- pany was formed and since the withdrawal of Mr. Peters their interests have been conducted as the Dohrmann-Wolf Agency, of which the subject of this review is the president. Their offices are located at 406 East Market Street and they have established a prestige for protection and reliability that is far- reaching and effective. They write every form of insurance, representing the strongest and most relia- ble companies in the field, and their business is one of large proportions.

Mr. Dohrmann married Miss Bertha Waldenmeier, a native of San Francisco, and they have five chil- dren: George W., Jr., Ida W., Alinde Pauline, and Vir- ginia and Barbara (twins). His public service finds ex- pression in his membership in the Chamber of Com- merce, while he is also connected with the Elks, be- longing to Stockton Lodge, No. 218. He is a rep- resentative of one of the honored pioneer families of Stockton and the spirit of the father has descended to the son, who displays the same enterprising spirit and marked business acumen that characterized the latter and placed him at the head of extensive busi- ness interests.

JACOB WAGNER .- During the year of 1846, a youth of sixteen set sail from Germany for the United States to join an older brother at New Orleans in the hope of achieving a greater success here than his na- tive land afforded. This was Jacob Wagner, who was born at Eisenbach-on-the-Rhine, in Bavaria, October 15, 1830, and whose education was received in the institutions that are the pride of that country. The ship on which he sailed cast anchor in New York, and lacking means to go farther he went to work to earn money to get to New Orleans, where his brother was engaged in the butcher business. Soon Jacob had saved enough to get to New Orleans and upon his arrival there went to work for his brother and there learned the trade of butcher. He was frugal in his habits, saved his money and when the news of the discovery of gold in California was brought to New Orleans the young man wanted to go West. After a time, with the savings resulting from his in- dustry and frugality he was able to pay for his trans- portation to California. Leaving his brothter's em- ploy, he came via Panama and during 1852 arrived at

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San Francisco. He spent about a year at that city and in Sacramento, and in August, 1853, arrived in Stockton, where he made his home thereafter until the time of his death, following his trade and building up a fine business and at the same time doing his part to help build up the city of Stockton and San Joaquin County. He was a volunteer fireman, belonging to San Joaquin Company.

For a time, Mr. Wagner worked for a Mr. Woer- ner, in a market on Hunter Street and then from 1855 for six years he conducted a market at Vallecito in Calaveras County, supplying the mining camps with fresh meat. Returning to Stockton, in the fall of 1862, he opened a market on American Street and Weber Avenue, where he continued in business until 1881, when he sold out and retired, meanwhile building up a fine business and surrounding himself with a wide circle of friends. He erected the building now occu- pied by the Wagner Meat Co. and took his sons into parnership. In connection with his local business, he engaged in buying and selling sheep, cattle and hogs, and for fifteen years or more he owned a ranch of 1400 acres on the Lower Sacramento Road, on which he pastured his stock. During the early period of his identification with the meat business there were few improvements and the industry was conducted under great handicaps of hardship and exposure. Later im- proved methods were introduced, modern machinery was purchased, a fine plant was equipped, and the business became much easier to manage. After hav- ing engaged in the meat business for more than forty years, Mr. Wagner turned his market over to his two sons, Louis J. and Jacob K., who carried on the busi- ness together until the death of the former, when the latter became the owner.

Jacob Wagner's marriage was solemnized at Stock- ton in 1855 and united him with Miss Lena Kuhn, who was born in Confeld, Prussia, in 1834, and crossed the plains with her people to California in 1852. They became the parents of ten children, as follows; Lena, the wife of Henry Brack, of Stockton; Katherine, the widow of Herman Dortmund, of San Francisco; An- nie, wife of William J. Lester, of Stockton; Bena, wife of T. A. Armstrong, of Stockton; Louis J., who died October 3, 1919; Fred, died November 9, 1896; Emma, the widow of W. H. Bennett, of Stockton; Amalia, who became the wife of Clarence A. McCall, of Washington; Jacob K., owner of the Wagner Mar- ket, and Clara, the wife of Dr. William Ludlow, of Berkeley. In his younger years, Mr. Wagner took considerable interest in various lodges and was active in the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Ger- man Turnverein and the Druids. His life was one of activity and his last days were quietly passed in his home in Stockton, surrounded by friends and loved ones. He died May 27, 1909, and Mrs. Wagner passed away July 15, 1910, mourned by a wide circle of friends.

EDWARD F. HARRIS .- An aggressive success- ful. organizer, whose fortunate handling of enter- prises has made him exceedingly popular, is Edward F. Harris, the president of the Commercial and Savings Bank of Stockton, a native son of California, born in Lassen County on September 18, 1877. He was the son of C. E. and Emily M. (Dees) Harris, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Arkansas. His father crossed the plains in the late '50s via the Donner trail. Upon his arrival in Cali-

fornia he first located in the Marysville district; later removed to Lassen County where he followed stockraising and also ran a sawmill; he was also a prominent figure in county affairs and was at one time county assessor; he removed to San Joaquin in 1883 and engaged in farming in the Delta dis- trict and was one of the first men to engage in farming on the islands. There are five children in the family: William is a rancher at Lockeford; Ed- ward F. of this review; Lucy is a teacher in the Stockton schools; Mrs. L. F. Youdall resides in Stockton, and Mrs. James Gianelli in San Fran- cisco. The father died in Stockton March 21, 1919, seventy-nine years old.

Edward F. Harris began his education in the pub- lic schools of Stockton, then took a business course in Heald's Business College; he then entered the realty office of Connolly & Crane, going from there to San Francisco, where he was employed in the office of the German Insurance Company for three years; returning to Stockton he was one of three men who organized the Commercial and Savings Bank of Stockton. The bank was established in 1903 with a capital of $300,000 and at present the capital is $500,000 with a surplus of $200,000 and assets of $7,000,000. Their modern ten-story bank building was erected in 1915 and is among the most modern bank and office building in the state. It is the youngest bank in Stockton and the third largest in point of business transacted. Mr. Edward F. Harris was elected president in August, 1921, to succeed John Raggio. The other officers of the institution are as follows: C. W. Hawks, secretary and cashier; Geo. H. Harris, vice-president; Louis Bacigalupi, assistant cashier; L. C. Schwartz, assistant cashier.

Mr. Harris' varied interests occupy the larger por- tion of his time and energy, but he finds time for the activities of the Boy Scouts and each season he takes the boys to his summer camp at Dorrington in the mountains for an outing; he is a director in the Harris Manufacturing Company of Stockton; is secretary of the El Dorado Syndicate which built and owns the modern brick garage building at the cor- ner of Miner and El Dorado streets; this building was the start of automobile row on North El Dorado Street. Mr. Harris is a member of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau and is as well known in farm- ing circles as in banking, having devoted a large part of his time to his farming interests. For a num- ber of years he farmed eight ranches on the islands, Roberts Island being the center of his activities, most of which he has disposed of. He now de- votes much time to the development of his large dairy farm near Clements, which has become one of the show places of the county. It is modern and up-to-date in every appointment, with 100 thorough- bred Holstein cows; this ranch has 150 acres in alfalfa, 400 acres in bottom land and 500 acres in range land; the place is also well stocked with beef cattle. It is one of the best appointed dairy farms in the state, having an electrical pumping plant with cement pipes for irrigation, modern dairy barn sani- tary in every particular. The marriage of Mr. Har- ris united him with Miss E. May Heller, of San Jose, Cal., and they are the parents of two children, Lowell E. and Jean L.

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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 75

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