History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 107

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 107

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The marriage of Mr. Weaver with Miss Emma A. Robinson occurred May 12, 1869, and they became the parents of three children: John E. is married and has five living children and resides on a sixty-acre property on the Mclaughlin Road adjacent to San Jose; Clarence M., who served as an employee of the government in the San Jose post office for thirteen years, is now deceased, he is survived by one son, Claude W., who is married and resides in San Fran- cisco, where he is in the employ of the Pacific Tele- phone and Telegraph Company; Angeline W. Snow, the daughter, is the wife of Prof. I. W. Snow, super- intendent of the Los Gatos schools. She is a gradu- ate of the San Jose high school in the class of 1905; of Stanford University, class of 1909, and of the San Jose Normal, class of 1910, and followed the

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

profession of teaching for nine years at Morgan Hill, Los Gatos and Campbell, until her marriage in 1920. Mrs. Weaver is the daughter of John and Angeline (Hamilton) Robinson, whose paternal an- cestors were among the early colonists who settled in America. Her father was a stonemason and a successful contractor. He was born in Massachu- setts, was taken to Connecticut when six weeks old and there he and his wife, who was born in Portage County, Ohio, passed away.

In 1875 Mr. Weaver and family removed to the Pacific Coast, settling on a twenty-acre ranch in The Willows, a beautiful rural district near San Jose and where they still reside on four acres of the original property. They are among the pioneer fruit growers of the Santa Clara Valley. The principal crop of his orchard is cherries and apricots. On the place is a mammoth fig tree planted forty years ago, that has grown to be fifty feet high, with a spread of sixty feet in circumference, bearing large, luscious figs in abundance. Mr. Weaver is affiliated with Sheridan-Dix Post No. 7, G. A. R., of San Jose, Department of California and Nevada. Fraternally he is a Mason, being actively identified while residing in Connecticut, but now demitted. In all public mat- ters Mr. Weaver has always taken an active and liberal part and he has come to be recognized as one of the prominent and trust-worthy citizens of the community, his straightforward honesty having won for him many friends. In all of his business inter- ests he has manifested good executive ability and his labors have brought to him a good return.

ANTON SCHIRLE & SONS .- A manufacturing firm that has built up a large business and contributed very materially in the building up of San Jose and Santa Clara County is Anton Schirle & Sons, proprie- tors of the Fourth Street Planing Mill, which they opened in 1915. The large and commodious building is located at Fourth and San Fernando streets, equipped with the most modern planing mill machin- ery and electric power, and here they manufacture sash, doors, mouldings and do all kinds of mill work; and handle all grades of lumber, shipping to different parts of the state. The firm is composed of Anton Schirle and his five sons. Anton Schirle was born near Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, on April 1, 1861, the son of Matthew and Catherine Schirle, both of whom passed away some years ago. He was edu- cated in the schools of Germany and came to Amer- ica at the age of twenty-one, first working in Detroit in the Pullman car shops for four years, going from there to the Pullman car shops at Chicago for a short time, then to New York City for three years, working at his trade in large manufacturing establishments. In 1888 he came to California, stopping at Fresno for ten months, and in 1889 went to San Francisco and worked at his trade until 1892, when he came to San Jose. Returning to San Francisco in 1896, he continued there until 1900, when he returned to San Jose. Here he began working in the mill and in 1915, with his son, Al M., under the firm name of Anton Shirle & Sons, leased this building and mill and began operating, employing eighteen men. They have made wonderful progress, their business now extending all over the state.

Anton Schirle's marriage in New York City in 1887 united him with Miss Amelia Balle, born in Wur- temberg, Germany, and they became the parents of ten children; the five sons are all experienced planing mill men and with this company. Al. M., saw service

for thirteen months in Company C, One Hundred- tenth U. S. Infantry, training at Camp Lewis. He was sent overseas in June, 1918, and served in France until after the armistice was signed; Louis served overseas in the Motor Transport service, his outfit being located in France and both are members of the American Legion. The firm holds a membership in the Progressive Business Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Builders' Exchange. In religious faith Mr. Shirle is a member of the Catholic Church and in national politics is a stanch Republican.

ASTLEY D. M. COOPER-With an assured position in, the world of art, Astley D. M. Cooper is well known on both sides of the Atlantic as an artist who has graphically portrayed the spirit of the West, and San Jose is proud to claim him as a citizen. A native of Missouri, he was born in St. Louis, Decem- ber 23, 1856, a son of Dr. David M. and Fannie Clark (O'Fallon) Cooper. His father was an eminent sur- gcon of St. Louis, being the first resident physician of the St. Louis Hospital. He was born in Bel- fast, Ireland, and when nineteen years of age emi- grated to the United States. He attained high stand- ing in his profession and passed away at the com- paratively early age of forty-six years, at Wilming- ton, N. C. The mother was a daughter of the late Maj. Benjamin O'Fallon and on the maternal side Mr. Cooper is related to George Rogers Clark and William Clark, the former of whom won fame as a commander in the Indian Wars, while the latter be- came noted as an explorer. They were half-brothers of Major O'Fallon, who rendered distinguished ser- vice to his country in his campaign against the In- dians on the western frontier, being the Indian agent, appointed about 1832, west of the Mississippi River, and to him Chief Black Hawk surrendered.

Mr. Cooper, the sole survivor of the family, was reared in St. Louis, Mo., and after completing the work of the grammar and high schools attended the Washington University in that city, subsequently spending two years in the vicinity of Boulder City, Colo. As a boy he displayed marked talent. in handl- ing the brush and crayon and early in his career he began studying the wild life of the West, of which he gained an intimate knowledge, so that he has be- come an authoritative chronicler of this phase of American history, preserving the traditions of the now vanished frontier and graphically portraying the story of the red man and his habits. Before he was twenty-one years of age he had painted a number of Indian chiefs and his work began to attract favorable notice in the art world. He had the benefit of the paintings of George Catlin, a friend of his grand- father, Major O'Fallon, and a man thoroughly acquainted with western life. George Catlin was em- ployed by the Major to paint the portraits of all the prominent chiefs of that time, 1832. From this time on Mr. Cooper has devoted his attention to his art and soon after coming to the Pacific Coast he located at San Francisco, Cal. Much sketch work and paint- ing followed and he was soon to become famous through the medium of Frank Leslie's magazine, his most interesting sketches being those depicting the wild life of the West. During General Grant's visit to California Mr. Cooper did some remarkable sketching and portrait work with the General as his subject, the truth and sincerity of his work com- manding for it a wide sale in the United States and in England. He had become recognized as a thorough artist with a sure and direct technique

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and the power to present the essence of things and his position in the art world was firmly established. Many of his paintings are hung in the leading gal- leries of Europe as well as the United States and among his most notable work may be mentioned "California and the Golden Era," which won for him widespread recognition as an artist of rare talent. About 1883 Mr. Cooper established his resi- dence in East San Jose, although he has never sev- ered his connections with the art centers of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. His studio is a beautiful one, being an exact replica of the Egyptian style of architecture, and is visited by admirers of art from all sections of the globe and also by his many friends. For many years his mother made her home with him in East San Jose, passing away at the advanced age of eighty-cight years. Her demise was deeply regretted by all who knew her, for hers was a most beautiful character. He was an early member of the San Francisco Art Association and of the Salmagundi Club of St. Louis.

Mr. Cooper was married in this city to Miss Char- lotte George, who was born in the picturesque Ar- cadia Valley of Missouri and as a girl removed with her parents to the Santa Clara Valley, where she was reared and educated. Holding to high ideals, Mr. Cooper has gained a position of distinction in his profession because he has never been satisfied with the second best, but has ever striven for some- thing above, beyond and better, and his contribution to art is a notable one.

ERNEST C. EATON-A retired rancher, Ernest C. Eaton's withdrawal from active labor is the more notable because of his splendid record of long years of unremitting and successful enterprise, in which he did his duty fully in helping to develop first one and then another section of the country. He was born near Cleveland, Ohio, on January 14, 1853, the son of Horace G. Eaton, a native of Connecticut, who had married Miss Mary E. Cleveland, a native of Mich- igan. They were blessed with four sons, and Ernest C. was the second in the order of birth. The Eatons came to live in Ohio, and in Michigan, where he was pursuing his business, Horace Eaton passed away, at the age of forty.

On coming to Ogle County, Illinois, in 1864, Er- nest finished his elementary schooling, and then, from his twelfth year, he worked to help support his mother. In 1872 the family moved to Lee Coun- ty, Ill., and here he began teaching school, continu- ing during his residence there and after going to Kansas, whither he removed in 1877. There he pur- chased a tract of 320 acres, located near Hutchinson, and engaged in farming for twenty-four years.

While in Lee County, I11., Mr. Eaton was married to Miss Viola L. Merrell, the daughter of William Merrell, a native of Connecticut, and his good wife, who was Miss Louise Daniels in her maidenhood. She was born in Steuben County, N. Y., on July 30, 1853, and her father served for nearly three years in the Union Army, during the Civil War, as a mem- ber of Company D, of the One Hundred and Forty- first New York Volunteer Infantry. He was first lieutenant in ranks under General Sherman, was cited for bravery and given charge as a brevet major, was never wounded although he suffered much sick- ness from exposure, and was finally mustered out as a captain. In 1898 he migrated West to California, settled in Merced, where he became active as a

member of the Grand Army of the Republic; and on September 23, 1913, after a life notable as a patriot, he passed away at the fine old age of eighty-four.

On July 12, 1901, Mr. and Mrs. Eaton and family, having sold their splendid farm of 320 acres, removed from Kansas to California, where they settled in the Santa Clara Valley; and not long after, Mr. Eaton invested in twenty acres on the Homestead Road, which proved so profitable that he was led to invest, in time, in several ranches, one after the other of which he sold at a fair profit, recently retiring to live at 779 Bird Avenue, San Jose. For years, he has been one of the stockholders of the San Jose Mutual Loan Association.

Five children were granted Mr. and Mrs. Eaton. Nettic L., the eldest, is the wife of Frank Ritcha, and as the mother of three children resides at Nickerson, Kans. Bertie M. is single. Ralph W., married, is a rancher and has one daughter and re- sides at San Jose. Vera M., also married, dwells near Sunnyvale, and Ethel V., now Mrs. Hardy, lives at home with her parents. The family are mem- bers of the First Presbyterian Church at San Jose, where they are known for their fidelity to the cause of prohibition. In 1906, Mr. Eaton as the candidate tor supervisor from the Second District commanded enviable support, if he did not win the day.

JOHN M. LORDS .- An enterprising, experienced and successful rancher, whose prosperity has spelt something toward the advancement of agricultural interests generally in California, and whose trim farm is well regarded as one of the show-places of Santa Clara County, is John M. Lords, a native son born in Sacramento, on February 6, 1865, and now com- fortably settled south of Alviso. His father, Walden Lords, was a native of Ohio, and he married Mrs. Mary Houston, whose maiden name was Mary Slat- tery, a native of County Kerry, Ireland. She became the mother of one child by her first husband, Mrs. Delia Emerson, widow of the late pioneer black- smith, O. P. Emerson, and she resides on Fourteenth Street, in San Jose. Walden Lords came across the great plains in 1850, driving his cattle with him, and he went into the mines, later settling in Sacra- mento County, where he lived for a number of years.

When our subject was ten years old, his parents removed to Santa Clara County, and for a year his father ran the Alviso Hotel. Then he went to San Jose and lived there until 1884, when he purchased the ranch of seventy-five acres on the Alviso Road, just out of Alviso, with which the name of Lords has been associated in such a pleasant manner. John attended the Alviso and San Jose public schools, and then struck out for himself. He went to the San Joaquin Valley, and in time became a partner in a firm owning a ranch of 400 acres near Woodbridge, for the growing of grain. He remained at Woodbridge only two years, however, and then he came back to Alviso and helped run the seventy-five-acre ranch. At present, there are three persons interested in this estate, which includes some thirty acres in fruit- half in pears and apples-while the rest is devoted to pasturing and the raising of hay. An ornate and comfortable residence stands on the ranch, built in 1892, and the ranch is irrigated by a pumping plant.

At San Rafael, on March 27, 1912, Mr. Lords was married to Miss Mary E. Hanaford, a native of Devonshire, England, a charming lady and devoted wife, who died on October 19, 1919. Two of his

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sisters are living-Mrs. O. P. Emerson and Mrs. W. W. Jennings, both of San Jose. Mr. Lords is a member of the Modern Woodmen, enjoying there an enviable popularity, and for years he has patriotic- ally done his duty, as a public-spirited citizen, in serving on the board of trustees for Alviso.

GEORGE OSMER .- A wide-awake, thoroughly progressive merchant, whose industry and enterprise have entitled him to the success he enjoys, is George Osmer, the dealer in general merchandise and post- master at Alma, where he has been among the leaders in working for the permanent growth of the town. He was born in Bremen, Germany, on November 5, 1868, the son of August A. and Dorothy (Haake) Osmer, and came with his parents to the United States when he was fourteen years old. They located in New York, and there conducted a restaurant; and in that city the mother died. The father spent his last days with Mr. Osmer, passing away at Alma. George was the youngest of six children and enjoyed the foundations of a liberal education obtained in Bremen, Germany, spending one year in high school before coming to New York City. On his arrivel he accep- ted clerical work in an office in New York and re- mained there for seven years. In 1887, he came West to San Francisco, where he engaged in retail mer- chandise business for two years and removed to Alma. Here for a couple of years he clerked in the general store already established, when he bought a half-in- terest in the establishment and the firm became Bohme & Osmer; five years later he bought Mr. Bohme's in- terest, and since then the business has been known as the George Osmer General Merchandise Store.

Mr. Osmer carries a complete line of general nier- chandise, and he also sells auto supplies and tires, and he maintains an oil station; he tries to have on hand everything which anyone has ever asked for in Alma, and he even goes a step further in antici- pating his patrons' wants. Thousands of travelers, local and long-distance tourists, know the genial pro- prietor of this store on the highway to Santa Cruz, and they appreciate his unselfish endeavors to help them out on many an occasion. Mr. Osmer has built several residences at Alma and also has a ranch at the Summit, devoted to orchard and vineyard.

At Alma, in 1896, Mr. Osmer was married to Miss Margaret Stewart, a native daughter, born in Peta- luma, whose father was Henry Stewart, an early resi- dent of Alma, and they now have three children: Bessie, Mrs. Sinclair of Alma, Marion, and George Osmer, Jr., associated with his father in the busi- ness. Mr. Osmer belongs to the Masonic order, hav- ing been made a Mason in Los Gatos Lodge No. 292, F. & A. M., and is also a member of the Woodmen of the World. Public-spirited and thoroughly Am- erican, Mr. Osmer has been postmaster at Alma since 1890, and a very popular official he has proven to be, giving satisfaction to everybody. In national politi- cal affairs, he is a Democrat.

ALEXANDER DUNCAN CAMPBELL .- Few men have done more to place trade in real estate and insurance in California on a stabile, respectable and assuring basis that Alexander Duncan Campbell, of 661 South Sixth Street, San Jose, to which city he came in the middle nineties, with no thought at the time of remaining permanently. He was born and reared on the home farm near Toronto, Canada, on October 16, 1860, and since the local school was

some seven and a half miles distant, he enjoyed but very limited educational advantages. His father, Duncan Campbell, was a native of Toronto, became a farmer, and then, leaving his family in Canada, migrated to California in 1872, where he entered the mines. He acquired a fortune; but he was later overwhelmed by reverses, and he was never heard from again until 1886. He had married Miss Mary Carmichael, a native of Scotland, who accompanied her parents to Canada when she was only six months old. On the mother's side, the ancestors were professional men.

A. D. Campbell was the eldest of five children, and at the age of only twelve, the burden of re- sponsibility for the support of his mother and sisters fell upon him. He was very plucky, and being re- sourceful, and determined to make something of him- self and to get out of debt, he fitted himself for salesmanship. He was first employed by Bradley Garrett's publishing house, and went out into the field as a solicitor, and was soon very successful; and when the opportunity was presented, in 1886, to make a trip to British Columbia with a cousin, he refused the flattering terms of the publishers to stay, and set off for the Northwest.

There he had charge of some 250 men on con- struction work for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and he soon had the best chance to show his ability and to find favor with the contractor; but although he got along splendidly during the three and a half months he was so engaged, he was haunted with the desire to find his father, from whom nothing had been heard for years. The month of November, 1886, therefore, found our subject in San Francisco, where he had cousins, to whom he applied, hoping that they would be able to give some information; but failing in that, Mr. Campbell traced his father from place to place, and late in December of that year he found him on a homestead near Fresno. Both were overjoyed. The father had become dis- heartened after years of hard work, in which he had made and lost three fortunes, and he was making the last stand to make his fourth fortune, which he did, when the reunion took place with his family, the son returning to Canada to settle up the estate, and bringing the folks back to California with him. For ten years our subject remained at a ranch in Fresno County engaged in farming.

At San Jose in 1895 Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Lilly Tressler, who had been a resident of the Santa Clara Valley for three years prior to that date, her brother, Dr. Tressler, having founded the Eng- lish Lutheran Church at San Jose. He is now a professor at Springfield, Ohio, in a theological semi- nary. Four children blessed this union: Allister B. is a very resourceful young business man: Victoria is a student at the University of California; Irene is a graduate of the San Jose State Normal School, and has recently been chosen principal of the Loyal- ton Grammar School in Sierra County; Paul Scott Campbell is a student in the San Jose high school.

In 1912 Mr. Campbell sold out his fuel and feed business, which had been steadily growing ever since he had started at 651 South First Street, and he in- vested in lands and real estate. For a short time he was also the Pacific Coast distributor for the Snell Water Filter Company, with headquarters at San Jose, but this last venture demanded his absence from home, and on this account mainly he disposed

Geo Osmer -

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of his interests after eight months of successful operations. At present Mr. Campbell is the mana- ger of the city department of Crother's Realty Of- fices in San Jose, dealers in real estate and insur- ance, and he is a live wire in the San Jose Realty Board and the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. He prefers the platforms of the Republican party, and the family attend the First Presbyterian Church.

DANIEL RAYMOND .- Coming to San Jose in 1904 with a very small capital, the initiative spirit and marked executive ability of Daniel Raymond have enabled him to develop a business of extensive proportions and he is now vice-president and mana- ger of the largest pottery plant on the Pacific Coast. He was born in Wellsville, Ohio, October 31, 1868, a son of John and Caroline (Fell) Raymond, the former a native of Switzerland and the latter of Baden, Germany. The father was a butcher by trade and his death occurred in 1871, while the mother passed away when fifty-four years of age.

Daniel Raymond, the youngest of fifteen children, bad very limited educational opportunities, attending school only until he reached the third grade, when he was obliged to secure employment in order to aid in supporting the family, having made his own way in the world from the age of eight years. When a young man he took up the potter's trade, serving an apprenticeship under the firm of Knowles & Tay- lor of East Liverpool, Ohio. He afterward followed his trade in various parts of the country and in 1900 located in Washington, becoming foreman of the Clayton Pottery Company of Clayton, that state, which position he filled for one year. He then em- barked in the pottery business on his own account in that locality, but trade conditions were unfavorable and in 1904 he left that place and came to San Jose, arriving in this city in March with but very little capital. He obtained a loan of $100 on an insurance policy, to which he added sixty-five dollars, and with this amount built his first kiln, at the corner of Park and East streets. He at first did all of the work himself, but as time passed he prospered in his under- taking and expanded his interests, organizing in De- cember, 1904, the Garden City Pottery Company, Inc. The company erected its buildings at 540-560 North Sixth Street and began operations in April, 1905, giving employment to eight workmen. In 1908 the company trebled their capital and plant and now employs thirty men, turning out all kinds of com- mon store ware and red unglazed flower pots of vari- ous sizes. Mr. Raymond's expert knowledge of his trade and enterprising methods have enabled him to build up a business of large proportions and the com- pany's output now approximates 125 carloads per year. Deliveries are made by auto truck in a radius of 200 miles. Mr. Raymond has a twenty-acre vine- yard in Yuba County and also owns a home at the corner of Hensley and Second streets, San Jose.

Mr. Raymond is a veteran of the Spanish-American WVar, enlisting with the Washington Volunteers and becoming a member of the First Washington In- fantry. He saw active service in the Philippines under Generals King and Lawton, receiving his hon- orable discharge at the end of two years.

In San Jose, on April 15, 1906, Mr. Raymond mar- ried Miss Danilena Bloise, who was born in Santa Cruz County, a daughter of J. B. and Elizabeth (Lively) Bloise, who still reside upon the old home place. The father is a native of Nova Scotia and a

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History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 107

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846- Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1928

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928