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 115

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 115

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

726

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

also in hydraulic gold mining, being the largest min- ing flume in the state. The Sugar Pine Company had a number of mills in the hills of Butte County and used the flume to float lumber down to the sta- tion, where it was loaded for market, this great flow of water being carried for a distance of thirty miles and cost about $700,000.

Mr. McGrath has become recognized as an author- ity on mining engineering and he has staked many mining claims, while he also was principally inter- ested in the lumber business for about twenty-five years. He preferred, however, to confine his business interests to mines of proven worth and acquired holding in the Cherokee district, the Cherokee being the largest hydraulic gold mine in the world. From Butte County he went to Auburn, Placer County, where he became interested in quartz mines, and then went to Reno, Nev., where he remained two years. He next went to Inyo County, Cal., and for six years aided in developing the Cerro Gordo mines in that locality. At present he is interested in mines at Hornsilver, about thirty miles from Goldfield, Nev., and has eight different claims in that county, all of which are rich bearing mines, the ore being hauled by trucks to the railroad station. He is also in- terested in other properties in Nevada. From 1902 until 1903 Mr. McGrath made his home in San Fran- cisco, but in the latter year he purchased property on West San Carlos and Sunol Streets, in San Jose, and has since maintained his residence in this city.

In Cherokee, Cal., in January, 1872, Mr. McGrath was married to Miss Mary Ann Davis, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Davis, the former of whom was also born in the Key- stone State. For many years the father worked in the mines there and later came to California, settling in Butte County at an early period in its development. To Mr. and Mrs. McGrath were born seven children: George W., now deceased; Lafayette, who is con- nected with the Standard Oil Company at Folsom City, Cal .; Emmet Wallace, a resident of Marysville; Mrs. Eugenia Castle; Katherine, deceased; Mrs. May Smothers; and Mildred, at home. There are also fifteen grandchildren. In his political views Mr. Mc- Grath is a stanch Republican, and he keeps in touch with the best thinking men of the age on all the questions that are of vital significance. He has been a member of the Miners Commission of the State of California and fraternally is connected with the Masons in Butte and Inyo Counties, and he is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. Gaining that superior ability which comes through close study and broad experience, he is entitled to classification with the eminent mining engineers of the country, and his contributions to the world's work have been of great value.

FRANK A. LEIB .- A notable prize-winner at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, of whom Santa Clarans are naturally very proud, is Frank A. Leib, the rancher at Lundy's Road, four miles northeast of San Jose, part owner of one of the largest walnut groves, in private possession, in the United States. He was born at San Jose on August 4, 1880, the son of Judge S. F. Leib, who came to California in early days from Ohio, and married Miss Lida Campbell Grissim, a native of Georgetown, Ky.

Frank A. Leib was sent to the grammar school in San Jose, and then attended the Washburn Prepar-

atory School leading up to Stanford, from which he was graduated with the class of '02. He next took a post-graduate course of two years at Stanford, and in 1904 he was admitted to the bar, and he practiced law until 1905. In that year he took up the scientific, fascinating pursuit of orcharding, and now he supervises one of the Leib walnut groves of 100 acres, located at the northerly extreme end of Lundy Road. There he has twenty varieties of walnuts, and he reserves one acre which he devotes to experimental work in the effort to create new varieties. He uses the Royal Black Walnut and the Paradox Black Walnut trees as basic stock for graft- ing, and he experiments with every variety of wal- nut, wild and tame. At the Panama-Pacific Exposi- tion at San Francisco in 1915, Mr. Leib took eight first prizes with walnuts grown upon the Leib ranches, demonstrating anew that Santa Clara County walnuts are the finest in the world. Mr. Leib is also interested in the culture of bees, and has about 150 hives in his apiary. He raises the bees for commercial purposes, and ships them in small packages to honey-producing parts of the state.

At Victoria, B. C., Mr. Leib was married on August 4, 1908, to Miss Mary Sandilands Bennett, a native of Toronto and of Scotch-Welsh parentage. Her father was Col. C. C. Bennett, who served with the British forces during the Boer War, and with the Canadian forces in the late World War from 1914 through the duration of hostilities; her mother before her marriage was Miss Florence Greet, and the famous English tragedian, Ben Greet, is an uncle of Mrs. Leib. Five children were born to Colonel and Mrs. Bennett: the eldest is Charles C. Bennett, who is at Cranbrook, B. C .; Maj. Richard A. G. Bennett is at Edmonton, Alberta; Mary, the wife of our subject, was the third in order of birth; Maj. Arthur Patrick Bennett is at Vernon, B. C .; Kate, the wife of Lieutenant Boyd, lives at Camp Grant, Rockford, Ill. Mrs. Leib's two brothers served in the late World War as majors, and they also re- ceived the Military Cross, while her father received the Military Cross and also the British D. S. O. One brother was severely gassed, and her father re- ceived a compound fracture of the arm, which, for- tunately, has not prevented his remaining in the Canadian Army as the aide to the general com- manding at Victoria. Mary Bennett was thirteen years old when her father removed to Pacific Grove, near Monterey, and there she was educated at the grammar and high schools. Four children have come to gladden the household of Mr. and Mrs. Leib: Samuel Franklin, Charles Bennett, Mary Sandilands and Lida Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Leib are both Republicans, and Mrs. Leib is a member of the Na- tional League of Women's Service, Department of Santa Clara.

While at the university Mr. Leib was captain of the Stanford tennis team, and a member of the Varsity Glee Club, the Class Club, the Phi Delta Phi, Zeta Phi, Sigma Sigma and T. M. E. class fraternities. Word has just been received from Stanford University that their nine-year-old daugh- ter, Mary Sandilands Leib, has been adjudged one of the thousand brightest pupils in California. It is a matter of greatest interest and encouragement to students of eugenics as well as advocates of "back

Q. William Harris

729

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

to the land" movement, to know that Mr. and Mrs. Leib are both college bred, each comes from dis- tinguished families, and that they are rearing their children in the environment of the free and open of country life, and that their children are all excep- tionally large, strong and bright, so much so, as to be officially noticed for these enviable qualities of strength and efficiency.

JAMES WILLIAM HARRIS, Ph. D .- Closely allied with the educational activities of San Jose since 1910, James William Harris, Ph. D., is recognized as a potent factor in literary circles. A native of Boyd County, Ky., he was born at Ashland, August 26, 1878, a son of John W. and Ellen Virginia (Roberts) Harris. John W. Harris, who comes of English de- scent, was born in Uhrichsville, Ohio, whither his par- ents had migrated from Maryland. The mother was of English and Scotch extraction, a native of Balti- more, and she is a descendant of a highly intellectual family. The father was prominent in the educational development of Boyd County, serving as president of the board of education and also as a councilman of Ashland for many years. He was a successful mer- chant, and because of his untiring and unselfish in- terest in the development of his local community, he was accorded the leadership in all advance move- ments. The early education of the subject of this sketch began in the public schools of Ashland, Ky. When sixteen years of age just after graduating from the high school he entered the office of the Floyd County Abstract Company, where he was employed for two years, receiving much practical knowledge of legal and abstract business. Later he entered Union College at Barboursville, Ky., where he was gradu- ated in 1901 with the degree of A. B. He immediate- ly removed to Aberdeen, S. D., where he had charge of records and passing on titles for a local loan com- pany. While residing in Aberdeen Mr. Harris in 1902 was offered the position of superintendent of the town schools of Ipswich and given the authority to organize the high school, which he proceeded to do; this resulted in a permanent high school and he con- tinued in the same capacity for three years. In 1905. Mr. Harris entered Clark University at Worcester, Mass., where he did graduate work, taking a course in psychology and education under President G. Stanley Hall. For one year he was on appointment as scholar in psychology and two years as a Carnegie Fellow in psychology. In 1908 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy was conferred on him and the same year he was appointed assistant professor of educa- tion at De Pauw University, Greencastle, Ind., re- maining in this capacity until 1910 when he resigned and came to California to accept the Chair of Educa- tion in the College of the Pacific.

During 1913 Dr. Harris was given leave of absence and made an extended tour throughout England and Continental Europe for observation of educational in- stitutions as well as pleasure, returning to America and California eight months previous to the outbreak of the World War in July, 1914. While in Europe he studied critically both the strong and weak points of foreign education and on his return introduced into his classes at the College of the Pacific much con- structive criticism as the result of his sojourn abroad.

The summers of 1920 and 21 were spent by Dr. Harris at the State University of Iowa as lecturer in education, a position he will again resume in 1922. He is an active and interested member of the Na-

tional Educational Association, and has been a dele- gate to national conventions upon several occasions. During his years at the College of the Pacific Dr. Harris has been closely associated with several phases of the administration of the school; he has been con- nected with endowment campaigns and publicity work for the college and has in every way fitted his life into the spirit of the institution. His influence on the lives of hundreds of young men and women cannot be overestimated, and those who have been privi- leged to be members of his classes, testify as to his keen mind, strict integrity and oneness of purpose, that being to give of his best that those who come in contact with him should give of their best to the world and humanity. The city of San Jose recognize in Dr. Harris a broad-minded, public-spirited citizen, and are justly proud of the influence he is wielding in the lives of the youth of the community.

JOHN R. McCARTHY .- Among the carly set- tlers of Santa Clara County who came here as early as 1876 and settled on Government land by home- steaded preemption, is John R. McCarthy, now liv- ing retired in the vicinity of Cupertino. His experi- ence in the carly days was typical of the growing West, and he worked his way from a very small be- ginning to his present state of independence. A na- tive of Ireland, he was born in County Kerry, De- cember 10, 1851, the son of Richard and Helen (Lane) McCarthy. John's opportunity for an edu- cation was very limited in his native land; his sum- mers were spent in helping his father on the farm, the entire period of his school days being only two years, during the winter months. There were eight children in his father's family, namely, Cornelius, deceased; Johanna, deceased; Florence, a resident of Ireland; Mary, deceased; John R., our subject; Katherine and Ellen, in Ireland, and Bridget, de- ceased. When a young man in 1876 Mr. McCarthy left Ireland for America and came direct to San Jose, Santa Clara County, Cal. His first work was picking cherries one day for Judge Archer for $1.50 a day, and he paid seventy-five cents for his board; then at haying and later on the railroad awhile, when he went to Solano County and worked on a farm jor one year; then went to Los Angeles in 1877 and worked for "Lucky" Baldwin on his Santa Anita Rancho for eleven months. Returning north, he worked for two years on ranches near Menlo Park; then went to Alpine County and tried his luck at mining, but at the end of four months found that the work underground was too unhealthy and hard and left and came back to Santa Clara County and rented a ranch of 490 acres on the Permanente Creek and farmed this for twelve years. During the year of 1882 he preempted 160 acres, which was later changed to a homestead; he farmed this for twenty- four years, then sold eighty acres of it to the San Francisco Sugar Company; later he sold forty acres, and the balance was planted to vineyard. He lost his vines by disease and reset it to resistant vines and grafted them to wine grapes. In 1915 he sold the remainder of his ranch and purchased an acre and a half in Cupertino and built two residences on it, residing in one and renting the other.

The marriage of Mr. McCarthy occurred in Oak- land, August 10, 1884, and united him with Miss Margaret Bronsan. a native also of County Kerry,

730

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Ireland, born within four miles of her husband's birthplace. She is the daughter of Cornelius and Eleanor (Casey) Bronsan, farmers in their native land. Mrs. McCarthy was the ninth of a family of twelve children, and during 1879 she came to the United States and lived in Oakland until her mar- riage. In his political belief Mr. MeCarthy favors the candidate best fitted for the office regardless of party lines. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and both belong to the Catholic Church.

JOHN W. BLANCH .- An enterprising and very successful contractor who has done much to advance the development of the painting trade in San Jose, is John W. Blanch, of 643 South Second Street, who was born in San Jose on December 19, 1865, the son of the late Charles Blanch. The latter was born in Gloucestershire, England, on February 20, 1831, and there he was reared and educated as a farmer. In 1851 he came to the United States and settled in lowa, where he farmed for three years; and then he went on to Minnesota, and for five years continued agricultural pursuits there, although for two years in succession his entire crops were destroyed by grasshoppers. He crossed the great plains to California with the aid of ox teams, and came direct to Santa Clara County, arriving at San Jose in the fall of 1859. On the way the Indians stole their cattle. They followed the redskins for several days, until they came across the big band of thousands of Indians. Seeing no chance to recover their stock, they went back to their wagons and waited until another train came up, and made ar- rangements to come through with them.

After living for two years in San Jose, Charles Blanch took up farming about ten miles out of town, where he lived until 1868. and then he proceeded to San Luis Obispo County and commenced dairying, but all of his cattle sickened and died. He then re- turned to Santa Clara County where he farmed for a year, and after that he made a journey to Oregon, where he put in a winter. In the spring, he was back in Santa Clara County. This time he settled at the place known as the White Oak Flat, in Bur- nett township; and at the expiration of four years, he located on a ranch of 150 acres in Hoover Valley, where he lived for many years.

At St. Paul, Minn., on April 27, 1859, Mr. Blanch was married to Miss Maria Watkins, also a native of England, by whom he had ten children. William T. was born on October 9. 1863. Then came John W .. the subject of our review. Mary E. was born on January 5, 1868. Charles E. first saw the light on December 7. 1869. Sarah M. was born on March 8, 1873. Robert entered the family on March 27, 1875. Charlotte was born on February 17, 1879. The date of the birth of Edmund H. was February 8, 1860, and he died on May 22, 1860. Jessie A. was born on June 2, 1861, and died on September 21, 1866. Rich- ard, born on October 14, 1877, died three days later.

John W. Blanch attended the public school in the country districts for a couple of seasons, and when eighteen years old he started to make his own way in the world. He took up painting, beginning his apprenticeship under J. C. Roderick and finishing under Michael Lenzen, after which, as a journeyman painter, he worked for Mr. Baird for five years. Then he became a contractor in painting, and he continued active in that field for the following eight years, work-

ing throughout the Santa Clara Valley and as far as Hollister and Livermore. In 1899 he again became a journeyman, and he has continued as such for the past twenty years, acting also as a foreman painter, especially, for years, in the service of Walter McGin- ley, and during all that time making San Jose his home. He took up a homestead of 160 acres in thé hills about sixty miles from San Jose; it is a valuable stock ranch. and is on the Phoenix Mining Road.

At San Jose. on November 4, 1891, Mr. Blanch was married to Miss Mattie Aborn, a native of Evergreen, Santa Clara County, and the daughtr of John Aborn who had married Mary E. Fullmer, horn in San Jose in October, 1848. Her grandmother, Mrs. Eliza Full- mer. was a member of the famous Donner party and came to California in 1846. The Aborn Road was named after John Ahorn, who was a veteran of the Mexican and also of the Civil War. This pioneer couple had six children of whom Mrs. Blanch is the fourth. Four children have blessed this union of Mr. and Mrs. Blanch. Charles R. is with the Santa Clara Mill & Lumber Company; he entered the World War as one of the Grizzlies, on October 23, 1917, and was in the One Hundred Forty-fourth Field Artillery. He was sent to Camp Kearny and there he volunteered as a replacement man and was sent overseas. He left for France on June 28. 1918, going via England to Brest. and on July 26 went into battle with his new regiment, the One Hundred Eighth Infantry, later transferred to the One Hundred Eighth Field Artillery, and he has credit for the following offensives: Aisne-Marne, the Vesle Sector, August 15 to 18, and August 18 to Septem- ber 10, Oise-Aisne offensive; October 30 to Novem- ber 11, Ypres-Lys. September 10 to October 10. Meuse-Argonne. He saw a great deal of active fight- ing. and was wounded once on the hand with shrap- nel. He returned to the United States on May 19, 1919, and on June 2 following was discharged. Hazel, the second child. is the wife of John E. Deeds of San Jose. Cecile has become the wife of Carle E. McAdoo. of the Benson Garage at San Jose. Wal- ter W. Blanch is with the American Can Company. Mr. Blanch is a Republican. and he is a member of the Eagles of San Jose.

FRED H. GARDNER .- During the '50s men from all sections of the country were thronging to California as offering advantages and opportunities greater than were possible in the East and it was in 1852 that Daniel Gardner, the father of our subject, journeyed across the plains with an old time ox- team train. Fred Gardner was born in the rural districts near Saratoga, November 29, 1879, the son of Daniel and Sarah (Kenyon) Gardner. The father first settled in Placerville and worked in the mines for six years, coming to Santa Clara County in 1858, and in 1861 bought the ranch where the family have lived continuously ever since. Daniel Gardner passed away in 1913, having enjoyed the fruits of his labors. living for many years in peace and con- tentment in the beautiful Saratoga section of the Santa Clara Valley. The mother came with her family across the plains from St. Joseph. Mo., in 1849, when she was but a small girl of five years, and on July 9, 1861. the young people met and were married at Santa Clara. Mrs. Gardner passed away in 1913, lacking three months of celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. The old house

J W Blanch mattie Blanch

731

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

still stands on the home place; last year half of the roof was reshingled, but the other half of the old roof still stands. Fifteen apple and ten pear trees planted by the father in 1863 are still bearing flowers and fruit each year.

Fred H. attended the grammar school in Saratoga and upon finishing the course went to the Los Gatos high school. With the exception of five years when he was engaged in the grocery business in San Mateo, Mr. Gardner has been engaged in farming. His marriage united him with Miss Mabel Deanglar of Los Gatos, and they have two children, Myrtle and Frances. Politically Mr. Gardner is a Repub- lican, and fraternally is an Odd Fellow, being dis- tric deputy grand master. He is also a member of the encampment and the Canton, and with his wife is a member of the Rebekahs. He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Foresters of America at Saratoga. He finds his recreation in outdoor life, and gladly aids in all progressive measures for the upbuilding of Santa Clara County.

F. A. SHERMAN .- An experienced, successful railroad man who has amply proved that with in- telligent labor and conscientious attention one may succeed at horticulture in the Santa Clara Valley and attain to the most enviable results in this important division of California agriculture, is F. A. Sherman, who is operating the two Fassett farms, among the best cultivated ranches in the Santa Clara Valley. He was born at Allen, Hillsdale County, Mich., on November 8, 1861, the son of Frederick Sherman, a carpenter and builder who had married Miss Sabina Butterfield; and he was fortunate in being given a good grammar school education, for circumstances then compelled him to get out and work for a living. He secured employment on farms and also engaged with his father in carpentering; and he commenced at ranch work when he was only twelve years old and received five dollars a month. He next learned telegraphy and was an operator and agent at various places between Chicago and Lanark, III., on the Chi- cago and Council Bluffs division of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railway, and for nine years he was at Hampshire, Stillman Valley, and Ontario- ville, when he also did considerable relieving at various stations along the line. In the fall of 1894, he came to Washington and for fifteen years he was with the Great Northern Railway Company as sta- tion agent; and there he became well acquainted with James J., or "Jim" Hill, as he was familiarly and affectionately known, the famous railway magnate.

He had also become acquainted with the Fassett family at Hampshire, Ill., and after they moved out to Santa Clara, Cal., in October, 1896, he married Miss Calla Fassett, the daughter of the late C. A. Fassett. After their marriage they went to Wash- ington, where Mr. Sherman continued in the railway service until September, 1910, when he came to his present place of residence and took up the responsi- bility already referred to. The two ranches aggre- gate thirty-two acres, and of these he has twenty- seven acres devoted to the cultivation of prunes, and five acres to apricots.

Mr. and Mrs. Sherman are the parents of five children, all of whom are still living. Wilma, a grad- uate of the College of the Pacific, is the wife of Justin K. Dyche, who was a second lieutenant of aviation, and is now connected with the Oahu Col-

lege of Honolulu, as an instructor in chemistry and mathematics. Marian A. is a graduate of San Jose State Normal and is a teacher in the Santa Clara grammar school. Ceylon F. was in the junior train- ing corps and is a student at the College of the Pacific, where Edna L. is also studying; and there is Waldo N. Sherman, attending the grammar school at Santa Clara. Mr. and Mrs. Sherman are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Santa Clara, and politically they aim to vote for the best men and measures without fear or favor. Mr. Sherman be- longs to the Odd Fellows of Santa Clara and is a past grand of that order; and he is junior warden in the Masonic Lodge. All in all, Mr. and Mrs. Sherman belong to those circles most welcomed in the Santa Clara community, for they believe in the future of the great Golden State and never lose an opportunity to contribute to its permanent progress.

HUGH MACDONALD .- Although retired from the active cares of life, Hugh Macdonald still takes an interested part in the affairs of his locality and can be counted on to to give his aid to all matters of progress and development. Born in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada, April 12, 1846, the son of John E. and Margaret (Walker) Macdonald, also born there of Scotch parents, he came with his parents to California in 1867 and they first located in San Francisco, later removing to the Livermore Valley, where they engaged in farming. Both parents have passed away, the father having died in 1870, shortly after removing to the Liver- more Valley, while the mother died in San Francisco.

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

History of 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 115

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