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 124

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

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

one and he never allowed himself to become dis- couraged by failure or defeat. He possessed the ability to think in large terms and his plans were carefully formulated and promptly executed.

At Meadville, Pa., in 1857, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Sloane, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Van Horne) Sloanc, the for- mer a native of Philadelphia, Pa., while the latter, born near Meadville, was a member of an old Knick- erbocker family; her Great-grandfather Van Horne was born in Holland, while her grandfather, Cornelius Van Horne, a native of New Jersey, was the first white settler to locate at Meadville and was cap- tured by the Indians during one of the marauding expeditions in Pennsylvania, but in the course of time made his escape. As has been stated he was a pioneer of Meadville and became a very prominent man, the father of a distinguished family and lived to be nearly one hundred years of age. Mrs. Anderson's wedding ring was made from gold mined by her hus- band in California in early days. She survived her husband, passing away January 16, 1920, when eighty- five years of age. She was a woman of much per- sonal charm, culture and refinement, who was de- voted to her husband and children, a noble, true and loving mother in every sense of the word, whose memory is cherished and loved by all who knew her.

They became the parents of ten children; Elizabeth died at the age of fifteen years; Robert died when but two years old; Josephine departed this life when young; George H. is engaged in the fruit business in San Jose; Grace died at the age of thirty-two; Alden, who was formerly lieutenant-governor of California, also serving as assemblyman and speaker of the house, is now president of the Capital National Bank at Sacramento; Callie E. and Edwin F. were twins, the latter of whom died when but a year old; and Elmer E. and Wilbur, were also twins, the former a resident of Southern California, while the latter died in infancy. Miss Callic E. Anderson, was born in San Jose and acquired her education in the gram- mar and high schools of this city, after which she attended the State Normal School of San Jose.

Mr. Anderson was always an inspiration to young men and his advice to them was to engage in business tor themselves and having chosen their business to throw all of their energy into it and by right doing and thinking make a success of it, and many a busi- ness man of today gives credit of their success in life to his advice and counsel. Mr. Anderson gave Ins political allegiance to the Republican party and he was at one time connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was a prominent Mason, having membership in the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery at San Jose. He took a deep interest in preserving data and relics pertaining to pioneer- ing and early historical events in California and was very active in the formation and served as president of the Santa Clara County Pioneer Society for ten years, spending much time to further its importance, as well as looking to the comfort of the old pioneers- being very solicitous regarding their welfare. A man of pleasing personality, always affable, Mr. Anderson was well known and esteemed and everyone who knew him was his friend. He was a big man-big in that power which understands conditions, grasps situations and molds opportunity into tangible as- sets. His was an admirable character, worthy of all

praise, and the record of his achievements is the best commentary upon his life and upon his ability and enterprise. His honesty and integrity of purpose gained him the greatest confidence and respect, so much so that no man in Santa Clara County was more trusted than John Zuinglius Anderson.

JOHN HARRIS HENDY .- A distinctive place in the citizenship of Santa Clara County belongs to the late John Harris Hendy, who contributed greatly to the building up of this county by the establishment of the largest manufacturing enterprise here, for it is to the enterprise and industry of such strong and forceful men that the continued prestige of Santa Clara Valley is due. Mr. Hendy was born at Aiken, S. C., March 31, 1861, and was a nephew of Joshua Hendy, who built the first redwood mill in California and was the founder of the Joshua Hendy Iron Works, then located in San Francisco. The father of John H. Hendy gave his life for his country during the Civil War, leaving two sons, John and Samuel, to whom? Joshua Hendy gave a father's care.

John H. Hendy was fourteen years old when he and his brother Samuel came ont to San Francisco to live with their uncle. He soon entered the plant, starting in to learn every detail of the work, so what little schooling he received was at night school, yet he completed a course as mechanical draftsman and by close application to business during the day be- came an expert machinist. After the death of their uncle the two brothers took full charge of the great business, John H. being vice-president and superin- tendent until his brother's death in April, 1906, when he was elected president of the company, also con- tinuing as superintendent. During the great fire and earthquake of 1906 the plant was entirely destroyed, but in spite of this loss Mr. Hendy was not discour- aged, but determined to rebuild. Desiring more space for the works, he looked around for a suitable location and selected Sunnyvale, now the site of the mammoth iron plant.

In San Francisco, on July 28, 1892, Mr. Hendy was united in marriage with Miss Alberta M. Thener- kauf, a daughter of G. W. and Mary (Hertel) Thenerkauf, pioncers of the '50s who settled at Cu- pertino, where Mrs. Hendy was born. Her education was obtained in the grammar and high schools and later she was a student of the University of the Pa- cific at San Jose. Mr. and Mrs. Hendy were the parents of one daughter, Gladys Marie, who became the wife of Capt. Rexford Shores of the U. S. Army. Seven years ago Mr. Hendy built a beautiful, modern residence at Sunnyvale, on Murphy Avenue, set amidst the live oaks and surrounded by spacious grounds with beautiful lawns and flowers. On May 8, 1920, Mr. Hendy, who was then fifty-nine years old, suffered a stroke of apoplexy and passed away on May 11 at his Sunnyvale home, and he was buried at Cypress Lawn Cemetery with Masonic honors.

For many years Mr. Hendy was associated with Fifth Regiment, National Guard of California, rising to the rank of major. During the administration of Governor Pardee he was appointed colonel on the governor's staff, and then as colonel on Governor Gillette's staff. For several years he had served as a trustee of the city of Sunnyvale, and at the time of his death was chairman of the board, and he had also been a member of the board of school trustees.

IHH Endy

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

After locating the iron works at Sunnyvale and tak- ing up his residence there, he was an indefatigable worker for the upbuilding of the city, doing all he could for its progress along modern, sanitary lines, and although a very busy man he was never so occu- pied that he did not give every attention to the re- sponsibilities of the office he had assumed. He was a member of Occidental Lodge No. 35, F. & A. M., San Francisco, a charter member of the Olympic Club of that city, and also of the Union League Club, being a stanch Republican. He was well known in business and social circles in San Francisco, and that city, as well as the citizens of Santa Clara County, deeply mourned his untimely taking away. While all the days of his career were not equally bright and the storm clouds at times gathered, yet he never be- came discouraged or disheartened by conditions, and his resolute spirit and energy enabled him to over- come obstacles and difficulties. Mrs. Hendy, who as a true and devoted helpmate assisted her late hus- band by sympathy and encouragement, still resides at the Sunnyvale home, surrounded by a large cirele of loving friends, and there she pursues her daily tasks with that assurance that she "hath done what she could," never shirking her full duty, and her life is fuller and better thereby.

RAY LYMAN WILBUR, LL. D .- A distinguished American educator who has done much to make California favorably known in cireles of higher learn- ing throughout the world, Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, President of Stanford University, and the leader in all of the many and varied activities of that great in- stitution, has come to exert the most enviable in- fluence wherever a son or daughter of Stanford may he found, his mental calibre and the warmth of his genial, impelling personality being as impressive as his immense, commanding physique. He has been at the helm of Stanford for the past six years; and it is only fair to say, without invidious comparisons or the disparagement in the least of any predecessor- Stanford invariably standing for loyalty to its rec- ognized chiefs-that the University, of which Cali- fornians are so justly proud, has never had a better presiding officer. He was born at Boonesboro, Iowa, on April 13, 1875, the son of Dwight Loeke Wilbur, a native of Ohio and a graduate of the Law School of the University of Michigan, who had settled for the practice of law at Boonesboro, and had also be- come a coal operator there. From Boonesboro he moved to the Dakota Territory, and there became interested, as agent of the Northern Pacific Railway, in selling railway land. From Dakota he removed again still farther West to Riverside, Cal., and there acquired an orange grove. He took a lively interest in local commercial affairs and was elected chairman of the Board of Trade of Riverside. He also evinced an intense interest in popular education and very naturally was made a member of the Riverside School Board. When he retired, he chose Los An- geles as his residence, and there he lived until he was sixty-four years old. While still in Ohio, Mr. Wilbur was married to Miss Edna Maria Lyman, a daughter of Elias and Hannah (Proctor) Lyman and a rep- resentative of another long-established American family, the Lymans and the Proctors, like the Wil- burs, having come to New England in the earliest

periods there. Prior to his marriage, Dwight Loekc Wilbur enlisted for service in the Union Army as a member of the 87th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and being destined for capture had the distinction of fall- ing into the hands of the famous Stonewall Jackson. He was paroled, and returned to Ohio; and then, with his wife, he removed to Iowa. Mrs. Wilbur died in Los Angeles, the mother of six children, among whom our subjeet was the fourth child.

Ray Lyman Wilbur was only eight years old when his parents moved into the Dakota Territory and settled in what is now North Dakota; and at James- town he grew up and attended the local schools. Coming to Riverside he continued his schooling and in 1892 was graduated from the Riverside high school. He then matriculated at Stanford University in 1892 and was duly graduated therefrom in 1896. He continued another year at Stanford and in 1897 rounded out his Master of Arts work. He next took up the study of medicine and in 1899 was graduated, with the coveted M. D. degree, from the Cooper Medical College at San Francisco. In the course of time Dr. Wilbur went abroad for post-graduate study and during 1903-04 was a student at Frankfort-on-the- Main and also at London, and during 1909-10 he was at the University of Munich.

On December 5, 1898, Dr. Wilbur was married at San Francisco to Miss Marguerite May Blake, a native of the Bay metropolis and the daughter of Dr. Charles E. Blake, a prominent physician and one of the leeturers at the College of the Pacific, in the medieal department which later became the Cooper Medical College. Dr. and Mrs. Wilbur have five children: Jessica, Blake C., Dwight L., Lois Proctor, and Ray Lyman, Jr.

During 1896-7, Dr. Wilbur was instructor in phys- iology at Stanford University, and during 1899-1900 he was lecturer and demonstrator in physiology at the Cooper Medical College; and from 1900-03 he was assistant professor of physiology at Stanford University. From 1909 to 1916 he was professor of medicine at Stanford University, and from 1911 to 1916 he was dean of the Medical School there. On January 1, 1916, he was inaugurated president of Stanford University succeeding Dr. John Caspar Branner, its former president, now deceased, who in turn had succeeded David Starr Jordan, now chan- cellor emeritus. In 1917, Mr. Herbert Hoover asked Dr. Wilbur to become chief of the Conservation Divi- sion of the U. S. Food Administration at Washing- ton, and he also acted in that year as a member of the California State Council of Defense. He was regional educational director of the S. A. T. C., District No. 11, in 1918, and in 1919 he was president of the California State Confederation of Social Agen- eies. Both the University of California and the Uni- versity of Arizona conferred on Dr. Wilbur the honorary LL. D. degree in 1919; he is a Fellow of the A. A. A. S., a member of the American Academy of Medicine, of which he was president in 1912-13, and he is a Phi Beta Kappa. He belongs to the Uni- versity, Commonwealth, Bohemian, and Pacific Union clubs, and is not only highly esteemed and revered as a profound scholar and a patriot, like his predeces- sor, Dr. Jordan, but also, and equally popular, as a man of the greatest cordiality and gifted with winning qualities attracting to bim the ambitious youth.

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

The year 1922 will be remembered as the year of the campaign to raise the first million for the Stan- ford Endowment. President Wilbur has thrown him- self heart and soul into this work and has met with heartiest response from the Alumni. At the present writing, June 1, 1922, success is apparent, as $900,000 of the $1,000,000 has already been secured. Addition- al glory was added to Stanford when on May 25, 1922, Dr. Wilbur was elected president of the Amer- ican Medical Association. He will assume office at next year's convention.

WILLIAM R. PORTER .- Among those whose intelligently directed labors have resulted in the agri- cultural development of Santa Clara County is Wil- liam R. Porter, who is the owner of one of the most valuable prune orchards in this part of the state and is also fruit buyer for Hunt Brothers' Packing Com- pany. A native son of California, he was born in Watsonville, January 22, 1886, of the marriage of Charles Henry and Elizabeth Ann (Underhill) Por- ter. In the maternal line he is a member of an old English family, while the American progenitor of the Porter family was a native of Scotland, es- tablishing his home in this country during the period of the Revolutionary War. The paternal grandfather, Dr. John Porter, followed the profession of medi- cine and was a man of marked patriotism and public spirit. In commemoration of his professional serv- ice and unselfish devotion to the sick of Duxbury and environs, the people of that region erected to his memory an impressive monument. He was one of the most prominent men of his day and was a personal friend of Daniel Webster. His daughter, Jane Porter, married Dr. Bancroft and on her wed- ding day Daniel Webster presented her with a diamond ring which she kept until her death. She willed it to her niece and namesake, Jane Elizabeth Porter, a sister of the subject of this sketch, and when she died it went to her mother, who in turn presented it to her son, William R. Porter, on his wedding day and it is now one of his cherished keepsakes. The grandmother, Ann (Thomas) Por- ter, was also a member of an old family and the possessor of considerable talent in poetry, being able to compose letters in rhyme, and she became well known as a poetess. William Porter's mother was a native of Boston, Mass. Her parents, James and Ann (Todd) Underhill, came from Devonshire, Eng- land, to Massachusetts, and she was the youngest of their five children and the only member of the family born in the United States. George K. Por- ter, an uncle of our subject, came to California in the early '60s, finally settling at what is now San Fernando, Cal., where he owned a large ranch and here he was joined about ten years later by his brother, Charles H. Porter, who afterward returned to Boston to visit his old home, where his marriage occurred; with his bride he went to Kansas City, Mo., being employed in the car shops of the Santa Fe Railroad, but owing to ill health he left that city and returned to Boston, where for a short time he was employed as a master mechanic. He then re- turned to California, settling in Watsonville, where hie purchased an eighty-acre ranch and devoted his attention to farming, and also to the harness and saddlery business. To Mr. and Mrs. Porter were born three children: James U., a rancher of Santa Clara County; Jane Elizabeth, who died in 1900, at

the age of sixteen years and seven months; and Wil- liam R., the subject of our review. Charles H. Porter and his wife now live retired in San Jose.

In the pursuit of an education, William R. Por- ter attended the Watsonville grammar schools and then went to Boston, where he completed a course in Comers Business College. On completing his studies he secured a position as office assistant with Wason & Company, a large wholesale grocery house in Boston, established in 1837, and remained with that firm for five years, being promoted until he became a traveling salesman. In 1905 he returned to California with the family, and going to San Fran- cisco, he became assistant cashier and bookkeeper for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, with which he remained for seven months, or until the time of the earthquake. Six weeks afterward, when their plant was established in Alameda County, he again entered the service of that corporation, con- tinuing with them until the plant was discontinued. His father had purchased a twenty-seven acre fruit ranch at Los Gatos and William assisted in its de- velopment and cultivation. In 1913 with his brother he purchased his father's ranch and they engaged in the raising of poultry. Starting with eighteen hens, he soon developed a large business, having at one time as many as 2,000 laying hens. For fourteen years he successfully conducted this business with the exception of the year 1911, when he acted as cash- ier of the A. H. Martin Grain Company of San Jose, the undertaking then being managed by his brother. In 1916 Mr. Porter purchased the interest of his brother and continued the business alone until 1920, when he sold the ranch. In 1918 he had accepted a temporary position with the Hunt Brothers Pack- ing Company, but his services were so valuable to the concern that he was induced to remain and is now their fruit buyer, largely confining his opera- tions to Santa Clara County, although he visits the entire state in their interests. He resides on his ten- acre prune ranch, situated on Prune Ridge Avenue, a short distance west of San Jose, purchasing the land in May, 1920, and paying for it one of the high- est prices ever paid for ranch land in the Santa Clara Valley. It is well irrigated and supplied with all modern improvements, constituting one of the model fruit farms of the county.

In San Jose, on December 15, 1915, Mr. Porter married Miss Elsic A. Aschmann, a native of San Francisco and a daughter of William A. and Eliza- beth (Jung) Aschmann, one of the old-time mer- chants of San Francisco. Mrs. Porter attended the grammar and high schools of San Francisco and by her marriage has become the mother of a daughter, June Elizabeth. Mr. Porter is a Republican in his political views and fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belonging to Los Gatos Lodge No. 292, F. & A. M., and with his wife is a member of the Eastern Star. Throughout his career he has closely applied himself to the work in hand, and he now ranks with the successful orchardists and valued citi- zens of Santa Clara County.

MRS. MAYME ELLIOTT BARRY .- A proficient and popular official, whose fidelity to duty, together with a charming personality, has appealed to all hav- ing occasion to invoke her services, is Mrs. Mayme Elliott Barry, superintendent of the Palo Alto Hos- pital, where she is also house anaesthetist-a woman

William Bonner

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

of remarkable natural ability and wide, valuable expe- rience, intensely interested in her arduous work. She was born at Payette, Idaho, the daughter of Thomas Elliott, an Idaho pioneer mining man, now deceased, but once well known to the Inland Empire, the Pa- cific Coast and the Pacific Northwest; and she was educated at Whitman College, in Washington. She took her first training in nursing at the General Hos- pital, at Walla Walla, Wash., and then went to Chi- cago and there pursued post-graduate work in hos- pital management and anaesthesia at the Columbia and the Chicago Post Graduate hospitals.

Returning to Washington, she took charge of the Walla Walla General Hospital as superintendent and house anaesthetist, but on resigning from that posi- tion, she continued courses in anaesthesia at Cleve- land and in New York City. Then she came to Cali- fornia and became identified with the Peninsular Hos- pital at Palo Alto-now known as the Palo Alto Hos- pital-and she remained there as superintendent until 1917, when she resigned her position and established herself at Palo Alto in private practice as an anaesthe- tist. In July, 1918, however, she was appointed by the U. S. Surgeon-General as anaesthetist-at-large with the American forces abroad, and she went im- mediately to Meres Center, in France, four hours by train from Paris, where she had charge of all the anaesthetists in that hospital. She did not return with her base to the United States, as the value of her professional services had now become recognized and a continuation of her services was demanded. She was next sent to Dijon, France, where she be- came chief anaesthetist, and served until July, 1919, when the American Hospital at Dijon was transferred to the United States. Immediately thereafter, in re- sponse to telegrams from Coblenz, Mrs. Barry was sent to the Evacuation Hospital No. 27, in Germany, and she became anaesthetist there, as it was desired to have one who could administer nitrous-oxide as an expert. When a base hospital was formed at Coblenz, some Americans returning to the United States and other Americans taking their places, she remained and became chief anaesthetist, but in March, 1920, on account of illness in her family, she returned to Cali- fornia and Palo Alto, and immediately resumed her work as superintendent and chief anaesthetist at the Palo Alto Hospital.

This, the Peninsular Hospital, was taken over by Stanford University, which operated it in coopera- tion with the Palo Alto city government. On July 1, 1921, the hospital was sold to the city of Palo Alto, and the city in turn leased it to Stanford University, on a twenty-year lease, with Dr. George Somers as superintendent. Now its status is such among hos- pitals of the state that her present responsible post may well be regarded as the fitting climax in Mrs. Barry's career.

Her father, Thomas Elliott, was a native of De- catur. and when the gold excitement broke out, he was attending boarding school in his home town. He ran away, and crossed the great plains while making his way as the driver of a freight team; and he reached California late in 1849. In time he became identified with early mining interests, as well as poli- tics, in Idaho, and it was he who discovered and de- veloped the celebrated Sub-Rosa gold mine in the Boise, Idaho, Basin. He brought all the mining ma- chinery across the plans from the East, and made and lost three fortunes. While at Boise, he was married

to Miss Jane Margaret Starr, a native of Iowa, and an accomplished young lady several years his junior, who had herself crossed the plains to Ogden, Utah, and then moved on to Idaho. Now, at the ripe age of sixty, she resides in comfort at Baker, Ore., the wife of Charles W. Durkee, who developed the cele- brated Durkee Mines at Baker city. Three sons in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are still living: Jess H. Elliott is interested in mines at Baker; and Paul T. Elliott, who was in the service of his country abroad during the war, resides near Hoplands, Cal., where he is following agricultural pursuits. Norman A. Elliott, also abroad in the defense of his country, is a graduate of the University of California and will continue the study of medicine.

WILLIAM COX .- An interesting California pio- neer and orchardist, who was an upbuilder of Santa Clara County, was found in William Cox, who came to the Santa Clara Valley in 1852. He was an Ohioan by birth, being born at Coshocton. on Janu- ary 21, 1827, a son of John and Mary (Hammel) Cox, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Pennsylvania, both parents being taken to Ohio while small children and there grew to young man- hood and young womanhood. In 1846 they removed to Lee County, Iowa, where they made their per- manent home, residing there until their death. They reared a family of two sons and five daughters. Wil- liam, the eldest son, lived with his parents until 1852, when he, his father, John Cox, and a sister, Mrs. Serena Blythe, came across the plains, and were about six months making the trip. There were four wagons in the party who came through together to the Santa Clara Valley. Capt. Robert Gruwell com- manding the party. William at once hired out as farm hand, and he and his wife, for a time, worked at anything they could get to do, and one of the first debts they paid was money borrowed to pay for ferrying across rivers on their way across the plains. The next season he rented a piece of land from his brother-in-law, Samuel A. Blythe, and put in a crop. In 1874 he bought seventy acres, which was under a Spanish title at that time, and a few years later bought more land, until he owned 315 acres, all under cultivation. He set a number of acres to vine- yard and planted an orchard of French prunes, also peaches, apricots, pears and apples, and was one of the most extensive grain growers in his locality.

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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 124

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