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 132

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

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ing jobbing work. They are located at 890 South First Street, San Jose, and are manufacturers of a deep-well turbine pump of which Mr. Holthouse has the exclusive agency in this district. Being thor- oughly familiar with the geological stratification of the soil in the great Santa Clara Valley where he has brought in hundreds of water-wells, his judg- ment in matters pertaining to water supply is given great weight. A good indication of the kind of work which Mr. Holthouse turns out is that he gives a two-year unconditional guarantee with all his wells and pumps, and thereby is building up a large and profitable business. Besides the home place of 140 acres, he owns a tract of 160 acres and an- other of 640 acres on the Gila River in Arizona.

Mr. Holthouse's marriage in 1901 united him with Miss Frances Arbiter, a native of Kansas, a daughter of William and Hedwig Arbiter, who were both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Holthouse are the parents of four children; Freda Adeline, a graduate of Notre Dame; Mary Louise, a student in high school; Henry F., in the grammar school, and Vincent, a student in the Braly school. The family are members of the Catholic Church at Santa Clara. Politically Mr. Holthouse is a Republican and fraternally, he belongs to the Druids. He is a man of strong executive force and by his industry and strict integrity has won for himself a place of prominence in the community which is undoubt- edly deserved and is justly popular. An enthusiast over the growth and prosperity of Santa Clara, he gives his time and means to the building up of the community.

LLOYD E. FREEMAN .-- One of the oldest set- tlements of Santa Clara County, Santa Clara has of late manifested strongly the spirit of reconstruction and upbuilding, due to the progressive young busi- ness men who are now at the helm of this old Cali- fornia city. A leader among them, Lloyd E. Free- man, has done his full share to establish this spirit of enterprise since his coming here, as one of the owners of the Mission Garage at 945 Main Street.

A native son, Mr. Freeman was born in Marin County, March 8, 1896, and is a son of J. E. Free- man, also born in Marin County, and his wife, who was Lydia L. Perrins before her marriage. She is a native of Springfield, Mass., and is of English origin, being a third cousin of a member of the firm of Lea & Perrins, of "Worcestershire Sauce" fame. Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, who reside in Santa Clara, are the parents of five children: Mrs. Byron Smith; H. E. Freeman, with the Modesto Milk Company, where he resides; Lloyd E., of this sketch; Mabel, employed in San Jose; Arthur D., attending the Santa Clara high school.

After attending school at Orland, Lloyd E. Free- man went to work there in 1912 in a small auto repair shop, where he laid the foundation of his present expert knowledge in this line. In 1915 he came to Santa Clara and soon thereafter entered upon his present business career as proprietor of the Mission Garage. The business has steadily grown until it requires the services of five men to handle its increased volume. Associated with Mr. Freeman are his father, J. E. Freeman and his brother-in- law, Byron Smith. The former has charge of the tractor department and not only looks after this end of the establishment, but does much contract

John Smith

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

work outside, plowing, cultivating, etc. Mr. Smith, who is an expert vulcanizer, has charge of the department of oils, gasoline, tires and tubes, while Lloyd Freeman, with two helpers, attends to the mechanical work of the garage. It is a well-estab- lished and organized firm in which the spirit of co- operation is made manifest in a growing and profit- able business. Of a genial disposition and an ex- cellent co-operator and organizer, Mr. Freeman takes a leading part in the community's activities, and in addition to his garage interests, he is a stockholder in the Homer Knowles Pottery Company.

JOHN SMITH .- A man who has earned an inde- pendency by hard work and honest toil is John Smith, who is now living in peace and contentment on his beautiful orchard home. "Rawdon Dell," of thirty- two acres located on the Saratoga Road, with his wife and his family of six children. A native of England, he was born in Yorkshire, September 23, 1853, and was educated in the schools of his native country. He worked at various occupations until he came to America, locating in Santa Clara County, 1888, where some of his relatives lived. He came into possession of land, which he immediately planted to orchard of apricots, prunes and cherries. In 1916 he built his beautiful house of splash cement and it is finely located and is one of the show places of the Valley. It is named Rawdon Dell after their old home place in England, of which Mr. and Mrs. Smith as well as the older children cherish fond memories. He has disposed of a portion of his acreage and now has thirty-two under high cultivation.

Before leaving England Mr. Smith was married to Miss Eliza Bilton, also born and reared in York- shire and four of their six children were born in England. When he first left England he brought with him his son Thomas and within a short time returned to England and brought the rest of the fam- ily. There are three sons and three daughters; Thomas is a merchant; Fred B. is an orchardist; Jennie B. is Mrs. F. J. Currier; Harry E., a grad- uate of Stanford University, is an attorney practic- ing in San Jose; May E. is graduate of the San Jose State Normal and is a teacher; Grace A. a graduate of Riverside Library School, is with the Santa Clara County Library in San Jose. There are seven grandchildren. The family are active in the affairs of the Congregational Church, Saratoga. Mr. Smith is Republican in politics and with his family he is intensely interested in everything pertaining to the development and future of Saratoga and sur- rounding country.

WILLIAM B. ORTLEY .- One is reminded of the fact that many interesting industries engage the attention of brainy folk in the world, without the world at large knowing much about it, from the story of William B. Ortley and his business enter- prise, the gathering and shipping of clams and oyster shells. He was born in Alviso,-a native son, by the way, proud of his association with the Golden State, in 1875, and his parents were J. J. and Almira (Wade) Ortley. The Wades came across the plains at an early day, and were enrolled among the sturdy California pioneers. Mr. Ortley was a boatman on San Francisco Bay, and it was then that he began to develop the shell trade, for he had a large ware- house, and many boats to carry bay freight. At that time, too, a great deal of the hay and grain was

shipped out of Alviso, and this was stored in his warehouse, prior to being shipped. Fruit has now taken the place of the hay and grain, and the ware- houses are used for different purposes, and business in general is not as extensive as it used to be.

Our subject, however, in part to make up for this falling-off of profitable trade, has developed the clam and oyster shell trade, and to carry that on he has a boat of 150 tons, with a pump attachment, with which he pumps out the shells from the bay bottom, and then hauls them to the shore. He then sacks the shells and wholesales them to poultrymen and commission merchants over the entire West. He also uses his boat to load bay barges of 300 tons with shells, and these barges run to Sacramento and Petaluma, where the shells are disposed of. J. J. Ortley, the father, lived to be eighty-six years old, and he continued long in active business, assisted by his son, who eventually took over the enterprise. Mr. Ortley ships, on the average, two carloads a month of shells, from which he derives a very satis- factory income, although his necessary operating and maintenance expenses are also high-much higher than most persons would be inclined to consider. Politically, Mr. Ortley is an independent, believing in holding himself above the narrowness of party lines, and giving his support generously to the man and the measures he believes to be best and most worthy of endorsement.

JAMES S. CARSON .- An efficient and, therefore, a very popular official is James S. Carson, the super- intendent of the Santa Clara County Poor Farm, near Milpitas, who was born in South Mountain, Canada. on August 31, 1856. the son of James and Elizabeth (Pelton) Carson. His father was a farmer having a ranch of 100 acres devoted to general farm- ing; and he reared a family of nine children, among whom our subject was the next to the youngest born. He attended the public schools at South Mountain; but his father having died when he was only ten years of age, he began to make his way in the world from his thirteenth year.

He first worked five years on a dairy farm, milk- ing; and in 187f he came to Marin County, Cal., and engaged in hay-bailing at Tomales. He then went to Santa Clara County, removed to San Luis Obispo County, and after returning to Santa Clara County spent about seven years farming.

In 1905 he became superintendent of the County Farm near Milpitas, and he has since continued in that responsible office requiring for its successful ad- ministration experience, common sense, and humane sympathy. Besides performing his official duties there, Mr. Carson manages a farm of 100 acres of his own known as the old Sinnot ranch. The County Farm has about 230 acres, 100 of which are devoted to vegetables and hay, and the balance to pasture and grazing. There is a dairy of thirty-five head of milch cows, with about 100 head of stock on the farm, and the place has three irrigation wells. The Farm cares for from 150 to 300 unfortunate persons, varying according to season, many leaving in the summer months, others coming in the winter, about two-thirds of this number being incapacitated in some way; but enough are able to work, to help keep the farm in running order. Perhaps particularly as the result of his experienc with those who come to him as the county's representative for relief, Mr.

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Carson believes in the selection of men for office regardless of partisan claims. Mr. Carson's mother. who came to California about 1896, and died here five years later, was of Scotch descent, and his father of Irish descent, so that he has been for- tunate in his blood-inheritance.

At Oakland, Cal., on Christmas Day. 1888, Mr. Carson was married to Miss Margaret Mokler. a native of Tomales, Cal .. the daughter of Charles and Mary Mokler. Her father was an early settler and a dairyman at Tomales, and highly respected. Four children have been born to this union: Nellie is Mrs. Joseph Ramelli of Milpitas; May has become Mrs. James Cropley of San Jose; Stella has become Mrs. John Martin of San Jose; and Ralph is a stu- dent at Santa Clara College.

JOHN COX .- Great honor is due the courageous pioneers of the Golden State in view of the great hardships they experienced in their untiring efforts to blaze a path for a later civilization, and John Cox. now deceased, may well be counted among these noble men. He was born in Iowa, July 9. 1849, the son of William and Dicey (Baggs) Cox, both natives of Ohio, who were pioneers of Santa Clara County. John Cox, the eldest of their family of nine children, crossed the plains with his parents in an ox-team train in 1852 and was reared on the home farm in the Saratoga district in Santa Clara County, receiving a good education in the local schools while assisting his parents in their ranching. His marriage occurred at Los Gatos October 15. 1879, and united him with Miss Almeda Morrison, horn near Cedar Rapids. Iowa. December 31. 1861, a daughter of Willis and Sarah ( Williams) Morrison. Her grandfather, David Morrison, of Scotch-Irish parentage, was born on the Atlantic Ocean, while his parents were emigrating to the United States. He lived in Indiana and there married Eliza Allen, a descendant of Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga. Sarah Williams was born in Indiana, a daughter of Adin Williams, a native of old Kentucky. Willis Morrison was a wheelwright and a farmer, who came to California in 1863 via Panama, while his wife joined him in 1864, making the journey across the plains, bringing their three children. Mrs. Cox was at that time a small child but still remembers the thrills incident to the trip. Mr. and Mrs. Mor- rison were the parents of nine children. Willis Morrison spent a short time in the mines when he arrived in California and then came to Santa Clara County and worked in the sawmill near Wrights, then went to Oregon, where he ranched for a short time and returned to Santa Clara and bought 160 acres near Saratoga. Later he spent two years at railroad work in Southern Oregon and then moved to Los Angeles County and bought a ranch of sixty acres of walnuts. He passed away in 1915 at the age of eighty-one years, being survived by his widow, now eighty-five years old. At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cox located on the farm of 105 acres on Saratoga Avenue where she still re- sides. A grain field then, they began setting out orchards of prunes that are now full bearing. At the time of Mr. Cox's death they owned a ranch of 150 acres. He was an energetic man and was never idle, however, he was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his labors for he passed away August 15, 1916. Hc was a man widely known and esteemed as an up-

builder of the district and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Church. Since his death his widow continues to reside on the home place, looking after the interests left by her husband and aiding the various movements for the upbuilding of the Saratoga section. Mr. and Mrs. Cox were the parents of eight children, seven of whom are liv- ing; Clara is the wife of E. C. Stamper, and they are the parents of three children-Arthur, Eveline and Donald; Cora is the wife of Robert K. Wells and they have four children living-Eleanor, Herbert, Chester and Clyde; John W. married Alta Laddick and they have one child-Raymond; Frances is Mrs. Fred Mc- Coy and she had a child by her first marriage named George Rowell; Jessie, Mrs. Robbins of Roseburg, Ore .; Willis M. married Ethel Gage and has one child, Milton; and Frank, the youngest of the family.

WILLIAM GRIFFITHS .- Of a constructive and mechanical turn of mind, William Griffiths has turned his talents to the manufacture of a house- hold necessity and is thereby establishing a busi- ness in Santa Clara that is a credit both to him- self and the town. Mr. Griffiths, who was born in San Francisco on April 2, 1884. is the son of James and Johanna ( Mahoney) Griffiths, the lat- ter a native of Ireland. The father, who was born in Bristol, England, was a boilermaker and he came to San Francisco in the early days of 1856. Here he followed his trade for a number of years, work- ing for such pioneer firms as Monahan, Scott and the well-known Union Iron Works. Later he went to Mexico and built boilers for the various Mexi- can railway companies; his death occurred in San Francisco in 1890. There were three children in the Griffiths family: Mrs. Sellers and Mrs. Fuentes, both of San Francisco, and William, of this sketch.

William Griffiths, the youngest of the family, was only six years old at the time of his father's death, and as a mere lad he had to go to work. For seven years he was with the Union Iron Works at San Francisco, and just before the earthquake there in 1906 he had become interested in the cement busi- ness, and was engagd in building foundations, walks and buildings. During this period he became ac- quainted with Charles Wesley, the originator of the cement laundry tray, who had recently come from Chicago, and after a time he was engaged by Mr. Wesley to make the necessary molds for the trays, such as are now manufactured by Mr. Griffiths. They are built according to the standard specifica- tions adopted by the Pacific Coast Cement Tray Manufacturers Association, reinforced by means of wire netting, with zinc bottoms and rims and the necessary plumbing connections.

In 1913 Mr. Griffiths came to Santa Clara and bought the property at 829 Franklin Street, which he has remodeled into modern apartments, one of which he occupies, while in the rear he is building a structure to accommodate his growing manufactur- ing interests. He is now manufacturing on an av- crage of 150 trays per month and they are meeting with excellent satisfaction and a constantly increasing demand, being made of the best materials.

Mr. Griffiths was married in San Francisco to Miss Eva Pyne, born and reared in Santa Clara. She is the daughter of William and Mattie (Murphy) Pyne, and one of a family of four children. Her father. who was born in London, England, came

Almeda box.

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

to Santa Clara in 1897, and passed away there in 1900. Grandfather Pyne was a Civil War veteran and a California pioncer. Mrs. Pyne, who makes her home with Mrs. Griffiths, was born in Phila- delphia, Pa., a daughter of Thomas Murphy of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths are the parents of two children, Willie and Budd. Mrs. Griffiths efficiently assists her husband in his business, and is the office manager, stenographer and bookkeeper, while Mr. Griffiths manages the sales department and oversees the work of the shop. He is a member of the Plasterers and Cement Finishers Union of San Jose. Both he and Mrs. Griffiths are prominent members of the Episcopal Church at Santa Clara, and have made for themselves a lasting place in the community through their progressive spirit and enterprise.

JAMES LOGUE .- A substantial farmer of the Sunnyvale district, James Logue has acquired valu- able holdings there through his years of industrious labor, having been a resident of California since 1875. County Derry, Ireland, was the scene of his child- hood and there he was born on March 2, 1853, his parents being Michael and Ellen ( McKenna) Logue. He attended school until he was fifteen, meanwhile helping his father, who was engaged in farming, and later he went to work for his grandmother. When he reached the age of eighteen he made up his mind to come to America, and going from Belfast to Liverpool, he crossed the ocean to New York, land- ing there the first week of October, 1871. He im- mediately went on to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he had two cousins, and while there he remembers well seeing the fire engines being loaded on the cars to be rushed to the great Chicago fire.

Mr. Logue remained in Pittsburgh for three years, hauling coal and lime, and then came west to San Francisco, Cal., arriving in April, 1875. He worked for the contractor who was building the Grand Hotel, shoveling sand for him, and after a month came to San Jose. His first employment was with Joseph Keep on North First Street, then with Roy Mclaughlin and Judge Archer, being three years with the latter. On July 5, 1880, he came to the great Murphy ranch at Sunnyvale and worked under Michael Farrell, who was then foreman, for three years. By that time he felt that he should begin operations on his own account, and accordingly rented a place of 165 acres on the north side of the Mountain View and Alviso road, remaining there for a number of years. Later he began to pur- chase land, his first purchase being seventy-three acres from the late C. C. Morse, the seedman; this he sold and since he has made three different pur- chases from George Swall of Mountain View, and he now has 1761/2 acres, a valuable tract of land which he keeps up to the highest state of cultivation, every- thing being run systematically. "A place for every- thing and everything in its place," has always been strictly adhered to by Mr. Logue.

In 1887, Mr. Logue was married to Miss Catherine Mulhall, who was born at Morristown, N. J., and came to California in 1876. Her father, Jerry Mul- hall, was a contractor in Santa Clara. Five chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Logue: Aloysius died at the age of sixteen; Mary, a grad- uate of the San Jose State Normal, is a teacher at the Mountain View grammar school; James M. was in the U. S. Navy during the war and got as far as

England; he is now at home and helping operate the farm; Genevieve died at the age of eight; Cath- erine is a graduate of the Mountain View high school and is now attending the State Normal School at San Jose. The family are members of the Roman Catholic Church at Mountain View, and Mr. Logue is a member of the Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc., a stockholder and director in the First National Bank of Mountain View and a stockholder in the Sunnyvale branch of the Bank of Italy. Politically he is a Democrat and a stanch supporter of all that pertains to the welfare of his community, where he is held in the highest respect.

THE FARMERS & MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK OF MOUNTAIN VIEW .- The thriving city of Mountain View has been fortunate in the part played by the far-sighted and experienced bankers in her agricultural and commercial develop- ment through which she has come to take a place of influence, and prominent among the agencies which have made for the greatest progress must be mentioned the Farmers and Merchants National Bank, the leading banking institution of Mountain View. Its success is due, in great measure, to the fact that it possesses every banking facility and meets every local requirement, and its increased working capital, together with added modern con- veniences, which have added greatly to the con- venience and general satisfaction of the patrons, has widened its territory, added to the number of its patrons, and enabled it to do business on a broader and more liberal basis. Much of the im- provement and growth is due to the personal at- tention to every detail, and the hard, conscientious work by Wilbur L. Camp, the first cashier of the institution and now serving as the capable and efficient president.

In 1905 J. S. Mockbee together with Wilbur L. Camp and a few other men-men of vision and faith who expand communities and develop com- monwealths-secing the necessity of a banking in- stitution, established the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Mountain View. It was duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Cali- fornia, capitalized at $50,000, $25,000 of which was paid up at the time of organization, and a beauti- ful and commodious bank building was erected at 200 Castro Street. In 1898 the Bank of Mountain View had been organized and in 1909 it was ab- sorbed by the Farmers and Merchants National Bank. In 1918, Mr. Mockbee resigned as president of the bank, owing to impaired eyesight, and Wilbur L. Camp was elected to fill the position and has associated with him vice-presidents J. S. Mockbee and M. Farrell; O. W. Whaley, cashier; P. C. Whaley and W. A. Griffin, assistant cashiers, and a board of directors composed of himself. George Swall, H. A. Rengstorff, J. S. Mockbec, O. W. Butz, George Jagels, M. Farrell, O. W. Whaley and A. M. Crittenden. Its present paid-up capital is $100,000 with a surplus of $20,000, and total re- sources of over $1,000,000. The bank has a firc. burglar-proof vault, with safe deposit accommoda- tions and ample rooms for the convenience of its patrons, with commodious offices for its officers, its general equipment being the equal of any insti- tution of its size in the country. It is no wonder that the Farmers and Merchants National Bank enjoys

HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

the entire confidence of the people of this section, for it has become a member of the great Federal Reserve system, and as such is sure to provide the best of banking conditions through good times and bad

The high standing of each of the officers of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Mountain View, their well-known personal character, their ex- perience and ability, and the reasonable conserva- tism thus far demonstrated in the progressive pro- grams of the institution, give a double assurance to patrons and public alike as to the present healthy state of the bank. Mountain View is justly proud of this institution and the bank looks proudly to- ward the city of Mountain View of tomorrow.

FRED W. WEHNER .- Through his straightfor- ward methods of doing business and a high degree of personal integrity, Fred W. Wehner has truly been an upbuilder of the county and has established an enviable place for himself throughout the commu- nity. He has recently turned his business over to his son, Fred E., who is now running it, being well qualified for the responsibility, since he has been as- sisting his father for a number of years. Mr. Wehner now lives retired at his pleasant country place on Alum Rock Avenue, where he has a modern, beau- tiful bungalow situated on an eminence giving a beau- tiful view of the valley and city of San Jose, and here he engages in poultry raising, having very fine poultry yards. Mr. Wehner was born in Hanover, Germany, June 26, 1861, the son of John C. and Hannah (Angerstein) Wehner, both natives of Ger- many, from whence the family came to America in the year 1872, when our subject was eleven years old. Fred was next to the youngest of a family of thirteen children born to this worthy couple, who both passed away in San Jose.

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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 132

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