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 71

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 71

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Mr. Cottle did not remain long in San Jose, but went to Gilroy, and from there to San Benito, where he bought a stock ranch; and having sold this, he purchased 140 acres of land in the Willow district, and there set up his hearth. He paid only $15 per acre for his tract, which has become of such appre- ciated value by his improvements, that in the late '80s it was assessed at $1,200 per acre. He later bought additional land, and became one of the pio- neer grain-growers of the neighborhood, and he was also one of the first hereabouts to grow successfully and extensively various kinds of fruit, and to have an orchard that was a show-place.

Leading an active industrial and business life, Mr. Cottle became prominent in public affairs, and as early as 1853 he was elected to the Oregon Legisla- ture. He was a Whig of the Henry Clay school until the great movement began for a new organiza-

tion, and then he naturally became one of the found- ers of the Republican party. Having staked his all in the last section of his choice for a home, he do- nated the site for the first public school in Willow Glen district; and for many years he served as one of the school trustees of the local institution, in whose ele- mentary classes all of his younger sons and daugh- ter, and also his grandchildren, were educated. Sad enough is it to relate, therefore, of one whose life was so exemplary and fruitful for others, that Royal Cottle met with an accident in the summer of 1891 which terminated his useful career. He was driving near his home in The Willows when his horses ran away, and the result of the injuries which he re- ceived was fatal. He was laid to rest in the Oak Hill Cemetery, mourned by hundreds, and his mem- ory will be kept green, particularly by the Santa Clara Pioneer Association, of which he was an hon- ored member.

ANTONIO MONTOYA .- A worthy pioneer of Santa Clara County who settled in the vicinity of Morgan Hill in 1873 was Antonio Montoya, whose activities as a rancher added much to the prosperity and advancement of his locality. He was a na- tive of Old Mexico born near the frontier of the State of Sonora on January 17, 1837. He was the son of Ygnacio Montoya, who was an extensive land owner and stockraiser, who lost his life in defense of his family and property in one of the Indian raids in 1847. 1n 1849 Antonio made a trip to California and the Santa Clara Valley; but the following year he returned to Mexico to get a sister but was de- layed returning to California on account of the chol- era. In 1851 he returned to San Jose and worked as a farm hand; he was also engaged in hauling lum- ber from the mills in the Santa Cruz mountains to San Jose and to the New Almaden mines.

Mr. Montoya's marriage occurred on March 31, 1869, and united him with Miss Maria Pelar Placida Zepada, a native of San Jose, born October 6, 1853, in an adobe house at the corner of Market and Pierce streets. She is the daughter of Peter Zepada, a native of Mexico City, who had removed to Northern Cali- fornia in the early '40s; he finally located in San Jose and in time became a large landowner in the county. He married Miss Carmen Martinez, who died in San Jose, as did her husband. Mrs. Montoya was reared and schooled in San Jose grammar school and the College of Notre Dame. Mr. and Mrs. Montoya were the parents of twelve children: Antonio, at home; Charles, at home; William is married and has two children and they reside at Coalinga; Margaret is the wife of John Juarez and they have three chil- dren and reside in Los Gatos; Alfred is at home; Al- bert served six months in the U. S. Army in the World War, and is at home; Alexander served in the U. S. Army six months, and is at home; Virginia lives at home and is a devoted attendant to her aged mother. Daniel, David, Amelia and Charles all died in infancy. The sons all work together at ranching and running a hay press.

In 1873 the family removed to the Uvas Canyon near Morgan Hill, where Mr. Montoya acquired 197 acres in the forest of the Uvas, among the redwoods and madrone trees. The work of clearing and de- veloping the land was gradually accomplished and thirty acres were planted to vineyard; a fine prune orchard has been planted and within a few years

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will be a profitable venture. In 1900 the residence was erected and has been the scene of many joyful gatherings of relatives and friends. Mr. Montoya passed away at the age of seventy-nine, February 13, 1916, an esteemed and respected citizen, a resident of this county for nearly half a century.

JOHN H. PIEPER .- It is interesting to chronicle the life history of the educated and accomplished man who willingly gives his whole time, coupled with his ability, knowledge and experience, to the permanent upbuilding of the city of his adoption, and whose every effort is to enhance the comfort and happiness of the people. Such a man was the late John H. Pieper, city engineer and surveyor of San Jose up to the time of his death in 1888.

He was born in Hanover, Germany, May 3, 1824, where he attended the grammar and high schools, subsequently graduating from the Polytechnic College in Hanover, where he finished the course in civil and mining engineering. After completing his military services in the royal forces, he emigrated to the United States, first taking up his residence in New York City. He was a farsighted and sagacious busi- ness man, and it was largely through his efforts that Central Park was secured for that city. As a civil engineer he suggested and pointed out to the author- ities the advantage to the Metropolis of such a pro- ject and assisted in laying out the park, now one of the most noted recreation centers in the United States. Soon after completing his work in connec- tion with Central Park he accepted a position as mining engineer in Mariposa County, Cal., and came hither, arriving in the state in 1865. He remained in Mariposa County until 1867, when he came to San Jose, where his ability was soon recognized and he was made city engineer and surveyor, continuing to act in that capacity until his demise, rendering valu- able service to the city. He erected the old electric tower, also constructed the sewer system and did everything in his power to improve and develop the city of San Jose, and he stood out prominently for progress and enterprise.

in San Jose Mr. Pieper formed the acquaintance of Miss Adele Enzabeth Hoffman, a native of Hesse- Cassel, Germany, a lady of muen culture and rehine- ment, who had also come to San Jose m 1867. inc friendship was mutual and resulted in their marriage 111 1000, a umion that proved very happy. At Mr. Pieper s passing in 1808 he was survived by his widow and six children, who are all mentioned in ine biography of Mrs. Adele Elizabeth Pieper im- mediately following in this work.

Aside from his profession Mr. Pieper found time to enter into horticulture, in which he was intensely interested, owning a thirteen-acre ranch in the Santa Clara valley devoted to prunes, apricots and peaches, and he did his part to build up the horticultural in- terests of the county. He was a stanch Republican in his political views, and fraternally he was a mem- ber of the Odd Fellows and Legion of Honor in San Jose. Throughout the entire period of his residence in San Jose he took a most active and helpful part in the work of progress and improvement and left the impress of his individuality for good upon many lines of the city's development. He was a man of

pleasing personality and much business acumen, who would have been an acquisition to any community, his irreproachable character and integrity no less than his achievements giving him a commanding position and compelling his recognition as one destined to lead in anything he undertook. He was charitable and kind and everyone who knew this refined and cultured gentleman loved and esteemed him.

MRS. ADELE ELIZABETH PIEPER .- Among the well-known and highly respected residents of San Jose was numbered Mrs. Adele Elizabeth Pieper, who for over half a century had made her home in this city, with whose development and upbuilding the family name is inseparably associated. She was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, a daughter of Lud- wig Hoffman, a prominent merchant of that city, and received every possible educational advantage, becoming an accomplished linguist and pianist. Tak- ing up the profession of teaching, she became promi- nent as an educator in the capitals of Europe, leaving Paris for London, where she became a tutor among the families of the nobility. She was most success- ful in her educational work, standing at the top of her profession. About 1867 she came to the United States, making the journey to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and located in San Jose. In 1868 she was married here to John H. Pieper, who was born in Hanover, Germany, May 3, 1824, coming to California in 1865 and to San Jose in 1867, and as a surveyor he gave faithful service as city engineer until his death, which occurred in 1888. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Pieper were the parents of six chil- dren: The eldest son, Charles, was graduated from the School of Engineering in San Francisco, and a few years after his father's death he was made city engineer and surveyor, retaining this position until his death, October 1, 1910, proving a worthy successor to his father; he was a member of the San Jose lodge of Masons and was a Republican. He had married Miss Minnie Blakemore and they be- came the parents of one child, Marciele E. Oscar H. is engaged in the manufacturing of dental sup- plies at Rochester, N. Y. Tecla attended the San Jose State Normal, but was never engaged in teach- ing, her time being spent presiding over her home, caring for her mother until the latter's demise; Al- phonse is associated with his brother, Oscar, in the manufacturing business in Rochester, N. Y. He is married and has a son, Arthur O. Ernest is a grad- uate from a dental college in San Francisco and was a prominent dentist in San Jose until he accepted the management of the Braslan Seed Growers Com- pany, Inc., of San Jose. He married Miss Ray Gag- liardo, and they have a son, Ernest O. Olga became Mrs. Chas. P. Braslan and the mother of a daughter, Olga. Mr. Braslan passed away in 1910.

Mrs. Adele Pieper passed away in November 13, 1919, and her memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew her. The spirit of helpfulness seemed to find embodiment in her and no task seemed too difficult when it would alleviate suffering or add to the happiness of those about her. The name of Pieper is one of long and close association with the development and upbuilding of San Jose and it will remain an honored one in the annals of the city.

C& A Milay ly

Sarah m. Wilcox.

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

ELBERT JOSEPH WILCOX .- A member of a family that has been closely identified with the history of San Jose for almost seventy years, Elbert Joseph Wilcox was born in San Jose, February 12, 1873, and has continuously resided in this section of the country. He is a son of the late Elbert Joseph Wilcox, Sr., a California pioneer of 1853, who was born in Middletown, Conn., July 19, 1829, and re- mained in his native state until he was twenty-three. In October, 1852, accompanied by his bride, he took passage on the Flying Dutchman and sailed around the Horn, arriving in San Francisco January 29, 1853, after a voyage of 100 days. Upon arrival he immediately joined his wife's brother, J. O. McKee, in San Jose. During the year of 1856 he purchased an interest in a grocery business, but two years later sold out and became one of the proprietors of the Morgan House on the northwest corner First and San Fernando, well known as the stopping place of the stage on its way to and from San Francisco. After a time he purchased his partner's interest and bought the site, and in 1867 he replaced the build- ing with a portion of the present brick structure. In 1871 he erected the Wilcox block, on the same site. and the same year he hought the shoe stock of Mc- Gowen and Company, and moved it to his new build- ing, where he conducted a shoe business until his retirement in September, 1899. Elbert J. Wilcox's marriage occurred in Middletown, Conn, in 1852. united him with Miss Sarah Maria McKee, a native of Middletown, and during girlhood a student in Meriden Female Seminary. Her father, Capt. Jo- seph O. McKee, a seafaring man, brought the barque Isabella around the Horn in 1849, and with him came his son, J. O. McKee. He liked the country and sent for his family to join him and they also came out on the Flying Dutchman.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox were the parents of six chil- dren, three of whom are living. Anna K., a grad- uate of Gates Institute; Edith, the wife of Judge WV. A. Beasly of San Jose; and Elbert Joseph, Jr., the subject of this sketch. Formerly Mr. Wilcox, Sr .. was a member of the Board of Trade, later ac- tively connected with the Chamber of Commerce. In national politics a pronounced Republican, he was elected to represent the fourth ward in the city council. On the organization of the free library, he became a member of the board of trustees and continued in that position for fifteen years. He was always keenly interested in the meetings of the Santa Clara County Pioneer Association and was an hon- ored member. Mrs. Wilcox passed away in June, 1904, followed by her husband in April, 1918.

Elbert Joseph Wilcox, of this review, was edu- cated in the grammar and high schools, later attend- ing the University of the Pacific, and in 1901 he graduated from the school of Mechanical Arts of San Francisco. After his graduation he entered the employ of the American Can Company in San Fran- cisco as draftsman, and remained with them for nine years; since then, the management of his father's estate has demanded his full attention, and large- ly through his energy and industry, the property is becoming more valuable each succeeding year. Po- litically he is a strong Republican and is a mem- ber of the Chamber of Commerce. He is treas- urer of the First Presbyterian Church of San Jose. Always taking an active part in all public measures, 24

Mr. Wilcox has sought in every way to advance the interests of his native city.

HENRY J. B. WRIGHT, M. D .- Prominent among the eminent representatives of the medical profession in California whose influence has been felt, to the blessing of many, beyond the confines of the state and also outside of their own immediate field of activity, was the late Dr. Henry J. B. Wright, whose illuminating publications relative to the ad- vantages of Santa Clara County have proven of such help in the vigorous campaigning by the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. A wide-awake Hoosier, he was born in Rush County, Ind., on March 18, 1851, the son of the Rev. Ephraim Wright, a faithful and scholarly clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who had married Miss Polly Buckley. They had five children, and the subject of our sketch was the youngest in the family. He attended the local public schools and Moore's Hill College, in Indiana. Later he was graduated from the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery as M. D., and in 1880 con- tinned studying at the Jefferson Medical College in Pennsylvania, receiving the degree of M. D. Irom that institution in 1881. In 1911 he received the de- gree of B. S. from Moore's Hill College.

For fourteen years Dr. Wright practiced in Olney, Southern Illinois, and then, in 1889, soon after the "boom" which brought so many good folks from the East, he came to San Jose, and here he em- barked on that uninterrupted career which made him, most probably, the oldest practicing physician in the county. In Illinois he was on the board of examin- ing surgeons for pensions, and he held a similar office in California for several years. He was a member of the board of health for many years, and was health officer of San Jose for two years. He be- longed to the Santa Clara County Medical Society, in which he held all the offices possible, at some time or other; and for forty years he was a member of the American Medical Association. For twenty-six years he was financial secretary and treasurer of the First Methodist Church of San Jose.

In 1875 Dr. Wright was married to Miss Kate E. Phillips, born in Indiana, a charming lady, who made many friends, wherever she lived, prior to her la- mented death in 1893. Dr. and Mrs. Wright were the parents of two children, namely, Hannah L., who was married to Dr. W. C. Bailey, a native son of San Jose, and H. Horton Wright, deceased.

Dr. Wright was a Republican, and voted und worked with the Republicans in matters of national moment; but he was too broad-minded to permit par- tisanship to interfere with his whole-hearted partici- pation in movements most likely to benefit the local- ity in which he lived, operated and prospered. He was a member of the board of freeholders that made the charter of San Jose prior to the present one, and he was also a member of the board that made the present city charter. Some years ago, wishing to contribute definitely to the rapid development of this part of the state, he wrote for the Christmas edition of the Mercury a very interesting and sug- gestive description of "The Seasons in the Santa Clara Valley," in which he touched upon the phe- nomena of nature, the lavish crops of field, tree and bush, the gorgeous variety of local color, and the profusion of the landscape beanty, from March to February, pointing out what is peculiar to this sec-

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tion; and this helpful exposition of undeniable facts the San Jose Chamber of Commerce has made good use of by sending it broadcast throughout the coun- try and beyond the seas. He was truly a self-made man, working his own way by teaching, etc., through college. He was a great reader, almost entirely in the line of historical works, and wrote the history of the Horton and Wright families. As president of the Santa Clara County Historical Society, he com- piled the war history of Santa Clara County, a com- prehensive volume of the county's activities published in 1919. Dr. Wright passed away December 7, 1920.

MICHAEL CASEY .- Seldom, if ever, has any public official in California retired from office, been the object of more confidence and esteem than Mi- chael Casey, the ex-mayor of Gilroy. He was born in Ireland, and when a lad of six years crossed the Atlantic to the United States and went to Massa- chusetts, where he grew up on a farm about eighty miles from Boston. On July 14, 1867, he reached San Francisco, handicapped in respect to education; but he had keen powers of observation and reflec- tion, and what little he had learned he put to use, and so, in one way or another, he got on in the world. In 1870 he came to Santa Clara County and found employment on a farm; and he assisted in raising potatoes and grain, the chief crops in those days. Prior to this he tried his skill on a dairy farm near Menlo Park, and before coming to Gilroy he was employed on the Laurel Wood Farm and Race Track, near Alviso. He was a keen admirer of fine horses and knew how to handle them, and he had a reputation for managing the wildest horses.

In June, 1872, Mr. Casey removed to Gilroy, and for ten years he was manager of John Pain's livery stable. In 1886 he acquired by purchase a share in a partnership with Mr. Herold, who owned the brew- ery; and when Herold entered politics he bought out his interest in the business. Owing to the un- settled state of the title to land upon which the very site of the town was placed, Gilroy was held back in its development; and when in the early '80s the sum of $63,000 was paid by the people to Henry Miller, it was evident that some day there would be a city there. Michael Casey was among those who put the most faith in the municipal project; and then he backed that faith with all the property that he could muster-$1,100 which he paid for his land. In the period of the town's interesting development he served as councilman for several terms, and has twice been mayor of the city, each time laboring for the benefit of the people. When Mr. Casey first came to this locality he became a member of the volunteer fire department and was chief engineer. During his time in the service he practically remod- eled the department, making it modern and up to date for that period. He was a member of the city council and on the water committee during the in- stallation of the water system, voting $50,000 bonds and saving actually $4,000 in the work. He has been a Democrat, but he has never allowed narrow partisan- ship to embarrass him in rendering support to the best measures and the best men.

Mr. Casey has been a stockholder and a director of the Bank of Italy, and since it absorbed the old Bank of Gilroy some four years ago, he has served as chairman of the board of the Gilroy branch of the Bank of Italy. He has completed one of Gilroy's

best buildings, and given the Government a lease of it for ten years for post office purposes. This structure represents an expenditure of $20,000, is furnished throughout with oak, and the basement is scaled water-tight, against possible high water in rainy seasons. The burglar-proof vault was com- pleted in October, 1920, At present, Mr. Casey is living retired, enjoying the well-earned fruits of the long years of hard and responsible labor, in which he made so many friends.

At Gilroy, on September 25, 1872, Mr. Casey was married to Miss Margaret McLoughlin, a lady of Irish parentage, who had lived in Gilroy about six ycars prior to her marriage. She, also, made a host of friends, and she was widely mourned, when she died, in 1886. Seven children were born of this union. Mary M., a trained nurse, resides in Gilroy; Josephine and Evangeline are at home; Georgiana has become Mrs. S. W. Tracy of San Francisco; Emily, her twin sister, is the wife of Dr. J. Clark, and they reside with their three sons at Gilroy; Thomas Francis, a dentist of San Francisco, has the degree of D.D.S., and enjoys a lucrative practice, he is the father of one son; Elizabeth is the wife of Harry Tracy of San Francisco. There are six grandchildren. The fam- ily attend the Roman Catholic Church, and Mr. Casey is a member of the Improved Order of Redmen.

STONEWALL J. MAYOCK .- Numbered among the public-spirited and philanthropic citizens who are well known in Santa Clara County, in fact throughout the entire State of California, is Stone- wall J. Mayock, proprietor of the Central Hotel at Gilroy, where he has lived and labored since 1874. He is a son of the late Michael and Mary J. (Forbes) Mayock, the former a native of County Mayo, Ire- land, and the latter of Georgia, where the Forbes family has been established for several generations. Sidney Forbes, Mrs. Mayock's father, was a man of responsibility and influence, and he was thus able to bequeath the most valuable of heritages. Michael Mayock came to America when he was a lad, and his ambition and perseverance stood by him in his struggle with the land of his adoption. In Georgia he found more than a competence, gaining there a wife, who stimulated him by her devotion as he en- gaged in merchandising and mining. Leaving his family in the East, he joined the tide of emigration to the West in 1849, and for a couple of years en- gaged in mining in Placer County. Then he returned to his Georgia home and bought a plantation, which he operated with success until ruined by the Civil War. He then removed to California and settled in Gilroy in 1874, finding congenial employment with Miller & Lux. While he was engaged with a cutter he lost one of his arms, and he died when eighty- four years of age. He left a widow and six children: Barbara, Mrs. H. D. Martin, of Gilroy; Maggie bc- came Mrs. Barrows and resides in the same city; Henry Thompson; Levi, a stockman of San Benito County; Stonewall J., of this review; and Robert L. of San Francisco. Mrs. Mayock lived to be about eighty-six years old.

Stonewall J. Mayock, or "Stoney," as he was more familiarly known by his friends, was born at Daw- sonville, Ga., on November 14, 1862, and from the age of twelve has lived in Gilroy, where he went to school and followed odd jobs such as lads of his day and age were wont to pursue. After he had

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

spent several years in various lines of business he finally became a traveling salesman for Sherwood & Sherwood of San Francisco, and also represented C. P. Morman & Co., of Louisville, Ky., for many years. In 1906 he purchased the Central Hotel in Gilroy, and ever since then has been its proprietor; he also owns other desirable property in Bodfish Canyon district.

At Sonora, Tuolumne County, Mr. Mayock was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Starbird and they became parents of two children: Robert S., and Wellburn F. Both boys were graduated from the Gilroy high school, then continued their studies at the University of California, majoring in law. At the breaking out of the World War, just as they had graduated, they both enlisted in the U. S. Navy and served for eighteen months. Upon returning to Gilroy, Wellburn became connected with the Gilroy branch of the Garden City Bank and Trust Com- pany. Subsequently passing the examination at the California Bar successfully, he became connected with the firm of E. D. Crawford & Co., now Crawford & Mayock, who do a general real estate, insurance and brokerage business in connection with the law. Rob- ert Mayock is also connected with this firm and handles the real estate and brokerage departments very successfully. Wellburn married Barbara Schmitt and they have two children, Barbara Ellen and Well- burn Stoney Mayock. Mrs. S. J. Mayock died in 1919, mourned by all who knew her.

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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 71

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