History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 114

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

nia and daughter of Wm. Hanks, better known as Julian Hanks. The latter was born in Massachu- setts, but migrated to Lower California, where he was interested in a vessel. In 1846 he came to Cali- fornia with the elder Fisher, and in San Jose con- ducted a grist mill, operating the same until 1866, when he traded it for property in Sonora, Mexico. He made his home in Lower California until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher were the parents of six children: Laura, the wife of William Straub; Chester F., Neva, Gertrude, George, and Fiacro Julian. Both parents have passed away.

Fiacro Julian began his education in the public schools of San Jose, and then entered Santa Clara College, continuing his studies for two years, then finished his education in the San Jose high school. He then settled on the old home place at Coyote, engaging in farming, and in 1917 purchased an orchard of twenty acres at Cupertino, and selling it in 1919 he bought his present orchard of twenty-two and a half acres on the Casey Road, which he de- votes to raising prunes, being a member of the Cali- fornia Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc. In Septem- ber, 1917, Mr. Fisher entered the United States Army, being stationed at Camp Lewis until sent overseas with his regiment, the Three Hundred Forty-seventh United States Field Artillery, landing at Cherbourg, France, and training at Bordeaux until sent to Verdun sector. After the armistice, was with the Army of Occupation near Coblenz, until he came home in May, 1919. He was mustered out at the Presidio the same month and came home to his Cupertino ranch, which his wife had managed while he was overseas.

The marriage of Mr. Fisher united him with Miss Teresa Fahey, a native daughter of California, born near Wright Station, and they are the parents of one son, William Stanton.

CHARLES LEE GRUWELL .- One of Santa Clara County's well-known horticulturists is Charles Lee Gruwell, who was born on September 4, 1863, on part of the land which is still in his possession. He is the son of Melvin L. and Sarah (Wear) Gru- well, natives of Indiana and Missouri, respectively. Melvin L. Gruwell was born in 1826 and came to California in the year 1850 and settled in Santa Clara County in 1852. Entering into partnership with a friend, they settled on a ranch of 172 acres which belonged to Stinson and Lucas, and then later he purchased Mr. Lucas's half of the property and for fifty-five years was in partnership with Mr. Stinson. engaged in farming, and continued in this line until his demise, which occurred in 1910. at the age of eighty-four years. Melvin Gruwell and his wife were the parents of nine children. William, de- ceased; Arthur J .. deceased; Charles Lee, the sub- ject of this sketch; Martha A .; Lydia became the wife of Jacob Breitenstein; Lawrence C .; Theresa became the wife of H. Van De Pier; Kate is the widow of James Hemphill; Lou became the wife of Joseph Hemphill.

Charles Lee, the subject of our sketch, attended the public schools of his locality and then attended the San Jose State Normal. He has been engaged in the raising of fruit since that time, confining his labors to the raising of peaches and prunes. His marriage, which occurred in 1898, united him with Miss Hattie Ellen, the daughter of C. W. Howard

and Eliza (Curry) Howard. Mr. Howard was born in England and came to the United States when he was only seventeen years old, first locating in Wis- consin and later coming to the gold fields of Cali- fornia, then settling in the Santa Clara Valley, where he still resides. Mrs. Howard was a native of New Brunswick. Mrs. Gruwell first attended the school in Solano County where she was born and where she lived until the age of nine, when she came to Santa Clara County with her parents, and the rest of her school days were spent in the schools of Santa Clara County. Mr. and Mrs. Gruwell had one child, Howard Romayne, who died at the age of three and one-half years. Mr. Gruwell was bereaved of his wife February 19, 1922, a distinct loss to the whole community. Mr. Gruwell has an attractive and com- fortable home, surrounded by two acres of peaches, and one peach tree which stands near the house is more than forty-five years old and bears delicious fruit. He also has six acres in prunes, a part of the old home place. Mr. Gruwell is a past master of Liberty Lodge No. 299, F. & A. M., Santa Clara, also a member of Howard Chapter No. 14, R. A. M., San Jose, and San Jose Council R. & S. M., and San Jose Commandery No. 10 K. T., Islam Temple A. A. O. N. M. S., San Francisco, and the O. E. S.

EDWARD BRUCE STONE .- A good example of what energy and resourcefulness can accomplish, when wisely directed and centralized, is furnished in the career of Edward Bruce Stone, who was born in Denver, Colo., February 8, 1882, the son of Thomas and Mary A. ( Ward) Stone, both natives of England, but were married in the United States. The father, who was a butcher, came to San Jose with his family in 1887 and bought a ranch several years later in the San Thomas district where he resided for some time, and having been very successful, he has retired and is now residing in San Jose. He and his wife were the parents of three children: William T., of San Jose; Charles A., of Palo Alto; Edward Bruce, the subject of this sketch.

Edward B. Stone received his education in the public schools of San Jose and in San Tomas dis- trict. When seventeen years old he entered the em- ploy of the Southern Pacific Railway Company as telegrapher on the Coast Lines and worked in this line of business for seven years. His marriage, which occurred at Los Gatos on September 29, 1903, united him with Miss Emma C. Jarvis, who was born in Newark, Alameda County, Cal., the daughter of Francis Carr and Emma O. (Reader) Jarvis. Mr. Jarvis was born in Ellsworth, Maine, and his wife was a native of Indiana. Her father crossed the plains in 1850 to California, while her mother came with Grandmother Todd to Alameda, and they were married in Centerville. Mr. and Mrs. Stone are the parents of one child, Edward Bruce, Jr.

Mr. Stone is now engaged in ranching and is con- fining his efforts to the raising of prunes, his trees having been planted about twenty-five years ago. His forty acre orchard is located on Phelps Avenue, five miles south of San Jose and is bringing its owner a splendid income. Mr. Stone is a stanch adherent of the Republican party. He is a member of the Christian Science Church of Los Gatos, where he served a term as first reader, and he is also a mem- ber of the Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.

Je. Manch

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Mr. Stone is an energetic and tireless worker and keeps his orchard in a high state of cultivation and efficiency. He has a pumping plant with a capacity of 600 gallons a minute, ample not only for his own but also for the neighbors' orchards. In 1921 he built a modern bungalow residence, equipped with electric cooking facilities. The grounds are artistically laid out and well kept and the farm buildings, as well as the grounds, are lighted by electricity, and he has electrically driven machinery, thus making it one of the most complete in equip- ment of any ranch in the county. A magnificent Sequoia Gigantic on his grounds is one of the finest specimens of its kind in the valley, having been planted about fifty years ago by the Phelps family, who were large cattlemen here.

JAMES C. MERRITT-A man endowed with much business ability and honest and straightfor- ward in all business dealings, James C. Merritt is one of San Jose's successful young business men, enjoying the confidence and esteem of the entire community. A son of Andrus R. and Susan (Bul- lock) Merritt, natives of Pennsylvania and New York, respectively, he was born October 22, 1877, in Atchison County, Mo. Grandfather Merritt, who was a millwright, removed to Minnesota in 1856. One of a family of eight children, all boys, Andrus R. Merritt grew to manhood in Minnesota and re- ceived his education in the schools of that frontier country. Several of the Merritt boys were timber cruisers and one of them, while cruising came across a windfall and where the ground had been torn up found ore that resulted in the discovery of a mountain or iron. Five of the Merritt boys became interested and by the hardest kind of work and making sacrifices they finally opened up the iron mines in the Mesaba range, and proved them a success. They also built the Duluth and Mesaba Northern Railroad, bringing the whole into a won- derful development until the panic of 1893, when they were squeezed out and they are owned by the trust. The great value of the Mesaba iron mines in aiding the World War can best be told when it is known they produce seventy-two per cent of all iron mined in America.

Mrs. Susan Merritt passed away in 1880 leaving two children, James C., our subject, and Thomas A., the latter an automobile dealer in Glendora, Cal. Andrus Merritt was married the second time to Elizabeth Clark and they make their home in San Jose. They have two children, Lewis, a partner of our subject, and J. W., chief geologist for the Sa- pulpa, Oklahoma, Refinery.

James C. was educated in the grammar and high schools of Duluth, Minn., later taking a course at Hamline University at St. Paul. For a year he was with the engineering corps that located the Western Pacific Railroad in eastern Nevada, then in the brokerage and bond business in St. Paul for ten years. The lure of the western country proved too strong for him, however, and in 1916 he came to San Francisco, Cal. After traveling over the state for one year, in 1917 he purchased the share of J. J. Merritt in the Merritt Company, San Jose, and has since been devoting his time to this pros- perous business. They own and operate an extensive plant at Santa Clara, and manufacture many articles of cement and concrete, besides doing a general

contracting business. The Merritt Company plant was established in 1912 and engaged in the manu- facture of concrete pipe and it has grown rapidly since then. They use the Brubaker pipe machine of a large capacity, and are also contractors for laying irrigating pipe, the business having grown un- til in 1920 it was the largest of its kind in Cali- fornia. In June, 1921, the business was incorporated as the Merritt Concrete Products Company with James C. Merritt as president and manager.

In Elko, Nev., on March 30, 1903, Mr. Merritt was married to Miss Lola Swetland, a native of Elko, Nev., who is active and very prominent in club work. She is president of the Y. W. C. A., Mothers' Club of San Jose, a member of the house committee of the Y. W. C. A., superintendent of the inter- mediate department of the Methodist Episcopal Sun- day School and secretary of the Parent-Teachers' Association in San Jose. To Mr. and Mrs. Merritt have been born two sons, Gerald Andrus and Glenn. Mr. Merritt is independent in his political views, and believes in the fitness of man for the office. Religiously he is a consistent member of the Method- ist Episcopal Church. During the years of 1913 and 1914, while a resident of St. Paul, he acted as Exalted Ruler of the Elks. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club, the 100 Per Cent Club and a charter member of the Commer- cial Club. He and his wife were both active in the war and Red Cross drives. When enabled to do so, he spends considerable time in the mountains, hunting and fishing. He has ever believed in con- structive measures, and his diligence and determina- tion have been prominent factors in his career and by his constant application has caused him to ad- vance steadily toward the goal of prosperity.

EUGENE O. McGRATH .- Coming to California in the late '60's, Eugene O. McGrath has been identi- fied with many important gold mining projects and he has become recognized as an engineer of expert ability whose professional career has been one of continuous progress. A native of Vermont, he was born in Burlington, November 15, 1845, a son of Eugene O. and Mary (McGrath) McGrath, the for- mer a farmer by occupation. In the family were seven children, of whom the subject of this review was the fifth in order of birth. He is a veteran of the Civil War, as were also two of his brothers, one of whom was wounded in that conflict. In 1864 he enlisted in the navy and for nine months was one of the crew of the Dumbarton, which was at one time the flagship of Commodore Radford, under command of Admiral Potter, and later was engaged in patrol- ling the James River. He also served for a short time on the Nancimond, Mercury, and Wyandank and was stationed with the Atlantic patrol in front of Washington, D. C., at the time Lincoln was as- sassinated. He was in the engineering department in the navy and received his honorable discharge in 1865, after a little more than a year's service.

Returning to his home in Vermont, Mr. McGrath there remained for a year and in 1867 came to Cali- fornia by the Panama route, landing at San Fran- cisco on February 9. He became interested in min- ing engineering at Dog Town. Butte County, and for twenty-five years was thus occupied, building the second flume in the state. This was erected for the Sugar Pine Lumber Flume & Mining Company and carried an immense volume of water, which was used

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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, tlie 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, Il1. 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 J. Mie

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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 (Roherts) 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 early 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 early 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- iners 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 ou a farm for 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 preemptcd 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.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 114

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1934

Author: Sawyer, Eugene T
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1934