History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 152

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

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has been rented to the school district for 100 years at the nominal sum of $1 per acre per annum. Ground for the new buildings was broken in December, 1917. The academic classes are lodged in the admin- istration building, which includes the library, study hall, the office of the school and fourteen classrooms. The science department includes three laboratories and a lecture room, and a small biological garden. The commercial department consists of a typewriting room and a bookkeeping room. The domestic arts department, with its class-rooms, sewing and cook- ing rooms, etc., is in the heart of the group and connects the commercial department with the audi- torium. The manual arts department forms the southeast wing of the group where its activities will not disturb the remainder of the school. The art department and the cafeteria form the eastern wing of a court, upon which the girls' gymnasium, the auditorium and the domestic arts departments will back. A feature of this court will be a swimming pool. The northernmost wing of the group con- tains the auditorium. Probably the most novel fea- ture of the entire group is the study court.

The central idea of the building is embodied in the library, concerning which Mr. Nichols, when superin- tendent of the Palo Alto schools, remarked: "Books remain the master tool of educational processes, all pseudo-vocational, moving picture theories of educa- tion to the contrary notwithstanding ... Exact science is poverty-stricken without its master-interpreters and seers whose names stand out on the library shelves. In the library are gathered the ideals of all time and all men, and even a dullard must be quickened into some sort of vision of life by the very fact of sitting quietly surrounded by books. In the full faith that the library may be made the well- spring of ideality in the lives of high school pupils, the trustees have set their seal on this spacious. central room."

Considering the undoubtedly important part which the Palo Alto high school will play in the future de- velopment of education in Northern California, some observation by its distinguished head on general edu- cational affairs in the Golden State are here worthy of record. "Educational affairs in California," said Mr. Nichols not long ago, "are being excellently di- rected by a strong, efficient, non-political State Board of Education and by the Honorable Will C. Wood, just elected State Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion. Mr. Wood is an educated statesman of high order, wholly devoted to the interests of the children and the educational institutions of the State."

PERCY O'CONNOR .- A profound student both of the law and of human life who, on account of his broad knowledge, is able to administer a public trust in almost an ideal manner, is Percy O'Connor, the popular assistant district attorney, with headquarters at San Jose. A native son who has never lost his admiration for the Golden State, he was born at Los Angeles on September 8, 1892, the son of M. F. and Delight (Hopkins) O'Connor, and he was educated in both the public and private educational institutions of the state. When he had finished with the public schools in Los Angeles, he attended St. Vincent's College in that city and later matriculated at Santa Clara University, from which he was graduated in 1913 with the Bachelor of Arts degree, receiving from

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

the same alma mater, two years later, the LL.B. degree. In 1915, he was admitted to practice at the California Bar; and since then he has been inter- ested more and more in the administration of jus- tice and the preservation of law and order. He be- longs to the County Bar Association, nor is there a more welcome member. He was appointed to his present post, as assistant to District Attorney C. C. Coolidge, on January 19, 1920.

In July, 1917, Mr. O'Connor enlisted in the United States Army for service in the World War, commenc- ing as a private; and as first lieutenant of the Eighth Infantry, he discharged his duty in France and Ger- many, and remained a soldier until November, 1919. He belongs to the American Legion, the Y. M. C. A., the Masons and the Elks, and when national issues are at stake, he marches with the Republicans. He belongs to Trinity Episcopal Church, and partici- pates frequently in special uplift work.

JAMES WILLIAM THAYER, M. D .- Promi- nent among the distinguished representatives of the medical profession in Santa Clara County is Dr. James William Thayer, for thirty-four years a resi- dent of Gilroy, and now the health officer in that town, and as a leading pioneer of this section, is one of the well-known and influential citizens in the county. He was born in the vicinity of La Grange, Wyoming County, N. Y., on July 23, 1854, in an an- cestral house long in the family, the son of William John and Eliza (Lockwood) Thayer, both natives of that county, and schoolmates together, the father having first seen the light in 1820. Mrs. Thayer died in 1885, aged sixty-five, the mother of six children.

James William attended the public schools of Wy- oming County, the Wyoming Academy and the Un- ion Collegiate Institute at Attica, and was graduated from the classical and scientific courses on June 19, 1874. He began the study of medicine while at the Institute, but broken health interfered and he was compelled to postpone his favorite work. Then, for a couple of years, Dr. W. B. Sprague, of Pavilion, N. Y., was his preceptor, and in 1875, he went to Ashland, Nebr., and there continued his medical work under Dr. Gray. A year later he matriculated at the medical college at Keokuk, Iowa, and in Feb- ruary, 1879, was duly graduated. Then he established himself at Ogdensburg, Kans., and from that town he moved to Milford, that state, where he had a drug store as well as his medical practice to keep him busy. In 1883 he was appointed resident physician of the principal hospital of the Mexican Central Rail- road at Chihuahua, Mexico, receiving promotions from time to time, until when he resigned in 1886, he was acting chief surgeon of that road. He next followed his profession at El Paso, Texas, in partner- ship with Dr. W. M. Vilas, remaining there until the spring of 1888.

On account of failing health, Dr. Thayer decided to try California, and in February of 1888 he came out to the Coast and for three months traveled over the state seeking a climate suitable for his condition of health and decided upon Gilroy as the most advan- tageous. In May of that year he began the practice of his profession here and in 1890 was appointed dis- trict surgeon of the Southern Pacific Railroad, main- taining that position until 1905. In 1916 he again as- sumed that position, which he still holds; he also

became examiner for thirty-two insurance companies, his ability and his conscientious duty commending him to corporations wishing to get only the best. Dr. Thayer is a member of Santa Clara County Med- ical Society and holds the oldest consecutive member- ship of living members there; he is a member of the State Medical Association and the American Medi- cal Association; as well as the Pacific Society of Railroad Surgeons and International Association of Railway Surgeons.

Although among the busiest professional men of Santa Clara County. Dr. Thayer has never failed to give some of his time to promote the municipal wel- fare, generally working with the leaders of the Re- publican party to effect the reforms or progress desired, but being too broad-minded not to put his shoulder to the wheel, when occasion has demanded it, in non-partisan endeavor, and accepting public office himself, that he might more effectively "lend a hand." For fourteen years he served conscientiously as a member of the city council and for many years he has been the health officer of Gilroy, and the dep- uty health officer of the southern portion of Santa Clara County. He also did pioneer and far-reaching work for twelve years as the secretary of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, resigning that responsible position on account of his many other duties, in Sep- tember, 1920, after having contributed a great deal to the success of that organization of great efficiency, which had evolved from the Gilroy Promotion Club of 1905-08. The Chamber of Commerce of Gilroy, however, was not organized until April, 1912, when H. Hecker was elected president and Dr. Thayer secretary. In 1921, a reorganization and drive for new members proved a great success. L. W. Wheeler then assuming the presidency, and C. T. Bolfing be- coming secretary. During the last eight years. es- pecially, the Chamber of Commerce has been working wonders for the benefit of Gilroy, and it is no small honor to have participated, actively and willingly, as Dr. Thayer has done, contributing frequently to both the Gilroy and the rest of the Santa Clara County press. He was one of the organizers and a member of the board of trustees from its organization to the present time of the Gilroy Public Library and a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church and secretary of its board of trustees.

Dr. Thayer has been twice married. In June, 1874, at La Grange, N. Y., he was united with Mary S. Dexter, who was born in 1855, and died in August, 1876, the mother of one daughter, Delia Florine Thayer, born in Pavilion N. Y. While practicing medicine in Ogdensburg, Kans., he married Miss Effie A. Parrish, by whom he had one daughter, Laura E. Thayer.

Miss D. Florine Thayer was reared and educated in Gilroy, and had begun to pursue the courses of study at the San Jose State Normal School, with a view to teaching, when impaired health induced her to change her work, and for twenty-one years she has been Dr. Thayer's office assistant. Of resourceful capability, Miss Thayer has proven a factor for real good in Gilroy. She is the financial secretary of the Independent Order of Foresters, and a past noble grand of the Rebekahs and musician of the local lodge for years. She has been particularly influential for progress and the better things in clubs, and is a char- ter member and for twenty-one years secretary of the

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

F. R. F. G. Club, and was the first secretary of the Women's Civic Club of Gilroy. She belongs to the First Presbyterian Church, and is secretary of the Women's Missionary Society and the Mite Society.

MRS. ALLIS KIMBALL BALLOU BRAD- FORD .- A native daughter of California, who has traveled extensively is Mrs. Allis Kimball Bradford. She is a representative of the ninth generation of the Ballou family in the United States, and was born in San Jose on the Oakland Road on one of her father's ranches. She grew up in Santa Clara County and was educated in the grammar and high schools and later attended the State Normal school at San Jose and graduated with the class of 1885; later she went to Boston, Mass., and studied voice culture. Her father, J. Q. A. Ballou, is a native of Windsor Coun- ty, Vt., who came to California in 1849, going first to the mines in Amador County. In 1853 he removed to Santa Clara County and purchased forty acres on the Milpitas road, which he set to an orchard. He has always been a prominent and progressive citizen of Santa Clara County, and has been interested in various projects that counted for the upbuilding of the county. He resides with Mrs. Bradford at her home in Palo Alto at 350 Addison Street and is ninety-five years old, being totally blind.

In San Jose in 1897, Miss Ballou was united in marriage with Wager Bradford, a mining engineer. who was born in Stockton and educated at Hamilton College, New York State. Immediately after mar- riage, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford went to Johannesburgh, South Africa, where Mr. Bradford was employed as a mining engineer for the Eckstein Gold Mining Company. He became a captain in the British army defending the Rand mining district in the Transvaal. Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, who were the parents of two daughters, Katherine and Elizabeth, resided in Africa thirteen years. Mr. Bradford was taken ill there with pneumonia and passed away July 9, 1909, and Mrs. Bradford returned to San Jose with her hus- band's remains and he was interred in Oak Hill cem- etery at San Jose. In 1910 she removed to Palo Alto, purchasing her home at 350 Addison Avenue. She is active in civic affairs and serves on the advis- ory board of the Stanford Convalescent Home for children, and also belongs to the Woman's Club of Palo Alto. During the recent war she served on the home section of the Red Cross. She is devoted to her home and the care and education of her daugh- ter and administering to the needs of her blind father. She .believes in constructive measures and is inter- ested in the welfare of the community.

ALFRED SEALE .- A native son, fortunate in an inheritance of deep interest for California and her splendid institutions, and devoting most of his time to his real estate affairs, Alfred Seale, of 537 Cole- ridge Avenue, Palo Alto, contributed definitely to- ward the rapid and permanent development of the re- soures of the favored Golden State. He was born at San Francisco on December 16, 1865, and started life with the advantages of a metropolitan environ- ment. His father, Thomas Seale, was a native of Ireland, having been born in Banagher, County Kings, in 1826; and when he first came to the United States, he lived for a while in. New Orleans. Then, in 1850, he came out to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and he located in San Francisco, where he established himself with his brother, Henry W.

Seale, as a contractor and undertook much of the difficult and important grading work in the early days of that city. In 1853, he came down into Santa Clara County, and settled at Mayfield; and there he became the owner of more than a thousand acres of land. It lies south of Palo Alto, and in its owner- ship, Mr. Seale had his brother, Henry W. Seale, as a partner; the area is now known as the Seale Tract. The brothers farmed the land successfully until the death of Henry W. Seale, in 1888. Thomas died nineteen years later. He had married Miss Marion Sproule, and their union was blessed with two children -- Alfred, the subject of this sketch, and Mabel, now the wife of Gustav Laumeister, of Palo Alto. Henry W. Seale married Miss Jessie D. Carr, a daughter of Jesse Carr, the California pioneer.

Alfred, on settling down to his sphere in life, en- tered the realty field as an owner, and has done his part to favor the appreciation of land value and to develop his holdings. He is a Democrat, as was his father and uncle, favoring the substantial traditions of the historic party, and his influence is often felt for the uplifting of civic affairs.

When he married, Alfred Seale took for his wife Miss Grace E. Ross, a native of Lassen County, Cal., and the daughter of A. E. Ross, a pioneer stockman. Four children came to gladden the hearts of these worthy parents. Marion, Barbara, Alfred, Jr., and Marjorie. Mr. Seale is a Mason, and a Shriner; and he is also a very esteemed member of the Na- tive Sons of the Golden West.

ARTHUR E. ARNOLD .- Coming to Stockton, Cal., in 1876, Arthur E. Arnold was for a number of years a resident of the San Joaquin Valley, at a time when, compared with the present, that part of the country was sparsely settled. A native of Connecti- cut, Mr. Arnold was born at Norwalk, November 2. 1850, and when thirteen years old accompanied his parents to Boscobel, Wis., and there he spent the next thirteen years of his life at farm work and at threshing operations. 1n 1876 he came to California and went to work on a ranch in San Joaquin County; he remained there but a short time, however, going from there to the Sperry Bros. ranch, near Stockton. Later he organized a threshing crew and contracted for the threshing of grain throughout San Joaquin, County when it was a vast grain field, continuing there until 1895, when he came to Santa Clara Coun- ty. He decided on the rich district of Morgan Hill as the scene for his future operations and purchased thirty-five acres of the Dunne tract, situated on Ed- mundson Avenue, and here he has since made his home, continuing his threshing operations each sum- mer in San Joaquin County until 1919.

In 1880 Mr. Arnold was married to Miss Vina C. Carlon, who was born in Iowa, the daughter of Kin- sey and Henrietta (Mallard) Carlon. The father, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1824, was a pioneer settler of Iowa, and Mrs. Carlon was born in New Jersey in 1837; she lived to be eighty-one years old, passing away in lowa in 1918. Mrs. Arnold, who was fortunate in having a fine education, followed the profession of teaching in Iowa for about four years before her marriage to Mr. Arnold, whose ac- quaintance she made while on a visit to California. Three children have been born to them: Vivian,

IF NO. Osterman

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

married to John Ricardo, and they reside at Antioch; Wallace, deceased, is survived by a son, Arthur F. Arnold, who lives at San Jose; Carl, married Miss Kruger of Watsonville, and they reside near Morgan Hill; he has a fine record for service during the World War, serving for two years and spending twelve months overseas in the Engineers Corps. Mr. Arnold is a Republican in politics and takes a keen interest in all that concerns the community's good. Mrs. Arnold has been a member of the Methodist Church for twenty-six years and of the W. C. T. U. for twenty-seven years.

FRED W. OSTERMAN .- Prominent among the most progressive and successful nurserymen of Cal- ifornia is Fred W. Osterman, who was born on the Alameda, in San Jose, on October 29, 1866, the son of William and Mary Agatha (Brunst) Osterman. His father came to California across the plains in an ox- team train in the early fifties, and for a while was employed in the lumber mills at Fort Bragg, in Men- docino County. He had come to America and New York City from Bremen when he was fourteen years old, and later made his way to California; and he had to struggle with adversity, for his parents' property had been confiscated by the Russians. Mrs. Osterman. on the other hand, came from Klingen Munster, Rheinfelsen, and she and Mr. Osterman were married at San Francisco, after he had been shipwrecked while journeying from Ft. Bragg to the Bay City. Mr. Osterman took up mill work at the Froment Lumber Company, and later accepted a position with the Santa Clara Valley Lumber Company in San Jose, where he continued till he died. His widow is living in San Jose aged eighty-six years. She has three children, Fred- erick W., our subject; Margaret, Mrs. Jas. Donnelly of San Francisco; and Wm. J., of San Jose.

Fred Osterman attended the Hester school, and at fifteen was apprenticed to learn the plumber's trade. He worked under Fred Klein for four years, and then for a couple of years, or until they discontinued, for Badgley & Behrendt. After that, for sixteen years he was in the employ of Chris. Hirth. He then went into business for himself, and for five years had a plumbing shop at 732 South First Street. From a lad Mr. Osterman had been interested in growing flowers, plants, seeds and trees and always cared for the home gardens and he became experienced in budding and grafting as well as propagating plants, so in 1904 he sold his plumbing business to devote all of his time to the nursery business. He established his first nur- sery at 501 Prevost Street, and after four years he sold out to Charles Navlet. Then he bought the old Hannah Nursery of ten acres on the Mclaughlin Road, and there he has cultivated all kinds of nur- sery stock, and became an expert in bulb growing. He has installed a first-class pumping plant, and many modern improvements. He has also installed a system of irrigation from pipes laid underground. He makes a specialty of raising bulbs and all kinds of ornamental stock, narcissus, peonies, jonquils, daffodils. gladioli, as well as all kinds of roses and has established a rep- utation for growing the finest roses, importing roses from France and jonquils from Holland.

At San Jose on August 7, 1889, Mr. Osterman was married to Miss Orianna Waldorf, a native of Mt. Auburn, Ill., and the daughter of Jacob and Adaline C. (Slayton) Waldorf. Jacob Waldorf was born in Warnerville, N. Y. Coming to Michigan he mar-

ried Adaline C. Slayton, who was born in Hillsdale. Mich., and they removed to Illinois where they were farmers. During the Civil War, Mr. Waldorf was captain of Company G. U. S. Heavy Artillery, taking part in the Georgia campaign and march to the sea. In 1873 Mr. Waldorf removed to Virginia City, Nev., where he was employed in the Bonanza King mine, his family joining him in 1875. In 1887 the family came to San Jose, and seven years later the father joined them there, where he died. His widow con- tinues to reside in San Jose, aged seventy-nine years. Of their seven children, five are living: Mrs. Minnie McCourt of San Francisco; Orianna, Mrs. Osterman; John T., a prominent man of San Francisco, who was enrolling clerk of the U. S. Senate for four years; Geo. W., an attorney in San Jose; Addie, deceased; Jacob was with the aero squadron in the World War and is also deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Osterman have two children, Florence, a graduate of Heald's Busi- ness College, is in the employ of the California Prune & Apricot Growers, Inc. Frederick Elmer was in the government service and on a vessel that plied between the United States and China during the war. He is now associated with the Philippine Vegetable Com- pany at Manila.

Mr. Osterman is a member of the San Jose Nurs- erymens' Association and of the Seventh Day Adven- tist Church. Mrs. Osterman is a member of Anna Ella Carroll Circle No. 1, Ladies of the G. A. R. and of the Baptist Church. Mr. Osterman gives no small credit for his success to his faithful wife who mani- fests the greatest interest in his business and has charge of the floral department, making all the bo- quets and floral designs for the trade.

SAMUEL G. TOMPKINS .- No San Josean is better known or more deeply respected than Samuel G. Tompkins, attorney, American plan advocate, golf enthusiast-and flute player, and from the days of his early boyhood, when he was struggling for a foothold against heavy odds, until the present years of fulfillment, his life is the interesting story of a truly self-made man. Mr. Tompkins was born in Louisiana, where his father was a man of promi- nence, a circuit judge whose jurisdiction extended over three counties, or parishes, as they were called in that state. The father enlisted in the Confederate army, and his four years' service during the Civil War left him in impaired health, so he sold his holdings of 1500 acres for $1500 and planned to move to California. The tickets were bought for the family, which then consisted of father, mother and four children, the eldest just eleven and the youngest a baby of thirteen months. Everyone was happy in the prospect of the journey; and one day the father went to the river landing to superintend the shipping of their household effects, and all was well until the boat was four miles out from shore, when it burned to the water's edge and nothing was saved. On the way home the father encountered a severe rainstorm and this exposure, in his weakened condi- tion, caused his death. In this pitiable plight, Mrs. Tompkins did the only thing possible, and using the tickets already purchased she brought her little fam- ily to Yuba City. Cal, where some of the father's relatives lived Here she taught music for a year, and hearing that Colusa offered better opportunities, she moved there.

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Samuel G. attended school at Colusa until he was fourteen, and then quit school to earn his living, working at all sorts of odd jobs-digging cellars. chopping wood, working in the hay field-keeping this up until he was eighteen, when he was awakened to the great need of an education and, as he puts it, the desire "to be somebody." Some neighbors were moving to Oakland in order to give their boys bet- ter educational advantages and their plans gave him the determination to get an education. Securing a job with a threshing gang, he worked from before sunrise until the last glint of daylight had disap- peared. He had heard of the College of the Pacific and wrote there, telling of his ambition to get an education, and in reply received a nice letter of en- couragement from Dr. C. C. Stratton, the president, telling him if he had accomplished a certain amount of Latin, he could enter the third year preparatory work in August. Mr. Tompkins set to work, study- ing at the noon dinner hour under the cook wagon or inside the wagon at night, while the Chinaman washed the dishes. When the summer's work was over, he bought a ticket for San Jose, arriving there with $50 two weeks before college opened. Pres- ident Stratton, recognizing the boy's ambition and determination, secured work for him on the campus, the earnings to apply on his tuition, and Samuel also secured a job as night messenger for the American District Telegraph. Next he became janitor of the old Presbyterian Church, doing his work at night after the day's study at college was finished, keeping this up for two years, and he was able to keep up his studies until he graduated in 1886. Two weeks later he took the teacher's examination and secured a first-grade certificate, teaching his first year at the Jefferson school near Santa Clara, and then two terms at the Hester School at San Jose. When he first entered college he made the decision that he would be a lawyer, so he then gave up teaching and entered the office of T. H. Laine, and after a year there he passed the Supreme Court's examination successfully. At last the time had come when the goal of his ambitions was in sight; but his money was gone, so he went back to teaching, this time tak- ing two positions to make up for lost time, a day school at the Guadalupe mines and at the night school in San Jose. He made the round trip of twenty-four miles every day with a horse and cart.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 152

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