History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 157

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

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FRED L. PETERSON .- A prominent citizen of Mountain View and one whose efforts have been used for the good of his community is Fred L. Peterson, the genial constable and veteran plumber. He was the first fire chief of the town of Mountain View, serving for six years and helped to organize the volunteer fire department ten years ago. He was born in Santa Cruz August 3. 1873, and grew up in Santa Cruz County and at Vallejo, where his father, the well-known Capt. George T. Peterson, was construction foreman for the United States Government at Mare Island Navy Yard. Captain Peterson was a native of Schleswig, Germany; he married Miss Celia Britton, the daughter of Henry Britton, a pioneer of Santa Cruz County, and Knights Ferry, Stanislaus County, and she was born while crossing the plains in 1850. When only a boy of thirteen Captain Peterson ran away from home and shipped before the mast. He sailed around the Horn many times; arriving the first time in San Francisco about 1850. He became a sea captain and like his brother, Capt. Lawrence Peterson, became very well known in the Bay region, passing away in 1891 at Vallejo. Fred Peterson was then only sixteen years old and from that time began to make his own way. He was apprenticed to the plumbing firm of Dalzell and Muller at Oakland and served for four years at $2.50 per week. He was always fond of aquatic sports and while living at Vallejo became an expert diver and swimmer and was employed as a swim- ming teacher at Santa Cruz, Capitola Beach and at Oakland, and later was employed by F. A. Hcan of the Life Saving Station at Santa Cruz. He made an excellent record, saving many lives during his five years of service.

The marriage of Mr. Peterson occurred on No- vember 14, 1898, and united him with Miss Lillian Martin, native of Tennessee, the daughter of Alfred Martin, a rancher at Fairmead, Cal. Mrs. Peterson is the capable city treasurer of Mountain View and her sketch will be found elsewhere in this work. They are the parents of four children: Lawrence died when nineteen years of age; Margery; Fred J. is a plumber, and Georgia May. Mr. Peterson served on the city council of Mountain View for two years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are prominent in Ma- sonic circles of Mountain View, and he is past patron and she past matron of the Eastern Star lodge. He helped to organize the Mountain View Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West and was its first president. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are both active members of the Christian Science Church.

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Mr. Peterson has been in the plumbing business for twenty-three years and has given excellent satis- faction to his numerous patrons. His establishment on Castro Street is well-equipped and carries a full line of plumbing accessories. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are deservedly popular in their locality, and have ever been most deeply interested in all progressive movements and the prosperity which has come to them is well deserved.

EPHRAIM BALSBAUGH. - An enterprising likable business man of Palo Alto is Ephraim Bals- baugh, a cement contractor who can be depended up- on to do honest and excellent work. He was born on his father's farm near Harrisburg, Pa., October 13, 1859, a son of George and Susan (Moyer) Bals- baugh, who were both natives of Pennsylvania. The Balsbaugh family were pioneers of Pennsylvania, coming from Germany and settling there in 1747. Ephraim received his education in the public schools of his native district and helped his father with the farm work, and also became handy with the saw and hammer. When eighteen years old he left home and went to Mattoon, 111., and was employed doing farm work; then he went to Western Kansas and continued to do farm work and in time purchased his own farm there.

Mr. Balsbaugh's marriage occurred at Stockton, Kans., and united him with Miss Minnie Culler, a daughter of George and Catherine Culler, her father a native of Pennsylvania and her mother of Ohio. In 1887 he and his family removed to Colton, Cal. and he was employed in the Stover Mountain Marble Works and held that position for three and a half years and then he followed gold mining in the Search- light section for two and a half years. Mr. and Mrs. Balsbaugh are the parents of one daughter, Mary. In 1904 the family removed to Palo Alto so that their daughter might have the advantages of a university education. She was graduated from Stanford University and received the degrees of A. B. and A. M., and later was united in marriage with John Deirup, an attorney of Chico, who passed away in that city. They were the parents of two children, Maryle and Torbin.

Mr. Balsbaugh is the leading resident cement con- tractor of Palo Alto and has done most of the street curbing of that city; and laid many of the sidewalks; At present is doing the concrete work on the new Schmidt Block on Emerson Street. He keeps from three to ten men busy in his business, building foun- dations and chimneys for residences throughout the county; he also does considerable fancy work in cobblestones and concrete and erected the beautiful cobblestone posts, costing $5000, for the portal of Mountain View, which is one of the finest pieces of cobblestone art work in California; he has also done much of the same kind of work at Camp Curry in the Yosemite Valley, where he worked steadily for a period of seven months: the Masson cobblestone chimney in the Big Basin was also built by Mr. Balsbaugh and is a fine piece of work. His art work is beautiful and substantial and has a peculiar indi- viduality that attracts attention.

Mrs. Balsbaugh came from an excellent eastern family and with her mother is a member of the Christian Science Church; her mother, Mrs. Cath- erine Culler, is grandmother of Mr. John G. Nie- hardt, the poet laureate of Nebraska, author of

"Three Friends," "Hugh Glass," "Epic of the Northwest" and other celebrated poems. "Three Friends" secured him the prize for the best poetry written in America for 1919. Mr. Balsbaugh was brought up in the United Brethren Church and is now a member of the Congregational Church. A man of the highest principles and unquestioned in- tegrity, he and his family are held in the highest regard in the community.

REV. FATHER PATRICK J. O'HARA .- When- ever the historian shall address himself to the de- lightful task of penning the history of Los Gatos, he will not fail to record the life and labors of the Rev. Father Patrick J. O'Hara, and in the recording thereof find inspiration. He was born at Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, June 17, 1871, the son of Francis and Susan (McWilliams) O'Hara, both na- tives of County Tyrone descended from ancient Irish families. Francis O'Hara was a prominent merchant in Omagh. He passed away at the age of ninety years and his widow survived him one year, she, too, being almost ninety years of age at the time of her death. This worthy couple were the parents of ten children, all living, of whom Patrick J. is the fifth. He attended Christian Brothers' College in his native place until he was twelve years of age, when he entered the Jesuit College of Clongowes Wood, where he made his classics and philosophy. Next he studied at the American College at Lou- vain, Belgium. On completing his course at Louvain he came to San Francisco, Cal., in 1899, and soon afterwards he made his way to St. Paul, Minn., where he was ordained to the priesthood at the Ca- thedral in St. Paul by Archbishop Ireland for the diocese of San Francisco.

His first appointment was as assistant at St. Pat- rick's Church, San Francisco, under Rev. Father Cummings; and he continued to discharge that re- sponsibility for five years. Then he served as assist- ant pastor at other places in the diocese. His first pastorate was at St. Mary's Church, Cotati, Sonoma County, where he officiated for two years. During this time Father O'Hara built the new church and parochial residence at Cotati and brought the parish to a successful and sound financial basis. In 1917 he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Roman Cath- olic Church at Los Gatos. He has a large territory to look after, stretching from the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains to Campbell, and including about 400 families; but he is untiring in his arduous work as shepherd of his flock, and is esteemed and beloved by all who know him. He takes a deep in- terest in civic affairs, and he is particularly active in the Knights of Columbus. With the same zeal and ardor, he is building up the parish and has ma- terially reduced the indebtedness placed on it by the erection of the beautiful church and rectory. St. Mary's parish was established by the Jesuits about eighteen years ago, but they relinquished the parish in 1913, and Father Barshab was the first pastor to take the helm, until his transfer to Sausalito, when he was succeeded by the present incumbent.

While attending the American College at Louvain, Father O'Hara's vacations were spent in travel, hav- ing visited every country on the continent. He had the pleasure of visiting Rome and was fortunate in having an audience with Pope Leo. In 1902, and again in 1906, he made trips back to Ireland, where

Chas. Weeks

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he visited his parents, who were still living at the old home, and in the latter year he also traveled over the British Isles. However, on his return to his beloved adopted home in California he was more pleased than ever to get back to this favored section of the world.

CHARLES WEEKS .- A splendid example of the successful, progressive and enterprising Califor- nian is Charles Weeks, the widely-known poultry- man and wide-awake subdivider of Runnymede, the delightful suburb of Palo Alto, to whom Santa Clara County owes much for the extension of its fame. A man of real, natural genius who still had to pass through many interesting and instructive, if not always satisfying experiences before he "found" him- self, he has never failed to associate the highest integrity in the exercise of his gifts, with the result that he has come to render the most valuable ser- vice to his fellowmen, and to acquire, as well-merited returns on his varied investments, an enviable po- sition of influence and a comfortable competence.

He was born near Wabash, Ind., on February 18, 1873, the son of Thomas C. Weeks, an esteemed resident of the Hoosier State, who was born in Wabash County, Ind., and who has come to be one of the most successful farmers and stockmen. He mar- ried, in that county, Miss Mary Frances Jackson, also born and reared in Indiana, a distant relative of General and President Andrew Jackson, and she died at her Indiana home in September, 1921, about seventy years of age, leaving a family of five chil- dren, four of whom are still living. In December, 1921, Mr. Weeks, in the enjoyment of his seventy- third year, came to California for a visit, leaving the attractive farm of ninety acres in Grant County, Ind., which has been the home place of the Weeks family since 1884. A sister of our subject, Mrs. J. F. Collins, resides at Runnymede, but the rest of the family are still residents of Indiana.

The only son in this interesting circle, Charles Weeks grew up at home until he was seventeen, attending the country district schools, and then he became a student at the Fairmount Academy, in Grant County, from which, in time, he was duly graduated. After that, he taught school for four years, and then he matriculated at De Pauw Univer- sity, where he pursued courses for three years, teach- ing at the same time. He next became interested in the restaurant business in Chicago, and after two years in that field and city, he removed to New York and for two years continued in the same field of en- terprise. In his famous poultry book-one of the best, by-the-way, ever given to the press by an Am- erican writer-Mr. Weeks tells how having dropped in to see a poultry show in the Eastern metropolis, the cackle of the high-grade fowls awakened mem- ories of earlier days, and he decided to embark in poultry-rasing.

In 1904, he came out to California looking for a place favorable to intensive farming and the raising of poultry, and as a trial, he bought a ten-acre place at Los Altos. He soon found that water was too hard to get there, so he sold his little holding and in 1909 came to Palo Alto. He there purchased five acres with a good pumping plant, tank-house and cot- tage, and this is now his well-known home-place; and since then he has bought an additional five acres, and has rebuilt, putting up a new residence, with a

large club-house and a lecture-hall, as well as an office, creating a social center along with the head- quarters of a poultry school. His office is located in a large and well-planned structure, and there he has also sleeping rooms for employees, a cook house and a dining-room, used at times for lectures. After his second trial, in New York City, of the restaurant business, he returned to Indiana, where for two years he experimented in raising poultry; and since he be- gan to study it both from a scientific and a business standpoint, he had attained to something definite and worth while in progress before he came out to the Coast.

During the past seventeen years in which Mr. Weeks has been in California, he has evolved "Weeks' System" of poultry raising and egg-pro- duction, and he has so developed his own undertak- ings in this line that he keeps 15,000 hens on his ten-acre ranch. He builds his own mammoth incuba- tors-seven machines which hatch out 25,000 eggs per annum; and he has made a specialty of breeding the justly celebrated variety of white Leghorns known as the Weeks heavy laying strain-the re- sult of careful selection, for years, of Leghorns promising vigor and heavy egg-production. He also breeds Duroc swine and rabbits. He is the prime mover in the annual fair held each year at Runny- mede, which has become of much interest to the gen- eral public, affording, as it does, a revelation of what may be ccomplished in poultry production, under the Weeks' System, with the proper conditions of soil, water and climate, in particular by the "little farmer." It was Bolton Hall, the great writer, who said, "three acres and liberty;" but it has been left for Mr. Weeks to demonstrate the possibility of a competency from one acre.

This charming suburb of Palo Alto famed for its balmy, bracing climate, situated on the bank of the San Francisquito Creek, has a deep-black, loamy and very productive soil, and excellent irrigation facilities. Such was his faith in this section from his advent here, that Mr. Weeks has bought, sub- divided and sold four valuable tracts, the first sub- division having been the Charles Weeks Poultry Colony. This was parceled out into one-acre lots, all of which were sold off during the first year, in 1916. The next year, another subdivision, also of 160 acres, was put upon the market, and this tract, Subdivision No. 2, he also sold within the year. In 1918, Mr. Weeks cut up a third tract of 160 acres, known as the Woodland subdivision, and this he also sold within the year after it was opened. In 1919, he offered Subdivision No. 4, upon which he installed a large pumping plant and an extensive reservoir, from which he piped water to each lot, thereby saving much labor and expense to the lot-purchasers; and the arrangement has proven very satisfactory to all concerned. Mr. Weeks has already laid out and sold 600 acres in Runnymede proper, in one-acre lots, thus greatly encouraging the ambitious person who hopes to attain his goal with a small amount of land, often all he can conveniently afford, and he is still adding to the Colony by buying and subdividing. from time to time, small, contiguous tracts, and only recently has acquired three new tracts at Runny- mede, near Palo Alto, of twenty-five, fifteen and ten acres, respectively, where he is working his realty wonders. When Mr. Weeks first came to Los Altos,

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he had only $1.275; and both there and at Palo Alto he lost money, in the beginning, actually get- ting into debt to the tune of $10,000. Then, through actual and sometimes bitter experience, he worked out the original system for which he has become fa- mous, and after that he made poultry pay. He found that the primary consideration was the right kind of hen, and then that it was necessary to have the best kind of soil, an abundance of green feed, and plenty of good water: and since he began to do well for him- self, he has devoted no little part of his time and energy to assisting other folks to succeed and make money. Having made a pronounced success of every subdivision at Runnymede, near Palo Alto, after many months' of investigation of land in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Mr. Weeks selected Owensmouth. Los Angeles County, as the ideal location for another colony. This he has named Runnymede No. 2. He is now busily engaged in colonizing the first forty acre unit, being a portion of the large Jenal Estate, adjoining the town of Owensmouth which is only 26 miles from Los Angeles on the lines of the Southern Pacific and Pacific Electric, while the Highway Boulevard. Sherman Way, passes the prop- erty. Mr. Weeks says that this is destined to be- come more famous than the renowned Runnymede at Palo Alto, and will afford an opportunity for hundreds of people to own a self-supporting gar- den-home in a cooperative community where the highest science is used in intensive production on small acreage.

Mr. Weeks is the editor and publisher of the "Lit- tle Farms Journal," a bright poultry paper now published monthly; and he has made himself famous as the author of the fresh, instructive, diverting and handsomely-illustrated volume, "Egg Farming in California;" which bears this inscription: "This book is dedicated to all who are interested in intensive production on small acreage-to those who love na- ture, and enjoy plants and animals-and especially to those who contemplate a state of higher indepen- dence on the land." The volume opens with a des- cription of Mr. Weeks' boyhood days, then tells how he progressed backwards-from the city to the old farm; continues with an account of his first attempts at poultry raising in California; pictures the new poultry ranch as it is possible on rich soil with plenty of water, and next describes the most intensive egg- farm in the world. There are other absorbing chap- ters on sanitation in poultry houses, and the keeping of poultry in the back-yard, and the spirit of uplift and value to humanity in the whole book may be judged from such chapter-headings as "The Sanest of Arts, the Art of Making a Living on a Little Land," "The Producer. the Hero and Savior of the War-Mad World," and "Runnymede-a Place of Higher Independence for Man in His Own Garden Home." Mr. Weeks' style is clear and interesting, and this may account for his demand, not only as a contributor to the leading agricultural journals of the day. but as a lecturer, as well. He makes ex- tended lecture-tours, sometimes absenting himself for weeks at a time; and he has been particularly ac- tive in cooperating with farm bureaus around Los Angeles and San Diego. He employs ten men regu- larly, and has in G. S. Oliver, a most efficient and trustworthy office manager. He has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the State Land Set-

tlements near Durham, and seldom fails to attend a poultry association meeting in California.

At Palo Alto, in 1905, Mr. Weeks was married to Miss Alice Johnson, of Fairmount, Ind., and their union has been blessed with the birth of two children -Thomas B. and Charles, Jr.

FRANK EMILE BOURGUIGNON-An enter- prising leader in California's ever-growing agricul- tural industry is Frank E. Bourguignon, a native son who was born in San Francisco on July 7. 1877, the son of Emile H. Bourguignon, a native of Brussels, Belgium, where he was born on March 9, 1849. He was the son of Maximilian and Desirée (Housoy) Bourguignon, both natives of the same locality, and the parents of four children, of whom two sons and a daughter attained maturity. The eldest, Emile. was sent to the local public school, and when a mere lad he was apprenticed to learn landscape gardening. At eighteen years of age he became a Belgian Gren- adier, and during five years of service he was pro- moted to be a sergeant. On leaving the army, he went into business at Brussels; but when the Centen- nial of our nation drew attention to the United States in 1876. he crossed the ocean with his family and came direct to California.

For a couple of years, he lived in San Francisco, and having canvassed the situation thoroughly, he removed in 1879 to San Jose, and established himself in the florist business. He began, as it were, at the beginning; but by 1903 he had 60,000 square feet under glass, and was raising flowers which he had no no difficulty in selling in the markets in San Jose, San Francisco. Los Angeles and Sacramento. Dur- ing the winter time, he made a specialty of raising cucumbers. Mr. Bourguignon was twice married, his first step in matrimony having been taken in Belgium, and his first child, Frank, being born in San Francisco. At San Jose he became the husband, of Miss Oraza Waltham, a native of Nova Scotia.

Frank E. Bourguignon attended the grammar and high schools in San Jose, and afterwards went to the Garden City Business College, where he was gradu- ated in 1895; and then he remained with his father, assisting him in his growing enterprises, as a flori- culturist, until he was twenty-eight years old. Setting up for himself, he went in the business of growing vegetables and garden seeds, and leased 200 acres twelve miles south of San Jose on Coyote Creek, and devoted the acreage to raising seeds for twelve years, then he was in employ Northrup King & Com- pany of Minneapolis and travelled over the North- west as buyer and contractor, continuing with them for three years. He then returned to Moorpark Avenue to take charge of his father's greenhouses and he has been there since, conducting his own hot- house business. His father died on August 2, 1916. rich in the accomplishments of seventy-two worth- while years, and also rich in friends and the esteem of his fellow-men; and Mrs. Bourguignon passed away in 1888. also beloved by all who knew her.

Mr. Bourguignon's ranch consists of three acres on Moorpark Avenue, two acres of which are under glass, about 90,000 square feet, the largest in the county. He has fifteen greenhouses in all. and he devotes these to the raising of hot-house vegetables for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter trade. most of his produce being shipped out of Santa Clara

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County for the fancy trade. He raises lettuce and tomatoes, but his specialty is hot-house cucumbers.

At San Jose. May 22, 1905, Mr. Bourguignon was married to Miss Serena Carteri, a native of Santa Barbara County, California, and the daughter of Leon Carteri and his wife, who was Matilda Foxen before her marriage. Mr. Carteri was famous as one of the most extensive stock-growers of the Pacific Coast, and one who did much to advance, along permanent, broad lines, its vast agricultural inter- ests. He was born in Toulouse, Southern France, in 1839, a son of Bertram Carteri, a prominent and well-to-do man, and after completing a college course, he sailed from his native land in 1868, and coming direct to California, established a large mercantile business at Santa Ynez, in Santa Barbara County. He subsequently became part owner of the Foxen and Shaw ranches, and the sole proprietor of two other large farming estates. Besides, he rented the Santa Rosa ranch, and the Santa Lucia ranch at Lompoc, and once able to command these extensive tracts, he embarked in stock-growing and dealing, and became one of the largest operators in that field in Cali- fornia. He had about 40,000 sheep. 20,000 head of cattle, and 500 horses, fed them and shipped them to all the near-by markets. Notwithstanding these cares, Mr. Carteri left his immense interests long enough to go to Europe and travel for three years; and having returned to Santa Barbara County, he continued his operations, and subsequently leased ranches in Sisquoc, Santa Maria and Casmalia. Dur- ing 1897 and 1898, he rented mountain ranges in Te- hama and Plumas counties, later removing his stock to ranges in Yuba County. Selling his Santa Bar- bara lands, Mr. Carteri in 1900 moved with his fam- ily to San Jose; and continuing stock-raising, he rented the Webber ranch in Santa Clara County, and the Topo ranch in San Benito County, and de- voted the former to cattle, and the latter to sheep raising. Finally, he disposed of all his northern stocklands, and devoted his entire time to his Santa Clara and San Benito County ranches; and having bought the estate at the corner of Thirteenth and Santa Clara streets, San Jose, he improved a fine home by creating a beautiful yard and attractive surroundings, and made it one of the most desirable places of residence in the city. While out driving with a friend, however, in the summer of 1903, a runaway team caused Mr. Carteri's horses to run away, and he was thrown from the carriage and dragged on the ground, receiving injuries that caused his death six weeks later. He passed away on Sep- tember 5, 1903, a consistent member of St. Patrick's Church, and was buried in Calvary Cemetery.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 157

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