History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 224

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

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Fiore Cribari was united in marriage at San Jose, cn July 6, 1919, with Miss Maria Bisceglia, a resi- dent of the Golden State since 1902, and they have two children, Josephine Maria and Theodore Stan- islaus. The family are always glad to welcome their inany friends at their home, which is located on Bird Avenue, San Jose. Mr. Cribari received his naturali- zation papers at San Jose, in September, 1915, and

ever since he has been a stanch Republican. He is an active member of the Loyal Italo-American Asso- ciation and of the Knights of Columbus, and ever ready and willing to do his full share to make Santa Ciara County a better place in which to live by par- ticipating in all progressive movements.

Benjamin Cribari and his good wife live at San Bruno, San Mateo County, where the family have their headquarters. The sons, Angelo G., and Stan- islaus, who died from the effects of his war service, showed their patriotism and loyalty when they gave their services to their adopted country during the World War. Angelo served in France and was a corporal there for one year and since his discharge has taken his place with the B. Cribari & Sons firm. 'Their father had served three years in the National Army in Italy in his younger days Taken all in all, this progressive family have advanced steadily in the business world during their residence in California.

R. M. OLSSON-SEFFER, D. V. S .- The early memories of R. M. Olsson-Seffer go across the ocean to far-off Helsingfors, Finland, where his boyhood years were spent. He was born in Vermland, Swe- den, May 31, 1882, the son of Pehr and Alma Maria Olsson-Seffer, and while he was still a young lad the family removed to Helsingfors. The father was a wholesale lumberman and engaged extensively in this work, being the owner of seven sawmills. Most of his lumber was sawed in the forests near the White Sea, west of Archangel. Russia, where he had ob- tained valuable timber concessions, but owing to the treachery and dishonesty of the Russian bureau- cratic government, his right to ship out the lumber was denied and the consequence was confiscation of his entire fortune in 1900. The parents came to Cal- ifornia in 1909, settling at Fruitdale, where the mother still resides, the father having passed away in September, 1921, at the age of eighty-seven. Both parents came from excellent Swedish families, Mr. Olsson-Seffer having been a member of the Swedish lower house for eight years.

Of a family of eleven children, all of whom re- ceived good educations in the universities of Upsala and Helsingfors, Finland, R. M. Olsson-Seffer is now the second eldest of those living. With his older brother, Pehr Hjalmar, he left home at the age of eighteen, sailing for Australia, where they spent some time, also including the Orient, New Zealand, Egypt and South Africa in their extensive travels. Pehr Hjalmar Olsson-Seffer had graduated at the University of Helsingfors and was a botanist of note, so that they were well received everywhere. In 1900 the brothers came to America, settling at Palo Alto, Cal., where Hjalmar became an instructor of botany in Stanford University and received his Ph. D. de- gree. Later they were joined by their sister Ellen, who entered the medical school of Stanford Uni- versity, but the prospects of a brilliant career were cut short by her death during her junior year.

Having graduated from the University of Helsing- fors, Mr. Olsson-Seffer was prepared to take up a professional career. He first took the regular vet- erinary course in the San Francisco Veterinary Col- lege, graduating with the class of 1907. He then entered Stanford University for post-graduate work, spending three and a half years there, specializing in physiology, histology, embryology and biology, at the same time engaging in veterinary practice in

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Palo Alto, beginning in 1908, so that he has been established here for eightcen years. He is also en- gaged in the stock business, leasing a stock farm in the vicinity of Palo Alto, where he raises about forty calves each year for milk cows.

At Redwood City, Cal., Mr. Olsson-Seffer was married to Miss Frances Walker of Palo Alto, a tal- ented woman, who before her marriage was a trained nurse; she is an active worker in the Episcopal Church of Palo Alto. Fortunate in an excellent ed- ucation, both in his native land and in this country, Mr. Olsson-Seffer's scientific training places him among the leading men in his profession in the Bay Counties of California, and he is prominent in the Bay Counties Veterinary Association. He is a Knights Templar Mason, belonging to the Palo Alto Commandery, and in politics is a Republican.

His brother, Pehr Hjalmar Olsson-Seffer, with whom he came to America, went from Stanford Uni- versity, where he was instructor of botany, to the City of Mexico. There he was associated with the governmental botanical laboratory, and at the same time was the Mexican representative of the Chile Sodium Nitrate Propaganda. He was government botanist for the Mexican Republic and was a good friend of Porfirio Diaz and President Madera, but during the revolution his promising life came to a tragic end when he was killed during an uprising there. Another brother, Runar Olsson-Seffer, grad- uated at the University of Wisconsin with the Ph. D. degree, and was formerly a student at Stanford Uni- versity. He now makes his home in Sweden, where he is director of the Chile Sodium Nitrate Propa- ganda for Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

HERBERT L. ROBERTS .- A career of more than ordinary business promise is that of Herbert L. Roberts, the cashier of the First National Bank of Los Gatos, who was born and reared in this beanti- ful mountain town. His birth occurred May 24, 1896, and is the son of Charles E. and Bertha ( Hen- derson) Roberts. The father was born in Massachu- setts and came with his parents to Iowa, where he was reared. Later he moved to Eugene, Ore., where he followed ranching until he came to California in the early '80s. Here he was engaged again in ranch- ing and later in the meat business at Los Gatos and San Jose until he retired. Mrs Roberts, who was born in England, came to California with her par- ents, her marriage to Mr. Roberts occurring at Los Gatos. Of their six children, Herbert L. is next to the youngest. His preliminary education began in the grammar school at San Jose, and then at Los Gatos, where he was graduated from the high school with the class of 1914. After graduation he entered the First National Bank, and his advancement was rapid, for in 1918 he was made cashier. which posi- tion he has filled with capability and resourcefulness. From July, 1918, till Jannary 24, 1919, he served in U. S. N. R. F. at San Diego as quartermaster of Aviation. He is a member of Los Gatos Post No. 158, American Legion, and is ex-treasurer and member of the executive committee.

Mr. Robert's marriage united him with Miss Ruth Littlepage, of Oregon, and they are the parents of two daughters, Rosemary and Ruth Janct. Political- ly a stanch Democrat he is a successful and popular man of affairs, who always finds time to lend a hand

to advance every worthy movement in local affairs, and the sterling traits of his character have gained for him the high respect, confidence and goodwill of his fellow townsmen.

D. W. JAMES .- A highly esteemed resident of Santa Clara since the early '80s, D. W. James, of 1259 Main Street, has become well and favorably known as the mechanic for the Hubbard & Carmichael Planing Mill, on West Santa Clara Street, in San Jose, where he has been since 1896. He was born in Decatur, Macon County, Ill., on May 24, 1858, and in that town grew up until he was eight years of age. His oldest brother, Benjamin James, was killed in the Battle of Fort Donelson, in February, 1862, and his body was returned to Decatur for burial. D. W. James' father was Aaron E. James, a native of Vir- ginia, who had married Miss Mary Amos, also a native of the Old Dominion; and on both sides, his ancestors were of English Cavalier stock, members of colonial families established in America long before the Revolution.

When he was eight years old, he accompanied his parents in their removal back to Staunton, Angusta County, Va., the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, but the country was so devastated on account of the war that the family settled at Litchfield, Ill., and there the lad grew up. His father was a cabinet maker and by his trade provided the support for a family ot eight children-four boys and four girls; only one of whom went back to Virginia to stay, while seven remained in Illinois. It thus happened that D. W. James grew up to learn the cabinetmaker's trade. The father, who was an invalid for several years, passed away on Christmas Day, in 1876. He had had many interesting experiences, as when, with the son who was killed at the siege of Fort Donel- son, he crossed the great plains and walked all the way from Omaha to California in 1854. He sought the hidden treasure in the Golden State, and after nine months of successful mining, returned to Decatur by way of the Horn in a sailing vessel.

He worked for four years in the furniture factories of St. Louis, and then went to Illinois and secured employment in the railway repair shops at Mattoon, 111., owned by the Big Four Railroad Company. In 1882, he came back to California and Santa Clara, where his sister Mollie, the wife of A. Boone Ford, was then living. After coming here, he was employed by the Pacific Manufacturing Company, he heing then a journeyman mechanic: and this position of re- sponsibility he filled for eight years. In 1890, he went to work for the Garden City Lumber Company, in their planing mills on Orchard Street, and there he was master mechanic for four years. Then he came back to the Pacific Manufacturing Company, and worked for them in Santa Clara until the end of De- cember, 1895; and the following February he went to work for Hubbard & Carmichael, and he has been in charge of the sash and door department ever since.

In 1879, Mr. James was married to Miss Olive Crowell, a native of Ohio who was reared in Illinois. Her father, Amos Crowell, died when she was only a year old; and her mother passed away at eighty- eight years. Mrs. S. K. Sanders and Mrs. J. W. San- ders of Santa Clara are both sisters of Mrs. James; and she also had two brothers, George and Cory Crowell, that fought through the Civil War, Mrs.

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James being the youngest of eight children. Four children have entered the family of Mr. and Mrs James : Beulah M., who was born at Mattoon, Ill., is the wife of Ralph E. Eaton, the rancher of San Jose; and they have one child, Joyce. Harriet was born in California and grew to be seventeen years of age, when she died. Grace, the third in order of birth, is the wife of Dr. G. A. Snyder, a dentist of San Luis Obispo. Marcella is a graduate of the Santa Clara high school. Mrs. James is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Santa Clara. Mr. James is a member of the Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners, and he is a Progressive Republican.

EDWARD H. MULLEN .- An enterprising busi- ness man, who is proud to claim Santa Clara County as the place of his birth, is Edward H. Mullen, the genial proprietor of the general merchandise store at Robertsville, corner of Almaden Road and Bran- ham Lane, better known as the Five Mile Corner. He was born on September 3, 1884, the eldest son of Edward and Kate (Lanz) Mullen, who came to California in 1876 and settled in Santa Clara Coun- ty. Besides Edward they had three other sons: Harvey A., an engineer on the Western Pacific Rail- way; Frank A., assisting Edward in his store; and William W., an employe of the Shell Oil Co. at Martinez. After ranching in this county for a time the family moved to Redding, Shasta County, where Mr. Mullen engaged in ranching for a number of years, then moved back to Santa Clara County and now with his wife is living on a ranch near Alum Rock, enjoying the fruits of his labors.

Edward H. Mullen was educated in the public schools of Santa Clara and Shasta Counties and as a boy assisted his father on his ranch at Red- ding and became thoroughly familiar with the busi- ness. It was about 1901 that he came back to Santa Clara County and went to work for his uncle, Pros- per Estrade, in his store at Robertsville and he was busily engaged here for about five years, then went to Santa Cruz and became an assistant in C. D. Hinkle's store, continuing until 1913, at which time Mr. Mullen came back to this county and pur- chased the merchandise business from his unele. He has added many necessary improvements and en- larged his quarters until today he has a modern es- tablishment and carries a large and well-assorted stock of general merchandise, groceries, oils and auto supplies. It was in 1919 that he made the purchase of the eight acres and buildings thereon from Mrs. Estrade and now is sole owner of the property. His courteous treatment of all patrons is well known and assures his ultimate success. He employs three people to help care for the trade, which has steadily increased.

The marriage of Edward H. Mullen and Miss Edna Reeg occurred on June 2, 1913, and they have two children, Winifred Bernice, a student at Notre Dame College, and Edward R. Mrs. Mullen was born in Placerville, Cal., the daughter of the late Leonard and Clementina (Mclaughlin) Reeg, who also had these other children: viz, Oscar O., Chris- tina M., and Mary L. Reeg.

Mr. Mullen is a Republican in his political convic- tions and fraternally is a member of the Knights of Columbus, of the third degree, and of the Foresters of America. The family are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Mullen is always ready and willing to

assist in the promotion of all enterprises for the good of the county and has served on various organization committees of the Prune and Apricot Growers; was one of the men who were largely instrumental in hav- ing the San Jose-Almaden highway paved and in many ways has shown his public spirit and enterprise so that he and his family are highly esteemed by all who know them, and particularly in the community where they reside.

LOUIS EATON .- The able and affable manager of the City Garage, located at 529 Alma Street. Palo Altar, Cal., Louis Eaton is counted among the most successful business men of the college city. He is a native son of California and is a wide-awake, square dealer and an able business executive. He was born at Biggs, Butte County, Cal., February 11, 1877, and is the son of B. F. Eaton, a pioneer of Califor- nia, who was a freighter from Oroville into the mines in the early days before the railroads were built; he was born in Kentucky and came to Cali- fornia in the '50s, and still lives with his son, the subject of this sketch, and is an active and interest- ing California pioneer. The mother was Miss Jessie Jack, born in Scotland, and she passed away when Louis was twenty years old; he is the only son, but he had four sisters; one is dead, one lives in Oregon and two in California, one of whom is Mrs. Henry Sheets of Palo Alto.

Louis Eaton was educated in the grammar and high schools of Oroville, and soon after his mother's death he left Butte County, going to Southern Ore- gon, where he became county jailer, in which ca- pacity he served for a number of years. In 1911 he came to Palo Alto and engaged in the ice business with Mr. Woodard for eight years; then, in 1919, he became manager of the City Garage, and he has been the means of steadily increasing the business since taking charge of it. The City Garage has a well- equipped machine shop with three expert automobile mechanics constantly employed; they deal in Hood tires, automobile accessories of all kinds, gasoline, oils and greases.

Mr. Eaton's marriage occurred at Yreka, Cal., and united him with Miss Myrtle Worth, and they are the parents of eight children: Laura, Minnie, Mabel, Louis, Bennie, Myrtle, Franklin, and Virginia, a large and interesting family, favorites in Palo Alto, and they live at 481 University Avenue.

SEWALL S. BROWN .- Since his appointment as superintendent of the Los Gatos plant of the Cali- fornia Prune and Apricot Growers' Association. Sewall S. Brown has done able and conscientious work and is well qualified for the duties of his posi- t:on. A native of Kansas, he was born in Grant County, November 20, 1891, of the union of Frederick B. and Mary (Miller) Brown, who came to Cali- fornia in 1893. The father is a man of high intellec- tual attainments and is now serving as Judge of the Superior Court, his rulings being characterized by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution. More extended mention is made of Mr. Brown, Sr., elsewhere in this work.

Sewall S. Brown attended the grammar and high schools of San Jose and afterward became a stu- dent at Stanford University. After completing his education he became connected with the San Jose Water Works and then secured a position as field representative with the California Seed Growers' As-

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sociation, with which he remained until June 1, 1921, when he came to Los Gatos as superintendent of plant No. 7 of the California Prune & Apricot Grow- ers' Association. He has a comprehensive under- standing of the work in which he is engaged and is seeking in every way possible to advance the inter- ests of his employers, who thoroughly appreciate his services.

Mr. Brown married Miss Sue Bell, a daughter of Richard R. Bell, a native of Los Gatos, and they now have a son, Sewall S., Jr. In his political views Mr. Brown is a Republican and the nature of his recreation is indicated by his membership in the San Jose Golf Club, while fraternally he is identi- fied with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has the energy and faith in the future char- acteristic of a young man and has already made for himself a creditable position in business circles of Santa Clara County, while his enterprise and ambi- tion will undoubtedly carry him steadily forward.

WILLIAM HAMILTON CILKER .- One of the fine orchard properties of the Los Gatos district is the Lester, Cilker, Lester ranch of 186 acres, lo- cated on the San Jose-Los Gatos Road, and owned by William Hamilton Cilker and his two partners, Nathan Lester and William Lester. William H. Cilker was born on his father's old home place two miles northeast of Los Gatos, the son of John Cilker, long an honored citizen of Santa Clara County and one of the extensive horticulturists of his day. He was a native of Hanover, Germany, born there March 15, 1833, and was brought to the United States when an infant, by his parents, John and Elizabeth (Bar- loga) Cilker. They located in Detroit, Mich., and later came west to Joliet, Ill., where Mrs. Cilker died in 1840; the father went back to Detroit and there he passed away the next year.

John Cilker, after his father's death, was bound out to Alexander Buell, a lawyer in Detroit, and later for two years to Peter Fisher, but when four- teen he started out for himself. He lived in Wis- consin, Illinois and Missouri, and in 1857 came to California across the plains and went into the gold mines near Placerville. In June, 1858, he went to the Fraser River mines in British Columbia, where he mined for a while, then removed to Washington Territory, where for ten years he was in the lumber business. While in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1867, he was married to Jane Lipsett, a native of County Donegal, Ireland, and immediately after their marriage they came to California and settled on the ranch near Los Gatos, which was thereafter their home. Here Mr. Cilker developed a fine orchard and vineyard of 174 acres, and was a leader among the fruit growers of the county. He was also president of the Co-operative Wine Company of Los Gatos. He died here in 1909, survived by his widow. Next to the youngest of a family of eight children, Wil- liam Hamilton Cilker was educated in the grammar and high schools at Los Gatos, and graduated from the College of Civil Engineering of the University of California in 1909, with the B. S. degree. He fol- lowed civil engineering principally in the city of San Francisco as assistant city engineer on the new sewer system, the high pressure fire system and the munici- pal railroad system. In 1916 he became active in the management of the ranch, owned by himself and his

two partners. Here they have developed water and installed an electric pumping plant with a capacity of 150 inches, sufficient to irrigate the entire ranch. which is devoted to raising prunes and grapes.

In San Jose, Mr. Cilker was married to Miss Hazel Beatrice Lester, born in that city, the daughter of Nathan L. and Sarah E. (Spicer) Lester, and they have become the parents of four children: Beatrice Ann, Marion Sarah, William Hamilton, Jr., and George Edward. Where national issues are concerned, Mr. Cilker is a Republican, and he is a Mason, be- longing to Los Gatos lodge No. 292, F. & A. M.

AUGUST GUBSER .- A prosperous dairy farmer, now retired, whose optimistic views of life and genial temperament have made him popular in a wide circle of friends, is August Gubser, of Old Gilroy, who was born in Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland, on May 1, 1870, the son of Joseph and Annie (Giger) Gubser, both natives of the same province. His father died a premature death, but the lad was enabled to en- joy the usual excellent public school advantages af- forded in the Swiss Republic, although when he was eight years old he began to work on a dairy farm. His mother passed away when he was seventeen years old; and the following year he came out to America. A stranger in a strange land, he was glad to find at Tres Pinos, San Benito County, Cal., a number of his own fellow-countrymen; and since they were es- tablished in dairying, he worked for them for a while. Next he hired out to A. Rianda on the Ellis Rancho; and in a short time he became a partner in the dairy and cheese enterprise, and remained there at Factory No. 15 for seven years.

In 1901, Mr. Gubser acquired twenty acres of fine land nearby, and since then, from time to time, he has added seventy acres, until now he owns one of the richest dairy farms in this section. He is a stock- holder in the Gilroy branch of the Bank of Italy, and having been made an American citizen when he was twenty-one years old, he has since been active in public affairs.

At Gilroy, on February 10, 1892, Mr. Gubser was married to Miss Carrie Battis, the daughter of the well-known pioneers, Charles and Beatrice ( Malia) Battis, natives of Vermont and Ireland, respectively. who were married in Gilroy in 1867, and their four children were born there. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gubser. August, Jr., is mar- ried and resides at Old Gilroy, as does Charles, his twin brother, with his wife and one child; Joseph, too, lives there, with his wife and three children. Anna became the wife of Alex. Sturla and the moth- er of two children, and makes Old Gilroy her home; Laura lives with her parents. The family are active in the Rebekah lodge and Mrs. Gubser is past dis- trict deputy of the order. Mr. Gubser has been a member of the Odd Fellows at Gilroy since 1902, while he has been a Mason since 1906, holding mem- bership in the lodge at Gilroy. He has served as trustee of the San Ysidro school district for several terms, and is now trustee of the Gilroy Union high school. He recently erected a fine modern residence at his home-place, and each of his sons owns a com- fortable home on his respective portion of the Gubser ranch, and shoulder their share of the labor and re- sponsibility of conducting the extensive estate.

Boris

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

S. CLYDE KYLE .- Prominent among the indus- trial leaders of San Jose who have contributed large- ly toward placing Santa Clara County upon the wide-world map is S. Clyde Kyle, the efficient and popular president and general manager of the Na- tional Axle Corporation, whose proficiency marks the natural mechanical genius of his family. He was born in Marshall, Texas, on April 20, 1884, the son of S. A. Kyle, a master-mechanic, who had married Miss Ida V. Teagne; and he began his edu- cational courses in the Fort Worth schools, contin- uing with instruction in mechanical engineering at the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia. From 1901 to 1907, he was with the Baldwin Locomotive Works, in that same city; and there he had charge of the assembling and erecting departments, which produced from ten to thirteen locomotives a day. During the next two years, he was busy with motor car and truck sales engineering work, and from 1909 to 1910, he served the Premier Motor Company in executive capacity. For four years, dating from 1910, Mr. Kyle was general manager of the axle depart- ment of A. C. Clark & Company, which manufac- tured truck parts and car-axles, and from 1914 to 1918, he was president and general manager of the Engineering and Sales Corporation, Chicago, which brought out, designed, produced and marketed very successfully the Wisconsin Axle. Now the Wiscon- sin Parts Company, which makes this axle, is the third largest producer of worm-drive axles. The basic design of this axle has proven eminently sat- isfactory, and such has been its acceptance and en- dorsement that no changes have been made to any great extent since it was first produced and marketed. Through 1918 and 1919, Mr. Kyle was sales engi- neer for the U. S. Ball Bearing Manufacturing Com- pany, at Chicago, and acted for them as their Pa- cific Coast branch manager; and in 1919 he became identified with the National Axle Corporation, as- suming the position of vice-president and general manager and later was elected president and gen- eral manager. He is a member of both the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Although the National Axle Company passed through some difficulties when it first started, it is now in line for some of the big business of the world and is rapidly becoming better and more widely known. Mr. Kyle individ- ually has his own sales and engineering business in San Francisco, with offices in the Rialto Build- ing, representing on the Pacific Coast the follow- ing companies: U. S. Ball Bearing Company of Chi- cago, Ill., Kelly Reamer Company of Cleveland, Ohio, Savage Arms Corporation of Sharon, Pa., Hartford Auto Parts Company of Hartford, Conn., The Strom Steel Ball Company of Oak Park, Ill., Chicago Railway Signal & Supply Company, Chi- cago, Ill., Hercules Motor Manufacturing Company of Canton, Ohio, Union Spring & Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., and several others. At Chicago, Illinois, in October, 1916, Mr. Kyle was married to Miss Bessie Erickson, a native of Pennsylvania, and their union has been blessed with one daughter, Betty Virginia Kyle. Mr. Kyle is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters of America, but in national political affairs he holds

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 224

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