History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 233

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

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WILLIAM RAMSAY .- One of the recent addi- tions to the citizenship of San Jose is William Ram- say, who has here resided since 1920 and is now connected with the California Packing Corporation. with offices in this city. His broad experience in business well qualifies him for the duties of his present position and he is regarded as a valuable acquisition to the organization. He is a native of Canada, his birth having occurred in Orillia, in the province of Ontario, July 2, 1871, and a son of William and Ellen (Gill) Ramsay, the latter also a native of that province. The father was born in Ayr, Scotland, and in 1837 came with his parents to Ontario. He followed the trade of his father, that of a carriage builder, and the paternal grandfather also engaged in building carriages. The maternal grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania but in his youth took up his residence in Canada.

In the acquirement of an education William Ramsay attended the public school and an academy at Orillia, Canada. In 1895 he came to California, settling at Fresno, where, in association with a part- ner, he established the Fresno Business College. which they conducted for two years. Mr. Ramsay then disposed of his interest in that enterprise and became identified with the dried fruit industry, ac- cepting the position of head bookkeeper in the Fresno branch of the J. B. Inderrieden Company. For twenty years he remained with that corporation, spending three years of that period at the Fresno office and the remainder of the time at their office in San Francisco. In 1909 he purchased a ten-acre ranch at Sunnyvale, devoted to raising prunes and apricots. His property was provided with an in- dividual irrigating system and he successfully con- tinued his fruit-raising operations until 1920, when he disposed of his ranch and moved to San Jose. purchasing a residence on Naglee Avenue. He es- tablished a garage on North Second Street, but after conducting the enterprise for nine months he sold out to W. R. Rubell. He has recently become identi- fied with the San Jose offices of the California Pack- ing Corporation, his previous experience, enterprise and keen discernment proving valuable assets.

On the twenty-fifth of December, 1895, Mr. Ram- say was married at Fresno, Cal., to Miss Edith Knight, a native of Huron, Ohio, and a daughter of

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Richard and Mary Knight, the former of whom was born in England, while the latter was a native of New York. Four children have been born to this union : William, Jr , Margaret, Edith and Donald. In all matters of citizenship Mr. Ramsay is loyal and public-spirited and during the World War he was active in Red Cross work in San Jose. Industry has been the key which has unlocked for him the portals of success and thoroughness and diligence have characterized all of his work.

ELMER E. CHASE, Jr .- A native son of the Golden West, Elmer E. Chase, Jr., was born in San Jose on June 1, 1889, the son of Elmer E. and Edith (Granger) Chase. His father was born in Roches- ter, Minn., and was brought to California by his parents and he grew up in Santa Clara County and for more than forty years he has been identified with the fruit industry and is now vice-president of the Richmond-Chase Company of San Jose. A sketch of his life appears on another page of this history.

Our subject was educated in the public schools of San Jose and this he supplemented with a three and one-half year course at Stanford University. Upon leaving Stanford he was five years with the Golden Gate Packing Company, after which he was given the position of manager of canneries of the Richmond- Chase Company at San Jose and Stockton, and he bids fair to succeed in this line of work as he inherits his father's energy and industry. He is constantly seeking out new methods to develop the business of the company and has displayed marked ability in the introduction of plans which have been beneficial to aid in building up the business. Mr. Chase is a member of the B. P. O. Elks of San Jose and takes a decided interest in advancing the general interests of his town and county.

WALLACE E. BLAND .- Success, in whatever line of work he undertakes, has been the keynote of the life of Wallace E. Bland. Born at Norwalk, in Los Angeles County, Cal., April 15, 1889, a son of Samuel and Nancy (Worthington) Bland. His mother was born in San Jose, her parents having come to California from Lancaster, Pa., in 1849, across the plains. Her father went into the mines in the early days, mining for five years at Placer- ville, Carson City and Chinese Camp. He then went to what is now Riverside County and there he lived until his death. The father was born in Nova Scotia and came to California via Panama in 1857. mined for some time and returned to Los Angeles County, Cal., and bought 360 acres of land near Norwalk and was engaged in farming, raising al- falfa and hogs and here he passed away. Wallace is the youngest child of a family of nine children, William Edward, deceased; George S., of Lompoc; Adeline L .; Harriet Maude; Amelia Cornelia, de- ceased; Nellie; Agnes G .; Ruby, deceased, and Wal- lace E. The father passed away in 1905 aged sixty- nine, but the mother is still living, and resides at Los Angeles, aged sixty-eight years.

Wallace attended the grammar school at Nor- walk, later supplementing with a course at St. Vin- cent's College. After finishing school he took up the well-drilling business and learned his trade un- der E. R. Pitzer of Los Angeles County, who did drilling of irrigation wells in the Orange belt of Southern California and at Whittier, San Dimas and elsewhere. Mr. Bland worked at the drilling busi-

ness until he enlisted in the World War, except for a period of eighteen months, when he was in the automobile business in Pasadena. He was one of the original volunteers that made up the Red Cross Am- bulance Corps No. 1 of Pasadena, organized by Major Charles D. Lockwood of Pasadena. He enlisted May 25, 1917, and trained for a short time in the south, then was sent to Allentown, Pa., where he was promoted to first sergeant of section 566 of the Red Cross Ambulance Corps. Here he trained for eleven months and three weeks and then sailed from Hoboken, N. J., for foreign service. His de- tachment was sent to Italy and was one of the 1,000 American troops that was spread over a front area of 400 miles. These companies did ambulance work and transporting of rations for the Italian troops. They passed through Gibraltar and landed at Genoa, Italy, serving in the Alps and spending one year in Italy and Mr. Bland was in three major Italian offensives. Upon his return to the United States May 1, 1919, he was discharged at Camp Dix., N. J., June 3, 1919. He immediately returned to Cali- fornia and settled in the Santa Clara Valley and became a partner of Nathan Charnock in the well- drilling business. They own and operate four deep well power drilling rigs, and they are usually kept busy, covering the territory on the coast from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo.

Mr. Bland's marriage occurred May 17, 1919, in Eaton, Pa., and united him with Miss Harriet Mc- Henry, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, a native of Penn- sylvania, born in Catasauqua, where she was reared and educated, completing her education in the Nor- mal School of her native city. Her mother passed away there in January, 1918. Mr. Bland is an hon- ored member of the American Legion of San Jose; fraternally he is a member of the Elks Lodge No. 672 of Pasadena and was an active member of the baseball and drill team of this lodge. Locally he gives his support to progressive, constructive leg- islation, regardless of party lines, supporting the best man for public office. His home is 1498 Park Avenue, San Jose.

PAUL D. CAMBIANO .- Success has crowned the efforts of Paul D. Cambiano, who is the ener- getic manager of the Art Fixture Shop located at 728 South Second Street. Born in Boulder Creek, Cal., January 5, 1892, he is the son of Antone and Catherine (Grella) Cambiano, pioneers of Califor- nia, the father having arrived here in the '50s, while the mother also belongs to one of the old families here. They were married in this state and are living in San Jose at the present time.

Mr. Cambiano was educated in the public schools of San Jose and supplemented his high school course with a business education. After his graduation from business college, he did clerical work for eight years, after which he was with Blake Brothers and later with Wagner Brothers. In June, 1919, he opened his own business, and for his shop built a bungalow in the residence district, which is known as the "no rent" store. He has a fine reception room and carries a large and attractive stock of electrical fixtures. He has the only exclusive lighting fixture factory in the county, his business furnishing em- ployment for six men. The Art Fixture Shop spec- ializes in lighting fixtures and has furnished the fix- tures for the lighting systems for many of the most handsome residences and business houses in the

F.a. Machado

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

county; among them being the residences of Mrs. G. Nutting and S. D. San Filippo; among the busi- ness houses, the private offices of Hubbard and Carmichael, the drug store of E. H. Baker, the Hip- podrome Theater, the Bordwell Jewelry Store.

Mr. Cambiano's marriage united him with Miss Dora Slavich, the daughter of George and Martha Slavich, pioneers of Amador County, who now re- side in Santa Clara County. They have two sons, Richard and Robert. Mr. Cambiano is an enthus- iastic member of San Jose Parlor No. 22, N. S. G. W., and of the Knights of Columbus; also of the Chamber of Commerce of San Jose and a charter member of the Commercial Club and being a believer in principles of protection he is a Republican in na- tional politics. He spends a part of each year camp- ing out in the mountains, where he enjoys hunting and fishing. His career has been characterized by industry, perseverance and progressiveness, and the prosperity which has come to him is well-deserved.

FRANK A. MACHADO .- A Portuguese-American who is not only very prominent in church, business, social and fraternal circles of his fellow-countrymen, but is well known and influential among all classes of Americans, is Frank A. Machado, the extensive dairyman, and manager and treasurer of the Associ- ated Milk Producers of San Francisco. He has pros- pered and succeeded beyond his most sanguine ex- pectations, and in all his ambitious operations he has been ably helped by his bright and accomplished wife.

He was born in the Island of St. George, in the Azores, on June 24, 1869, the son of John Machado, a farmer, who died when our subject was only eight years of age. The mother, whose maiden name had been Mary Barba, remarried, choosing for her second husband Manuel Barba, who now lives at Millbrae, San Mateo County, in which district she died. She was the mother of one girl and thirteen hoys-nine children by her first husband, and five by her second. Three of Frank's brothers, and three of his stepbrothers, have died.

Frank worked on the farm in the Azores, but had 110 chance to go to school; and when he had reached his fifteenth year, he had resolved to come out to America with his mother and sister. They crossed the ocean to Boston, and his mother and sister pro- ceeded to California while he went to Vermont, where he worked on a farm for eleven months, and with the money he saved, came to California. He could speak no English when he first went to Vermont, but in California especially he had a chance to study at night. On coming out to the Coast, he went to Napa; and as there was no work to be had from strangers, he stayed with an aunt for six months. From Napa County he went to Tomales, Marin County, where he worked for wages in a dairy for seven years.

He had saved his money, and when twenty-three years old, he began business for himself, renting a dairy farm at Sausalito and operating it for eight years. In 1898 he moved to San Mateo County and there rented a ranch of 1500 acres, with 300 cows. He remained there until 1906, and in the meantime, in 1899, he was married in Marin County to Miss Caroline Cardoza, a native of San Mateo County and a daughter of Manuel Cardoza, a pioneer. In 1906, Mr. Machado came to Santa Clara County and rented various places; and in 1913 he bought his home place of 119 acres on Agnew Road, two miles northeast

of Sunnyvale, which he has converted into a dairy farm, whereas it had formerly been a grain farm. He has erected a large comfortable residence, three large barns and other necessary buildings required for a modern and sanitary dairy, and has set out trees and made gravel roads, so the ranch presents a fine appearance. He also leases the Enright ranch, where he operates another dairy and besides leases three other ranches, a total of 1190 acres as pasture for the young stock to replenish his dairy. He keeps high grade Holstein cows, and a number of registered bulls, and runs eighty cows on the home place, and 200 cows on the Enright place.

Mr. Machado was the prime mover in organizing the Associated Milk Producers of San Francisco, which sells some 36,000 gallons of milk daily in San Francisco. A director from the start, he was soon selected as manager and accepting the responsibility, he gave it his time and best business endeavor, con- scientiously working for the building up of the associ- ation and enhancing the value and marketing of the products of the members, well knowing that co- operation in selling was the only means of the dairymen's achieving success. Having spent five years as manager, and accomplished his aim of plac- ing the association on a sound financial basis, he felt he had given all the time he should and so resigned as manager, but retains the position of treasurer. He is an original stockholder in the Portuguese- American Bank of San Francisco, and an original stockholder and director in the San Francisco Dairy Company and of the Portuguese Mercantile Company of San Francisco, of which he is vice-presi- dent. He is also a stockholder and director in the Portuguese Dairy and Land Company, with head- quarters in San Francisco, and a stockholder in the Pacific States Security Company of Palo Alto.

Five children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Machado. Manuel, a graduate of Heald's Busi- ness College, is assisting in operating the ranch of 119 acres. Mary is the wife of John Azevedo of Lawrence, the foreman of a dairy farm of 550 acres there. Francis is attending Heald's Business College in San Jose; and Joseph and Alfred are at the gram- mar school. Caroline, the third-born of the family, died at the age of three months. The family belongs to the Sunnyvale Catholic Church. Mr. Machado is a prominent member and treasurer of Palo Alto Council No. 65, U. P. E. C., is a director of the Supreme Council of California, U. P. E. C., and he is president of the U. P. E. C. Hall Association in Oakland. He is a member of San Mateo Council No. 26. I. D. E. S. at Redwood City, in which he holds the office of treasurer.

Mr. Machado has been greatly interested in secur- ing a good port at the southern extremity of San Francisco Bay, and in the foundation of the South- Shore Port Company that is now dredging for a harbor at a point between Mountain View and Sun- nyvale, making a close and convenient place for ship- ping and receiving the produce of the farms and fields, by water from Santa Clara County, so it will be seen that Mr. Machado's ambitions are not only for his own interest but for assisting in other enterprises that have for their aim the upbuilding and develop- ment of the valley and state. Thus it is interesting to note the life story of this successful, ambitious man who began as a boy working on a Vermont farm to make sufficient means to bring him to the

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Golden State where as a lad of sixteen he started out without any means and by energy, hard work and good management he has accumulated a com- petency and risen to a prominent place as a leader not only among his countrymen but one of the in- fluential men in the county.

JOHN D. VEDOVA .- A loyal citizen of his adop- ted country and one who favors and aids all progres- sive movements is John D. Vedova, a prominent cement contractor residing in Los Gatos, Cal. He was born in Castelnuovo, Udine, Italy, May 4, 1877, the son of August and Josephine (Tonnelli) Vedova, both parents having lived and died in their native land. John D. Vedova was educated in the public schools of Italy and did not leave for the United States until he was thirty years old. He first located in San Francisco where he followed the cement busi- ness until he removed to Los Gatos in 1911. He is the foremost cement contractor in Los Gatos and Crawford's fire-proof garage attests the kind of work- manship he is doing. For many years he has had the contracts for building the cement curbs and sidewalks. He has just completed an $18,000 contract with the city of Los Gatos for sidewalks, curbs and gutters. He has done the cement and concrete work on the principal business buildings and residences here and many of the fine homes in the Los Gatos hills also show the reliableness of his work. He reg- ularly employs about a dozen men, and at times his business requires many more.

The marriage of Mr. Vedova united him with Miss Elizabeth Contardo, also born in Italy. While they have not been blessed with children of their own, they have adopted two children, a niece and a nephew. Eleanor Nasimbini and August Vedova, whose fathers were killed during the World War. Mr. Vedova is proud of his American citizenship, having become naturalized in 1915 and he is through and through American, standing for law and order. He is affiliated with the Republican party and is a member of the Woodmen of the World, the Druids and the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce. His enterprise and industry have won for him a place in the community that can only be attained by constant application to business and he takes great pride in the advancement of the community which he has selected for his permanent home.

WILLIAM F. COLT .- The owner and proprie- tor of the Red Rock Spring Ranch at Morgan Hill, William F. Colt has been an enthusiastic worker for the welfare and progress of this section of Santa Clara County ever since taking up his residence here in 1917. The son of pioneers of Minnesota, Mr. Colt was born at Riceford, Houston County, in that state, July 22. 1877. His father. Martin Colt, set- tled in Minnesota in the early '50s, where he was one of the early pioneers. He became prominent in the public life of that period, and established a wagon shop and a large sawmill and had a half in- terest in a foundry and blacksmith shop at Rice- ford. In 1880 he went to Dakota Territory and took up land in Lake County, being joined two years later by his family. Although a stanch Republican, he was appointed by President Cleveland as boss farmer of the Crow Indian Reservation, serving from 1884 to 1888, an appointment that testified to his unusual capability. Mrs. Colt was Miss Rosa M. Fleming before her marriage, and a native of Hyde Park, Vermont, born August 21, 1841. She came

to Minnesota with her parents in the early days, her father being a veteran of the Mexican War of 1846. She married at Spring Grove, Minn., September 8. 1858. In 1894 the Colt family removed to Sierra County, Cal., and in this state the parents passed the remainder of their lives, Martin Colt passing away when seventy-three, in August, 1902, while Mrs. Colt survived him until January 14, 1920, be- ing seventy-nine at the time of her demise, in Sierra County. There were nine children in their family. four sons and one daughter survive.

William F. Colt finished his schooling in Sierra County, and for three years worked on the ranch and in the shingle mill at Sierra. In 1906 he entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and for six years worked in their shops, becoming inspector of cars on the Sacramento division. Coming to Mor- gan Hill in February, 1917. he purchased his ranch of thirty-eight acres and since that time he has given his best efforts to its development. He is a hard worker and his industry and well-directed methods are bringing him most satisfactory results.

In 1915, at Stockton, Mr. Colt was married to Mrs. Mary M. (Faeh) Wilson, born near Smith- field, Fulton County, Ill. the daughter of Jacob and Martha (Baughman) Faeh. She came to Cali- fornia with her mother in 1878, and they settled in San Luis Obispo County, where Mrs. Faeh died. Mrs. Colt was given an excellent education and for twenty-nine years she taught in the public schools of this state, having a high school diploma and a life diploma. Mr. Colt, who is a Republican in politics, is affiliated with the Brotherhood of Amer- ican Yeomen, and is a member of the California Prune and Apricot Association and the Grape Grow- ers Association.

SAMUEL SCIARRINO .- Among the foremost contracting and construction firms of San Jose is that of Herschback & Sciarrino, who are very well known throughout Santa Clara County. Samuel Sciarrino was born in Palermo, Italy, on October 22, 1887; his father was a stone cutter, stone mason, contractor and bridge builder in Italy and it was here that Samuel learned much of this line of work. One of six children, three of whom are living in Santa Clara County, Samuel received his schooling in Italy and while he was only a lad began working with his father, helping in construction and bridge building work. When twenty years of age, he came to America and for three years worked in New York City, where he was employed on the Brooklyn Bridge and many other noted structures and build- ings in New York City and also he became a first- class cement worker. He then came on to the Pacific Coast, locating in San Francisco, where he worked for wages. After nine months there, he came to San Jose, arriving there in 1914 and, after working for others for about two months, he started contracting on his own account and did general cement work on contracts for the next two years, then began building bridges He built the bridge at Madrone, on the Hot Springs Road, costing $13,000; also the bridge across the Hughes Creek on the Watsonville Road at a cost of $19,000; also the one on Prospect Road near Saratoga at a cost of $7,700. This bridge is very artistic and architectur- ally beautiful He also built the $8,000 bridge across Penetencia Creek near Alum Rock, which is also a

John D. Vedova

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

very attractive structure. He contracted alone up to the year of 1917, then formed a partnership with Mr. Herschback, and has constructed in all fifteen bridges in Santa Clara County. Besides doing bridge work they do everything in cement work and general construction work.

Mr. Sciarrino's marriage, which occurred in 1915, at San Jose, united him with Miss Mary Moless, the daughter of Frank and Rose (Carbelli) Moless, both of whom are living in San Jose, Cal. Mr. and Mrs. Sciarrino are the parents of two children, Pauline and Norville. Mr. Sciarrino is recognized as a self- made man and the secret of his success is hard work and a thorough understanding of his business in which he employs from four to eight men. He owns twenty acres at Morgan Hill which he bought in 1920 which he has set out to prunes.

GEORGE A. GRAY, M. D .- One of the leaders in the medical profession of Santa Clara County is George A. Gray, M. D., diagnostician and internist, whose splendid attainments and exceptional training have given him a place among the leading physicians of San Jose. He was born in Detroit, Mich., Decem- ber 21, 1892, the son of Adam Oliver and Amy (Davis) Gray. Dr. Gray's father, now deceased, was a merchant tailor in Chicago, Ills., his mother now makes her home in Detroit.

Dr. Gray was an only child and finished the gram- mar school in Detroit, completing the high school course in Chicago in 1911. Entering the Univer- sity of Chicago, he graduated with the class of 1915, having the degree of B. S. conferred upon him. He matriculated at Rush Medical College, which is af- filiated with the University of Chicago and was grad- uated therefrom in 1917 with his degree of M. D. On April 21, 1917, he entered the U. S. Naval Re- serve force, going to the Naval Medical School in Washington, D. C., where he received special train- ing in tropical and military medicinc. He was then sent by the U. S. Navy to Jefferson Medical Col- lege at Philadelphia, and also to the medical depart- ment of the University of Pennsylvania at Phila- delphia, where he did post-graduate work. He was then commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps, U. S. Navy, and was sent to the Rockefeller Institute at New York City, where he took further special training in diagnosis and internal medicine under Dr. Flexner and staff and was there until ordered to the Eighth Regiment U. S. Marine Corps with which he served for eleven months at Galves- ton, Texas. From there he was detailed to the Eleventh Regiment U. S. Marine Corps, A. E. F., and served eleven months in France. He was stationed mostly in the interior of France, where he was do- ing duty at the time the armistice was signed. He returned to the United States in August, 1919, for further special work in diagnosis and internal medicine under Dr. Stitt now Surgeon General of U. S. Navy, and was then ordered to the Naval hos- pital at Mare Island, Cal, remaining there from December 24, 1919, until November 29, 1920, when he received his discharge and immediately located in San Jose where he has since been engaged in independent practice, with offices in the Twohy Building, specializing in diagnosis and internal medicine.

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History of Santa Clara County California with biographical sketches, Part 233

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