USA > California > Santa Cruz County > History of Santa Cruz County, California with Biographical Sketches > Part 11
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Santa Cruz. The same rooms contain attractive specimens of the artistic ability of his wife, whom he married in 1897 and who was Miss Lillian J. Dake, a native of Milwaukee, Wis. Her talents have led her to make a specialty of water color and china painting. Her work in California fruits has attracted particular attention. Those who come to admire Mr. Heath's paintings seldom leave without words of praise for the dainty specimens of his wife's skill with the brush.
JULIUS LEF.
It would be difficult, if not indeed impossible, to mention a name more intimately identified with the history of law and jurisprudence in Santa Cruz county than that of Julius Lee, who from the year 1862 until his death had made his home in Watsonville and who from the time of his arrival until his retirement during the opening years of the twentieth century occupied a position of the highest influence at the bar of his home city. Liberally endowed by nature with logical reason- ing faculties and fluent command of language, he supple- mented his native endowments by the most arduous applica- tion and acquired a thorough knowledge of the laws of this and other states, as well as a familiarity with the classics, with literature of all ages and with art. From an intellectual standpoint he presented the spectacle of a man well-rounded in character, well-informed in the profession of his choice and well qualified to attain a position of eminence through- out the locality where the efforts of years were centered. In addition to the valuable practice which he established in his home city and county, he became known elsewhere as a coun- selor of sagacious judgment, and he was frequently called to the counties of Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito, for
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consultation with local attorneys. The fees accruing from his extensive practice were invested with the sagacity char- acteristic of his every act and resulted in the accumulation of important property interests.
The reputation which Mr. Lee acquired in the law was en- hanced by his readiness at repartee. Professional antago- nism ofttimes was converted into friendliness by the choice bon mot that fell from his lips. The most difficult situation was relieved by his good-humored sallies. Friends familiar with his mental characteristics were never surprised at his epigrams, but to a stranger they always came with a shock of surprise, for the appearance of the attorney suggested medi- tation rather than humor. Of an impressive physique, his smooth-shaven face gave no hint of his age, but revealed the strong features that marked the man. On one occasion a friend inquired of him regarding his ancestry. His quick- ness at repartee is shown in the fact that he immediately re- plied by quoting these lines :
"My ancient though ignoble blood
Has flowed through rebels ever since the flood."
The reply though apt was not wholly germane to the case in hand, for the Lee family is not of ignoble origin. Its branches, both in the north and in the south, have been hon- orably associated with the history of their places of residence and have displayed a love of home and a valor in war that entitles them to rank among the best citizens of our country. One branch of the Lee family became established in New England very early in the colonization of the new world. Though less conspicuous than the southern Lees, they were not less valiant in war and industrious in the arts of peace. Julius Lee descended from the Connecticut branch of the race and was born in the village of Granby, near Hartford,
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May 25, 1829. When he was not yet four years of age he was bereaved by the death of his father; the surviving mem- bers of the family removed to Ohio, settling in the hamlet of Hiram, afterward famous as the home of James A. Garfield and the scene of his educational activity as president of Hiram College.
On the completion of the studies taught in the Hiram public schools, Julius Lee found himself ambitious for greater opportunities, yet lacking the means necessary for a college course. In early youth he had mastered the classics to an unusual extent. Destiny seemed to call him to a high place in the world of thought. Eager to prepare himself for achievement, he sought the means of enlarging his fund of knowledge. A favorable opportunity soon came. While studying at the Twinsburg Institute in Summit county he was also a teacher there of those parts of the curriculum with which he was most familiar. In that way all expenses were defrayed and he was enabled to devote particular attention to the study of higher mathematics. When about twenty-two years of age he entered the sophomore class of Alleghany College and by teaching was enabled to meet the expenses of the college course as he had those in the academy. In 1853 he was graduated with the honors of class salutatorian and valedictorian of his college society.
A service of two years as tutor in the Twinsburg Institute was followed by an acceptance of the chair of Greek and Latin in the Washington College near Natchez, Miss. One year later, at the age of twenty-seven, he retired from educa- tional work. While pedagogy was used by him merely as a stepping stone to the law, he was unusually successful as a teacher and that portion of his career was no less gratify- ing than later labors along another line of mental activity. Leisure hours in his experience as an instructor were de-
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voted to the study of law and then for a year he studied under the preceptorship of Hon. Thomas A. Marshall, of Vicksburg, Miss., after which he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of that state. It was not, however, his intention to remain in the south. The west had already cast its fascinating spell upon him. Its opportunities appealed to his aspiring energy. The country which a few years be- fore had drawn eager Argonauts from all parts of the world seemed to him to present other opportunities besides those of the mines and he made his plans to remove thither.
The large and carefully selected library which indicated Mr. Lee's love of study was shipped around the Horn, but he chose a quicker route to the coast and came via the Isthmus of Tehauntepec, landing in San Francisco on the last day of June in 1859. Pending the arrival of his library he accepted a position in the office of Hon. S. W. Holladay, city attorney of San Francisco and one of the leading lawyers of the state. A few months later the library arrived safely and the young lawyer thereupon brought the books to Monterey, where he opened an office. Shortly after his arrival Mr. Gregory re- signed the office of district attorney in order to attend the Charleston convention and Mr. Lee was appointed to the position. At the expiration of the term he was duly elected to the office, which he filled until the election of his successor in the fall of 1862. Earlier in the same year he had removed to Watsonville, where he served as district attorney for two successive terms. Later the Republican party nominated him for superior judge, but he declined the nomination for the reason that an election would necessitate removal to Santa Cruz, thus causing the loss of the excellent law practice he had established in his home city. While serving as district attorney he engaged as his deputy at the county-seat J. H. Logan, who afterward served as district attorney of this
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county and also was honored with the office of superior judge. During the year 1869 Mr. Lee married Marcelia Elmore, a native of New York. They became the parents of a son, Julius Elmore Lee, now of Watsonville, who was educated at Heald's Business College at San Francisco and the Uni- versity of the Pacific in San Jose.
In closing this article we wish to quote from the Pacific Coast Commercial Record of San Francisco. While the men- tion of Mr. Lee made by that paper occurred over twenty years ago, in 1889, it applied appropriately up to the time of his death, with the exception that he was retired from practice and transacted no professional work other than act- ing as advisor in various very important cases. "As an of- fice practitioner and counselor-at-law, Mr. Lee is recognized as possessing great ability, judgment, and a close and in- timate knowledge of precedents and authorities on legal questions of all kinds. He is quick to grasp the salient points of any case brought to his consideration, and being a master of English, with a remarkably fine command of language, expresses himself in an extremely forcible and convincing way. He is impressive in address and possesses the faculty of presenting his argument to the court and jury in a con- cise and powerful manner, which carries with it great force and effect. His predominating characteristics may be summed up as suaviter in modo, fortiter in re. This gentle- man is familiar with and is a recognized authority on land titles and matters. He has made this branch the subject of his special study, and has been retained as leading counsel in important suits arising from disputed or apparently con- fused land grants from the Mexican government previous to the cession of California to the United States.
* * *
"Personally Mr. Julius Lee is a man of strong individual-
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ity, a gentleman of education not only in his profession, but in general subjects. He enjoys the respect and esteem of the community, both in a professional capacity and as a private citizen. Though Mr. Lee has just passed his sixtieth year, his age sits very lightly upon him, and at an age when many men are thinking of getting old, he is robust, active and vigorous in mind and body. This gentleman has great faith in the future advancement of the city of Watsonville and of the Pajaro valley and lends his support to any enterprise having as its object the good of this charming locality."
The death of Mr. Lee occurred in Watsonville March 28, 1910, and was the occasion of universal mourning in his home city and surrounding country, for his was a personality that drew all men to him, none knowing him but to love and revere him.
MICHAEL GRIMES.
Ancestors of this progressive farmer of Santa Cruz county resided in the Emerald Isle as far back as the lineage can be traced. Each generation was characterized by loyalty ยท to country and devotion to family, and in their humble spheres of activity they labored long and faithfully. The unyielding soil of their native country was made to return them a living only after the most arduous labor, and from year to year conditions seemed to grow worse in this respect rather than better. It was this condition of affairs that led Michael Grimes to consider the advisability of coming to the United States and establishing himself in a country where opportun- ity held out a welcoming hand to the young man of push and enterprise.
Born in county Galway, Ireland, in 1831, Michael Grimes continued in the land of his forefathers until 1854, when he
I Martinelli
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came to the United States. He remained in the east for some time after his arrival, principally in New Jersey, where he was variously employed for six years. Having in the meantime become interested in California he determined to come to the far west and cast in his lot with her citizens, which he did in 1860. He first went to Oakland, but after remain- ing there for about six years he came to the Pajaro valley and took up the property upon which he now lives. This con- sists of one hundred and thirty-two acres of land well lo- cated, and altogether he has one of the most thrifty ranches in this part of the valley. For many years hay and grain were his principal products and still are, although in the meantime, 1898, he set out an orchard of thirty acres in ap- ples which has been very productive and added consider- able to his income.
The marriage of Michael Grimes united him with Cather- ine Murry, who like himself was a native of Ireland, and all of the eight children born to them are still living. They are as follows: John, a resident of Monterey county; Thomas and James, of Watsonville; Annie, the widow of Charles McGreer of Berkeley; Katie, the wife of William Webb, also of Berkeley; Sarah, Mrs. Frank Strode, residing in Salinas; Rose, at home; and Ella, a resident of Alameda.
STEPHEN MARTINELLI.
Far removed from his old home and birthplace in Switzer- land Mr. Martinelli finds in Santa Cruz county, Cal., a climate not unlike that with which he was familiar during his childhood and youth, and here he finds an opportunity for progress in business unknown in his native country. When he came to the new world over fifty years ago he was a young
3
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man of about seventeen years, full of enthusiasm and courage not easily daunted by adverse conditions, and with the pass- ing of years he has accumulated a competency and become an important factor in the business community of Watson- ville.
Born in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, January 5, 1843, Stephen Martinelli is a son of parents who passed their entire lives in sight of the mountains of Switzerland, where as farmers they made a modest living and reared their children. When Stephen was seventeen years of age he had reached the conclusion that the business outlook in his own country was limited and circumscribed, as completely indeed as the country was hedged in by the mountains. Many of his coun- trymen had realized this condition before him and found an outlet for their ambitions and a field of labor in the United States, and hither he came in 1859. The vessel on which he made the voyage landed him in the harbor of San Francisco June 5 of that year and from the metropolis he came direct to the Pajaro valley, where for over half a century he has made his home uninterruptedly. His first experience was as a farm hand in the valley and during the two years he re- mained with this employer he gained a fund of experience along agricultural lines that has stood him in good stead throughout the remaining years of his life. Finally he un- dertook the maintenance of a ranch of his own, carrying this on until 1866, when he gave it up and entered upon a widely different venture. This was the manufacture of soda water and other soft drinks, a line of endeavor which he has ever since followed with unqualified success. After a few years, however, he became convinced that by specializing on one product of unexcelled quality he could get better results than by scattering his efforts and it was at that time that he began the manufacture of apple cider, the superior quality of which
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has made his name a household word throughout this part of the state. At all state fairs his product is entered for com- petition and invariably it receives the highest awards, this being especially true of the Mid-winter fair in San Francisco, where he received a special gold medal for the best apple cider. At the state fair at Sacramento he was awarded a silver medal and at the exposition at Atlanta, Ga., he received the same recognition for the excellence of his product, be- sides seven diplomas of honor from various expositions throughout the United States where his special brand of cider has been exhibited. He takes a commendable pride in the fact that his cider is the only brand that has been awarded a medal in the United States.
In connection with his cider mill Mr. Martinelli maintains an orchard of forty acres all in Bellflower apples. Without doubt this is the most highly developed orchard of its age in the county, and the fact that Mr. Martinelli has offered a prize of $100 to anyone in the vicinity or elsewhere who can show trees more highly developed than his own has stimulated an interest in this branch of agriculture which is highly com- mendable. He is strongly opposed to the one-time practice of cutting back fruit trees, which practice injures the tree, causes it to become forked as well as developing a lot of suckers that have to be cut back the next season. He is also opposed to winter pruning, for when the tree is dormant it causes the bark to split and peel off and the tree to decay. To do so when the tree is growing heals over the wound at once and no suckers will grow from the place where cut. Dating from about the year 1900 Mr. Martinelli has been the means of practically changing the method of the fruit-grow- ers in the valley. He believes in assisting nature, not in destroying it.
A marriage ceremony performed in Watsonville July 3,
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1890, united the lives of Stephen Martinelli and Jennie Leask, the latter a sister of Samuel Leask of Santa Cruz. Three children, two sons and one daughter, Stephen, Annie C. and Leask, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Martinelli, all of whom are pupils in the public schools of Watsonville. Out- side of his business as an orchardist and manufacturer of cider Mr. Martinelli found pleasure as well as profit in in- structing and leading what was known as Martinelli's Band and later the Swiss Band of Watsonville being connected with them for about thirty years. Fraternally he is affiliated with a number of orders, being a member of Pajaro Lodge No. 9, I. O. O. F., of Watsonville; Santa Cruz Lodge, K. P .; and the Rebekahs of Watsonville. Mr. Martinelli is counted among the live, enterprising citizens of his home city, and as a member of the Watsonville Board of Trade he con- tributed immeasurably to her standing as a progressive busi- ness center of the state.
JOHN T. PORTER.
The life which this narrative delineates began at Duxbury, Plymouth county, Mass., in 1830, and closed at Watsonville, Santa Cruz county, Cal., in February of 1900. Between these two dates an era of activity brought financial success, high- standing as a citizen and wide influence for good. Of eastern parentage and ancestry, fate had reserved Mr. Porter for pioneer labors in the west. Ere yet he had reached his majority he was startled by the news of gold in California. With boyish enthusiasm he determined to migrate to the coast and remain at the mines until he had accumulated $10,000, when he would return east and establish a permanent home. Prior to that time he had led an uneventful exist-
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ence, the chief event of his youth having been a sojourn in Wisconsin, whither his father had taken him in order to have his aid in farming and saw-milling operations and also for the purpose of terminating his apprenticeship in the drug business, which he had commenced to learn. A common- school education qualified him for ordinary business affairs and he opposed his father's plans for a collegiate course.
As the family would not consent to a California trip he formulated plans in secret, but was prevented by sickness from joining his party. Upon recovering his health he re- turned to Boston, where Capt. Caleb Moore, of the ship Herculean, agreed to take him without the customary sign- ing of articles, but with merely a verbal promise to remain with the vessel until discharged at San Francisco. Mean- time the elder Mr. Porter had heard of his son's proceedings and endeavored to prevent their consummation. Upon as- certaining that it was too late, he tactfully withdrew his strenuous opposition and bade the youth farewell with pray- ers for his success. In due time the Herculean rounded the Horn and entered the Golden Gate. The most of the crew made a rush for the mines, but three or four, including Mr. Porter, stood by the captain, who showed his appreciation by handing his young assistant $50 after the cargo had been un- loaded, Captain Moore also offered him unusual inducements to make the return trip to Boston, but the offer was de- clined.
Upon the banks of the Yuba river and in other localities Mr. Porter mined for gold, but soon he found that the $10,000 of his dreams hung further aloof from his ambition than the famed castles of the air. Leaving the mines he went to Sacramento and thence to Stockton, where he was employed as contractor to load a hay-boat bound for San Francisco. Next he engaged as buyer of supplies for the Webb street
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house in San Francisco and later was employed by Thomas H. Selby & Co., on California street near Battery. In a few months he refused a liberal advance offered by the firm and embarked in the draying business for himself. At the end of two years, in the fall of 1853, having secured the necessary capital, he came to Santa Cruz county and embarked in mer- cantile pursuits with Edward Porter at Soquel. During the autumn of 1855, owing to bad crops and scarcity of money, he was obliged to relinquish his business, after which he en- gaged in farming for a year or more.
At that time Santa Cruz county unwillingly harbored many of the worst characters in the state. The last and greatest vigilance committee in San Francisco, that of 1856, drove a horde of desperadoes from that city and they took refuge in Santa Cruz county, where their presence proved disastrous to safety and progress. Society soon became almost disor- ganized. Property was in constant jeopardy. In such a crisis it was necessary to elect a sheriff able to cope with a desperate situation and the people decided that Mr. Porter possessed the qualifications necessary for the difficult task. In 1856 he was elected sheriff and entered upon his duties with fearlessness. The people were not disappointed in him. For two terms of two years each he discharged his hazardous duties. Criminals and outlaws were captured and brought to justice. Those not captured were so terrified that they soon fled to other places and eventually peace settled down upon the county.
Upon retiring from the office of sheriff Mr. Porter accepted an appointment as collecter of the port of Monterey, ten- dered him by President Lincoln. During 1865 he resigned this position. Afterward he engaged in different kinds of business in various parts of the state. Few pioneers were more familiar with California than he, and in the course of
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his activities, both as official and as business man, he traveled over a wide range of country. The favorite mode of travel was on horseback. For some years he spent a large part of his time in the saddle. When evening came a camp-fire was lighted and a lunch prepared and enjoyed, after which he slept in his blankets upon the prairie with the earth for a pillow and the sky for a counterpane. Physically he was admirably qualified for such an existence. Fully six feet tall, he was built in proportion and possessed a sturdy con- stitution upon which hardships and exposure left little im- press. In 1876, after an absence of nearly twenty-seven years, he returned to his old eastern home, but the changes there had been many. Few of his kins-people or friends remained, but with such as were left he enjoyed a renewal of the pleasant associations of youth.
During 1859 Mr. Porter married Miss Fannie Cumming, a native of Canada and the recipient of a thorough classical education. In young womanhood she taught several terms of school and proved as efficient in that profession as in her later duties as a home-maker. The only daughter of the union is Mrs. Florence Pfingst. The only son, Hon. Warren R. Porter, served as lieutenant-governor of California. The family residence has been in the suburbs of Watsonville ever since 1874, when Mr. Porter was a prime factor in the or- ganization of the Bank of Watsonville. The residence was surrounded by forty acres of grounds and formed a beauti- ful rural homestead. In addition Mr. Porter acquired two hundred and eighty acres in the same neighborhood as well as six hundred acres further up the Pajaro valley. Numerous other holdings here and elsewhere also passed into his owner- ship from time to time and at his demise he left a large and valuable estate. During September of 1901 the heirs incorpor- ated the John T. Porter Company, with the son as vice-presi-
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dent and manager, the object of the incorporation being to ad- minister the estate for the best interests of all concerned.
The establishment of the Pajaro Valley Bank in 1888 was largely due to the efforts of Mr. Porter and he became its first president, the other officers being A. Lewis, vice-presi- dent, and J. J. Morey, cashier. The first board of directors comprised the following-named gentlemen: J. T. Porter, A. Lewis, P. McAllister, F. Mauk, A. B. Chalmers, E. L. Gold- stein, John Sheehy, W. R. Porter, P. Cox, L. J. Beckett and G. W. Sill. The bank was organized with a capital of $100,000. One of the first results of its establishment was a reduction in the rates of interest charged to borrowers, a matter thor- oughly appreciated by farmers and business men. During August of the same year (1888) the Pajaro Valley Savings and Loan Society was established as an outgrowth of the original institution and with practically the same gentlemen at the head of its affairs, the presidency, however, being held by A. Lewis, while P. McAllister officiated as vice-presi- dent.
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