USA > California > Santa Cruz County > History of Santa Cruz County, California with Biographical Sketches > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
Discouraged by repeated failures, while the ravages by codling-moth increased yearly, the Orchardists' Association, in 1902, appealed to the agricultural department of the State University for scientific aid. In response the university au- thorities in 1903 placed Prof. C. W. Woodworth, chief of the Entomological Department in charge of the project, with Prof. W. T. Clarke as field assistant. Acting upon the belief that high-grade paris-green would prove safe and effectual this remedy was recommended and widely used that year. The result was as always before, disastrous to the foliage.
W. H. Volck succeeded Prof. Clarke in 1904 in the ex- periment work. During that year and the next he tested every known remedy suggested for the codling-moth, includ- ing the various brands of arsenate of lead then on the market.
119
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
These tests demonstrated that properly prepared arsenate of lead was the only safe remedy, but all the various brands of this material proved variable, hence unreliable.
The necessity of evolving a stable compound became ap- parent, hence in 1906 Chemist E. E. Luther was detailed to assist in the work. Co-operating with Mr. Volck, the two perfected an arsenate of lead which has proven absolutely safe under our peculiar climatic conditions and entirely ef- fectual in combatting the codling-moth.
The problem which the university had undertaken being satisfactorily solved, Mr. Volck, in 1907, was employed joint- ly by Santa Cruz and Monterey counties to continue the re- search work with a view to simplifying and cheapening the methods of control of orchard pests. In 1907 a factory was established in Watsonville under the management of Chemist Luther for the manufacture of spray chemicals needed by the growers of orchards.
Aside from the great results accomplished through the university, the services of the U. S. Department have been enlisted. Since 1906 experiments have been conducted by government experts with a view to improving the keeping qualities of our apples, in both natural and cold storage. In 1908 an exhaustive soil survey of Pajaro valley was made for the purpose of determining whether the different kinds of soil effect the keeping quality of our apples.
In 1909 W. S. Ballard, a government plant pathologist, was detailed to this locality for investigation work with a view to devising remedies for diseases to which some of our fruits are subject, particularly aiming to control the powdery mil- dew of the apple.
Though the few have had to bear the brunt of the reform work carried on unceasingly during the decade now ending, it is gratifying to note that the pest problem is solved and
120
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
that no further doubt exists on the part of the orchardist re- garding the efficacy of remedies now prescribed. Further, that our people as a whole are at last awake to their best in- terests and are profiting by applying those remedies.
With a skilled entomologist, plant pathologist and chemist all working for the improvement and cheapening of remedies, together with the existence in our midst of a factory which furnishes the growers the necessary compounds for pest- fighting at prices twenty-five per cent less than is charged for like materials in any other section, our district is enjoying advantages protectively unequaled anywhere.
augustus Noble
AUGUSTUS NOBLE.
An English family of the middle class, hearing concerning the opportunities to be found in the United States, took pas- sage on a sailing vessel during the year 1820 and crossed the ocean to the new world. Their original home in this country was in Baltimore, Md., and there in 1823 a son was born to whom was given the name of Augustus. During 1828 the family removed to Salem, Mass., and there the boy was sent to the public schools, obtaining a fair education. After leav- ing school he served an apprenticeship to the trade of cooper and on the expiration of his time he worked as a journeyman. As soon as news reached Massachusetts of the discovery of gold in California he determined to seek his fortune in the west and joined an expedition consisting of two hundred and. twenty young men, hardy and brave, such youths as formed the flower of New England. Buoyant and ambitious, the young adventurers set sail from Boston on the ship Capitol, bound for the golden shores of California, by way of Cape Horn. The voyage consumed six months. Out of the large number of young men composing the party only two now survive. The others have taken the last long journey to the shores whence no traveler returns.
Mining for a time occupied the attention of Augustus Noble, who went with two companions to Sacramento and mined on the American river near Folsom, later followed the same occupation at Marysville, also on a fork of the Yuba river. The average was about $15 per day for each man. I
124
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
The rainy season of November drove him from the mines and he returned to Sacramento. There he noticed a large demand for whiskey kegs, to be loaded on the backs of mules and transported across the country. Procuring the needed tools, he started to work at his trade. Business flourished and soon he had five coopers in his employ. One of these men earned as much as $30 per day, but notwithstanding high wages and high rents, he prospered to such an extent that by November of 1851 he had accumulated $10,000 in his venture. Selling out the shop, he took his gold with him and returned to Boston, where in 1852 he married Miss Johanna Shaw, a native of Massachusetts.
On leaving California it had been the intention of the young cooper to invest his $10,000 in the east and remain there permanently. The first part of his plan he carried out, but with such disastrous results that in a few months the money was gone. It was easier, he ascertained, to lose money in the east than to earn it in the west. Therefore he decided to return to California and in 1852, accompanied by his bride, he came west via the isthmus. When he reached Sacramento he found that the town had been destroyed by fire. Then he went back to San Francisco, bought a cooper shop for $1,000 and began to work at his trade. At the end of three years he had earned another $10,000. With this as a capital he came to Santa Cruz county in 1856 and settled in the village of Soquel, investing the money in the purchase of the ranch that he still owns. The family residence occupies a very healthful location, on high land, overlooking the village. Ten mountain springs furnish pure water for the stock and for family use. The ranch comprises one hundred and twenty- one acres of tillable land, of which he has planted forty acres in an orchard of apples and cherries. In addition he owned one-twelfth interest in thirty-three thousand acres of moun-
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY 125
tain and timber land. The ranch originally was owned by the Castro family, prominent in the Spanish history of Cali- fornia, it having come into their possession through one of the Spanish grants. The adobe house, in which the Spanish family lived and reared their children, still stands to this day, an interesting landmark of the era of Spanish domain in our state.
For a long period Mr. Noble has been connected with the Society of California Pioneers. Possessing an excellent memory, his many tales of early days are interestingly told and, if published, would form a valuable addition to the pioneer history of our state. In his family there are six children. The eldest son, George, is engaged in ranching at Visalia. The second and third sons, Edward and Walter, have operated the home ranch since the retirement of their father from active agricultural cares. Next to the youngest son, Charles, a man of classical education and fine mental attainments, occupies a chair as professor in the University of California at Berkeley; he has crossed the ocean many times and visited points of interest throughout the world. The two daughters are Mrs. Lawson of Berkeley and Mrs. Frederick Cox of Santa Cruz, the former being the wife of the manager of the Wells-Fargo Company at Berkeley.
1
126
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
HON. GODFREY M. BOCKIUS.
During a noteworthy portion of his career the personal advancement of Judge Bockius was coincident with the prog- ress of the Pajaro valley. When he arrived here for the first time, during the latter part of the year 1852, he found the beautiful valley in the primeval state of nature, destitute of roads or houses or fences. The few settlers who had pre- ceded him were dwelling in tents. It would require an opti- mistic faith to predict for the region its present condition of material and commercial development. The little band of pioneers possessed such optimism and with a faith born of an inward vision of the future they labored unceasingly, each in his own narrow sphere accomplishing little, but all by their collected, harmonious efforts accomplishing much for the per- manent welfare of the locality.
Tracing the history of Judge Bockius, we find that he was born in Philadelphia in 1818, member of an old and well-to- do family of that city. Primarily educated under private tutors, he early displayed a fondness for the study of the sciences, and in order that he might enjoy exceptional ad- vantages along that line he became a student in the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, where he remained for four years, graduating before he had attained his majority. Though Destiny led him into commercial and agricultural pursuits, he never lost his fondness for scientific subjects and his read- ings during his last years were almost wholly confined to works upon his favorite themes. His marked preference for scientific experiments led him to serve an apprenticeship in the manufacture of scientific apparatus, including mathemat- ical and optical instruments.
Soon after Daguerre discovered the process by which pic- tures were produced on chemically prepared surfaces by the
127
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
action of light, Mr. Bockius entered into the manufacture of photographic apparatus and material in partnership with the late Dr. Kennedy, who afterward obtained distinction as a scientist and as president of the Philadelphia Polytechnic Institute. The art of photography was then in its infancy. Its disciples were so few in number that there was little de- mand for material and equipment; hence the new firm met with little success and its affairs were closed up by its pro- jectors. The next venture of the young man led him from the field of scientific experiments into the domain of mer- chandising. First in Philadelphia and then in New Jersey he engaged in mercantile pursuits. The success of these ventures would have satisfied many, but Mr. Bockius was am- bitious to earn more than a mere livelihood and he deter- mined to seek a new domain of activity in the west. As early as 1844 he had established domestic ties, being united with Miss Harriet Rambo, of Camden, N. J. When they started west their family consisted of two children, and these were carried across the Isthmus of Panama on the backs of natives. Arriving at the Pacific coast it was found that the cholera was raging and soon one of the children fell a victim of the dread disease. The ship, Golden Gate, which at San Fran- cisco was reported to have been lost, was in the harbor, de- tained by an outbreak of plague among the passengers and the crew. Eventually the ship left the port and the surviving passengers were finally landed in San Francisco without fur- ther disaster.
The first occupation which engaged the attention of Mr. Bockius in the Pajaro valley was the butchering of cattle and the selling of meat to the ocean vessels. The meat was deliv- ered by means of surface boats. The work was profitable but exceedingly distasteful, and as soon as possible it was abandoned for agricultural pursuits. Throughout the re-
128
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
mainder of his life he was more or less interested in the raising of grain, having acquired an interest in the great Pajaro valley ranch. By buying and selling farms and town property he made considerable money and laid the foundation of subsequent success. A portion of the Pajaro valley ranch was subdivided and the land laid out in town lots, which were sold at a fair profit. For years he loaned money with land as first mortgage and the interest being high in those days he found the business quite profitable. From the organization of the Bank of Watsonville in 1874 until his death in 1905 he was intimately associated with its history, first as a stock- holder, and after 1884 as president. The other officers were as follows: H. S. Fletcher, cashier; Charles Ford, H. S. Fletcher, G. M. Bockius, William G. Hudson, Thomas Snod- grass, Lucius Sanborn and Edward White, directors. With a paid-up capital of $100,000 and a surplus of $25,000, the bank rose to a high position in the confidence of business men and controlled a large share of the business of the valley.
Politically a stanch believer in Republican principles, Judge Bockius was prominent in his party during the early days. In 1856 he was elected associate justice with Judge Rice. At the expiration of his term he was elected county judge and filled the position with eminent success, notwithstanding the fact that he had never received a law education. During 1872 he was elected to the state legislature, where he took a warm interest in movements for the benefit of the community with whose prosperity his own success had been identified. In 1874 he was bereaved by the death of his wife. Seven chil- dren had been born of their union. Four are now living, namely: Edwin S., director and vice-president of the Wat- sonville Savings Bank and also the owner of considerable ranch property ; Belle, wife of H. S. Fletcher, of Watsonville; Godfrey and Charlotte S., also of Watsonville. The death
129
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
of Judge Bockius was deplored as a loss to the city where so many years of his useful life had been passed. He en- tered eternity with the well-merited honors of his fellow- citizens, and their tributes of respect formed a garland that sought visible expression in fragrant flowers strewn over the new-made grave, where the body was laid to rest beside all that was mortal of the wife of his youth.
HOWARD V. TRAFTON.
The sheriff of Santa Cruz county enjoys the distinction of having been the first native of this county to be chosen for the office he now holds and in addition, when elected marshal of Watsonville some years ago, it was announced that he was the first native of that city to be chosen for the position con- cerned. The record he has made as an official is one of which he may well be proud. His fearless, strong and forceful qualities eminently adapt him for the task of enforcing the laws and administering justice to offenders. Though genial and companionable, he can be stern when occasion demands and his bravery has never been called into question. Re- peated election to offices calling for the qualifications he pos- sesses indicates a recognition of his ability on the part of his fellow-citizens.
Born in Watsonville, June 11, 1871, Howard V. Trafton is a son of George A. and Melissa (Matthis) Trafton, natives respectively of Canada and Illinois. Elsewhere in this vol- ume will be found extended mention of the father, a pioneer of Santa Cruz county, having settled at Watsonville during the year 1859, since which time he has been prominent in business affairs. Howard V. Trafton was educated in the public schools of Watsonville and at the age of sixteen years
130
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
began to work on a ranch near that town, where he remained for two years. On returning to town he entered the employ of the Watsonville fire department and continued in the capacity of engineer until his election as marshal. It was. during April of 1902 that he was chosen marshal, as the suc- cessful competitor of C. W. Bridgewater. In November of the same year he was elected sheriff of the county on the Democratic ticket, defeating Milton Besse by four hundred and fifty votes out of four thousand votes that were cast. At the expiration of his term, in 1906, he was re-elected in a three-cornered contest, there being two candidates against him. This time he received a plurality of sixteen hundred and eighty-eight votes out of a total of forty-three hundred. The increased plurality at the second election bore testimony to the recognition by the people of his efficient service in the office.
The first marriage of Howard V. Trafton was solemnized in 1895 and united him with Miss Beatrice Soto, who died in 1901, leaving one son, Frank. The following year he was united in marriage with Miss Rose Veldaz, by whom he has one son, Chester. The majority of the fraternal organizations in the county number Mr. Trafton among their members and in several of them he has held important positions. Like others of his family, he is identified with the volunteer fire department of Watsonville. His father was one of the first chiefs of the department and others of the name have pro- moted the welfare of an enterprise so indispensable in a grow- ing city. Other movements for the benefit of town and county have had his aid as occasion offered and he has displayed a progressive spirit in promoting measures calculated to prove of permanent advantage to the people.
133
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
COL. A. G. ABBOTT.
Of that noble band of young men who, fired by loyal devo- tion to the Union cause, offered their services to their country during the Civil war and went forth to do battle for the great end of universal freedom, comparatively few are spared to enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices and to witness the re- markable prosperity of a reunited country. Among those who served faithfully and well and who remain among us, mention belongs to Colonel Abbott of Santa Cruz, whose serv- ice was so impressively loyal as to bring him an honorary commission as lieutenant-colonel from Governor Sloane of Wisconsin. To this rank he arose from his service as a private soldier, solely through his personal bravery, unaided by the prestige of influential friends or those other adventi- tious aids to success.
The northern part of New Hampshire, where he was born in 1839, was the scene of the childhood home of Colonel Abbott, who received his schooling largely across the line in Canada. During 1854 he accompanied his father from New Hampshire to Wisconsin and settled near Columbia, a village not far from Madison. The father took up land and under- took to clear the same preparatory to cultivation. In this arduous pioneer task he was aided by the son for four years. At the expiration of that time the youth started out to earn his own way. Under a trained and skilled "boss" he served an apprenticeship to the trades of blacksmith and wagon- maker, and while he was thus employed the Civil war broke out in all of its fury. Immediately he determined to leave his work and go to the aid of the Union. September 19, 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry, and was sent to the south shortly afterward, join- ing the force commanded by General Grant at Shiloh just
134
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
previous to that famous engagement. He remained at the front and took part in many engagements. It was his good fortune not to suffer a day from illness during his entire service. During the siege of Vicksburg he helped to take a battery of six guns and one of these guns was later mounted and placed on the grounds of the state capitol of Wisconsin. While at Shiloh he witnessed the drowning of the war gov- ernor, Harvey, of Wisconsin, who was at Shiloh looking after the condition of the Wisconsin troops. After the surrender of Vicksburg, which occurred on the 4th of July, 1864, Colonel Abbott was mustered out of the service. Although never ill, he had endured misfortune in battle, receiving two wounds in the shoulder and suffering the loss of his right eye.
The residence of Colonel Abbott in California dates from 1870, when he settled at Newcastle, Placer county, and erected the first brick building in the village. For twenty-three years he made his home in that town, meanwhile following the trades of blacksmith and wagonmaker, and also for some time working in the construction department of the Central Pacific Railroad. Upon the organization by the Knights of Pythias of Foothill Lodge at Newcastle he became one of the charter members and afterward took a warm interest in the phil- anthropic efforts of the order. In addition he became a charter member of the lodge of Odd Fellows at Newcastle and was further identified with the Improved Order of Red Men. During those years he passed through all of the chairs in the different lodges. The Grand Army of the Republic has received his sympathetic support and he welcomes with an undying fervor the reunions of the veterans, when the old soldiers meet to tell their campfire tales of war and danger and battles bravely won. Politically he has been a Repub- lican ever since casting his first ballot. While still living in Wisconsin he married, December 31, 1866, Miss Martha
135
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
Abbott, a native of that state and a woman possessing many graces of character and attainment. Three children came to bless their union, namely: Glencora, wife of Jack Wener, of Santa Cruz; Abbie, who married J. J. Clancey, a gunner in the United States navy; and Guy E., residing at Elm- hurst. During 1893 the family removed to Santa Cruz, hop- ing that the climate would prove beneficial to the health of Colonel Abbott. The expectation was justified by the results and he is now the sole owner of the San Lorenzo livery stable, in which for a time he owned one-half interest, but subse- quently purchased the interest of his partner, and since then has managed alone the large business there established.
GEORGE ARTHUR TRAFTON.
The discovery of gold in California was the direct cause of the removal of the Trafton family from their quiet home in a Missouri town, where a sojourn of years had brought them many warm friends, to the newly settled regions of the west, where an arduous struggle awaited their courageous efforts. Misfortune and bereavement came to them in the course of the journey, which began auspiciously at St. Joseph, Mo., on the 1st of May, the expedition comprising almost forty wagons. Young Trafton, who was then about sixteen years of age, was given charge of six yoke of oxen, and to the others similar duties were assigned as desired. There had been con- siderable anxiety as to hostility on the part of the Indians, but the red men did not molest them; on the contrary, their troubles were of a radically different nature, but no less alarming. Cholera had thrown its dread shadow over many of the expeditions and had depleted their numbers more rapidly than the bullets of an enemy. The disease broke out
136
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
among the members of this company and thirty days after leaving Missouri the elder Trafton was taken from his family by a swift attack of the epidemic. The body was buried on the plains and the bereaved wife and children hurried for- ward with the expedition, eventually entering California by way of Carson Pass. During October of the same year the mother with her children took up land on the Cosumnes river.
The adventurous spirit of the sixteen-year-old son would not allow him to remain contentedly on a ranch until he had made an effort to mine for gold. Accordingly he went to the mines of Amador and Sacramento counties and prospected for a time. Since then he has been interested in mining at different times and in various localities, but after he had at- tained his majority he ceased to devote his entire attention to that occupation, returning instead to the pursuit of ranch- ing. For a time his mother remained on the home ranch, but eventually she came to Watsonville and here passed her declining years. Of her five children three are living, name- ly: John, of Monterey county; George Arthur, of Watson- ville; and Mrs. O. H. Willoughby, also of this city. The brothers engaged in ranching in partnership for some time, buying land in the Pajaro valley, whose fertile soil and health- ful climate had attracted them to its citizenship.
The marriage of George A. Trafton was solemnized in Sacramento in 1858 and united him with Miss Melissa A. Matthis, who was born in Illinois and came to California in 1852. It was the pleasant privilege of Mr. and Mrs. Trafton to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, on which memorable occasion they were the recipients of con- gratulations from a host of devoted personal friends. Their union was blessed with six children, but one of these died in infancy. Those who attained mature years were as follows:
137
HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.