USA > California > Sonoma County > History of Sonoma County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county, who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present time > Part 108
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 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119
Going direct to San Francisco, Mr. Sullivan was fortunate in that he soon found employment, first in the United States arsenal at Benicia, and later he was employed on the large Hastings estate in San Francisco. His identifica- tion with Santa Rosa dates from January 16, 1884. At that time no cement or concrete contractor had located in the young town, and as the need for such a business was apparent on every hand Mr. Sullivan assumed no venture in supplying himself with the necessary outfit and implements for the work. At first he took contracts for general masonry work, to which he later added the construction of cement sidewalks and curbs, the cement coping in the Santa Rosa cemetery being a notable example of this latter class of work. The uses to which concrete and cement work have been put in recent years has been of tremendous advantage to those engaged in this industry, and Mr. Sullivan has kept abreast of the times and been able to take advantage of each new development in the business. One of these innovations is the construction of cement foundations for buildings, many of which Mr. Sullivan has built in Santa Rosa, but probably the most notable example of his handiwork may be seen in the Exchange Bank and the Nickelodeon theatre, both reinforced con- crete buildings. For nine years he was employed at the Home of the Feeble- minded at Glen Ellen doing mason work and repairs, also building, by contract, the water works system and the Lux cottage. The last mentioned was the only building on the grounds that was not damaged by the earthquake of 1906,
1020
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
though it is constructed of brick. At the present writing ( 1911) he is engaged in erecting, on contract, the Doyle building, a business block that is being erected on the site of the old postoffice. When completed this structure will cover more ground than any other business block in Santa Rosa.
The family home is located on College Avenue and was built by Mr. Sul- livan in 1891. It is surrounded with shrubbery and lawn and is one of the fine homes in that section of the city. Politically Mr. Sullivan is a Democrat in national politics. He is highly respected among his acquaintances, and popular everywhere.
FRANK B. SINGLEY.
A native son of California, Frank B. Singley was born in Petaluma Febru- ary 5. 1865, a son of the late Hon. James Temple Singley, a pioneer settler and resident of Petaluma for fifty years and one of the prominent men of his time in the upbuilding of the city.
Frank B. Singley was educated in the public schools of Petaluma, and began his railroad career at the age of seventeen years with the San Francisco & North Pacific Railroad in the train service. Subsequently he was appointed local agent at Petaluma, and from here he was transferred to the general office of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco, where, at the time of his retirement in July, 1910, he held the position of auditor of the company. In April, 1911, he was elected city clerk and auditor under the new freeholders charter, taking office April 17, 1911.
Mr. Singley was married November 7, 1894, to Miss Marie Caroline Mc- Carron, a native of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Their fam- ily consists of three children.Marie Villalta, Edwin Temple and Helen Ann. Fraternally Mr. Singley is a member of the Elks and the Native Sons of the Golden West, and is a junior member of the Society of California Pioneers. He enjoys the confidence and respect of many friends, and his public spirit is demonstrated in many ways through his interest in the welfare of the com- munity.
HARRY O. WHITE.
One of the successful railroad men of Petaluma is Harry O. White, fore- man and yard master of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway Company. Mr. White is a native of New Hampshire and was born in the same town, Ossipee, as that of his father's birth and death. His father, George O., was a jeweler in Ossipee for many years, and in his early youth married Annie L. Felper, a native of Maine, and four children were born to them, of whom only one, Harry, has ventured as far west as California.
Harry O. White was born February 27, 1874, and atter his school days were completed in his home town, at the age of twenty, without any particular vo- cation in mind, left home for Swampscott, Mass., and there became baggage master for the Boston & Maine Railroad, and while in the employ of the com- pany also learned telegraphy. After some years he became assistant agent and then agent for the same road. In the meantime he had been taking a course in
1021
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
stationary engineering through the International Correspondence School at Scranton, Pa., from which he graduated. In 1906 he went to Lovelock, Nev., and entered the employ of the White Cloud Mine Company as stationary en- gineer, but not liking the climate, he gave up the position after seven months and came to California, arriving in Sebastopol in January, 1907. The following year he entered the employ of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway Company as bill clerk and during the same year was advanced to foreman and yardmaster, a position which he has held ever since.
Mr. White is fortunate in having a twenty acre ranch, the fruit of his labor, from which he derives much enjoyment. Upon it he raises peaches and a great variety of apples, of which he has had most successful crops. It is located on the Forestville road, one and one-half miles from Sebastopol and easy of access to his business in Petaluma.
In Providence, R. I., Mr. White was united in marriage to Inez F. Moulton, a native of Florida. Maria being their only child. Fraternally he is associated with the Jr. O. N. A. M. of Petaluma and as a citizen he is very popular, being a man of splendid principles and a high type of Christian manhood. He is a member of the Baptist church and politically is a Republican.
CARL PLOW.
The "Alpha," as its name would indicate, is as near the first creamery in the land as science, intelligence and diligence can make it. It is the hobby and the pleasure of its proprietor, Carl Plow, as well as his occupation, and there is no patent or improvement in the dairy line that he does not studiously investi- gate and put into practice if he deems it for the betterment of his plant.
Carl Plow was born in Denmark, near Haderslev, December 24, 1863, the son of Thomas S. Plow, who followed the profession of teaching until his declining years, when, in 1909, he died at the old homestead in Slesvig, surviving his wife, formerly Catherine M. Vogensen, by many years, her decease occurring in 1872. The family consisted of six children, of whom four are still living, those besides our subject being Georgina, Mrs. J. Breckwoldt, of Petaluma ; George, a farmer living near Albany, Ore .; and Christene M., a teacher in Denmark.
Receiving his education while at home on the farm, Carl Plow taught school for a short time, when at sixteen and a-half years of age, he came to the United States, arriving in New York July 4, 1880. An uncle, John Caltoft, a farmer near Petaluma, was desirous of his assistance on his dairy farm, and he was in his employ for one year, after which he worked for two years in the creamery business with John Vonson. With this training and preparation along agricultural lines, Mr. Plow went first to Novato, Marin county, where he managed a creamery and dairy for a year, then to San Antonio, on the ranch of Abraham Ward, which he managed for nine months, after which he rented the Ward ranch and engaged in the dairy business for a period of twenty years, or until the death of Mr. Ward, when he sold out his stock of one hundred head of Jersey cows and bought a ranch at Willow Brook on the Nicasio road, four miles south of Petaluma. Here he engaged in the poultry business for
1022
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
four years, when he sold out and located in Petaluma, where he started the "Alplia" creamery, his business being located in the Rialto building, where cream is delivered, there being an electrical power plant for the manufacture of but- ter, and shipment is made to San Francisco.
In 1900 Mr. Plow was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Neilson, born near Als, Denmark, and coming to Petaluma in 1890. They are the parents of three children : Carl Thomas, Harold Raymond and Norma Catherine.
Mr. Plow is a very public-spirited and enterprising citizen, has served several years on the school board and is a member of many fraternal orders. He is identified with the Dania Society of California, of which he was elected the Grand President in 1899 and 1900, and has served as Grand Secretary of the order since 1906. He was made a Mason in Petaluma Lodge No. 180, F. & A. M., and is a member of the Eastern Star, Petaluma Lodge No. 30, I. O. O. F., Relief Encampment No. 29, the Canton and Rebekahs, Foresters and Fra- ternal Aid, Dana Society and the Danish Masonic Club, of San Francisco. To all these orders he is a generous donator. He is a man of sterling worth, integ- rity and genial personality, and his sincerity and good fellowship have made him a favorite in the business and social community.
PETER PETERSEN.
Through earnest devotion to agriculture in some of its manifold departments the German-American citizens of Sonoma county have risen from obscurity to prosperity and from an humble station to one of independence. Among them per- haps none is more worthy of mention by reason of his persistent and pains- taking application to ranching pursuits than Peter Petersen, who is of German birth and Danish parentage, combining in his forceful personality the thrift of the one race with the frugality of the other, and supplementing both with an energy distinctively American. His identification with western activities dates from May I, 1887, when he landed in California and became associated with the country as a permanent resident. From the first he has made his home in Marin county and here he has engaged in general ranching and in the poultry business. At this writing he owns and occupies a farm of thirty acres situated near Petaluma, where he conducts a chicken yard containing six hundred hens, also has on the place three head of fine horses and two valuable milch cows. Sagacious judgment exercised in the management of the small farm has secured for the owner a neat annual income and a reputation for skill as a farmer.
Born in Germany, April 29, 1863, Peter Petersen is a son of Peter, Sr., a native of Denmark, born in 1827, and by trade a carpenter and cabinet-maker. The mother bore the maiden name of Ellen Maria Mortensen and was born in Denmark in 1823, living to the advanced age of eighty-three years. Six chil- dren formed the parental family, viz .: Martin, Ebbi, Peter, Hans, Anna and Alvena. The son first-named married a Miss Lynch and has five children, Peter, Henry, Magnus, Emil and Lena. Ebbi, who resides in Iowa, married Maria Hansen and has nine children. Hans, who makes his home at Lakeville. Sonoma county, married Mary Ericksen and is the father of nine children, namely : Harold, Malcolm, Ebbi, Alma, Heda, Helen, Mabel, Hilda and Mary.
1023
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
The elder daughter, Anna, is the wife of Jacob Bergstrom, of Iowa, and the mother of fifteen children. The younger daughter, Alvena, who married Nels Jensen, of Sonoma county, has a family of seven children, Victor, Peter, Ebbi, Harry, Dagmar, Ellen and Mary.
The marriage of Peter Petersen united him with Hedvig Erickson, who was born in Sweden November 9, 1866, and arrived in California August 8, 1889. A large family came to bless their union. There were two sons bearing the name of Olaf and two daughters bearing the name of Hedda, the first-born of each having been removed by death in infancy. Another son died at a very early age. The others bore the names of Peter, Harry, Ebbi, Eric, Maria, Goldie, Dorothy, Hilda and Genevieve. Of these the eldest son, Peter, wlio resides in Petaluma, married Josie Costi and has one son. The eldest daughter, Maria, is the wife of Frank Bolz, of Petaluma, and has two sons and a daugh- ter. Mrs. Petersen was one of six children, the others being Olaf, John Mal- colm, Maria, Matilda and Hilda. The parents. Eric Johann and Hedda ( Melin) Erickson, were born in Sweden, the former in 1836, the latter in 1839, and both are still robust and hearty notwithstanding their advancing years and their lives of strenuous toil. Of the Erickson sons and daughters Olaf, who resides in Denver, Colo., has a family of six children, Axel, Olaf, Jr., Hjalmar, Selma, Carrie and Golda. John Malcolm married Emma Swenson and has six chil- dren, Hjalmar, Malcolm, Ellen, Hilda, Esther and Emma. Matilda married Eric Johnson and they and their son reside in Sonoma county. The youngest of the Erickson girls is Hilda, who resides in Sweden, is married and the mother of three children.
Reared in a firm belief in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, Peter Petersen has remained loyal to the religion of his youth and is a consistent upholder of the Lutheran denomination, a contributor to its missionary enter- prises and a champion of its creed. Not only the cause of religion, but also all worthy movements, receive his sympathetic co-operation and he has been inter- ested particularly in the public-school system and in securing for future genera- tions the educational opportunities he was denied. Since becoming a citizen of our country he has voted with the Republican party and upheld by his ballot the men and measures associated with the history of that political organization. Our state and county have been benefited by the accession to the population of men as progressive and patriotic as Mr. Petersen.
REUBEN KOCH.
Pennsylvania has contributed a number of substantial citizens to Santa Rosa and vicinity, and among them mention belongs to Reuben Koch, who for forty- five years has been a continuous resident of this locality. Recollections of his boyhood are of a home in Reading, Pa., where he was born August 20, 1842, the son of parents who had also been born in that same eastern state. With the other children of the parental family Reuben Koch was given such advantages as the time and place afforded, and while still quite young began contributing to his own support by working in a hardware store in Reading. It was while filling this position that the call of President Lincoln for able-bodied men to come to the country's rescue led him to give up his position and enlist his services in
1024
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
the Union cause. Though he was in the service altogether only nine months. he participated in some of the most severe battles of the entire war, among them the battle of Harper's Ferry, Bull Run, Antietam and the battle of Fredericks- burg, being wounded in the last-mentioned engagement.
After the close of his war service Mr. Koch returned home and resumed his position in the hardware store, but continued there only a short time, however, for the year 1864 found him making his way to California in company with a brother who had also participated in the Civil war. Their journey's end brought them to Petaluma, Sonoma county, where Reuben Koch was variously em- ployed for about a year, when he became interested in mining and followed it for about six months. Contrary to the general rule, he was one of those who was fortunate in the undertaking, and with the proceeds of his six-months venture he came to Santa Rosa and settled down to make his permanent home.
In 1870 Mr. Koch was united in marriage with Miss Catherine Welsh, a native of Massachusetts, who passed away in 1902, leaving, besides her husband, three children, two sons and one daughter, all natives of California. The eldest of time children, Edward, was born in 1872 and is now interested in mining in Alaska, Mamie, born in 1874, is in San Francisco; William, born in 1876, is in the mail service in Santa Rosa. As a citizen Mr. Koch is loyal to his home town, a champion of measures for its improvement and an interested participant in local affairs.
NEWTON R. NUNN.
Since becoming a resident of Sonoma county some years ago Mr. Nunn has devoted his attention to the development of land which he acquired in Mendocino township and which embraces three hundred and seventy-five acres on Wallace creek, three and one-half miles from Healdsburg, costing in its raw, unimproved state only $1I per acre and at present assessed at that valuation for the pasture and timber acreage. A large area of the tract is in meadow and the sale of the hay furnishes a neat sum each year. There is sufficient pasturage for the stock raised on the farm, which is sufficient for the owner's needs, none being raised for the markets. It is his intention to make a specialty of fruit, for which purpose he considers the soil and climate of his locality well adapted. Already he has made a start in horticulture, as evidenced by the fact that he sold seven tons of prunes and five tons of peaches in 1909. The prunes have proved so profitable that he is preparing to plant another orchard of the same fruit during the season of 1911. Sixty acres are under cultivation to grapes, his vineyard being carefully tended and made productive by the use of modern methods ; and in addition to the vineyard there are forty acres in various deciduous fruits.
The family genealogy shows that Hiram Nunn was born in Harrison county, Tenn., in 1813, and there met and married Jane Robinson, a native of the same commonwealth. Seeking the cheap lands of the regions further west they early settled in Missouri and pre-empted a large tract in Wright county, where their son, Newton R., was born in 1846. Besides this son there were ten children in the family, namely: Thomas, a resident of Texas and married to Isabel Conger, by whom he has ten children; Green, who married Mary O. Kelley and has two children : Taylor ; Joseph, who married Rose Ray and has a son, Edward ;
1025
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Cynthia ; Mary ; Emily; Jane, who died in infancy; Martha, Mrs: Wilson Smith, who has two daughters; and Jane (the second of that name), Mrs. Walter Haight, who has two children and makes her home in Oregon in the city of Portland.
As early as 1857, when only eleven years of age, Newton R. Nunn accom- panied other members of the family to California and settled in Butte county, where he made his home near Oroville for a long period of years. Later he removed to Oregon and took up land, remaining in that state for twenty years. On his return to California about 1904 he came to Sonoma county and pur- chased the raw tract of land which he has developed into his present valuable homestead. During 1880 he was united in marriage with Miss Sylvia Lewis, who was born in California in 1857 and received a fair education in the free schools of this state. They are the parents of two sons, Clarence and Joseph. Both were educated in local schools and later sent to the business college at Santa Rosa, from which institution the elder son was graduated in 1907 and the younger son in 1909. Since completing his studies Clarence has engaged in agricultural pursuits and has established a home of his own. In the circle of his associates Mr. Nunn has an established reputation for sagacity of judgment and energy of character. Persevering industry is bringing to him a well-merited reward, while uprightness of character and an exemplification in dealings with others of the principles of the Golden Rule have won him the warm regard of neighbors. Political matters have not engrossed his attention; indeed, he takes no part whatever in such matters aside from casting a Democratic vote at the general elections, but he gives encouragement and hearty co-operation to all movements for the well-being of the community and in ali respects has proved himself to be a loyal citizen.
JOHN NERZ.
Although the country estate owned and operated by John Nerz has been in his possession for a comparatively brief period only, already improvements have been made indicative of the energy of the man and showing his ambition to develop the property. It was during 1906 that he acquired a farm in Mendocino township comprising one hundred and fifty-two acres and boasting a soil as fertile as any within the limits of Sonoma county. Since then he has been de- voting his time to the cultivation of the tract, transferring it from a small pro- ducing property into a profitable possession. On the land there are six hundred cords of timber which is making a fair growth each year. Seventy acres are in hay, a portion of which is fed to his own live stock, but by far the greater amount is sold to others. A pasture furnishes grass for the stock in season. Eight acres have been planted to fruit of various kinds and in 1907 he set out a vineyard of fine grapes, which promises to be a large factor in the annual income as it comes into full bearing.
Born in Germany in 1862, John Nerz received his education in the schools of that country and early learned lessons of frugality and industry without which his subsequent success would have been impossible. During the year 1880 he came to the United States and since 1899 has made his home in Sonoma county,
53
1026
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
where he ranks high as a resourceful farmer and progressive horticulturist. In addition to the management of his property he has maintained an active identi- fication with educational matters, has favored the free-school system and for two years has served with intelligence and sagacity as trustee of the school in Junction district, Mendocino township. It is his belief that every child should be given grammar-school advantages at least and he believes also that such education should be acquired without expense to the child, so that the poorest and humblest may not be deprived of the inestimable advantages of thorough training in the elementary branches. Nor is his interest in progressive movements limited to educational work. All projects for the general welfare have his support and sympathy. . Realizing the value of telephones in isolated rural communities he has been a leader in all movements looking toward their establishment and is himself a patron of and stockholder in the line passing his farm.
When a boy in his old German home beyond the sea Mr. Nerz received a religious training in the German Lutheran doctrines and at the age of fourteen he was confirmed in that church, with which he has been identified ever since, supporting its charities and general work to the full extent of his financial ability. When he first became a citizen of the United States he joined the Democratic party, but later he became more independent in his views and of recent years he has not given allegiance to any political organization, but votes for the men whom he considers best qualified to represent the people. During the year 1891 he was united in marriage with Mrs. Ruby (Jacobs) Odell, the widow of Sylvester Odell, by whom she had two children, Harold and Annie. Of the children born to her marriage with Mr. Nerz, two are living, Tessie and George. In addition to the care of their horticultural and agricultural affairs and the supervision of their home, Mr. and Mrs. Nerz have found leisure for the development of Paradise Grove, a resort on Mill creek, in a picturesque and attractive location on his farm, where he has provided accommodations for twenty people at one time and also can accommodate about twelve tents as campers. The resort is becoming well known and increasingly popular each season, and those who are entertained there always speak in terms of warm praise concerning the location and the accommodating disposition of the proprietors.
FREDERICK G. NAGLE.
Residential identification with the city of Santa Rosa on the part of Mr. Nagle covers a period of more than forty years, for it was on September 20, 1870, that he arrived in this place, which was but a hamlet then, and began his association with its material development. Since then he has watched the steady growth with the alert interest of an enthusiastic citizen, and has contributed personally to all movements for the local upbuilding, so that his name is well known and his influence favorably recognized throughout the entire community. Recognition of his popularity as a citizen and as a man came to him when he was appointed to the office of deputy of the county clerk of Sonoma county, in which responsible position he remained for eight years, and for the past nine years he has held the office of county recorder. In both positions he has exhibited an unerring exactness, a decisiveness and courteousness absolutely essential to the highest success in the public service.
1027
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
The solid qualities of the English race and the genial, appreciative traits of the Irish nation meet in Mr. Nagle, whose father, Jeremiah, was a native of Cork, Ireland, while his mother, Catherine, was born and reared in Liverpool, England. The changing influences of Destiny took the parents to New Zealand, and there Frederick G. was born August 16, 1848, but at the age of two years he was brought to the United States by his parents, the discovery of gold in California being the lodestar that drew the family from their far distant island home. On an April day in 1850, the ship on which they sailed entered the Golden Gate and dropped its anchor in the harbor of San Francisco. Shipping and the commission business kept the father in California for some time, and meanwhile the son entered the primary department of the San Francisco schools. In September, 1858, removal was made to Victoria, B. C., where he completed the studies of the grammar school, returning in 1867 from that city to Alameda county, whence he came to Santa Rosa, as before stated, on September 20, 1870. On his arrival he opened offices and engaged in the abstract business, being thus engaged until he was appointed deputy county clerk of Sonoma county, which position he held until 1902, when he was elected recorder, taking office in January, 1903 .. He was elected his own successor to the latter position in 1906, and again in 1910. During the period of his residence in this city he has been a prominent worker in the Republican party, and a contributor to all enterprises for the general wel- fare. His interest in educational matters led him to accept the offices of trustee and secretary of the court house school district, which positions he filled for eight years. showing the utmost efficiency in the discharge of the many responsibilities connected therewith.
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.