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 37
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
3II
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
these qualities to good account in every locality in which he made his home when called upon by his fellow-citizens. In private affairs as well as in public matters he led the way and others followed, undertaking ranching on a large scale and planting crops as yet untried in this part of the state. Not only for his success as an agriculturist and his ability as a public officer did he gain esteem, but his personality was such that all who came in contact with him admired his strength and stability of character, and although it is sixteen years since he passed from the scenes of earth, he is still kindly remembered by the many who were associated with him in days gone by.
In his wife, formerly Miss Clara Canfield, and to whom he was married in 1857, Mr. Knowles had a true companion and help-mate, one who shared his joys and sorrows. She was a daughter of W. D. Canfield, who was also a well-known and honored pioneer settler of Sonoma county. The only child born of this marriage was William Henry Knowles, of whom a sketch will be found below. Fraternally Mr. Knowles was a Mason and Odd Fellow, in both of which orders he was an active worker and a member highly esteemed by fellow-members.
WILLIAM HENRY KNOWLES.
In the veins of William Henry Knowles flows the blood of one of the state's sturdy pioneers of the year 1852. This pioneer was his father, James Hume Knowles, who was born in England in 1831, and in 1852, when he was twenty- one years old, came to the New World practically penniless, and unaided and alone made his way to financial independence. His first experience in the state was in San Francisco, whither he finally came to Sonoma county, and here the remainder of his life was passed in agricultural activities. (A more detailed account of the life of this interesting pioneer may be found on the preceding page. )
It was while his parents, James H. and Clara (Canfield) Knowles, were living on a ranch near Sebastopol, Sonoma county, that William H. Knowles was born October 19, 1857. His schooling was obtained in the public school of Petaluma, and at the age of nineteen he was ready to take up the serious duties of life. While attending school he had learned considerable about ranching through the performance of his share of the chores on the home ranch, and at the age mentioned it was with no little experience that he accepted a position with his grandfather, W. D. Canfield, as a ranch hand, on a dairy ranch of eighty cows. This association continued for two years, when Mr. Knowles left Bloomfield and went to Cazadero, where for the following fifteen years he was employed on the large ranch of eleven hundred and twenty-five acres owned by his father. This was maintained as a cattle and sheep ranch, and on its broad acres many hundreds of animals were raised and fattened for market.
Since 1894 Mr. Knowles has occupied his present property in Bloomfield section, where he owns a ranch of five hundred and thirty acres of fine land, well adapted for both agricultural and dairy purposes. A considerable portion of the land is used for dairy and stock purposes, and of the remainder thirty acres are in vines, which yield two tons to the acre, and the same amount of
312
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
land is in orchard, in which all the best varieties of apples are grown especially. The maintenance of the ranch does not represent all of Mr. Knowles' activities, for in addition to this he is the owner and proprietor of the well-known Knowles Hotel in Sebastopol.
The marriage of Mr. Knowles in 1876 united him with Miss Mattie Field. a native of New York, and five children were born to them, Mary, Nellie (de- ceased), Allie, William H., Jr., and James H., the latter named for his paternal grandfather. Mr. Knowles is identified with but one order, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of Santa Rosa.
WILLIAM J. EDGEWORTH.
In keeping with Mr. Edgeworth's fine, well-proportioned physique is a men- tality that is able to plan and organize and an executive ability that enables hin to put his projects into definite and tangible shape. This many-sided ability has probably been nowhere put to better use than in Sebastopol, where as the father of the town, as he is called, he has done a noble part by his protégé. Scarcely an enterprise has been started that has not been the fruit of his brain or been assisted by his support and encouragement, and to him and his col- league, William Barnes, is due credit for the crowning achievement of the town's history in its incorporation in 1900.
England was the early home of Mr. Edgeworth, born in Essex, November 24, 1863. He was well educated in the schools of his native country, and there too he had his first experience in the business world, being engaged in the vegetable business for a time. During young manhood he went to Ireland, where he joined the army, being the youngest non-commissioned officer in the service. Added to many other accomplishments he was a fine athlete, hav- ing few if any equals in this respect. Returning to England, he served four years in the Eleventh Hussars, after which he. retired to private life.
Following close upon his army experience Mr. Edgeworth came to Amer- ica in 1886, and after a short stay in New Bedford, Mass., came in the fall of that year to California, going directly to the metropolis. Altogether he re- mained in San Francisco for five years, at the end of which time, in 1892, he came to Sonoma county and has since heen a resident of Sebastopol. His first experience in this locality was as a rancher on nine acres of land, making a specialty of the raising of fruit; adjoining property was later added to his original acreage until his ranch included thirty acres, besides which he had two hundred acres in potatoes. The attractions of the mines induced him to dispose of his ranch interests and for a year and a half thereafter he followed the life of a miner, meeting with poor success, however, and thereafter he re- turned to Sebastopol, satisfied that here lay his fortune, and from the time of his return he has continued to bend his energies with this thought in mind. Establishing himself in the real estate business, he purchased property and after subdividing it, improved it with residences, he being the first to handle property in this way in this section of the county. The wisdom of his plan to thus boom the town had the desired result, and from that time forward Sebastopol had a steady and substantial growth. In 1900 he and William
315
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Barnes were the chief promoters in having the town incorporated, all of which was the direct outcome of Mr. Edgeworth's plan to make the town an at- tractive and desirable place in which to settle. Realizing the need of a bank in the growing town he supplied the need in the organization of the Analy Sav- ings bank, which proved its need by the hearty response with which it met on the part of depositors, and it is now one of the most substantial banks in the county. Another organization which is directly traceable to Mr. Edge- worth's efforts is the Santa Rosa and Petaluma railroad. for which he him- self bought up the right of way for the road, and otherwise managed the nin- dertaking to its completion. It is not too sweeping an assertion to say that he has been the prime mover in the development of this entire section of Sonoma county.
In 1885 Mr. Edgeworth was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Sheehan, and twelve children have been born to them as follows: Margaret, William, Gertrude, Rose, Herbert, Lillian, Grace, Harriett, Jennie, Victoria, Delphine and George.
EDWARD SPALDING LIPPITT.
One of the prominent men of Sonoma county and one of the most esteemed members of the bar is Edward S. Lippitt, senior member of the law firm of Lippitt & Lippitt, Petaluma. He is a native of Connecticut, born in Woodstock, Windham county, September 17, 1824, a son of Edward Lippitt, of English stock, although the family first originated in Germany. From there they emi- grated to England at an early period and thence came to America in the Colon- ial period, as the name is found in 1634 in Cranston, R. I., where John Lippitt was one of the committeemen in 1638. The family are of Revolutionary stock, as it is known that Moses Lippitt, grandfather of Edward S., was a soldier in that struggle for independence and after the war settled on a farm in Connecti- cut. He lived to reach the ripe age of ninety-five and was buried on the farm he had cleared. Moses had a brother who was an officer in the army, holding the rank of colonel. In the family were six sons and one daughter, all of whom lived to be over eighty-five.
The father, Edward Lippitt, was a soldier in the war of 1812 as captain of the Black Horse Cavalry, which guarded the coast from British invasion. He settled in Thompson, Conn., in 1832 and made that his home the rest of his life. He married Miss Lois Spalding, native of Connecticut, and daughter of Ezekiel and Mary (Cady) Spalding and was related to the late president, Grover Cleveland. Edward Lippitt was a man of deep religious convictions and for many years was a preacher in the Methodist church.
Edward S. Lippitt is one of the nine children born to his, parents and was reared in the primitive surroundings of the home. At the age of sixteen years he left school and began to learn the trade of joiner and finisher in Thompson, serving an apprenticeship of two years. In the meantime, in addi- tion to working at his trade, he studied Latin and perfected himself for enter- ing Yale College. Three months after he had entered he was offered a scholar- ship in Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and accepting it, was gradu- ated from there in 1847 with the degree of A. B., and three years later received
316
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
the degree of A. M. Three months prior to his graduation he was elected pres- ident of his class. He was selected as principal of the schools in Pembroke, N. H., and remained there three terms, after which he took up the study of law in Harvard Law School remaining one term. He went to Cincinnati and was given the chair of professor of mathematics and science at Wesleyan Female College and remained there four years. While in this position he completed his law course and was admitted to practice in 1854. He was a member of the firm of Probasco, Lippitt & Ward in Cincinnati from that time until 1857, when the senior member of the firm died and Mr. Ward left the city. Mr. Lippitt then formed a partnership with the late president, Rutherford B. Hayes, and this was in force till the breaking out of the Civil war, when Hayes entered the army and Mr. Lippitt came to California. Settling in San Jose in 1862 Mr. Lippitt was professor of mathematics and science in the University of the Pacific for one year. Coming to Petaluma in the following year he had charge of the public schools of the town for five years, during which time he brought them to a well-established basis. In 1868 he began the practice of the law and has since been actively engaged and has been associated with many of the prominent cases in the county. In 1874, when the San Francisco and North Pacific Railway was being built, he was appointed chief counsel and remained in that capacity until 1890, when the road changed hands. That same year he with his son Frank K. opened an office in San Francisco, continuing it for five years, when they gave it up to look after their increasing interests in Peta- luma.
At his advanced age Mr. Lippitt is hale and hearty, and while practically retired from active life, still is to be found at his office, and he takes an active interest in all that transpires in the city. He has accumulated one of the largest private law libraries in the state. He has been a Democrat and has taken an active part in every campaign from 1867 to 1900. On account of the free silver issue and being an admirer of Mckinley, he stumped the state for him during his campaign. Mr. Lippitt is a Mason, joining the order in Ohio and becoming a member of Pleasant Hill Lodge No. 71 ; in 1870 he joined Petaluma Chapter, R. A. M .; in 1880 he obtained the petition for and assisted in the organization of Mount Olivet Commandery, K. T., of Petaluma, and in 1895 was elected Grand Commander and represented the California Grand Com- mandery at the conclave in Boston and became a member of the Grand En- campment of the United States. He has never sought public office at any time, but is a believer in clean men for official positions. He was one of the orga- nizers of the free library and one of the trustees ever since, and has also been a director of the library.
On July 2, 1851, Mr. Lippitt was married to Miss Sarah Lewis, a daughter of a prominent physician of Monroe, La., and they became the parents of nine children, four of whom died in childhood. Those who grew to maturity are as follows: Mary. the wife of J. Homer Fritch, of San Francisco and who died in August, 1910: Helen Marion, the wife of Judge Daugherty of Santa Rosa : Edward L., a well-known musician and a resident of Petaluma; Frank K., junior member of the firm of Lippitt & Lippitt ; and Lois, who resides with her parents.
317
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
CHARLES F. JUILLIARD.
Many generations of the Juilliard family were born and reared in France, and the first of the name to leave the land of his forefathers and establish the name elsewhere was Peter Juilliard, who came to the United States in 1836. With him came his son, Charles F. Juilliard, who was then a lad of ten years, his birth having occurred in 1826. The family settled in Ohio, and near Can- ton carried on farming operations with success. The quiet content which they experienced for a number of years was broken in upon by the news which was spread broadcast over the country at the time of the finding of gold in Califor- nia. The kindly old father was content with his lot, but his more ambitious sons. Charles F. and Louis F., were eager to participate in the excitement and to try their luck in the mines.
The year 1849 found the brothers on their way to the gold-fields, the voyage to California being made by way of the Isthmus, and they entered the Golden Gate in April, 1850. The voyage on the Pacific side northward from this metropolis was made on the brig Corbier and was ninety days in reaching the California coast. The first efforts of the brothers were in the mines of Trinity county, and such was their success that they were enabled to lay by consid- erable means. With the money thus accumulated Charles F. engaged in the merchandise business, and in 1858 he removed to Red Bluff, Tehama county, where he conducted a successful merchandise business for the following five years. In 1866 he went to Alameda county, and six years later to Santa Rosa, where he established himself in business in the firm of Stanley, Neblett & Juilliard, which was a name well known throughout this part of the state. An- other enterprise with which he was associated was the Sebastopol winery, which he founded in 1882.
Mr. Juilliard's marriage in young manhood united him with Sarah A. Chilton, the daughter of Major Chilton, a native of Springfield, Ill. Mrs. Juilliard passed away in Santa Rosa June 19, 1897, at the age of sixty-seven years. Three children blessed the marriage of this worthy couple: Louis W., of whom a sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume; Isabelle, who became the wife of Mark L. McDonald, Jr., of Santa Rosa ; and Frederick A., a mem- ber of the firm of A. D. Juilliard & Co., commission merchants of New York City, with large silk works in Paterson, N. J.
P. C. ROSSI.
A native of Italy, P. C. Rossi was born in the vicinity of Turin, about fifty- six years ago. His family for generations have been grape growers and wine makers in that favored country of the vine. After leaving the grammar school he was sent to college, where. his principal study was chemistry. During his vacations, which in Italy invariably occur in the vintage season, the boy enjoyed himself in helping the wine makers, thus starting at the bottom of the industry and each year gaining more and more actual experience in the art of wine making, to which he had taken such liking.
After graduating with honors from college in 1875, Mr. Rossi decided to go to California. and in San Francisco he opened the Rossi drug store. A few
318
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
years after his arrival he married into the family of the well-known merchant, Justinian Caire, owner of the Santa Cruz Island, near Santa Barbara. His wedded life has been indeed happy, and he is the proud father of ten children.
Shortly after the organization of the Italian-Swiss Colony, it was the good fortune of Andrea Sbarboro, the founder, and the officers of the cor- poration to invite Mr. Rossi to visit their new vineyards, which had been planted at Asti, in Sonoma county. Although the vines were young, his experi- enced eye saw the very advantageous position of the vineyards, situated as they were on rolling hills, with the soil and climate so well adapted to growing of grapes that would make as fine wine as that produced in Piedmont, his native province. He immediately joined the corporation, and the directors, seeing his remarkable knowledge both in the vineyard and in the cellar, soon elected him president and manager of the Colony, which office he still retains.
Mr. Rossi, in addition to having the technical knowledge required by all true wine makers, has also the natural gift of a wonderful palate, which is of as much value to a wine tester as a tea tester. He has been known to sample wines made from five different kinds of grapes, and has detected by the flavor the quality of each kind of grape used in making that particular wine, thus having a wonderful facility for blending different wines.
Mr. Rossi's skill in wine making was shown in 1892, when a sample of the Colony's wine was sent to the Exposition of Genoa, Italy, where it obtained a gold medal. The same year a gold medal was also awarded to the wine of the Colony at an Exposition in Dublin, Ireland, in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago, in 1894 at the Mid-Winter Fair in San Francisco, and in 1895 the same prize was awarded the wine at Bordeaux, France; also, in 1900, at the great Exposition in Paris; in 1904 at the Exposition in St. Louis, Mo., but the honors which Mr. Rossi prizes most are the gold medals, together with the Grand Prix, awarded the wines of the Italian-Swiss Colony at Asti and Torino, Italy, in 1898, and at the Exposition of Milan, Italy, in 1906-07, where a jury, at a banquet held after the closing of the exposition, selected California wines produced at the Asti Colony to enjoy at the table.
The importance of the Colony has grown year by year, and from the tract of fifteen hundred acres which were originally planted at Asti, Sonoma county, the Colony has now four vineyards and wineries in the northern part of the state, where are made the best dry wines of California, and also four vine- yards and wineries in the southern part of the state, where are produced the fine ports, sherries, muscats and other sweet wines, together with the choice California brandy.
In 1909 Mr. Rossi was in France and visited the Champagne district. While in France he met a Frenchman, M. Charles Jadeau, who had been for thirty years making champagne for several of the principal houses of the Champagne district. Mr. Rossi asked this Frenchman if he would not like to come to California, where he assured him he had the wine that would produce the same kind of champagne as they made in France. M. Jadeau's curiosity was aroused and he agreed to accompany Mr. Rossi to California. On his arrival he tasted the different wines and declared that if the Colony would put up an appropriate building, under his supervision, and procure all the machinery in France required for the proper bottling, corking and racking of the cham-
321
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
pagne, he would undertake to make as good champagne at Asti as that made in France. Thereupon, a concrete building was erected, partly underground, so as to keep an even temperature, all the paraphernalia required for storing. aging and bottling the champagne were procured, and two hundred and fifty thousand bottles were filled and placed on the racks. Recently, when the wine had almost completed fermentation, three bottles were tested by connoisseurs and all were agreeably surprised and said: "At last we have found the means by which California is going to compete with France even in champagnes."
Mr. Rossi is a man of full health and vigor-a man of such industry and activity that he hardly knows what it is to be tired. He is wrapped up in his art-the art of winemaking-which is his life work.
HERBERT WARREN AUSTIN.
The name of Herbert W. Austin is one familiar to the citizens of Sonoma county, not alone through his long and able service as county supervisor, but also through his accomplishments as a rancher, owning and maintaining one of the finest ranches in the township of Santa Rosa. Many generations of the Austin family had lived and died in Canada, and the first to venture from family tradi- tions and establish the name on California soil was James Austin, the father of our subject, who with his family came to the west in 1868. A detailed account of the life of James Austin will be found elsewhere in this volume.
The third child in the family of James and Anna (Peasley ) Austin was Herbert W. Austin, who was born August 2, 1854, in the province of Quebec, Canada, where he was well educated in the public schools, and after coming to California with his parents in 1868, completed his scholastic training in the Pacific Methodist College in Santa Rosa. With the close of his college days he returned to the family homestead and remained with his parents until establish- ing home ties of his own. His first independent efforts as a rancher were on a portion of the old homestead which he rented from his father, and here on a large scale he engaged in stock-raising, dairying and fruit-growing. Subse- quently he purchased a part of the interest of the other heirs in the home prop- erty, and now owns six hundred acres of excellent land, a part of which is under cultivation, while the remainder is used for pasturage and stock-raising. By unfailing industry he has brought the property up to a high point of excellence, and there are few if any more attractive or more desirable ranches in the county.
Mr. Austin's marriage, September 22, 1880, united him with Miss Julia C. Maison, a native of San Francisco, where she was also educated. Three children were born of this marriage, as follows : Louis C., who is in the employ of Miller, Sloss & Scott, of San Francisco, and who since 1910 has been assistant man- ager of their Los Angeles branch; Ethel V. and Mervyn M. Politically Mr. Austin is a stanch Republican, and it was on the ticket of this party that he was elected to the office of county supervisor from the third district in 1896. At the close of his first term he was re-elected to the position in 1900, and again in 1904 and in 1908 he was made his own successor. For the past seven years he has served as chairman of the board of supervisors, and in the meantime the
322
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
present fine court house has been built by the board. This building is conceded to be one of the finest structures for the purpose in the United States, and it is said that it is the best building for the money in the world. The complete cost of the building and furnishings was $520,000. Ever since the destruction of the old court house in the earthquake of 1906 Mr. Austin has worked indefatigably for the construction of a new building, and he therefore takes special pride in the accomplishments of the board in the present fine court house. As an indica- tion of Mr. Austin's popularity as man. citizen and office-holder, it may be said that he is the only man who was ever re-elected supervisor in the third super- visorial district in the history of Sonoma county. He has represented the third district for the past fifteen years and is now in his fourth term. Fraternally he holds membership with the Elks and the Red Men. Personally he is a man of many noble qualities, fairness and honesty being basic characteristics, and he is honored and respected by all who are privileged to know him.
JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
One of the oldest and most respected citizens of Sebastopol and a prominent member of the farming community, John Cunningham is widely known through- out Sonoma county as an upright, honest man of sterling worth. A typical representative of those courageous pioneers who settled in this county while the country was yet in its original wildness, he has witnessed the wonderful changes that have taken place here during half a century, and in the grand transformation has been an important factor. One of the sturdy sons of the Emerald Isle, he was born in County Monaghan October 7, 1824, the son of parents who were none too well-to-do as far as material things were concerned. However, they were rich in the more substantial and enduring things that make for the best in life and trained their children to a right understanding of its duties and obligations.
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.