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 38
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In his native land John Cunningham prepared for future usefulness in his youth by learning the trade of mason and brick-layer and had followed this dual calling in the old country for a number of years before he decided to cross the Atlantic and identify himself with this newer and more progressive country. Responding to the call of the west, on May 3, 1860, he set sail from his native land, making the voyage by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and after an uneventful but interesting experience of many days he finally reached his destination, California. Coming directly to Sonoma county, he settled in Bloomfield and for a number of years was identified with agricultural interests in that locality. The fall of the year 1864 witnessed his removal to Bodega, also in this county, and there for eighteen years he concentrated his efforts and ambition on a ranch of one hundred and forty acres, devoted to general farming, dairying and cattle-raising. It was with a valuable experience of about twenty-two years as an agriculturist that he came to Sebastopol in the fall of 1882. at that time purchasing the ranch of two hundred and seventy- five acres which constitutes the old home place, upon which he now makes his home. At that time the land was in a very crude condition, in fact the entire country round about was vastly unlike what it is today, dotted with prosperous
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ranches which are the homes of contented and happy tillers of the soil. During the early days of his residence here he set out an apple orchard of thirty-five acres, and today this is in a flourishing condition, due to painstaking and intel- ligent care on the part of the owner. The remainder of the land was devoted to general farming, and in addition to his own land, Mr. Cunningham at one time rented five hundred acres of land near by for dairy purposes, owning one hundred cows. For many years during the younger and more active period of his life he was looked upon in his community as an authority in cattle-raising, dairying and fruit-raising. and indeed is still so regarded, although much of the actual work connected with these industries has heen shifted to younger shoulders.
In 1853. a number of years before he immigrated to this country, Mr. Cunningham formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Mary Gordon. and four children were born of this union, William James, Robert, John and David. (A sketch of the second son, Robert, will be found elsewhere in this volume.) The success which has come to Mr. Cunningham since taking up his residence in this country has resulted from his own efforts alone, and has not heen accomplished without buffeting with experiences which are a part of every pioneer's life, but nevertheless he kept his courage and fought his way through conditions, to the end that he is now classed among the substantial and dependable ranchers and citizens of this thriving county.
ALLEN RECTOR GALLAWAY.
In making the statement of any man that he is an authority on horticulture no slight praise has been bestowed upon him, and the fact that this statement applies to Allen R. Gallaway was evidenced when he was appointed horticul- tural commissioner of Sonoma county by the board of supervisors. When the law went into effect changing the board of three horticultural commissioners to one commissioner he was honored by the choice, being selected from a list of eligibles recommended by the state board of horticultural examiners, after passing a satisfactory examination. He entered upon the duties of this position May 7. 1910, and on April 6, 1911, further honors were conferred upon him in his appointment as state quarantine guardian of Sonoma county, state com- missioner of agriculture J. W. Jeffrey being responsible for the appointment. That the right man has been placed in these responsible positions has been amply demonstrated, and basing future accomplishments upon what has already been done, it is safe to predict stable and steady progress along all lines of horticulture in Sonoma county.
For much that he is and has been able to accomplish, Allen R. Gallaway gives credit to his noble pioneer father, Andrew J. Gallaway, who was among the California settlers of 1850, and whose life and accomplishments have ever been an inspiration and encouragement to his descendants. At the time of his. birth. November 14, 1817, the parents of Andrew J. Gallaway were living in Knox county, Tenn., and that continued to be their home until the son was six- teen years old, when removal was made to Morgan county, Ind. Nine years later Andrew J. Gallaway went to Missouri, and with the exception of one
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year passed in New Mexico, remained in Missouri until coming to the west. Unlike many who crossed the plains in 1850 he had comparatively little diffi- culty in reaching his destination and after an experience of three years as a miner in Eldorado county he took up farming and stock-raising in Yolo county. Recognizing the fact that there was a scarcity of good cattle on the coast, he returned to Missouri in 1857 by the Panama route, and two years later, after purchasing a large band of high grade stock, drove them across the plains. Sub- sequently the stock was placed on a farm three miles north of Geyserville, So- noma county, in 1864 purchasing the ranch which is now owned by his sons. This adjoined Dry Creek, and was especially well adapted to horticulture, a fact which the owner readily observed, and that same year set out grape vines. From time to time until the year 1886 additions were made to the original purchase, and when Mr. Gallaway gave up the ranch to his sons he had about sixty acres in vineyard, which included both wine and table grapes. Among the former. Zinfandel, Burgundy, Sauvignon and Burger grapes were raised for the press in the lower portions of the ranch, while Tokay and Coleman grapes, table varieties, ripened on the more exposed hillsides. Besides his vineyard Mr. Gallaway set out about sixteen acres in choice fruits, among which were peaches, plums and prunes. As he was a man of depth and penetration he was not satisfied with anything until he had given it special thought and study, and to this characteristic may be traced his splendid success as a horti- culturist. His exhibits at the Mechanics Institute Fair at San Francisco demon- strated beyond question his superior methods. While the greater part of his ranch was given over to fruit-raising, general farming was also carried on very successfully. On the ranch which he had brought to such an excellent state of cultivation he passed away June 6, 1902, after several years of rest from active duties. In all that he undertook he had a sympathetic co-worker in his wife, who was Deborah Price, and to whom he was married October 14. 1857.
Of the five children who originally comprised the parental family (Allen R .; Nancy E .; Henry M., deceased; Andrew J. and Amanda A.) Allen R. was the eldest, his birth occurring in Gentry county, Mo., August 3, 1858. His parents appreciated the value of good educational opportunities for their chil- dren and bestowed upon them every advantage within their means. Allen R. Gallaway made the best possible use of his opportunities, and during his later student years he taught school in order that he might further pursue his studies. After a preliminary education in the public schools of Healdsburg, he attended the Christian College at Santa Rosa and Pierce Christian College, at College City, Colusa county, from which latter institution he graduated in 1881. In- stead of leaving his alma mater after his graduation, he continued there for two years as a teacher of history, resigning at the end of this time to take charge of his father's ranch in company with his brother. For a number of years after this he still continued teaching during the winter months and gave his "attention to the ranch in the summer. Subsequently he gave up teaching al- together and concentrated his attention upon the care of the ranch, continuing this uninterruptedly until his appointment as horticultural commissioner of So- noma county. He owns twenty-eight acres on Dry creek, four miles north- west of Healdsburg. which is well improved with French prunes, grapes, olives
DirJuilliard)
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and other varieties of fruit. Until the year 1905 he gave his time and atten- tion to the care of his ranch, but in that year he leased the ranch and removed with his family to Healdsburg, where he now resides.
Politically Mr. Gallaway favors Republican principles, and at the Repub- lican convention at Santa Rosa in 1888 he was nominated July 25 as the can- clidate for the general assembly from the twenty-third district, and in a strongly Democratic district was defeated by a small plurality only. In 1896 he was nominated to the assembly by both the Democratic and Populist factions.
Mr. Gallaway's marriage, August 20. 1884, united him with Laura M. Abel, a native of Wisconsin, although she was reared and educated in Solano and Colusa counties, Cal. The eldest of the two children born of their mar- riage, Alfred Russell, graduated from the University of California in 1907 and is now engaged in the real estate business in Sacramento; his wife before her marriage was Lilla Ware, the daughter of A. B. Ware, an attorney of Santa Rosa. Crystal D. Gallaway is attending the State Normal school at San Jose. Fraternally Mr. Gallaway is identified with the Red Men and the Grange. For many years he has given his moral and financial support to the Christian Church, of which he is a member and an elder, and for twenty-five years he has served as superintendent of the Sunday-school at Healdsburg. Personally and in his official capacity Mr. Gallaway is highly esteemed, for he is a man of noble heart, broad mind and lofty principles of honor, mingled with a genial affability and courtesy that wins and retains friends.
COL. LOUIS W. JUILLIARD.
No name in Santa Rosa is suggestive of a broader or more resourceful citizenship than that of Col. L. W. Juilliard, one of the prominent represen- tatives of the legal fraternity in Sonoma county. To begin with, he inherits from an enviable ancestry a sound constitution, a broad mind and a stout heart. all of which have contributed to the fashioning of his very successful career. On the paternal side he comes of French ancestry, his father, Charles F. Juil- liard, being a native of that country, and it was he and the latter's father who established the name in this country in 1836. From Ohio, where these immi- grants settled, the younger man came to California during the famous year of 1849, and thus the name became established on the Pacific coast, and later iden- tified with a number of mining undertakings in California. In young manhood C. F. Juilliard had formed domestic ties by his marriage with Sarah A. Chilton, the daughter of Major Chilton, a native of Springfield, Ill.
The eldest surviving child born of the marriage of Charles F. and Sarah A. (Chilton) Juilliard was Louis W. Juilliard, his birth occurring in Red Bluff, Tehama county, June 29, 1861. His education was completed in Santa Rosa, Sonoma county, whither the family came to make their home when he was eleven years of age. Here, in addition to attending the public schools, he also attended business college and the Pacific Methodist College. Nature had intended him for a public career, and opportunity to occupy a niche of this character came to him at the early age of twenty-three years, when he was made deputy county clerk, a position which he filled for five years. On the Democratic ticket, in
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1888, he was elected county clerk, and at the expiration of his first term was re-elected to the position in 1890. Coming before the public in these capacities, however, was not the height of his ambition and proved but stepping stones in the career which later was his. The study of the law and its practice was his highest ambition, and while the incumbent of the positions mentioned he employed his leisure time in reading law with the well-known lawyers, Henley, Whipple & Oates. The year 1895 witnessed his admission to the bar of the supreme court of the state, and shortly afterward he opened an office for the practice of law in Santa Rosa. His versatile ability and popularity have been the means of his election as a delegate to many state and county conven- tions, and for one term, in 1894 and 1895, he served on the city board of edu- cation. It was during his incumbency of this office that the Santa Rosa high school was built. The title of colonel came to him through his connection with the National Guard of California, with which he became associated in 1885. July 10 of that year he was instrumental in organizing Company E, of which he was elected first lieutenant, later captain, and then major, greater honors, however, coming to him by his election as lieutenant-colonel of the Fifth Regi- ment California Infantry. This regiment did meritorious service at the time of the fire and earthquake in San Francisco in the spring of 1906, a service which deserved and received the praise and commendation of Californians in all parts of the state. Since 1907 Colonel Juilliard has been on the retired list, but his heart and sympathy are still in the work in which he found so much pleasure. No sooner was he released from one obligation than another need was found for his ability, as was apparent when in 1908 he was elected a member of the California legislature from the Fourteenth assembly district on the Democratic ticket and in 1910 he was elected State Senator by a very flattering majority. Here as in every other position that he has been called upon to fill he is acquitting himself nobly and honorably. Fraternally he is identified with a number of orders, being a Knight Templar Mason, a member of Santa Rosa Lodge No. 57, F. & A. M., the Chapter, the Knights of Pythias and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. By right of his birth in the state he is eligible to membership in and is a member of the Native Sons, and during one term he served as Grand Treasurer of this body, and also as Grand Marshal for two terms.
None of the attractions of public life, however, take the place in Colonel Juilliard's heart as does his quiet vineyard or ranch near Santa Rosa. Here he finds rest and relaxation and the rejuvenation necessary to carry on the work which his profession and public duties lay upon him.
JOSHUA CHAUVET.
The name of Chauvet needs no introduction to the residents of Sonoma county, as it is firmly established in the minds of all through the lives and accomplishments of three generations, two of whom have passed away, but though dead, still live in the memory of those to whom they endeared them- selves and in their accomplishments as pioneer settlers in this then new and unsettled country. As the name would indicate Mr. Chauvet was of French
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origin, and he was born at St. Jean, province of Champagne, France, July 20, 1822, a son of Francois Chauvet, the latter a millwright and owner of a mill near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. His parents evidently had little sympathy with the pleasures of childhood, for Mr. Chauvet was forced to face the stern realities of life at an early age, and when still a young boy had a good knowl- edge of the milling business. Courageous and unflinching, he accepted his lot with kindly grace, and when he had reached manhood was equipped with an invaluable experience at the miller's trade that was to stand him in good stead later on.
On reaching manhood Mr. Chauvet set sail for the United States at Havre, February 1, 1850, on a sailing vessel bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. Hard work in his native land had given him little in return, and after boarding the vessel he took an inventory of his cash on hand, which proved to be no more nor less than thirteen copper sous. The vessel finally reached San Francisco September 17, 1850, and from there he proceeded at once to Cala- veras county, engaging in mining for a short time, but finally gave it up to engage in a business with prospects of a more dependable income. It was then that he opened the first bakery in Mokelumne Hill, and subsequently, in 1851, opened the first bakery in Jackson, Amador county. In the fall of the latter year he located at Sandy Bar on the Mokelumne river, where in partnership with Mr. Lebeaux he opened a general merchandise store and bakery combined. This business association did not continue very long, for in the fall of 1852 Mr. Chauvet returned to Mokelumne Hill and resumed the bakery business alone. It was no uncommon occurrence during the early days for him to pay $120 for a barrel of flour, and for his bread made from this he received $1 a pound.
Mr. Chauvet was nothing if he was not courageous, and the year 1853 found him sending to France to purchase the machinery for a two-running stone flour-mill, but on account of the great delay in its transportation, instead of setting it up in Mokelumne Hill as he had originally intended, he set it up in Oakland and ran it by wind-power. The venture did not prove a success to the owners, however, and the undertaking was abandoned. In 1855 Mr. Chauvet returned to Sandy Bar and the following year came to Sonoma county, his father having joined him in the meantime, and here they bought five hundred acres of land and a mill site from General Vallejo, on the Sonoma and Santa Rosa road, six miles north of Sonoma. This venture proved a great success, and after running it as a saw-mill for eighteen months Mr. Chauvet then converted it into a flour-mill, which was the foremost flour-mill in the county, and which was kept in constant operation until 1881. It was here that the earth life of the venerable father came to a close, after which the son sold back three hundred acres of the land to General Vallejo, still retaining possession of two hundred acres.
Mr. Chauvet had wisely conceived the idea of planting the ranch to grapes at the time he purchased it, and in 1875 he branched out further in the industry by manufacturing his product into wine, and in five years his output of wine had climbed to one hundred and twenty-five thousand gallons. It was at this time, 1880, that he associated himself with the firm of Walter, Schilling & Co., of San Francisco, an amicable as well as profitable arrangement that endured
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about five years. In 1881 he inaugurated one of the largest wine industries in Sonoma county by the erection of a $14,000 building in the Glen Ellen district for the manufacture of wine. The building, three stories in height, had a storage capacity of over two hundred thousand gallons of wine. In the year 1888 he manufactured one hundred and seventy-five thousand gallons alone. In addition to his winery he also operated a distillery, from which he had an annual output of from five to eight thousand gallons of brandy. His ranch was equipped with an excellent water supply, not only furnishing the power for the machinery in his winery and distillery, but also furnishing water for household use to the town of Glen Ellen.
Mr. Chauvet's marriage in 1864 united him with Miss Ellen Sullivan, who though born in Ireland has been a resident of the United States from early childhood. She died in 1876. Two children blessed their marriage, Henry J. and Robert A. Fraternally Mr. Chauvet was a member of Temple Lodge No. 14, F. & A. M., and he was also a member of the Society of California Pioneers California lost one of her noblest pioneers in his death May 22, 1908, at which time he had attained the age of eighty-five years, ten months and two days.
Mr. Chauvet came here without a cent, and in spite of the fact that others had failed in the milling business he made up his mind to forge ahead and make his milling enterprise a success. He put in a mill race and an overshot wheel. He had great difficulty in completing the flour mill, but after a while he made the venture a success. He also ran a flour mill at Giovanari, this county in the early days.
GEORGE NEWELL SANBORN.
The Green Mountain state has contributed of her citizenship to the up- building of California in many representatives, but of the number none have entered more thoroughly into the spirit of the west than has Mr. Sanborn. Born in Albany, Vt., December 27, 1835, he was reared in that locality and con- tinued to make it his home until attaining manhood years. Although reared in a farming community his tastes did not lie in that direction, instead, having a taste for the work of the school room, and it is as teacher of the young that the greater part of his life has been passed.
Mr. Sanborn followed his profession of teacher four years in his native state, when he was seized with the western fever and determined to come to California. He made the voyage by the water route, via the Isthmus, and arrived at his destination in the state in April, 1860. Coming to Sonoma county, he began his career as a teacher in Petaluma, where he taught for three months, after which he taught in Oak Grove and had a larger number of pupils than .. sere was at that time in the Santa Rosa schools. In 1862, on account of the ill-health of his father, Mr. Sanborn returned to Vermont via Nicaragua, and remained in the east two years. After the death of his father he again came to Sonoma county, in 1864. this voyage also being made by way of Nicaragua. Coming to Sebastopol he resumed his profession in the schools of this place. His experience in teaching extended over twenty-four years, all of the districts in which he taught being within a radius of a few miles of his first school.
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With a record to his credit as the most painstaking and thorough instructor in Sonoma county, in the fall of 1884 he gave up the life for which he was so eminently fitted and began the development of the ranch property upon which he resided until 1900, when he located in Sebastopol. He had eighty acres of fine land, well suited to the raising of peaches, and by being painstaking and care- ful he made a success of it. Besides his orchard he also maintained a small vineyard. For about sixteen years he devoted the same energy to the manage- ment of this ranch that he had to the duties of the school room in previous years, but in 1900 he gave up its care to younger hands, and has since lived retired. In 1904 he sold the ranch. As a young man Mr. Sanborn was a deep student of the problems of life, and early in his career decided that the cause of the majority of the failures of life was attributable to lack of thoroughness. Taking to heart the lesson which he learned thus early in life he has done with his might whatever task he put his hand to, and to the religious application of this principle he gives credit for all that he has accomplished, both in his career as a teacher, and in his later efforts as a horticulturist. By making a thorough study of the peach industry he developed a grade of this fruit which has never had an equal in this section of the state. This is what is known as the orange cling peach, which grows to an unusual size, and it was no uncommon thing for one peach to weigh one pound. One season his crop ran as high as fifty-one tons of orange cling peaches.
In 1864 Mr. Sanborn was married to Miss Emily J. Dewey, a native of Vermont, and one child was born of that marriage, George D., a real-estate dealer in Sebastopol. Mr. Sanborn is a valued member of the Santa Rosa Grange and of the Sonoma County Pomona College, in both of which organiza- tions his opinion on horticultural matters is regarded as authority. No one was more instrumental in the formation of the Sonoma County Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company than was Mr. Sanborn, and most of the time since its organization he has served in the capacity of vice-president. As early as 1859 he joined the Masonic order, and for over half a century he has stood by the principles for which that body stands. He is now a member of Lafayette Lodge No. 126, F. & A. M., of Sebastopol, of which he was secretary for many years. Those who know Mr. Sanborn appreciate his worth, and by all he is greatly esteemed and loved.
CHARLES E. HOTLE.
A successful and well-to-do horticulturist, viticulturist and agriculturist of Sebastopol, Charles E. Hotle is prosperously engaged in his independent vo- cation on one of the most finely improved and most desirable homesteads in this part of Sonoma county. Enterprising, practical and progressive, he has shown excellent judgment in the prosecution of his calling, and is numbered among the valued citizens of his community.
Like many another of the well-to-do and enterprising citizens who have contributed to the making of this Pacific commonwealth, Mr. Hotle is a native of the middle-west, his birth occurring near Sigourney, Keokuk county, Iowa. May 12, 1865. He was the eldest of the four children comprising the parental family, the names of the children in the order of their birth being as follows:
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