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 43
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In the short space allotted the biographer it is possible only to suggest the various avenues into which Mr. Sbarboro's versatility has taken him, leaving the reader to follow out each one in detail as he is able to do elsewhere. All has not been suggested, however, until mention has been made of his ability as a forceful writer. One of the most recent and probably one of the most telling products of his pen is the book entitled "The Fight for True Temper- ance." which was so favorably received and in such demand that the edition was soon exhausted.
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In his quest for the cause of intemperance Mr. Sbarboro is led to the be- lief, after making investigations throughout Europe and this country, that so- briety prevails only in grape-producing countries, where wine is within reach of all classes of people and can be obtained in large quantities, of good quality, at low prices. As proof of this he points to England, Scotland and Ireland, where drunkenness exists to an alarming degree, among both sexes. In these countries grapes do not grow, and as wine is not produced, strong alcoholic beverages are used by the people. In contrast to this picture he calls atten- tion to the countries across the English Channel, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and Germany, containing over two hundred millions of wine-drinkers, but where intemperance is practically unknown. When Thomas Jefferson was our minister to France he made the observation that "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap, and none sober where dear- ness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as its common beverage."
The object of Mr. Sbarboro's book is to create a sentiment throughout this country whereby a better acquaintance with the grape and its products may be made to wipe out inebriety, a problem with which temperance workers have battled for half a century. Although it is not generally known, the United States is the land of the vine. California can produce wine as fine as that of any country in Europe, and when the occasion will demand, in as large quan- tities as France and Italy. Many other states in the Union also produce very excellent wines and will increase their production when the existing obstacles to its free distribution are removed.
Mr. Sbarboro is essentially a home-loving man, his kindly nature being nowhere more evident than in the family circle. In Italy he was united in marriage with Miss Romilda Botto, and they became the parents of the fol- lowing children : Alfredo, Aida, Romolo, Romilda and Remo. Mr. Sbarboro's name will remain indelibly associated with that class of men whose public- spirited and unselfish disposition has prompted them to innumerable beneficent acts, and who have always held the welfare of the public above sordid and narrow sentiments.
JOHN BIDWELL.
Though not a native of California, John Bidwell has practically passed his entire life here, for he was only one year old when his parents transferred their home from the middle west to the Pacific coast country. The parents, Ira and Elizabeth (Brooks) Bidwell, were born, reared and married in Missouri, and there too their eldest son, John, was born September 5, 1849. The following year the parents made the journey across the plains over the Carson route, a journey of six months finally bringing them to their destination at Georgetown, Cal. John Bidwell has never known any other home than Sonoma county, for after a year passed in the mining district of Georgetown the father gave up the undertaking and located in Alexander valley, Sonoma county, and here the son has even since remained.
John Bidwell gave his father the benefit of his services until he attained his majority, after which he started out as a rancher on his own account, renting property for a number of years before purchasing and settling upon a ranch
J. L. On-
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of his own. Finally, however, in 1877, he purchased the fine ranch of which he is now the proprietor, consisting of four hundred acres of rich bottom land, about ten miles from Healdsburg. Hay and grain are raised extensively, be- sides which he maintains a dairy of twenty-five cows and has fifteen acres under cultivation to grapes. Mr. Bidwell well remembers when all the land which is now dotted with productive ranches was wild land, the haunts of deer, bear and other wild animals, and ducks and quails were also numerous. The incoming of settlers changed conditions so decidedly, that one not familiar with the appear- ance of the country at that time would find it difficult to imagine it as it was when Mr. Bidwell first saw it over half a century ago. Few if any have done more than he to work the transformation that has since taken place, and in the same ratio that he has labored he enjoys the results of his efforts, and today has one of the most thrifty ranches in the Alexander valley, if not in the entire county.
Mr. Bidwell's marriage in 1870 united him with Miss Mary Ellen Matthews, a native of Santa Rosa and the daughter of C. W. Matthews, a pioneer of 1849 His wife, in maidenhood Mary McMinn, was also a pioneer of the early '50s. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bidwell, as follows: Wesley; Carrie. the wife of Andrew Johnson; St. Clair, who owns a ranch near the homestead ; Albert, also a rancher near Healdsburg; Rena, the wife of Henry Pugett, of Petaluma ; Wiley, who died in 1906; and Daisy and Joseph, at home with their parents. Fraternally Mr. Bidwell belongs to the Masonic order, and also to the affiliated body, the Eastern Star, to which latter organization his wife also belongs.
THOMAS LESLIE ORR.
There are few if any residents of Sonoma county more familiar with the growth and development of its vineyard and winery interests than is Thomas L. Orr. It is now over fifteen years since he turned his attention to this spe- cial branch of horticulture, and the years that have intervened have not only witnessed his own success in the growing and manufacture of the grape, but have witnessed a steady advance in the allied industries throughout the length and breadth of Sonoma county, until this section of the state has become a recog- nized center in this line, no little credit for which belongs to Mr. Orr.
The earliest recollections of Thomas L. Orr are of a home in Scotland, where, in Sunnyside, Lanarkshire, he was born December 10, 1864. His parents, James and Jean (Pender) Orr, were also natives of Scotland, the father born in Buds Farm, Parish of Shotts, Lanarkshire, and the mother was born in Linlithgowshire, near Bathgate. Her father, John Pender, was the owner of a large wheat farm, besides which he dealt in grain at Leith, Scotland. The history of the Orr family in Scotland can be traced back more than three hun- drei years before the birth of Thomas L. Orr, when one of the name purchased a large estate from the Duchess of Hamilton, whose descendants in the Scot- tish line would now be the reigning family in Scotland. This estate has been divided up among the Orrs, Shotts Parish, and is still in possession of their descendants. James Orr was a tiller of the soil on a portion of this estate until he left the place to his brother and started an express line between Airdrie and Glasgow. He followed this business very successfully for twelve years,
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and when the railroad was completed he was placed in charge of the freight department of the Caledonian Railroad at Coatbridge, a place in those days which was the Pittsburg of that side of the Atlantic, famous for its blasting furnaces, coal and iron production. Subsequently he took up his residence in Sunnyside, a suburb of Coatbridge, and it was there that the birth of his son, Thomas L., occurred. As the result of an accident the father died at the com- paratively early age of fifty-eight years, having been struck by a buffer in the freight yards. The mother survived him about twenty years, passing away in the fall of 1905. Of the eight children born to this worthy couple four are still living. John and James are foremen in the locomotive works in the city of Glasgow ; and Ellen, Mrs. McDowell, resides in Airdrie, Scotland.
Thomas L. Orr is next to the eldest of the four children now living. As a boy he was brought up in Sunnyside and received his education at Dundyvan Academy, Coatbridge, remaining there until he was thirteen years of age, when the death of his father made a sudden change in his plans and prospects. Being obliged at this early age to provide for his own maintenance, he went to work in the Glasgow Locomotive works, being apprenticed as a shop draughtsman, and after completing his trade he was placed in charge of all the draughtsmen that worked in his department of the works. The confinement and close appli- cation which the position of chief draughtsman involved soon made inroads on the health of the young man, and it was the condition of his health that attracted him to California in May of 1885. He first located in Los Angeles county, and the same month that he landed there he determined to make the state his perma- nent home. For a time he engaged in farming in Antelope valley, an experi- ence that proved beneficial to his healthi, and subsequently he engaged in the real estate business between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1888 he opened a real-estate office at No. 112 Montgomery street, San Francisco, making a specialty of dealing in south side lands. However, in 1895 conditions had changed materially by the business stagnation of 1893, and after closing out his business he removed to Forestville, Sonoma county, where he founded and built the first winery in the village, which he later disposed of. In 1895 he also leased the Occidental winery, which was then unoccupied, and later on, as the business outlook warranted, he purchased it, including a fifteen-acre home set to vines and deciduous fruits, and a four-acre tract in town for exten- sions. From this small beginning he constantly added substantial improve- ments and adjoining land, until he now has fifty acres of vineyard and thirty acres of pasture four miles from Occidental, without doubt one of the finest vineyards in Sonoma county. Aside from what his own vineyard produces he buys about five hundred tons of grapes a year for his Occidental winery. In 1905 he branched out still further by the erection of the Green Valley winery at Graton, on the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Electric Railroad, which has since been incorporated as the West Coast Wine Company, of which he is president. In this plant is manufactured wine from twelve hundred tons of grapes annually, and at times he has on hand over five hundred thousand gallons of wine. In addition to the holdings already mentioned Mr. Orr also owns an eighty-acre tract of splendid grape land in the Los Guilicos valley, in the Kenwood district. One of the ambitions and dreams of T. L. Orr is that the people of the United States will become a wine-drinking people, habituated to the use of dry wines at lunch
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and dinner, believing that if this be attained, prohibition and total abstinence shall have become dead issues ; it will be the one great step towards temperance.
In 1903 Mr. Orr made a visit to his old home in Scotland, spending a month with his mother. The trip was made by way of Chicago, in which city lie formed the acquaintance of the lady who afterward became his wife. She was Miss Anna Comerford, a native of Chicago and a sister of the Hon. Frank Comerford, statesman, attorney and orator of that city. Their marriage oc- curred in Vallejo, Cal., in February, 1905, but the married life of the young pecple was destined to be brief. At her death in 1906 Mrs. Orr left one child, Marshall Comerford Orr, whose training and education takes all his time in Chicago. All that professional science and affectionate care could do was brought into service in the hope of restoring her health, but efforts proved fruitless, and surrounded by husband, mother, sister and brother, she passed away. calmed by her Christian faith.
Mr. Orr has not arrived at his present independence without much hard work, sacrifice and close application. He is endowed by nature with those qualities that make him well liked by his fellow men and business associates, and all rejoice in the prosperity which he enjoys. It is to such men as Thomas L. Orr that the wonderful development and growth of Sonoma county is dite. and his example is worthy of emulation.
CHARLES JASPER CHENOWETH.
Native sons of California have a reputation of loyalty to the land of their birth which probably cannot be found to be true of any other state in the Union in the same degree. This loyalty of continued residence in the state of his birth has been borne out in the life of Charles J. Chenoweth, in fact he has never made his home outside of Sonoma county, where his parents settled some years previous to his birth, July 4, 1853.
The Chenoweth family is of southern origin, and the earliest member of whom we have definite knowledge is the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, Jacob Chenoweth, who was born in Maryland March 2, 1785. Later years found him in Kentucky, and there, in Butler county, his son, John H., was born December 25, 1817. During young manhood he came as far west as Illinois, making settlement in Pike county, and from there he came to the Pacific coast in 1849. when the news of the finding of gold in California was heralded over the country, the voyage being made by way of Cape Horn. The year fol- lowing, 1850, he returned east, and two years later he again came west, this time bringing his family with him. Settlement was first made in Green valley, on what is now Taylor street, and later the family moved to a location that be- came known as Occidental. Here he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon a part of which a daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Nolan, now make their home. Here the father passed away in the faith of the Methodist Church in September, 1898, when he was eighty years of age. His wife, Ermine English, in maidenhood, was also a native of Kentucky, her birth occurring in Hardin county November 4, 1821. Her father, Lemuel English, brought the family as far west as Illinois, and it was in that state that
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she became the wife of Mr. Chenoweth. She passed away September 1. 1892, having become the mother of seven children, as follows: William Lemuel, a resident of Curry county, Ore .; James M., of Sebastopol; John J. Hardin, of Occidental; Charles J., of this review ; Sophronia Josephine, Mrs. C. P. Nolan, of Occidental ; Albert W., who resides near the latter town; and Alvin S., who died when three years old.
Under the training of his father Charles J. Chenoweth received a valuable insight into the various departments of agriculture, the two working together harmoniously until the son reached years of maturity, and assumed agricultural responsibilities on a ranch of his own. Not far from the old family home- stead in Sonoma county, on Rural Route No. 1 from Sehastopol, he has a ranch of sixty-three acres, which is not only a credit to the owner, but to the county as well, for no one could take greater pride in upholding the standard of agri- cultural excellence that Sonoma county has attained than does Mr. Chenoweth, and his efforts have not been without notable accomplishments.
The marriage of Charles J. Chenoweth, in 1884, united him with Miss Julia Stewart, who was born in this state, and who passed away on the ranch near Sebastopol December 12, 1897. Besides her husband she left to mourn her loss a family of seven children, several of whom were then almost too young to realize the deep loss they had sustained. The eldest of the children, Hardin T., is settled in a home of his own, having married Miss Hattie Barnes. The next child in order of birth, Leslie A., is a graduate of Sweets College, and is now at home, as are also the other children, William Leroy, Leland Adolph, Josephine Eugenia, Myrtle Ethel and Verna Sonoma, the two last mentioned being students in the local school. Fraternally Mr. Chenoweth is well known in Sonoma county, especially in the Odd Fellows order, belonging to Salmon Creek Lodge No. 234. I. O. O. F., and for thirteen years he has served as secretary of his_ lodge.
J. WILLIAM JESSE, M. D.
Since 1892 Dr. J. William Jesse has practiced medicine and surgery in Santa Rosa, without interruption and with such success as to place him among the foremost physicians in this part of the state. Born in Mexico, Audrain county, Mo., in 1857, he comes of old pioneer stock, the family having located in Virginia long before the Revolutionary war, and the great-grandfather on the paternal side served as a scout during this crisis in the affairs of the colon- ists. The grandfather, William, was born and reared in Virginia, where he became a Baptist minister and combined that calling with farming during the greater part of his life. Receiving the greater part of his education in the public and private schools of Mexico, Mo., Dr. Jesse qualified as a teacher and taught in the public schools of Walla Walla, Wash., removing at the age of twenty to the Sacramento valley, where he engaged in educational work for seven years. In 1883 he became a student in the medical department of the University of New York, in New York city, and graduated in 1886, when he engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in Placer and Sonoma coun- ties, Cal., and later removed to Modoc county, where he remained until 1892. Since that time Dr. Jesse has practiced his profession in Santa Rosa and has
W. J. Robinson
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won for himself an enviable reputation as a physician and surgeon, his thorough understanding of the principles of his profession, especially as a surgeon, bring- ing him an extensive practice.
Being active in political affairs, a member of the Democratic party, Dr. Jesse was elected mayor of the town in 1898 but declined to become a candidate for more political preferment, his professional duties requiring all of his time. Fraternally he is associated with Santa Rosa Lodge No. 57, F. & A. M., and with the Order of Elks. He is surgeon for the Southern Pacific Railroad; and for the North-Western Pacific Railroad of California. He is proprietor and manager of the Mary Jesse Hospital in Santa Rosa.
In 1881 Dr. Jesse married Mary Higgins, a native of St. Louis, Mo., and one daughter, Marie, is the only child of this union. She is now Mrs. Bryant Necker of San Francisco. The doctor has a host of friends in Santa Rosa, having an optimistic and cheerful disposition, which, aside from the respect which his scientific skill commands, endears him to all.
WILLIAM JAMES ROBINSON.
Among those who have written their names in the annals of California is William James Robinson, a prosperous and prominent citizen of Sebastopol, Sonoma county, who has made excellent use of the opportunities which he found awaiting him when he came to the state in 1872. A native of Canada, he was born near Ottawa, in the province of Ontario, April 22, 1852, the son of John and Elizabeth (Scott) Robinson, both of whom were born in Ireland, the latter being of Scotch descent. During young manhood John Robinson im- migrated from Ireland and settled upon a farm in Ontario, and it was on this homestead farm that William J. was reared and became familiar with stock- raising and general farming. He was still a young man in his teens when he left home and took the responsibilities of his own support in his hands, at that time, 1872, setting out for the Golden state. His journey's end brought him to San Francisco, and going from there to Marin county, he secured work as a farm hand on ranches, in so doing familiarizing himself with dairying. Alto- gether he remained in Marin county for eight years, during which time he suc- ceeded in accumulating sufficient means to warrant him in engaging in an enter- prise of his own.
With the money which he had thus saved Mr. Robinson came to Sonoma county and took a lease of six hundred and forty acres of land about one mile from Bloomfield, which he stocked with cows, and for the ensuing five years he followed the dairy business with excellent success. With the means which he had accumulated in the meantime he was enabled to purchase a ranch of his own, and it was with considerable pride that he assumed the ownership of five hundred and forty-seven acres of fine hill and valley land near Sebastopol, upon which he continued in the dairy business for some time. Here also he en- gaged in raising a fine grade of Norman and Pollock Clyde horses and also standard bred horses, among them such well known strains as Director, Wilkes, Bentons, Electioneer, Alexander Bellringer and Nutwood. Mr. Robinson was for many years engaged in raising Merino and Shropshire sheep; at times his
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flock numbered seven hundred head. However, the dairy and fruit-raising in- dustries always engaged the most of his attention, for as soon as he purchased the ranch he set out an apple orchard of forty acres of the following varieties: Gravensteins, Spitzenbergs, Yellow Newtowns, Wagners, Belleflowers and Baldwins. Besides the raising of apples, which netted him $2,500 during the season of 1909, he raised a variety of plums, peaches and prunes, the latter, however, more for family use than for commercial purposes. The exceptional location of the ranch made it especially well adapted to the crops raised, and an abundant and constant supply of pure water from springs in the hills was an invaluable advantage and enhanced the value of the property considerably. In 1910 he sold his ranch at an advance of about four hundred per cent of the pur- chase price in twenty-six years' ownership. He then located in Sebastopol, where he is engaged in looking after his real estate holdings. He owns Robin- son Hill, a place of thirty-one acres, on which is a sightly knoll affording one of the grandest views in town, and is one of the highest points in this part of the county. Here he intends building a cosy bungalow; the place is improved with Gravenstein apples, blackberries and vines. With others he purchased the Kanody ranch of two hundred acres at Windsor, that is being laid out into ten acre tracts. At the present time he is building the Robinson block on Main street, 52x75 feet, two stories high. He is also the owner of nine houses and some business lots in Sebastopol.
Mr. Robinson's marriage in 1878 united him with Miss Mary Ann Black, a native of Ireland. At her deatlı in 1902 she left a husband and two children to mourn the loss of a devoted wife and mother. One child, Charles, had died in 1884, when four years old. The two sons now living, James and Arthur, were associated with their father in the management of the ranch until it was sold, and now James is engaged in mining and Arthur has charge of Robinson Hill ranch. He is a member of the Sebastopol Apple Growers Union and the Sebastopol Apple Show Association. Politically Mr. Robinson is a Republican, to the principles of which party he adheres faithfully. In the best sense of the word Mr. Robinson is a self-made man, and it is for this reason that he, as well as those who know him best, rejoice in his present prosperity and the position he now holds as one of the representative business men of Sonoma county. It is to such men as he that Sonoma county owes its present state of wonderful development. Coming here with a knowledge of the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock, and having learned that good management and economy suc- ceeds, by close application to business and improving his ranches with trees he has demonstrated what could be accomplished by industry and perseverance in a land so favored with rich soil and abundance of rain.
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT.
Throughout American history and story no name is more familiarly known than that of John C. Fremont, the Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains. School children of all ages read and reread with renewed interest his encounters with the dusky foe on the plains and exploits of thrilling adventure throughout his entire career on the western frontier. His fearless and daring spirit was
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no doubt an inherited tendency, for it is known that the founder of the family in America was a man of large undertaking and indomitable courage. Born in France at a time when the edict of Nantes was still in effect, he lived there contented with his surroundings and privileges until the revocation by Louis XIV, when he was sent to Canada as a officer in the troops, and there he eventually settled with his family. There the family became well known, the famous Dr. Charles James Fremont being a member of this branch of the family. The grandson of this immigrating ancestor, Louis Rene, was the founder of the family in the United States, his later years being spent in Charleston, S. C., and his death occurring there in 1818. In Virginia he mar- ried Anne Beverly Whiting, whose aunt, also a Miss Whiting, became the wife of John Washington, and held George Washington in her arms at the time of his christening.
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