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 56
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HUGH STOUGHTON McCARGAR
Proficiency in any calling is rarely without its compensation when its pos- sessor is willing to make the initial effort in bringing his knowledge and ability before the public. H. S. McCargar, a well-known contractor and builder of Petaluma, has proven the truth of this statement, and among the many fine buildings which stand as monuments to his splendid ability is his own fine resi- dence at No. 319 Walnut street.
Mr. McCargar is a native of Canada, his birth occurring near Kemptville, Ontario, in February, 1859. His boyhood, youth and early manhood were passed in his native birthplace, but as soon as he reached his majority, in 1881, he left family and friends in the east and started for the Pacific coast country. Fresno, Cal., was his first stopping place, six months being passed in that city, going from there to San Francisco, where he remained for one and a half years. It was about this time that the possibilities of the mines in New Mexico and Arizona were
Sarah 'S Watson Nason
Granica Mabaño
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attracting ambitious seekers after wealth, and among those who made their way to the mines in these localities was Mr. McCargar. Two and a half years were there passed in an earnest endeavor to secure the coveted prize, but he finally gave up the effort and returned to San Francisco. He continued in the metrop- olis about one year when, in 1885, he came to Petaluma and has made his home here ever since. His knowledge of contracting and building which had been put to good account in other places before coming to Petaluma, here found opportunity for expression also, and he was fortunate in securing the position of foreman in the employ of James Kill, a pioneer contractor of high standing. During the seven years while in Mr. Kill's employ he erected many fine resi- dences in Petaluma, among them the Fairbanks and McBrown residences on D street, which without exception are the finest residences in Petaluma.
Leaving the employ of Mr. Kill at the end of seven years of faithful serv- ice, Mr. McCargar began contracting and building on his own account and a goodly share of the best work done in the meantime in Petaluma has been done in his name and under his supervision. The erection of fine residences may be said to be his specialty, among those which he is responsible for being the Will- iam Keig, A. J. McPhail, Mrs. John Ward, Miss Blackburn, Scott Bowles and other residences in Petaluma, besides residences in the country and a number of large barns.
A marriage ceremony performed in October, 1894, united the lives of H S. McCargar and Miss Minnie E. Warner. She was born in Turlock, Cal., the daughter of John and Jane (Van Buskirk) Warner, both natives of New York state. John Warner crossed the plains to California in the '50s, during the gold excitement. and subsequently returned east for his family. The voyage to Cali- fornia was made by way of the Isthmus. On the way the vessel was grounded and the passengers were taken off in boats; finally, however, they reached San Francisco. Mr. Warner was a tiller of the soil in Stanislaus county until he retired in Petaluma, where he died, as did also his wife. Three children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. McCargar, Gladys (who died at the age of four years), Ruth and Doris. Fraternally Mr. McCargar is identified with the Knights of Pythias, Elks and Woodmen of the World. He is a man of sterling integrity, an excellent workman, and is held in the highest esteem by all who are brought in contact with him, either in a business or social way.
CAPT. GREENVILLE WATSON.
As an honored pioneer of Sonoma county and as a veteran of the Civil war, Captain Watson stands high in the regard of acquaintances, while he also is entitled to consideration as a large land owner and as the head of a large family whose members even to the third generation occupy positions of trust and prominence in their various communities. Born in Greene county, Ind., April 2, 1829, he is a son of Alexander and Susannah (Jessup) Watson and a grandson of Caleb Jessup of North Carolina, in which commonwealth his parents were likewise born and reared. The parental family comprised nine sons and two daughters, viz .: Nathan B., Caleb, James, Thomas, Nimrod, Elizabeth, Greenville. Nancy, Willis, Ambrose and Verlin. Two of the family,
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Elizabeth and Nimrod, died while young, but all of the others married and reared families.
Captain Watson was brought up on the farm in Greene county, Ind. There were no free schools in those days and his educational advantages were very limited, his entire schooling amounting to about six months. He was married in 1849 to Sarah Theresa Snyder, a native of Orange county, Ind. In 1854 he removed to Mercer county, Mo., where he resided until 1856, when he crossed the state line into Decatur county, Iowa, locating at Pleasant Plaine, where he built a store and engaged in the general merchandise business, also as a stock dealer and speculator in lands.
At the opening of the Civil war, when President Lincoln called for three hundred thousand volunteers, Greenville Watson, who was engaged in business, at once responded by organizing a company for the Third Iowa Infantry, but the regiment was full before his company was ready, so they went into the Fifth Kansas Cavalry as Company F, of which he was commissioned captain August 12, 1861. However, they were not mounted in the Fifth Kansas, and shortly afterward the regiment was disbanded and Captain Watson's company became Company K of the Tenth Kansas Infantry. He remained at the front, taking part in the various engagements of the regiment in guerilla warfare with Price, Van Dorn and Quantrell on the border, until he was obliged to resign, March 18, 1863, owing to trouble with his eyes. A surgeon's certificate of dis- ability (he leaving the army in a state of blindness) brought him the relinquish- ment of his military duties and he returned home to recuperate his health, which had been overtaxed by the vicissitudes of the war. Shortly afterward he and his family crossed the plains with wagons and ox-teams, landing at Virginia City, Nev., in September of 1863 and arriving at Petaluma, Sonoma county, in October of 1864. Since then he has resided in Sonoma and Marin counties and from 1871 to 1873 he served as sheriff and tax collector of Marin county, after which he gave his attention to dairying and cattle-raising.
The father of Mrs. Watson was John Snyder, who was born in Grayson county, Va., in 1782, and who married Mary Dickey, a native of the Old Do- minion, born in 1775. They were the parents of eleven children, as follows: Reed, who married Asenath Deems and had six children; Hugh, who married Jane Watson and had three children, James W., Mary and Elizabeth; Wiley ; William Simon, who chose as his wife Miss Sarah Perkins and had one daughter, Jemima; Rebecca; Jane, who married and became the mother of ten children ; Matilda, Mrs. Samuel Moore, whose daughter, Ellen, Mrs. William Glover, had one child, Sarah S .; Nancy, who married William Cowen and had three chil- dren ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Caleb Watson, whose children were Nimrod, Mary, Maude and Theresa; Lucinda and Sarah T., Mrs. Greenville Watson. Lucinda was first married to James Fuller, and after his demise became the wife of James Watson, her children being Susanna Matilda, Alvina and James Reed, and David by the second marriage.
Seven sons and one daughter were born to the marriage of Captain and Mrs. Watson, namely: John Alexander, Nimrod Vernon, James William, Henry Hugh, Greenville Franklin, Charles Nathan, Cynthia Ellen and Harry Elmer. Five sons are now living and all are married. John Alexander in 1869 married Rhoda Ann Barnes, a native of Illinois; they have five children, Marvin
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Albert, Louis, Alexander, Henry and Zoe, the eldest of whom, Marvin Albert, has two children. James William is married and has two children, William and Lena. The latter is married to Walter Roberts and has one child, Zoe. Henry Hugh married Bessie Atterbury and has three children, Eveline, Helen and Franklin. The older daughter, Eveline, is the wife of George Kerr. Green- ville Franklin chose Armittie Reed for his wife and they have four children. Hugh R., Lucia, Elizabeth and Armittie. Charles, who was born in Iowa and is now a teacher in the public schools, married Jessie M. Moore, a native of Missouri, and they have two children, Charles Bruce and May Theresa. Harry Elmer married Helen Atterbury and of the union six children were born, viz .: Margaret, Cynthia, Lillie, Harriet, Alice and Elizabeth.
Moving to a ranch near Cazadero in 1875 Captain Watson has since de- voted his attention to the development of the land, which comprises five hundred acres well adapted for grazing purposes and admirably adapted to dairying or cattle-raising. Forty head of stock are carried on the ranch, including a number of valuable registered Jerseys. The owner has planted and developed an orchard and a vineyard, has erected a neat residence, and built other structures necessary to the work of the ranch. The Watson ranch is located at the junction of the East and West Austin creeks, adjoining Cazadero, and here for fifteen years Captain and Mrs. Watson ran a summer resort and were so successful that at times they could not accommodate all the people. On account of their advanced years they gave it up four years ago to enjoy the rest and quiet they so well merit. The scenery on the ranch is most beautiful; it is studded with native trees, the redwood predominating, some being eight feet in diameter. It is well watered by numerous springs and the owner is now devoting his atten- tion to the raising of beef cattle. He has erected a telephone line so that he can be in quick communication with adjacent ranches and towns, and in every re- spect has proved himself a progressive citizen, with a large faith in the pros- perous future of this section of the country. Much of his land is in timber, the value of which constantly increases, both as to the output of lumber and of cordwood. Farming has been his life work, hunting and fishing his sole forms of diversion and recreation, politics one of his favorite subjects of argu- ment as an upholder of the Republican party, and the Grand Army of the Re- public one of his favorite organizations, Ellsworth Post No. 20, at Santa Rosa, for years having received the benefit of his active membership and generous assistance.
PERRY KUHNLE.
The agricultural community in and around Petaluma is made up largely of men of steady-going, persevering traits, those who are ambitious but neverthe- less do not over-reach their ability. Such men form the bone and sinew of any community, for they are dependable and without exception may be counted upon to uphold and forward the best interests of their immediate locality, as well as those of state and nation. This in a word is a description of Perry Kuhnle, a well-known rancher of Sonoma county. On the paternal side he is of German descent, his father, Jacob Kuhnle, having been born in the Fatherland in 1836. During young manhood he set out from his native land alone and came to the
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United States, destiny directing his footsteps to Illinois, where he made his home until he came to California in 1875. In the meantime he had formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Almira Grimes, who was born in Michigan. Two children were born of this marriage, Perry and Agnes, but the latter is deceased. Mr. Kuhnle gave his services to the cause of the Union during the Civil war, enlisting in the First Michigan Volunteer Infantry in August, 1861. During his three years service he participated in the following battles : Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Culpepper Court House, Gettysburg, Antie- tam (where he was wounded), second battle of Bull Run, Winchester and Cedar Mountain.
Perry Kuhnle was born on the parental homestead in Champaign county, Ill., December 20, 1870, but as he was only five years old when removal was made to California his personal knowledge of his birthplace is limited, and Sonoma county has practically been his life-time home. Here he attended school and here too he was made familiar with ranching through contact with its duties and obligations on his father's ranch. The work appealed to him, and when the time came for him to choose a vocation in life he did not despise the calling in which his father had labored so long and faithfully. Not far from Petaluma he leases a ranch of one hundred acres, half of which is under cultivation, the remainder being used as pasture land for five cows, four horses and also raising chickens, of which he has at the present time one hundred and fifty.
Mr. Kuhnle's home is presided over by his wife, who before her marriage was Miss Nellie E. Eades, a native daughter of California, born in Sonoma county in 1871. Her father, George H. Eades, was born in England in 1834, and was therefore a young man of sixteen years when, in 1850, he landed as an immigrant on our shores. From the point of landing he came direct to Cali- fornia and located in Sonoma county, where ranching has formed his chief occu- pation. He had a congenial and faithful companion in his wife, who before her marriage was Miss Mary Casey, a native of Boston, Mass. The only child born of this marriage was Nellie E., the wife of Mr. Kuhnle. Three children have come to bless their home, Marie C., Irene and Alice, and every advantage within the power of their devoted parents to bestow is given them to make them the better able to cope with life and its duties. While Mr. Kuhnle is not con- nected with any church organization, he is still a Christian in the best sense, for he takes for his daily guide the Golden Rule, allowing this to decide any question in which he may be in doubt. Politically he casts his vote in favor of Republican candidates.
JOHN H. FOWLER.
In the death of John H. Fowler. August 31. 1909, Santa Rosa lost an honored citizen and early settler, and one who, by his upright and blameless life, added much to the moral tone of the community in which he had made his home for so many years. He was born in Long Island, N. Y., September 14. 1839, the son of parents who had endowed him with a fine mentality. It is related that he began to attend school at the age of three years; at all events, he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and it goes without saying that every opportunity that came his way for the gratification of this desire was eagerly grasped and turned to good account. All through his life he was an inveterate
alexander
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student and reader, to the end that he was well informed on all subjects and a brilliant conversationalist to whom it was a delight to listen.
Among the quiet homes whose routine was broken in upon by the news of the finding of gold in California in 1849 was that of which John H. Fowler was a member in Long Island, New York. That year, two of his brothers, Stephen and James E. Fowler, set out for the eldorado by way of the Horn in the ship Brooklyn. Three years later, in 1852, they were joined by the rest of the family, the father and mother and their remaining children, three sons and one daughter (John H. Benjamin, Nathaniel and Sarah A), making the voy- age by way of the Horn also.
John H. Fowler settled in Valley Ford, Sonoma county, where with his brother, James E., he engaged in the mercantile business under the firm name of Fowler Brothers. As pioneer settlers in the town they erected the first building and conducted the first store, and also established the first lumber yard and erected the first church edifice. The mercantile business thus estab- iished was carried on by the brothers for many years, but it was finally sold to Captain Loper, after which John H. Fowler became interested in Crescent City, through the purchase of land and the maintenance of a dairy business in which he was very successful. From there he went to Guerneville, where in 1875 he purchased two hundred acres of land at a low figure, and after making his home upon it for ten years, sold it in 1885 for $15,000, making a large profit in so doing. He also had large interests in timber lands, owning thir- teen hundred acres in Mendocino county which he purchased in 1886. After disposing of his ranch property he came to Santa Rosa and engaged in the real-estate business in partnership with T. J. Ludwig, an association that lasted as long as Mr. Fowler remained in business. Ten years before his death he had lived retired from business, having accumulated sufficient means in former years to make this deserved rest possible.
In 1864 Mr. Fowler had formed domestic ties by his marriage with Miss Sarah Ann Frisbie, a native of Vermont, who came to California by way of the Isthmus in 1863 and has made this state her home ever since. Five chil- dren came to bless the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Fowler, as follows: Irene, the wife of C. W. Bradford, of Utah, California; Cornelia, the wife of A. S. Gibbens, of Mark West; Rebecca L .; Stephen C., who died in 1903 ; and Ruth, the wife of J. H. Moore, of Chicago. Wherever circumstances placed him Mr. Fowler entered heartily into the activities of his community, doing whatever lay in his power to upbuild and improve conditions. While a resident of Val- ley Ford and Guerneville he served efficiently in the capacity of justice of the peace. He was a member of and active worker in the Presbyterian church, having been identified with the membership in Santa Rosa for many years.
THOMAS ALEXANDER.
While the pioneers of early days did a work which was indispensable in bringing order out of the chaos of primeval conditions, the work of those who followed them was no less necessary to carrying on the great work of evolution which has culminated in the civilization which we of the present day enjoy. One of the noble forerunners of this civilization and indefatigable workers in its behalf was Cyrus Alexander, now long since laid to rest, but still remem-
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bered for the good that he accomplished in Sonoma county, particularly in Alexander valley, which was so named in his honor. No less well known and highly esteemed in this community is the son of this pioneer, Thomas Alexander, who was born on the old Alexander homestead in Sonoma county, near Healds- burg, March 3, 1864. (For particulars concerning the family history the reader is referred to the sketch of Cyrus Alexander, elsewhere in this volume.)
Thomas Alexander was early in life made familiar with the duties of ranch- ing, for when he was a small boy he had his share of the home obligations to perform, discharging these faithfully, and at the same time attending the public school in the locality of his home. By the time he was seventeen years of age he had not only completed his schooling, but he had also gained a sufficient 1111- derstanding of ranching to feel competent to undertake the management of a ranch on his own account. His father encouraged him in the undertaking in a substantial way, by deeding to him a portion of the home place in Alexander valley. He now owns one half of the old homestead, consisting of five hundred acres of fine land, devoted principally to dairy farming and maintaining one hundred cows. Large quantities of hay are also grown, the annual yield from which averages one hundred and fifty tons, while grapes and alfalfa also add considerably to the income of the owner. This was the home of Mr. Alexander for a number of years, but since 1906 he has resided upon his present ranch, also in the valley and not far from the old homestead. Here he has a fine ranch of seventy-five acres, of which twenty acres are in vineyard, eighteen acres in prunes, ten acres in alfalfa, and the remainder of the land in grain. When he purchased the land it was in its primitive condition, all of the trees and vines being selected and planted by himself, and all that it is today is the result of his own individual effort and he takes a commendable pride in his accomplishments.
In 1897 Mr. Alexander was united in marriage with a native daughter of California in Miss Anna Patrick, the daughter of James Patrick. Ambitious, industrious and resourceful, Mr. Alexander has the confidence of the com- munity in which he lives, and of which he is one of the most reliable and sub- stantial citizens.
CHARLES AUGUSTUS POOL.
The auditor of Sonoma county since 1902, Charles Augustus Pool is a native of the county, born near Windsor, in the Russian River valley, December 2, 1868, a son of Henry Jackson and Mary Elizabeth (Wolfe) Pool. The former was born in Hopkinsville, Ky., May 8, 1829, and died in California January 10, 1897, and the latter, a native of Missouri, died in Sonoma county in 1876, at the age of twenty-nine years. The father was a farmer all his life and came across the plains with an ox-team train in 1852, being a member of the same party as Henry Lawrence of Petaluma. On arriving in San Francisco he decided to go to old Sonoma county and look for employment and soon after arriving accepted a position as foreman of a ranch where a dairying business was conducted with success. After a two years' stay in California he returned, via the Isthmus, to the east and later in the same year travelled over the plains the second time with stock. The lady who became his wife came to California when but a child and remained at Woodland for a time, then went to Healdsburg.
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where, at the age of sixteen, she married Henry Jackson Pool. Of this union there were born five sons and two daughters, as follows: Walter B., a resident of Berkeley, Cal .; William H., searcher of records in Santa Rosa; Frank J., of Windsor ; C. A., of this review ; Arthur J., deceased; Mary N., who became the wife of Ralph W. Herriott; and Florence, who died in childhood. The father of this family was a man well known in the district in which he lived for so many years and in which he had developed a fine fruit ranch, and also engaged in stock-raising and dairying. He was a prominent member of the board of super- visors and a Democrat in politics and his name is to be found on the charter membership list of Russian River Lodge, F. & A. M., of Windsor, Cal., of which he was master for a time.
Charles Augustus Pool was born into a family that has established a good name and a fine record. His early years were spent on the home ranch on which he was born. He attended the public schools of the district and thus obtained the rudiments of his education. On graduating from the common schools he attended the Normal college at Santa Rosa in order to prepare himself for the vocation of teacher. He then taught school from 1890 to 1903 at different points in Sonoma county and during the years 1900-1-2 he was a member of the county board of education. His work as a teacher and as a member of the board of education had been watched by many and was received with admiration gener- ally. Consequently, when, in 1902, he announced himself as a candidate on the Democratic ticket for the position of county auditor, he was strongly supported and in the fall of the same year he was duly elected to the office. On his elec- tion he resigned his position as a member of the board of education and gave up teaching to accept that which called for greater exercise of wisdom and more keen judgment. So well has he filled his position that, in the years 1906 and 1910, he was re-elected.
In March, 1905, Mr. Pool was married to Miss Helen E. Schubert, a native of San Antonio, Tex., but at that time a resident of San Francisco, Cal., and ever since their marriage they have made their home in Santa Rosa. Mr. and Mrs. Pool have one child, a daughter, Rosalie. Mr. Pool is a Democrat in politics, but is not an active politician, preferring to wield his influence in a quiet and unassuming manner. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and a member and past master of Russian River Lodge No. 181, F. & A. M. He is also past presi- dent of the Santa Rosa Parlor of Native Sons of the Golden West. Since his election to his present office he has served the county with punctilious care and discharged his duties as county auditor in a commendable manner. Mr. and Mrs. Pool enjoy the honor and esteem of many friends and acquaintances, who have learned to love them for their geniality of disposition and sterling qualities.
LEOPOLD MARTIN.
One of the notable ranches in the vicinity of Petaluma is that owned by Mr. Martin, and which has practically been his life-long home. The first to establish the name in the United States was his father, Charles Martin, who was born in Switzerland in 1829 and came to the new world in 1852, at the age of twenty-
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two years. Upon landing at New York City he at once re-embarked for San Francisco, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and reached his western destin- ation on June 15, 1852. Although he was a mason by trade, he did not follow that calling altogether after coming to the west, but on the other hand was vari- ously engaged in an endeavor to find the most remunerative occupation for his abilities. It was not until he located as an agriculturist in Marin county that he found his true sphere in life, and as a result of steady application and un- wearied effort be became one of the largest land-owners in this part of Marin county. To the nucleus of his original purchase in the Chelino valley, San An- tonio township, he added from time to time as his means and requirements made it necessary and possible, until he became the owner of five thousand acres of as valuable land as can be found anywhere in this section of the state. During the early years of his experience on the ranch he carried on general farming, gradually, however, concentrating his efforts upon dairying, this ultimately becom- ing his chief industry. In connection with this he also maintained a commission business in San Francisco, under the firm name of Martin & Feusier, the latter remaining in the city and looking after the interests of the commission business, while Mr. Martin devoted himself to the dairy business. This association was maintained profitably for thirty years, after which Mr. Martin closed out his mercantile interests and after that devoted himself to his dairy interests. By his marriage with Miss Catherine Traversi, which was solemnized September 2, 1862, he became the father of several children, named in the order of their birth as follows: Delfina, Carmiglia, Anita, Charles G., Arnold J., Leopold and Ermelinda. Mr. Martin died April 15, 1905, his wife having passed away Sep- tember 17, 1897. Some years prior to his death Mr. Martin had incorporated all his interests under the name of Charles Martin Company, of which he was the president until his death. Since then the company has been continued with Charles G. Martin as president, Arnold J. Martin as vice-president, Leopold Martin as treasurer, and Delfino Patocchi as secretary.
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