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 67
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
but since game has become less plentiful he has been less ardent in his efforts as a Nimrod. As soon as he became a citizen of the United States he began to vote the Republican ticket and always since then he has been stanch in allegiance to the principles of the party. Reared in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, he has been a consistent supporter of its missionary work and a loyal adherent to its doctrines.
Not a little of the success enjoyed by this Swiss-American citizen is due to the wise and earnest co-operation of his wife, who was formerly Mrs. Matilda Respini, born in Switzerland in 1861 and a resident of California since 1870. She was the only daughter of Joseph and Josephine Traversi, natives of Swit- zerland, and in very young womanhood she was married to Michael Respini, who was born in Switzerland in 1850 and immigrated to California in 1866, settling in California, where he met and married Miss Traversi. Three chil- dren blessed their union, but the later union with Mr. Ricioli was childless. The three Respini children are Camelo, Robert and Irene. The daughter mar- ried Amedeo Morelli and they and their two children, Camelo and Alvin, make their home at Petaluma.
WALTER JOSEPH ZWEIFEL.
Into whatever portion of the world the Swiss race migrates they take with them the qualities that form the heritage of their nation. Honor and industry comprise their creed; patient perseverance in the face of discouraging obstacles lays the foundation for ultimate success in any occupation to which they devote their earnest efforts. It is to industry and perseverance that Mr. Zweifel owes his present standing as a horticulturist and farmer in Sonoma county. When he came to this country from Switzerland (where he was born in 1849) he had no means to aid him in getting a financial start in the new world, nor did he possess a knowledge of the language or the customs of the people. Yet notwithstanding obstacles and impediments he has gained a commendable degree of success.
The farm which Mr. Zweifel purchased in 1881 and which he still owns comprises one hundred and sixty-five acres of valuable land lying on section 23. Of the tract forty acres have been planted to a vineyard from which he sold one hundred tons of grapes during the season of 1910. Twenty acres are in an orchard of apples, peaches and pears, that netted him $900 in the same sea- son. Forty acres are in meadow and pasture. The fine condition of the land is due to the owner's untiring exertions since he came here about thirty years ago. Painstaking in his industrious efforts, he has labored unceasingly to de- velop the property and its profitable cultivation represents the results of his fore- thought and wisdom. It has not been possible for him to participate in neighbor- hood activities, for he has felt that his time must be devoted to his farm, but he has studied political affairs and gives his allegiance to the Republican party. Ever since he became a citizen of California he has been loyal to its welfare and enthusiastic in its support, and especially has he been stanch in his advocacy of enterprises for the well-being of his home county.
The first marriage of Mr. Zweifel united him with Anna Hett, by which union he had three daughters, Pauline, Anna and Lena. Coming to California
Jos & Peoples
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
in 1880 and settling in Sonoma county he here married in 1885 Miss Carrie Scheidecker, by whom he has three daughters, namely: Edith, Mrs. George Henry Silk; Lulu, who attended the Santa Rosa Business College prior to her marriage to C. W. Butcher, of Windsor; and Minnie, who also was a student in that institution before her marriage to Emil Small, of Windsor. It was in 1907 that Edith Bertha Zweifel became the wife of George Henry Silk and they have two children, Andrew George and Lillian Edith. In religious views Mr. Silk is a Methodist, while politically he favors Republican principles. Interested in various branches of agriculture, he owns a finely-improved farm of ninety- six acres in Sonoma county. During 1909 this place brought him $680 in the hay crop, also four tons of prunes, $900 from the vineyard of twenty-four acres and $234 from the poultry, besides which he has a small income from his four milch cows. Born at Alexander Valley, Sonoma county, in 1870, Mr. Silk is a son of Henry John and Ann Silk, natives of Germany. By a former marriage Henry John Silk has one son, Thomas, now a resident of Forestville, Sonoma county, and married to Ida Jewett, by whom he has two children, Thomas and Mar- garet. The second marriage of Henry John Silk was solemnized in 1869 and the following year he brought his family from Germany to America, settling in California, where he became a prominent early resident of Alexander Valley. Both the Silk and the Zweifel families have many warm friends among the people of Sonoma county and their high standing is due to industrious applica- tion, loyalty to their adopted country and devotion to the welfare of their home county.
JOSEPH SAMUEL PEOPLES.
As a well-known and prosperous business man of Sonoma county and a fine representative of the native-born sons of California, Joseph S. Peoples, of Roblar, is deserving of mention in this volume. A man of enterprise, intelli- gence and keen foresight, he takes an active part in all matters relating to the welfare of town and county, and for many years he served as trustee of his school district. He was born at Stony Point, Sonoma county, March 24, 1866, the son of Andrew and Mary Elizabeth (Worth) Peoples, the former born in Londonderry, Ireland, in February, 1828, and the latter born in Bedford, Ind., December 25, 1839. Both came to the west single and were married in Stony Point in 1863. Here they set up their home and reared their family, the father owning and maintaining a ranch in this vicinity.
The earliest recollections of Joseph S. Peoples are of the home farm upon which he was born and of the public school at Stony Point which he attended in boyhood. As the formative period of his life was passed in a farming com- munity he naturally imbibed a comprehensive knowledge of farming in general. and it was work of this character that first engaged his attention when, after leaving school, he felt it incumbent upon him to take up business activities. The work proved not only congenial, but remunerative as well, and he followed it continuously in the vicinity of the old home place for a number of years. It was in 1904 that he discontinued agriculture, and removing to Roblar, estab- lished the general merchandise store of which he is now the proprietor. While
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
in itself this is a small town, it is in the midst of a rich agricultural com- munity, and is the supply station for a large territory. Stony Point is the near- est postoffice, mail for Roblar being distributed from that point by Rural Route delivery. Mr. Peoples' interests are not confined solely to the grocery and feed business, which constitute the largest part of his general merchandise stock, but in addition, is the owner of considerable valuable real estate. In 1900 he purchased twenty-five acres at $50 an acre in the vicinity of Stony Point, adding to this in 1906 by the purchase of one hundred and forty acres for $53 an acre, and in 1909 he further increased his holdings by the purchase of forty acres in the Orland irrigation district in Glenn county, for which he paid $60 an acre. In 1911 he disposed of the one hundred and sixty-five acres of land which he owned near Stony Point. Among his holdings are also included two store buildings in Roblar, a warehouse and the residence which he occupies, besides which he also owns a general merchandise store at Hessel station, which he established in March, 1909, and which is managed by his oldest son, Curtis Vernett.
Mr. Peoples' marriage occurred in Stony Point April 15, 1888, uniting him with Julia Bell Corbett, who was born in San Jose April 20, 1870, the daughter of Robert Spencer and Sarah (Gregory) Corbett. Eight children have been born of this marriage, all of whom are still making their home with their parents. Named in order of their birth they are as follows: Curtis Vernett, Etta May, Myrtle Ruth, Gladys Lucile, Josephine Irene, Andrew Spencer, Thayer Worth and Anna Belle. Mr. Peoples has not been so deeply absorbed in his own private affairs as to slight his duties as a good citizen, but on the other hand is alert and active, especially in matters which have to do with fur- nishing good school privileges for the young, and he has served as trustee on the board of school directors of Dunham district for the past sixteen years. Politically he is a Republican on conviction and principle, and fraternally he belongs to Bloomfield Lodge No. 191, I. O. O. F., and to Petaluma Camp No. 515, W. O. W. He is also a member of the Sonoma County Automobile Asso- ciation, and in 1910 was elected a director of the same for a term of one year.
CHARLES EDWIN PICKRELL.
The distinction of being a native son of California belongs to Mr. Pickrell, as well as the added honor of representing a pioneer family that has been iden- tified with the agricultural development of the state ever since a period shortly subsequent to the discovery of gold. The memories of childhood are associated with Mendocino county, where he was born at Point Arena during the year 1868, and where the family sojourned for a period of considerable duration. Possessing a thoughtful temperament and a keen faculty of observation, he has noted with the deepest interest the slow but steady development of his section of the commonwealth, and has cherished a loyal affection for his native place. It is to the persistent efforts of such men as he that the region owes its advance in all that makes toward permanent prosperity. The welfare of Ocean town- ship is particularly important to him, for it is his home neighborhood and the scene of his agricultural activities, but he does not limit his interest to the town- ship, on the contrary maintaining a warm interest also in the development of
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Sonoma county and in the remarkable growth of the state from the standpoint of wealth and population.
Descended from southern lineage, Charles Edwin Pickrell is a son of James Henry Pickrell, a native of Franklin county, Ky., born in 1823, and who crossed the plains with the ox-teams to California in 1851, residing here until his death at the age of sixty-five years. By his marriage to Rebecca Garton, who was born in Indiana in 1827, he became the father of the following children : John ; James, who married Melvina Vann and had seven children, Frank, Homer, Elwood, Jessie, Cordelia, Irene and Evelyn ; William, who married Kate Kramer and has two children, John and Samnel; Charles Edwin, of Sonoma county : George, who married Nellie Skinner and has four children; Sarah, Mrs. George Beebe, mother of George, Charles, Edward, Louis, Frederick, Frank, Bert, Jesse, Chris- tine, Margaret, Grace and Estella; Mary and Lucinda. Mary is the wife of Elijah Beebe and the mother of five children, Elijah, James, Thomas, Lavina and Olive.
During early manhood Charles E. Pickrell formed the acquaintance of Miss Jennie Burke, who was born in New Jersey in 1867 and who in 1892 became liis wife. Their union is blessed with three children, Cleveland, Armour and Essie. Mrs. Pickrell was one of a large family, the others being as follows: Holmes, Abraham, John, Edward, Charles, Alexander, Josephine, Althea and Mary, whose parents were A. J. and Rachel Burke, the former born in New Jersey in the year 1835. The family records show that John Burke married Jennie Johnson and Edward married Cordelia Pickrell, by whom he has a son, Edward, Jr. Charles has a wife and two daughters, Gladys and Ella. Josephine, Mrs. Jacob Preston, of New Jersey, has one daughter, Mary Emma. Althea, Mrs. Charles Anderson, has three children, Albert, Armour and Josephine. Mary is the wife of James Cordrey and lives in Los Angeles. Mrs. Pickrell received a common- school education and is a woman of culture and refinement, a devoted mother to her children and a wise counselor to her husband. They have a small farm near Guerneville and are prosperously engaged in the raising of alfalfa and prunes. Four horses are utilized in the cultivation of the soil, but other stock is seldom kept, the products of the meadow being sold and not fed on the land. Aside from his farm Mr. Pickrell is engaged in lumbering and teaming, being well posted and equipped for handling that industry, and is busily engaged in getting out lumber and wood on contract. While occupied in earning a livelihood for his family he does not neglect his duty as a citizen but has been loyally active in enterprises calculated to develop his native commonwealth. National prob- lems have been studied carefully by him for many years, and as a result he has embraced the doctrines of the Socialists, believing in their creed may be found the germ of an ideal citizenship and a contented people.
WILLIAM JESSE HUNT.
Among the men who gave the strength of their best years toward the devel- opment of the resources of Sonoma county, few are more kindly remembered than William Jesse Hunt, who for nearly half a century gave the strength and vigor of his manhood toward developing the latent resources of the Pacific slope.
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His birth occurred in Jefferson county, Mo., November 8, 1836, and his useful career came to an untimely end in Sebastopol, Cal., November 21, 1906.
Mr. Hunt was a young man filled with a worthy ambition to make his way in the world at all costs when he set out from Missouri behind an ox-team in 1860, crossing the plains and finally reaching his journey's end without disaster. As he had been attracted hither primarily on account of the mining possibilities in the state, his first thought on reaching his destination was to secure a claim where he could try his luck in the fascinating hunt for the golden treasure. The mines at Dutch Flat engaged his attention for about three years, at the end of which time he gave up mining altogether, and from that time forward until the close of his life he concentrated his efforts as a tiller of the soil. Sonoma county appealed to him as the most promising location for the prosecu- tion of this calling, and in 1863 he came to the county, settling on the Hughes ranch directly south of Sebastopol, upon which he carried on general ranching for about six years. The result of this experience had been invaluable to him, not only enlarging his knowledge and experience along all lines of general agri- culture, but adding to his exchequer as well, for at the end of this time, in 1869, he was enabled to purchase a property of his own. This consisted of twenty acres northwest of Sebastopol, for which he paid at the rate of $20 an acre, and this same property, still in possession of the family, is now worth many times the original purchase price. Mr. Hunt was wise in the selection of the crop to which he devoted his land, wise in the selection of the kind and quality, Graven- stein apples and Lawton blackberries forming his specialties. In the cultivation of both these varieties of fruit he was the pioneer in this section of country, and indeed his bed of Lawton blackberries was the first of the kind planted in the county for commercial purposes. The old orchard which he planted so many years ago is still in bearing, and during the season of 1909 the Graven- steins on the place netted $800 an acre. During the later years of his life Mr. Hunt added to his holdings by the purchase of an orchard of ten acres lying directly south of town. This, too, he set out to Gravenstein apples, having be- come satisfied beyond any doubt that this specie of apple was the finest and most merchantable fruit to which he could devote the land. It is generally conceded that the finest Gravenstein apples raised throughout this entire section of coun- try are produced on the Hunt ranch, and as the able successor of her husband in the care and maintenance of the property Mrs. Hunt takes a commendable pride in this honor. At a recent apple exhibition in Sebastopol she took the gold medal and silver cup for the best growers exhibit of Gravenstein apples. She is an active member of Gravenstein Apple Show Association of Sebastopol.
Mr. Hunt's first marriage united him with Miss Lucy Jackson, a native of Missouri, who at her death left the following children: Richard P., Joseph H., William C. and Birdie J., the wife of E. E. Morford. Some time after the death of his first wife Mr. Hunt was united in marriage with Miss Ida S. Col- trin, a native of Bellevue, Neb., and the daughter of Hugh Coltrin, a native of New York state, who with his wife and children crossed the plains to Califor- nia in 1863. Coming direct to Sonoma county, they settled in Sebastopol, and here the death of Mr. Coltrin occurred in 1895, at the age of eighty-six years. Of the three children born of the second marriage one is living, Grover C. Mr.
9 H Rickman
Mrs DJ Rickman
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Hunt was a man whose integrity and honesty were never brought into question, and throughout the long period of his residence in Sonoma county he won and retained the highest esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. Fraternally he was well known, having been one of the charter members of Lafayette Lodge, F. & A. M., of Sebastopol, and he was also a member of the Eastern Star, with which latter organization Mrs. Hunt is also identified. She is a woman of in- telligence and great executive ability, as has been amply demonstrated by her capable management of affairs since the death of Mr. Hunt, and in Sebastopol, where she makes her home, she is held in the highest esteem.
DAVID H. RICKMAN.
In Nashville, Tenn., David H. Rickman was born August 7, 1817, and he was reared in the vicinity of his birth. Later he removed to Missouri, near the city of Lexington, where he remained for some years. In 1853 he crossed the plains to Sonoma county, Cal., and took up a claim on what he thought was government land, but which later turned out to be a part of the Spanish grant, for which he was compelled to pay $5 per acre. He cleared and improved the land, and for many years followed general farming and horticulture. One of the pioneers of Healdsburg, Mr. Rickman may be said to be in a very real sense a builder up of this locality, having always given his support to the best inter- ests of the community, his most notable work being done in connection with the establishment of public schools. He was school trustee for many years, and he and David Hopper were instrumental in organizing the Junction school district.
Mr. Rickman's first marriage united him with Mary Tucker, who died, leaving a family of six children as follows: James L., Elizabeth, Sallie, Nancy S., Martha E. and Eliza. His second marriage united him with Mrs. Mary E. Bledsoe, who was born near Maysville, Mason county, Ky., June 15, 1837 ; she was the widow of Henry R. Bledsoe, born in Lafayette county, Mo., Janu- ary 24, 1835. They crossed the plains to California in 1857. To her marriage with Mr. Bledsoe there were born three sons, Isaac W. C., John H. and Robert R. Mrs. Rickman was the daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Taylor) Brown, whose family numbered the following children: Charles : William; Buddy John Thaddeus ; James, who married and had one son. Kenneth; Benjamin; Mary E .; Amanda J., who married Tipton Cheatham and became the mother of three children, Robert, James and Jennie; Anna E., now Mrs. Ben F. Wood, who had a family of five children, as follows : Benjamin, James, Hardy, Josie and Carmine; Catherine and Emily, both deceased; Margaret, Mrs. John Cooper, deceased; Jennie, Mrs. James W. Hays, who has three children, Robert, May S. and Clifton H .; Mrs. Lillie Wood, who became the mother of three sons, Charles, Clifford and Ernest ; and Laura, who had two children, one of whom is living.
Mr. and Mrs. Rickman had five children, namely: William D .; George Thomas, whose sketch also appears in this work; Margaret L .; Amanda J. ; and Ida L. William D. married Georgia Hoff and has three children: Harold D., Louis H. and Viola M. Margaret L., who became Mrs. Pittman Price, has five children, Arnold, Leroy, Beatrice, Lottie and Zellah. Amanda J., Mrs. John
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Ingalls, died in Santa Rosa and left one child, Ruth. Ida L. is the wife of George Shelford. Mrs. Rickman is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and is an interested participant in all church activities. She is a very estimable woman, generous to a fault, delighting in the performance of acts of kindness of which the public in general know nothing. She is loved and esteemed by all who know her and may be said to be one of the best known women in the vicinity of Healdsburg.
GEORGE THOMAS RICKMAN.
Adjacent to the Hopkins grant, including a forest noted for its picturesque scenery and giant redwood trees, lies Rickman's Mill Creek resort, on the banks of Mill creek, four miles from Healdsburg. The ranch, which is the native place of Mr. Rickman and has been owned by him since December 3, 1906, comprises two hundred and forty-eight acres, which with the improvements cost him $12,000. The estimated value of the place is now $18,000. A vine- yard of twenty acres produces luscious grapes in season, from which an average of forty tons of wine is manufactured. Ten acres in prunes and seven acres in peaches add to the value of the property. The balance of the ranch, with the exception of a meadow of twenty acres, is utilized for pasture purposes. Mill creek abounds in trout and excellent hunting is afforded in the mountains around the ranch, so that the place offers exceptional attractions to those fond of fish- ing and hunting. Children are entertained with swings and croquet, with ham- mocks under the great trees, with a piano and graphophone, and with occa- sional rides along the creek and through the valley. Several fine springs on the place furnish cool drinking water, and one of the springs upon analysis has been found to contain a small per cent of sulphur. In the cool dining-room, built around a large oak tree, the boarders enjoy home cooking, an abundance of the purest of cream and butter, with fruit, melons and vegetables that are raised on the ranch. Accommodations have been provided for forty guests, who are met at Healdsburg if notified in advance by letter or rural telephone. It is the constant aim of the proprietor and his wife to thoroughly satisfy their guests. That they have succeeded in their worthy ambition is proved by the fact of the frequent return of those who once have come within the sphere of their kindly hospitality.
Born in 1875 in the house where he now lives, George Thomas Rickman received a grammar-school education in the Junction district, and since leaving school he has engaged in farming, fruit-growing and the summer-resort busi- ness. For eight years he served as school trustee and that office is now filled by his wife, who in addition has acted as teacher of the school for a number of years. Mrs. Rickman was formerly Mary Etta Meek and was born in La- fayette, Mo., December 20, 1871, coming in early life to California and settling in Sonoma county, where June 20, 1895, she became the wife of Mr. Rickman. Their children are named as follows: Clyde W., born in 1896; Claire Henry, born October 25, 1898; Howard Leslie, December 5, 1901, and Wilda Mae, January 5, 1909. The family are identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church South and contribute generously to religious movements. Politically Mr. Rick-
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
man favors the principles of the Democratic party, and fraternally he is connected with the Improved Order of Red Men.
The Rickman family is of southern extraction and was founded in Cali- fornia by the father of our subject, David Henry Rickman, a native of Tennes- see, whose biographical sketch appears on another page of this work.
WILLIAM MANION.
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the death of Mr. Manion, but so thoroughly was his personality impressed upon the community in which so much of his active life was passed, that it would be impossible to write even a meagre history of the locality and make no mention of his name or his ac- complishments. At the time of his death Sonoma county had benefited by his citizenship for the long period of thirty-five years.
A native of the south, William Manion was born in Kentucky in 1816, the son of Edmund and Elizabeth Manion, who were also natives of that same southern state. When their son was a small child the parents immigrated to Missouri, locating in Cooper county, but finally transferring their citizenship to Lafayette county, the same state, and there the father engaged in stock- raising. Life in Lafayette county made a vivid impression on the mind of Mr. Manion, for there were enacted many experiences that were indelibly im- pressed upon his young mind. The country schools of that locality he attended during the winter season, the summer months being occupied in duties on the farm. When he had grown to years of maturity he undertook an enterprise of his own, and was occupied with the duties of his farm when the call for men to serve in the war with Mexico induced him to lay down the peaceful implements of agriculture for those of warfare. The year 1847 witnessed his enlistment in a Missouri regiment of cavalry commanded by Colonel Doniphan, the regiment being assigned to duty in New Mexico and also on the plains. where the Indian uprisings were causing terror among the white settlers. Mr. Manion remained with the regiment until his discharge in 1848, after which he returned home and resumed his farming operations.
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