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 84
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other horses owning a fine blooded mare, Chilano, with a record of 2.17. Since 1904 he has maintained a livery and sales stable in Forestville, a venture which is remunerative and at the same time one which is interesting, inasmuch as he is unusually fond of horses.
Politically Mr. Oliver is attached to neither of the great parties, but never- theless is a good citizen, and does not fail to do his duty at the polls, voting for the man best qualified for the office. Fraternally he is as active and influen- tial as have been his predecessors, his affiliations including membership in the Odd Fellows' Lodge at Forestville, and the various Masonic organizations at Sebastopol, besides which he has attained the Knight Templar degree in the Santa Rosa Lodge.
WILLIAM H. M. AYERȘ.
Among those born and reared in the state of California and who have wisely appreciated the advantages offered the man willing to put his shoulder to the wheel and carve out a place for himself where he may make a comfortable liveli- hood for himself and family and also be of some note in his own community, the name of W. H. M. Ayers is worthy of mention. Born in San Joaquin county, Cal., in 1859, he is a son of Samuel and Rebecca M. (Bigham) Ayers, natives of Missouri and Tennessee, respectively. Both are now deceased, the father passing away in 1862 and the mother in 1880. When the son was a child of six months old the parents removed to Mariposa county, and it was there the father passed away when he was comparatively a young man and when his son was only three years old, too young to remember his parent. After the death of the father the mother brought her family to Santa Cruz county, settling first in Watsonville, later in Soquel, going from there to Vacaville, Solano county, and finally coming to Sonoma county in 1865. Later, however, the family passed some time in Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties until 1868, since which time they have lived in Sonoma county, and here the death of the mother occurred.
It is now forty-two years since Mr. Ayers came to Guerneville, in 1868, and cast in his lot with the other settlers of the little town, and with them, too, he has watched its growth as well as the surrounding country into a thriving agricultural center. As a boy he attended the common schools of the localities where his mother lived, and later in Guerneville, but his school training was of short duration, as he early in life realized the necessity of becoming self-support- ing. His first work of an independent character was in the timber business, this being followed by teaming, which occupation he followed continuously for about thirty years, or until purchasing and locating upon the ranch he now occupies near Guerneville, in 1906. Here, two miles from town, he has two hundred and twenty-one acres of land, of which he has eighteen acres in prunes and apples, and the remainder is in timber and pasture. As rapidly as is consistent with good judgment he is clearing the land of timber and placing it under cultivation to fruits, and in time he will undoubtedly have one of the finest ranches in this sec- tion of the county, judging by what he has accomplished in the short time he has made his home upon the property.
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In the same year in which his mother died, in 1880, Mr. Ayers formed family ties by his marriage with Miss Margaret Brown, a native of Tulare, Cal., and of the four children born to them, only three are living, one having died in infancy. The eldest of the children living is Henry Clyde, who is married and has a family of five children ; George is married and has one child; while the only daughter, Laura, is still at home with her parents. All of the children were born in Sonoma county and have continued residents of their native county. On the paternal side Mrs. Ayers comes of southern ancestors, her father, Richard Baker Brown, being a native of Georgia, while her mother, Susan Whitemore, was born in Texas; the latter is still living, although the father has been deceased since Octo- ber, 1908. Politically Mr. Ayers is a Republican, voting for the candidates of this party on national issues, but in local elections he is guided in the casting of his ballot more by the fitness of the man for the position than by the name of the party he represents. Aside from school offices he has never filled public office, and has never had any desire to. Fraternally he is associated by membership with a number of orders, belonging to Redwood Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Guerneville, also the Rebekahs, and was made a Mason in Mt. Jackson Lodge No. 295, F. & A. M., also of Guerneville. Mrs. Ayers is also a member of the Rebekahs. Personally Mr. Ayers is a man who is popular with all who know him, and as one of the old-time citizens of Guerneville and Sonoma county he is respected and esteemed by the many who with him have labored in the upbuilding of the community.
MARTIN SCATENA.
The Roma Wine Company of California and New York has maintained a steady and rapid growth during the entire period of its history, its present splen- did standing being due to the conservative judgment of its founder, Martin Scat- ena, assisted by the enthusiastic co-operation of his son, Frank M., the traveling salesman for the firm. The senior partner is an Italian by birth and ancestry, and his parents were lifelong residents of sunny Italy, but he, fired by ambition and love of adventure, left the old home at the age of eighteen years, in 1870, and crossed the broad ocean to the new world, proceeding direct to San Fran- cisco, since which time he has built up financial success and an enviable busi- ness reputation in the west. The beginning of his career was lowly. No special training had been given him in books, and no work had been undertaken by him save in connection with agriculture. Coming to this country alone and without money, he accepted the first work offered and that was the running of a vegetable wagon. For two years he drove through the streets of San Fran- cisco and sold his vegetables as opportunity offered. From that humble begin- ning he branched into the commission business and meanwhile frugally saved his earnings with painstaking care.
The inauguration of the wine business dates back to the year 1884, when Mr. Scatena bought a ranch near Healdsburg and started a very small wine cellar at his home, manufacturing solely for the family trade. The wine was shipped to a store in San Francisco and sold to family trade until 1889, when he embarked in the wholesale business. During that year the farm was sold
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and a tract was purchased near Healdsburg, where a small winery was started. A partnership was conducted with another man until 1906, when the association was dissolved, and the son, Frank M., was admitted to the firm. Today the company owns and operates one of the largest wineries in the state, and main- tain a branch house at No. 507 West Broadway, New York. During 1909 they bought out twenty-nine other wineries, and it is their plan to buy more as op- portunity is afforded. The output of the Healdsburg winery is about four hun- dred thousand gallons per year. A larger amount than this is bought in order to satisfy the demands of the trade. The winery is supplied with the very latest improved machinery, and is operated by electricity, with steam for use in case of an emergency. In 1911 they erected a new storage department ad- joining the other plant; it is built of re-inforced concrete one hundred and thirty-five feet square, and has a capacity of one million gallons. The building has frontages on three streets, and a spur track runs along side of the main buildings, on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.
After having lived in San Francisco for many years in 1908 the family moved to Healdsburg, where they erected and now occupy one of the finest homes in the city. In addition to the homestead and the various wineries, they own and control several valuable tracts of land in San Francisco. The junior member of the firm travels much of the time in the interests of the business, while the father remains closely identified with the management of the business, and su- perintends the shipment and manufacture of all wines. Neither fraternities nor politics have interested the father, but the son enjoys the diversions occa- sioned by identification with secret orders, and belongs to various social and fraternal bodies, including the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks No. 646 at Santa Rosa.
The marriage of Martin Scatena and Josephine DeMartini was solemnized in 1881, and resulted in the birth of seven children, of whom Flora, Humbert and Eda are deceased. Frank M., the eldest now living, was born in 1884, and received an excellent education in the San Francisco high school, since which he has been engaged in business with his father. Laura V., born in 1882, married James Razzetto, of San Francisco, and they have one son, born in 1907. Hum- bert (named after his deceased brother) was born in 1892 and now attends the Healdsburg high school. Eda, born in 1897, is a pupil in the grammar-school at Healdsburg. Mrs. Scatena was born in California in 1867, and received her education in her native city of San Francisco, where she lived until her removal to Healdsburg. With her is now living her widowed mother, Mrs. Magdalena DeMartini, seventy-four years of age, but still quite active and hearty. The family has a high social standing in Healdsburg, and also enjoys the warm friendship of a large circle of acquaintances in San Francisco, in both of which cities the firm has won pre-eminence in the line of its specialty.
ALBERT SLEEPER HALL.
The far-off state of Maine has given a valuable contribution to the citizen- ship of California in Albert S. Hall, who identified himself with this western commonwealth in 1863, and since 1888 has made his home in Petaluma. In a typical New England home in South Thomaston, Knox county, Me., he was born
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October 17, 1840, the son of sturdy, God-fearing parents who in training their children to lives of usefulness, realized not only their duty, but also their privi- lege in giving to the world men and women of stout hearts and unassailable prin- ciples, an equipment which would enable them to withstand any temptations that might confront them. These parents were George D. and Mary A. (Sleeper) Hall, born near South Thomaston, Me., and the former a carpenter by trade. The father died in Maine, and the mother passed her last days in California. Our subject's paternal great-grandfather, Caleb Hall, served in the Revolutionary war, while his maternal grandfather, Jesse Sleeper, participated in the war of 1812.
In coming to California in 1863, by the Panama route, Albert S. Hall was following the lead of an elder brother, Andrew B. Hall, who had made the same trip in 1858 and located on a government claim in Sonoma county near Peta- luma. Here the brothers were re-united, A. S. Hall finally securing work as a ranch hand in the vicinity. He continued thus occupied for about a year, when he went to San Francisco, and having secured work at teaming in the metropolis, remained there for about three years. Returning to Petaluma at the end of this time, with the means which he had accumulated in the meantime he purchased a ranch of one hundred and forty acres two miles west of town, adjoining his brother's property. The purchase was a fortunate one in that it enabled the brothers to unite their efforts, and for many years they maintained a dairy on a large scale, their herd of cows usually numbering seventy-five. For twenty- five years their interests were mutual, the association proving mutually profitable and agreeable, but at the end of this time the partnership was dissolved, each thereafter maintaining his own property. It was at the time of the dissolution of the partnership, in 1888, that Albert S. Hall removed with his family to Petaluma, upon a small ranch of eight acres, on D street, which is still the home of the family. Mr. Hall still owns the ranch in the country, this and the home ranch bringing in sufficient income to enable him to provide all the comforts of life to his family.
Before the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hall, which occurred in San Fran- cisco October 20, 1880, Mrs. Hall was Miss Mary E. Swain, a native of Peta- luma, and the daughter of Capt. William C. Swain. From Australia Captain Swain came to California in the vessel Henry Chauncy, of which he was one- third owner and also the master. At Panama he sold his interest and afterward he came to San Francisco, in 1852. In the fall of that year hie located in Peta- luma and engaged in farming, and continued to make his home here until his death in 1863. He was a native of New Bedford, Mass., and from early man- hood followed the sea, engaging in the New Zealand and Australian trade, as well as whaling. Before her marriage Mrs. Swain was Miss Sarah Carpenter, a native of London, England, and her marriage to Captain Swain occurred in Sidney, Australia. She is now living in Amador county, Cal.
Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall, all living, as follows : Nellie M., Albert W., Osborn W., Arthur L., Alma E., Lynwood and William T. As a successful and enthusiastic rancher it is in keeping that Mr. Hall should be interested in whatever tends to create or maintain a high standard of excellence in agricultural affairs, and his membership in and efforts in behalf of the State
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
Grange demonstrate this beyond question. He is ever alert to do his part as a good citizen, and in his political affiliation he is a Republican.
Andrew B. Hall, the brother of Albert S. Hall, previously mentioned, was born in South Thomaston, Me., May 26, 1837. In 1858, at the age of twenty- one, he came to California by the Panama route, and from San Francisco, he came direct to Sonoma county. Near Petaluma he bought a quarter-section of land, deed to which was issued direct from the United States government and signed by Abraham Lincoln. As had been previously stated, a few years after this his brother, Albert S. Hall, purchased property adjoining, and here the brothers carried on an extensive dairy enterprise for a quarter of a century. After the dissolution of the partnership Andrew B. Hall carried on his ranch alone until 1906, when he removed to San Francisco to make his home with his son, and there his death occurred September 28, 1908. Two children, Effie M. and Charles A., were born of his marriage with Miss Effie Young, a native of Maine. Politically Mr. Hall was a Republican, stanch and true, although he was never ambitious for office.
HIRAM L. TRIPP.
Ably maintaining the various positions which have become his since his resi- dence in Sonoma county Hiram L. Tripp has won the good opinion of thoughtful citizens and the trust and confidence of those who have watched his quiet but effective work. He is now filling the position of postmaster in Santa Rosa, to which he was appointed by President Roosevelt in 1906, and reappointed by President Taft in 1910. Not unlike many others who are filling positions of trust and responsibility in this thriving city of the west, Mr. Tripp is a native of the far east, his birth having occurred in Chestertown, N. Y., April 9, 1848. At the age of twenty years lie took up the responsibilities of life by accepting his first position in the business world, having in the meantime gained a fair edu- cation in the schools of his home town.
At the age just mentioned Mr. Tripp went to Glens Falls, Warren county, N. Y .. and accepted a position with a mercantile firm in that city, and so eagerly and diligently did he apply himself to his duties, that during the years that he remained with these employers he gained a valuable insight into the business, an insight which proved a working basis for many years following. It was with his recently acquired knowledge as a stimulus that he came to California in 1875, confident that the west held forth greater promise of success for young men of ambition than the older and most thickly settled east in which he had been reared. San Francisco was his objective point on coming to the state, and for three years he was engaged in the clothing business in the metropolis with very fair success. It was with this practical experience along a special line of merchandising that he came to Santa Rosa in 1878 and opened the only exclusively gentlemen's clothing and furnishing goods store in town. A thriving business was carried on under his name until 1884, when J. D. Barnett bought an interest in the busi- ness, this association continuing until May 1, 1888, when Mr. Tripp assumed en- tire control of the business through the withdrawal of Mr. Barnett. Mr. Tripp's proprietorship was destined to be of short duration, however, for he soon took in
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George S. Thurston as partner, and this association continued one year, when he again became sole owner and would undoubtedly have continued until the present time, had the business not met with total destruction in the earthquake and fire of April, 1906. The stock carried by Mr. Tripp was the most complete of any similar enterprise of the kind in the city and the business transacted made it one of the busiest centers of activity and contributed immeasurably to the commercial importance of the town. It was during the same year in which this disaster occurred that Mr. Tripp received his first appointment as postmaster of Santa Rosa, and so ably did he perform the duties of his first term that he re- ceived reappointment at the hands of President Taft in 1910, and at the present time is ably filling the office for which he is so well fitted. Previous to his first appointment in this capacity he had been elected to the state legislature, in 1905, on the Republican ticket, and for one term lie rendered earnest and faithful serv- ice to his fellow-citizens.
In Santa Rosa, September 24, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Hiram L. Tripp and Mrs. Mary (Crane) Weymouth, who was a native of Ohio and had been a resident of California for a number of years. Fraternally Mr. Tripp is identified with the Masonic order, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree, and is also a Shriner. He has served as master of Santa Rosa Lodge No. 57, F. & A. M., as high priest of Santa Rosa Chapter No. 45, R. A. M., and as commander of Santa Rosa Commandery No. 14, K. T. Mr. Tripp is a man who has the entire respect and esteem of all who know him, a wide circle of friends ready to speak of the many qualities which have made him a citizen of worth to Sonoma county.
A. F. STEVENS.
A native of Michigan, A. F. Stevens was born in Detroit, March 16, 1860, a son of Amos and Margaret (Brennan) Stevens, the former born in Steuben county, N. Y., and the latter in the north of Ireland, but was brought to New York by her parents when she was only three years of age. She was reared and educated in New York City and died in Plymouth, Mich., at the age of eighty-four years. The father was engaged in the furniture manufacturing business in Detroit until 1870, when he located on a farm near Plymouth, Mich., and passed away there in 1876.
A. F. Stevens was educated in the public school of his locality and in the Detroit high school. After completing his studies he went to northern Mich- igan in 1880 and there became a clerk in the general store of the E. K. Wood Lumber Company at Stanton, and was later employed in their stores in Mc- Brides and Mecosta. It was during these years that he became familiar with the lumber business in all of its details by making himself useful about the yards and mills. In 1887, when the timber was practically all cut, he went with the company to the Pacific coast and at Grays Harbor, Wash., he was engaged as book-keeper and tallyman. His efficiency in the discharge of his duties was rewarded by advancement, and in 1895 he went to San Francisco and became interested in the concern, being elected vice-president and one of the directors, and took an active part in the management of their affairs. He gave the busi-
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ness his undivided attention for several years, or until resigning in 1908 to en- gage in business independently, having purchased a lumber yard in Healdsburg, Sonoma county, to which he has since devoted his time and attention. His long experience of twenty-eight years had given him a thorough knowledge of every branch of the industry, and when he embarked in it for himself it was with a determination to bring it to such a state of perfection that it would be second to none in the state. How well he has succeeded will be shown by a visit to his well-equipped planing mill and lumber yard in Healdsburg.
Here Mr. Stevens owns four acres of ground, located adjacent to the tracks of the Northwestern Pacific Railway, and he carries a well-selected stock of lumber, general building material and builders' hardware. The mill was built by him for the manufacture of all kinds of building material, and is one of the most modern in the county. The office of the plant is one of the finest in finish in the state, and was designed especially to show what can be done with natural wood. It is of six-foot elm panels with plate rail and battens of Doug- las fir, with beam ceiling and walls of the same material. In its setting, each panel gives one the impression of a beautiful picture. It has attracted such notice and favorable comment that people of the most esthetic tastes have visited it and have had their bungalows finished in the same style.
Mr. Stevens was one of the founders of the Ferry Drug store at No. 20 Market street, San Francisco, which was afterwards incorporated as the Ferry Drug Company with Edward L. Baldwin as president and manager and A. F. Stevens, vice-president. He was likewise one of the organizers of the Celery Soda Company of San Francisco, of which he is a director, and his long-time friend, Mr. Baldwin, is president and manager. They are engaged in the man- ufacture of Cel-So, a celebrated compound for the alleviation of stomach trouble and headache, and it has already become widely and favorably known, and such is the increased demand that the company have had to quadruple their capacity.
Mr. Stevens was united in marriage in Greenville, Mich., with Miss Emma Gibbs, a native of that city, and they have two children, Margaret and Russell. Mr. Stevens is a member of Sotoyome Lodge No. 123, F. & A. M., of Healds- burg, and the Lodge of Perfection in Santa Rosa. Since locating in Sonoma county he has become thoroughly identified with its enterprises and upbuilding, and is counted one of the progressive and wide-awake men of his adopted city. It has often been said that if there were more men of his stamp in the county its growth and development would be more rapid and assured.
ANABEL McG. STUART, M. D.
To attain to so honored a place in the community as has Dr. Anabel McG. Stuart, of Santa Rosa, is to live worthily and to improve the opportunities within reach of one's ability and industry. Without doubt the training and surroundings of her girihood had much to do with formulating those principles of uprightness, courage and honesty of purpose which have been such noticeable characteristics in her later career. A native of West Virginia, she was born in Martinsburg May 4, 1840, the eldest of the children born to her parents, Hugli F. and Jane (Walker) McGanghey, both of whom were born and reared in Penn-
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY
sylvania. Throughout his active years the father was a well-known figure in railroad construction circles, one of the most notable projects with which he was identified being the construction of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. When their eldest child was nine years old the parents went to the middle-west and settled in Macomb, Ill., where parents and children lived happily together in the close bonds of love and comradeship until 1863, when the home was made deso- late by the death of both father and mother.
Miss McGaughey's girlhood had been uneventfully passed in Illinois, and her education had been acquired in private schools and in McDonough College, Macomb. It was in Doddsville that she met the gentleman who was later to become her husband, Absalom B. Stuart, and in September, 1859, their mar- riage was celebrated. At the time of their marriage he was a promising young physician of that community, and early in the history of the Civil war he volun- teered his services. August 2, 1861, he enlisted (see his sketch) as assistant surgeon in the Tenth Missouri Infantry, and from this date and circumstance it may be said, his wife received her first impetus toward relieving sick and suf- fering humanity. Not wishing to be separated from her husband, she accon1- panied him to the field of battle, and it so happened that during his service of over two and a-half years she was able to be with him much of the time, nursing the sick and assisting him in many ways.
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