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 90
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JAMES H. RAMBO.
In retrospect Mr. Rambo compares the present thriving city of Santa Rosa with the small village that greeted his coming to the vicinity forty years ago. when it boasted but one store and one hotel. He has watched its growth with the keenest interest, and the part that he has played in its advancement has not been inconsiderable.
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The Rambo family is of Scotch origin and the father of James Rambo was born in the Land of the Thistle. The greater part of his life, however, was passed in this country, whither he came in young manhood. At the time of the birth of James H. Rambo his parents were living in Indiana, his birth occurring in Elkhart county July 4. 1836. When he was a child of six years the family removed to Iowa, and eleven years later they came to the Pacific coast, going to Oregon and settling in Corvallis. Three years later found them removing south into California, coming to Sonoma county and settling in Peta- luma. Ambitious to explore the country further, Mr. Rambo went to Napa City eight years later, and from there, one year later. continued north by way of Idaho into the Frasier river country; returning, he went to Yolo county, and finally came back to Sonoma county, satisfied that there was no more desir- able place to locate among all the localities that he had visited in his travels. Here he has a ranch of ten acres, not large in extent, but very productive and in every way a desirable piece of property. Fruits of various kinds are here grown and corn is also raised, both producing abundant crops and yielding the owner a good yearly income.
In 1860 Mr. Rambo married Miss Sarah Denison, a native of Illinois. and of the seven children born of this marriage two are deceased. The wife and mother passed away in 1876, and subsequently, in 1885, Mr. Rambo mar- ried his present wife, formerly Miss Katie Kidd. She was born in Sonoma county in 1870, the daughter of Luke and Abigail Kidd, natives respectively of Massac county, Ill., and Missouri, and of Irish and Scotch' descent respectively. Seven children were born of Mr. Rambo' second marriage also, and of these, four are living. Nettie is the wife of Wayne Richards, and they are living near Dry Creek. Hattie E., who was born in 1892, is now employed in a print- ing office in Sonoma. Milton, born in 1894. is employed in Monterey county. The youngest child, Leroy, born in 1899, is at home with his parents. Polit- ically Mr. Rambo is a Republican. It has never been his desire or ambition to hold public office of any kind, but at one time he filled the office of deputy postmaster in Dry Creek.
JACQUES FEHR.
To a noteworthy degree success has rewarded the efforts of Mr. Febr in the new world and has left him no reason to regret the decision that brought him, a friendless emigrant with scant means, to the country that has since become his by adoption. Born in Eglisau, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, in 1857, he descended from a long line of Swiss forefathers who were experts in the making of watches. In the days when a watch was the product of one pair of hands and the visible expression of but one man's unerring judgment, his father and grand- father earned their livelihoods by following the trade and in their canton, where watch-making was the principal occupation of the people, they stood high as skilled workmen. An unerring accuracy governed every detail connected with the construction of a watch and thus Jacques had the inestimable advantage of careful training in a trade whose successful prosecution necessitates exactness and precision. Work filled his vacations during boyhood and in the winter months he was a student in local schools, remaining at home until he had com-
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pleted the high school studies and then completed his trade at La Chaux-de- Fonds, Canton Neufchatel.
When nineteen years of age Mr. Fehr came to the United States. The ship on which he sailed across the ocean landed him at Galveston, Tex., and employ- ment was secured at once in that city. There he followed his trade for four years. Next he came to California and settled in San Francisco, where imme- diately he found work as a watch-maker. For a long period he resided in that city and there, in September of 1894. he married Miss Mathilda Benson, who was born in Sweden and came to the United States about 1888. In his choice of a helpmate Mr. Fehr was singularly fortunate. Supplementing his integrity, per- severance and industry, her thrift as a housewife, kindly traits as a neighbor and devotion as a wife have aided him in securing a high standing among the people of Occidental, where they have resided since 1895. At first he limited his attention to the making and repairing of watches, but about 1900 he added jewelry to the other business and since then he has carried in stock a large and select assortment of articles to be found in all high-grade establishments of the kind. The latest newspapers and periodicals also are kept in the store and in addition he acts as collector for the National Casualty Company.
The fact that Mr. Felir has gained a commendable degree of success speaks volumes for his energy. Coming to this country poor, without friends or in- fluence, he had nothing to aid him except a rugged constitution, a thorough know- ledge of his trade and an industrious disposition. With these as his capital he has risen slowly but steadily to a position of prominence among the business men of his town and county. Evidence of faith in the growing prosperity of the lo- cality appears in his investment in real estate, which causes him to be ranked among the responsible men and leading tax-payers of the village. His parents and likewise the parents of his wife have passed from earth and they have no children to gladden life's afternoon, but they possess a host of warm personal friends and well-wishers and loneliness has never entered into their busy, cheer- ful lives. Charitable projects receive their generous assistance and all movements for the permanent welfare of their locality have in them intelligent advocates.
JAMES FURLONG.
In the life of Mr. Furlong is exemplified the fact that perseverance and in- dustry have their own reward, as surely as cause and effect are inseparable. When he came to these shores a stranger in a strange land over forty years ago he was empty-handed and without friends, while today he is a large land-holder and retired from active labor, surrounded by many friends who have watched his progress with a keen interest and have rejoiced in his prosperity. Besides his home property of six acres in Bodega, he owns Willow Creek ranch, a place of thirteen hundred and sixty-three acres on the Russian river, in Bodega town- ship, which he now leases to a tenant, finding all the activity that he needs in caring for the home place in Bodega.
A native of Ireland, James Furlong was born in County Wexford April 6, 1842, the son of Patrick and Margaret (Carroll) Furlong, the father being a
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blacksmith by trade, who died when his son was fourteen years of age. Mr. Furlong remained in his native land until he was twenty-five years of age, and then, in 1867, he set sail for the new world. The vessel landed him in Boston, Mass., and from there he went to New York, where he re-embarked on a vessel bound for Nicaragua. His experiences in crossing this narrow neck of land from the Atlantic to the Pacific side were unique, including considerable walk- ing, a short ride by rail and a part of the distance was covered on the backs of mules. San Francisco was finally reached, and from there he came direct to Sonoma county, coming by boat to Petaluma and from there to Bodega, where he has made his home ever since. His life and surroundings in the old country had made him familiar with farming, and it was work of this character that he first sought upon coming to Sonoma county. After working on ranches for about three years he turned his attention to dairying, first in the employ of others and later on his own account, and after following this business for many years he sold out the business and has since lived retired. Since disposing of his dairy interests in 1890 he has leased his ranch and is now located on a tract of six acres finely improved in Bodega, where with his wife he is now enjoying the rest and ease which her co-operation and sympathetic help have made possible.
In 1872 Mr. Furlong made a trip back to the Emerald Isle to claim his bride in Miss Ann O'Brien, their wedding journey consisting of a trip to the United States, and the home which Mrs. Furlong then entered as a bride has been her home ever since. The home was brightened by the birth of one son, Patrick, but his death while he was still an infant left a void which has never been filled. Mr. Furlong's mother came to the United States many years ago and made her home in Marin county until her death, her remains being interred in Sonoma county. Mrs. Furlong was born in Ireland in 1842, her parents also being natives of that country, and there too they passed from the scenes of earth. Politically Mr. Furlong is a Democrat, but aside from doing his duty at the polls he takes no active part in politics, and has never held any public office.
HERMAN GISEL.
Switzerland is not without her representatives in the citizenship of Califor- nia, and here, as to whatever country they go, they have brought those qualities of thrift and industry that make for an ideal citizenship. This truism has been borne out in the career of Herman Gisel, a rancher near Guerneville, and a citi- zen of worth in the community in which he has lived and labored for a number of years.
For generations members of the Gisel family had been born and lived their life's span in the little republic of Switzerland, and there it was that Jacob Gisel was born in 1834. Growing to manhood years in his native land, he there mar- ried Miss Catherine Kubler, also a native of that country, and seven children, three sons and four daughters, were born to them, as follows: Emil, Herman, George, Eliza, Hannalı L., Mary and Frieda. Emil was married in 1896 to Miss Alice Croak, and he and his wife make their home in Sacramento. Eliza, who became the wife of Carl Birkhoff, is the mother of seven children, Fred, Charles,
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Emil, Oscar, Herman, Mary and Flora. Hannah L. became the wife of John Lemon, and their children are Frank, Charles, Arthur, Amelia and Freda.
The second child in the parental family is Herman Gisel, who was born in Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland, on the Rhine, April 20, 1875, and has been a resident of California since 1884. It was in 1905 that he removed to the ranch which he now owns near Guerneville, comprising sixty acres, of which ten acres are in vineyard, besides which he has an orchard. Live-stock and hogs are also raised to some extent, although the cultivation of the vineyard and orchard ab- sorbs the greater part of Mr. Gisel's attention, and as opportunity permits he intends to enlarge his orchard and make this his chief source of income.
The marriage of Herman Gisel occurred in 1900 and united him with Miss Stella Beebe, who was born in Mendocino county. Three children were born of their marriage, George, Daisy and Emil Herman. Politically Mr. Gisel is an advocate of Socialistic principles and in his religious belief is a Presbyterian, as was also his wife, who passed away May 1, 1911.
L. D. GALE.
The history of the Gale family in this country goes back to Revolutionary days, and makes note of the fact that Richard Gale, Sr., was a valiant soldier in that conflict and that he was also an intrepid Indian fighter. He was born in New York state, as was also his son, Richard Gale, Jr., the latter making his home in that state until attaining young manhood, when he removed to Ohio and made that state his home until 1836. That year witnessed his removal to Scot- land county, Mo., where he took up government land from which he cleared a farm, and there he continued to till the soil until his death, when he was seventy years of age. Courageous and determined, he met with a fair degree of success in his undertakings and at his death left his family in good circumstances. His marriage united him with Miss Mary Linxweiler, who was born in Pennsylvania the daughter of German parents. She survived her husband a number of years. passing away on the Missouri homestead at the age of seventy-eight years.
Among the children born of the marriage of Richard and Mary (Linx- weiler) Gale was L. D. Gale, who was born April 26, 1828, while the family home was in Franklin county, Ohio. He remained an inmate of the parental home until he was twenty years of age, leaving it at this time to establish a home of his own, which he did on property belonging to his father. It was about five years after his marriage, in 1853, that he crossed the plains with his wife and three children, four months of steady travel being passed before they reached the borders of California. Before deciding upon a place of location Mr. Gale worked as a day laborer for about a year in Napa, but in the fall of the year 1854 he decided to come to Sonoma county, and upon a claim upon which he lo- cated five miles from Petaluma he made his home for three years. He then went to Marin county and made purchase of a claim, but being unable to secure a title to the land after remaining there for three years, he returned to Sonoma county and made his home here until his death. One mile below Bodega bay, on the Pacific ocean, he bought five hundred and fifty acres of land where he carried on
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general farming and dairying until 1875. Leasing the ranch in that year, he then bought one hundred and sixty acres of land between Petaluma and Santa Rosa and after tilling the soil of this ranch for five years, sold the land and re- moved to Petaluma, which was his home until 1907. By indefatigable labor and the careful handling of his means Mr. Gale accumulated a fortune that made active labor unnecessary in his last years, and indeed he had lived practically re- tired ever since taking up his residence in Petaluma. Though in his seventy- ninth year at the time of his death he was still active physically and mentally.
As has been stated, Mr. Gale assumed domestic responsibilities before at- taining his majority, his marriage on February 10, 1848, uniting him with Miss Eliza A. Wifley. She was born in Quincy, Ill., July 7, 1830, a daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Ellis) Wifley, the former of whom was born in Pennsyl- vania in 1806 or 1807, of German ancestry. From Pennsylvania he removed to Scotland county, Mo., making his home there until coming to California with his family in 1853. He passed away in Healdsburg at the age of eighty years. His wife did not long survive the journey to the west, her death occurring in Marysville, Cal., just after reaching the state, when she was forty-seven years of age. Eight children were born of this marriage, as follows: Otis S., of Pet- aluma; Cordelia Ann, the wife of James Brown, of Petaluma; Sarah Jane, the wife of Abraham Robinson, of Healdsburg; Emily, the wife of Ensley Fine, of Santa Rosa; Lucretia S., the wife of John Ayers, proprietor of the Washington hotel, at Petaluma; Mary Ellen, who was a school teacher before her marriage to Andrew McPhail, of Petaluma; Alice, the wife of Robert Woods, a retired citizen of Petaluma, of whom a sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume; and John W., who passed away in infancy. Politically Mr. Gale was independ- ent, always voting for the best man for the office regardless of party, and with his wife he was a member of the Christian Church, he also being a member of the board of trustees of the church. He died July 18, 1907, while on a visit to his daughter in Healdsburg.
LIEUALLEN JONES HALL.
It is interesting to chronicle the history of the pioneer who has passed through the struggle of the development of a new country until it has become a veritable garden spót. Among such men we find L. J. Hall, who came to Sonoma county in pioneer days and has been a continuous resident upon his ranch in Russian River township since the year 1854. Many are the changes that have taken place in the years that have intervened, waste fields and forests giving place to cultivated ranches of luscious fruits, tended by happy and pros- perous owners who have come hither from all parts of the country. Mr. Hall is a native of Missouri, his birth occurring in Lafayette county October 30, 1825. As a youth of fifteen years he started out in the world by working as a farm hand in the neighborhood of his home, and by saving his wages he was enabled to come to California in the year 1854.
In the meantime, however, Mr. Hall had assumed other responsibilities by liis marriage, December 19, 1847, with Miss Elizabeth McCool, she too being a native of Missouri. After crossing the plains with his family he at once located
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on his present ranch in Sonoma county, where he has since engaged in raising grain, hops and stock. From the first his undertaking proved successful, and he soon needed more land upon which to carry out his plans. As a consequence more land was added to the original purchase from time to time, until at one time his holdings amounted to sixty-five hundred acres. For many years Mr. Hall had the help and co-operation of his son Clarence, the two working together with mutual interest in the maintenance of one of the finest ranches in Sonoma county, but owing to Mr. Hall's advancing years it became necessary for him to withdraw from active participation in affairs to a large extent. Consequently he has dis- posed of considerable of his land, and in 1908 his son purchased six hundred and fifty-six acres upon which lie has since carried on ranching independently.
Six children were born of the marriage of L. J. and Elizabeth (McCool) Hall, four of whom are deceased, two dying in infancy. Those living are Clar- ence C., of whom a sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume, and Rosella. The wife and mother died April 29, 1903. Throughout his life Mr. Hall has been a stanchi advocate of Democratic principles, but has never cared for office- holding, finding his time fully occupied in caring for his ranch and in partici- pation in such social and other obligations as one of his broad, humanitarian views would find necessary to his well-being. Now in his eighty-fifth year, Mr. Hall can look back upon a life well spent, content in the knowledge that he has in- tentionally wronged no man, and that he has the highest respect of those who have been intimately associated with him for the past fifty-six years. .
FRED W. HESSE.
In the United States it is a matter of pride that a large proportion of the best and most prominent citizens in the different walks of life have risen to dis- tinction solely through their own efforts, unaided by wealth, influential family or circumstances over which they have no control. A notable instance of the ster- ling worth which overcomes obstacles and creates its own opportunities is pre- sented in the career of Fred W. Hesse, a well-known resident of Santa Rosa, where he conducts a lock and gunsmith shop, in addition to which he handles bicycles and repairs bicycles and automobiles.
In Hanover, Germany, the birth of Fred W. Hesse occurred in 1846, the son of parents who were also natives of the Fatherland. In keeping with the custom which prevails in the Fatherland Mr. Hesse attended school during the prescribed period, and later learned a trade, this also being a part of the training of the German youth. Not until he had served the required four years in the army of his native country could he hope to be free to follow his own inclina- tions. However, the breaking out of the Franco-Prussian war made demands upon his services, and for seven months he put to practice on the field of battle his four years' training in the army. After his release from obligations in his native land he determined to come to the United States, and the year 1872 wit- nessed his arrival in New York. He remained in that metropolis for about one year, having found employment at his trade of tool-maker, and later went to New Haven, Conn., where he continued work at his trade with a surgical instru-
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ment company. Altogether he remained in the east about two years, then com- ing to the far west and locating at San Francisco. His residence in Santa Rosa dates from March 16, 1877. Here his knowledge of the tool-maker's trade stood him in good stead, and the small locksmith shop which he then opened formed the nucleus of the large and varied business of which he is the proprietor today. In addition to his enlarged gun and locksmith business he added dealing in bi- cycles and bicycle repairing when that vehicle came into common use, and more recently, in order to keep up with the march of progress, he has added the re- pairing of antomobiles to his other accomplishments. His natural mechanical ability makes him a genius in his line, and when a job is placed in his hands his patron is assured of the best service possible to obtain. While the greater part of Mr. Hesse's time is given to his business in town, he still carries on a ranch enterprise that any one less ambitious than he might think was a sufficient busi- ness in itself. Two and a-half miles from Santa Rosa he owns a ranch of eighteen acres that he purchased soon after coming to the west, and which has been his home ever since. Two acres of the land is in prunes, and the remain- der is used as pasture for his cattle and poultry, the raising of cattle and chick- ens being carried on on a modest but remunerative scale.
While in the east, in 1873, Mr. Hesse was united in marriage with Minnie Schlueter, who, like himself, was a native of the Fatherland, as were her parents also. Ten children were born of this marriage, evenly divided as to sons and daughters, but the two eldest sons are now deceased. All of the remaining sons are still single, while three of the daughters are married and located in homes of their own. Walter E. is associated with his father in the lock-smith and repair- ing business in Santa Rosa ; one daughter, Sophie, is a resident of Berkeley, Cal. ; and Rachel is at home, a pupil in the public school at Santa Rosa. All of the children are native sons and daughters of California. In his political belief Mr. Hesse is a Socialist. Through a membership extending over many years he is well known in the Odd Fellows order, belonging to Lodge No. 53, and also to Camp No. 53, and for the past twenty years he has served efficiently as sec- retary of his lodge. By adding the name of Mr. Hesse to its citizenship more than thirty years ago, Santa Rosa was to profit by the efforts of a man thoroughly in sympathy with its progress, and one who was in a position to grasp its most desirable opportunities.
EARL DAVID HIGBY.
Sonoma county has the double advantage of offering the agriculturist both an unequalled field for stock-raising and a rich soil which is productive of a fine quality of fruit, vegetables and other farm products; thus it is that it is no un- common sight to see an orchard and a stock and chicken-raising industry con- ducted on the same piece of land, both flourishing. Among the ranchers in the vicinity of Windsor, few have more comfortable homes or better-cared-for ranches than the subject of this sketch. Earl D. Higby is a native of the west, his birth having occurred in Nevada in the year 1871. He is a son of Lyman L. and Bianza (Barrett) Higby, the former a native of New York state, born in 1832, and the latter a native of Ohio, born in 1843. Earl was the eldest of the three
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children, two sons and one daughter, born of this marriage, the others being Fred and Birdie. The younger son, Fred, chose as his wife Miss Arletta Walker, and they make their home in Nevada.
Until he was eleven years old Earl Higby continued to make his home in the locality of his birth, in Diamond, near Eureka, Nev. It was then, in 1882, that the family removed to the far west, locating that year in Sonoma county, Cal. Here the son completed the education which had been begun in his native state, and when he had reached years of maturity and was ready to take up the responsibility of his own maintenance he took up farming, not only because it was the labor nearest at hand, but because the work was congenial to his taste and was the work to which he felt instinctively Nature had called him. He assisted his father for a while on the home ranch, also conducted farming in this vicinity until his father's death in 1902, when he took charge of the ranch for his mother. The results of his efforts along this line have proven beyond question that his decision in the matter of a life occupation was correct, and he takes commendable pride in the fact that this ranch is one of the most productive in this section of Sonoma county. The property belongs to his mother, but the son takes as much pains with the management of it as though it were his own. Altogether they own sixty acres of land which is well located near Windsor and about eight miles from Santa Rosa. Twenty acres of the land is in orch- ard, thirty-five acres in vineyard and the balance is used for the purpose of raising hay. The foregoing is but a partial list of Mr. Higby's interests, for he has, in addition, a large and successful hennery on the place, consisting of three hundred laying hens and three hundred and fifty pullets. Taken altogether Mr. Higby has one of the most thrifty and productive ranches in this section of the country, and as he is a young, enterprising man, his future is correspondingly bright. Politically he is a Republican. He is keenly alive to the best interests of his community, and no one may be counted upon to further these interests more heartily than does Mr. Higby.
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