USA > California > History of the State of California and biographical record of Coast Counties, California. An historical story of the state's marvelous growth from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 57
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JOHN JORDAN.
The little village of Castroville has two men- bers of the Jordan family who have contributed their share towards building up its mercantile and industrial prestige, and who are esteemed for their business sagacity and devotion to the public welfare. Both have achieved more than expected success, both are large property own- ers and men of sterling worth and unquestioned integrity. Patrick, whose biography precedes
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this, is the oldest merchant in the village, and John, who is the owner and manager of a blacksmithing and machine shop, carriage and agricultural implement business, has a trade by 110 means local in its extent.
A native of Canada, John Jordan was born February 6, 1851, a son of James and Catherine (Bulger) Jordan, natives of Ireland, and mar- ried in Canada. Mr. Jordan is the sixth of the eleven children born to his parents, and he re- mained on the home farm, upon which his father located in 1832, until he had attained his ma- jority. He then served an apprenticeship of three years to a carriage-maker, and having learned his trade opened a carriage shop in part- nership with his brother-in-law, a wheelwright, at St. Claire, Canada. Afterward he conducted a blacksmith shop at Greenville, at the foot of Moosehead lake, and after two years began to spend his winters in the lumber camps of Maine and his summers in the little shop. In Septem- ber of 1878 he came to Castroville and worked at his trade for about two years and a half, then spent a month in Walla Walla, Wash., later starting a repair shop in San Francisco, where he remained for a year. For a year also he was a street car conductor in San Francisco, and then returned to Castroville and rented the shop in which he is now doing business. At the end of four years he was able to buy the shop out- right, and this was the beginning of his property possession in the town. He now owns on Main street a business lot 200x385 feet; a business block 50x60 feet in dimensions; the house, lot and barn, the lot 50x150 feet, upon which he lives; and two other business properties on the same street. He has a very large business, and sells implements, wagons, buggies, coal, wood and feed and has the most desirable and respon- sible repair trade anywhere around.
September 1I, 1888, Mr. Jordan married Anna Cullen, a native of Canada, and a former school- mate. Of this union there have been born six children: Mary, James, Anna, Dennis, John Jo- seph (who died November 9, 1902) and Mar- garet. The children are all living at home, and all are to be given every advantage which their father's position and affluence permits of. Mr. Jordan is a Democrat in politics, and is a mem-
ber of the school board. He has the true west- ern grit and determination, and there is no guess- work in connection with his continued success.
W. G. JOHNSON.
A résumé of the careers which are contrib- uting to the best interests of San Luis Obispo would be incomplete without due mention of the earnest efforts of W. G. Johnson, the marshal of the city. The entire life of Mr. Johnson has been passed this side of the Rocky mountains, and he was born in Sacramento, Cal., in March of 1864. When but two years of age his family removed to the northern part of the state, and in 1867 came to San Luis Obispo county, where his father, Jerry J. Johnson, settled on a ranch close to the city, and engaged in stock-raising and a general cattle business. The elder John- son was born in Virginia, and came to California many years ago. On the maternal side Mr. Johnson is connected with an ancestry intimately connected with the wars of the country, for his mother, formerly Rebecca Gray, a native of Mis- souri, was daughter to a soldier of the Black Hawk war, granddaughter of a hero of the war of 1812, and niece of a patriot of the Civil war. Mrs. Johnson became the mother of three sons, and of these O. G. lives in San José and Jeff is in the stock business in Arizona.
W. G. Johnson was educated in the public schools, and has gained much of knowledge from the experiences of later years. He has fol- lowed farming and stock-raising as a preferred occupation, and therein has been successful. He has also entered actively into political affairs, and as a stanch Democrat has rendered his party valued service. In April of 1900 he was elected city marshal by a large majority, and in April, 1902, was re-elected for a second term. His management of the important responsibility has given satisfaction.
Mrs. Johnson was, before her marriage, Miss M. Triplett, a native daughter of California. She is the mother of one child, Leroy. Mr. Johnson is keenly interested in all that pertains to the upbuilding of this part of the state, and his liberal tendencies and sound good judgment render his opinion and council worthy of con-
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sideration. He is a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West.
JESSEN & PETERSEN.
The proprietors of the Eclipse livery stable are among the well-known business men of Wat- sonville. While they have not long been at the head of their present business, having purchased it from W. H. Kennedy in 1901, they have al- ready established a reputation for reliability and upright transactions. In their stable they have about thirty horses, and vehicles of every kind necessary for the trade to which they cater. The senior member of the firm, Mr. Jessen, was born in Germany in 1867, and is a son of Jess and Christine (Storm) Jessen. Accompanying his par- ents, he came to the United States in 1875, and settled in California. With them on the voyage were the other children of the family, Conrad, Cecil, Henry L. and George. After completing his education he learned the tailor's trade, which he followed for some years in Watsonville. From that occupation he turned his attention to the livery business, which he now conducts. He has never been active in politics, and while in- clining to the Democratic party is nevertheless independent in his views and opinions. His wife, Thorkilda, is a daughter of Capt. Ludwig An- derson, and was born in China.
The junior member of the firm, Nels Petersen, was born in Denmark, October 29, 1860, and is a son of Peter O. Petersen. With other mem- bers of the family he came to the United States in 1880 and settled in Wisconsin, where his father followed the blacksmith's trade, dying at the age of eighty-two years. Surviving him are six children, namely: Mrs. Hans Jensen; Rob- ert, Hans, Claus, Nels and Christ. Nels learned the cooper's trade and after coming to America, in 1880, settled in Wisconsin. A year later he went to Minneapolis, Minn., where he resided for a year. During 1884 he came to California and established his home in Watsonville, but soon afterward went to Corralitos, where he ran an engine for the paper mill for five months. A subsequent journey took him to the then ter- ritory of Washington. On his return to Cali- fornia he settled in Santa Cruz county, where he
has since made his home. For two seasons he worked in the redwood forests, cutting trees for James Linscott. For many years he also en- gaged in baling hay during the season, and for a short time he conducted farm pursuits. Since June 12, 1001, he has been connected with Mr. Jessen in the livery business, and has already cstablished a trade that is assuming gratifying proportions in return for the care and energy of the proprietors. In politics he is independent and in religious faith is a believer in the doc- trines of the Lutheran Church. His wife, whom he married in 1891, was formerly Mary Ander- son, and was born in China during one of the voyages of her father, Capt. Ludwig Ander- son, who was a well-known sea captain.
MISS ISABELLE M. JENKINS.
Under the supervision of Miss Jenkins as librarian, the Watsonville free library has be- come one of the attractions of this progressive city. When the movement was first projected to establish a reading room she was deeply in- terested and gave her enthusiastic support to the enterprise. The initial steps were taken by the W. C. T. U., whose members were aroused by the suggestion of Mrs. Mary E. Tuttle that they establish a reading room. By arduous efforts they secured a few books, gained a few sub- scriptions to periodicals and rented a room. Soon they were encouraged by a gift from the Odd Fellows lodge of their small library. An- other encouragement was a tax of seven cents on the $100. Since then there have been several donations, notably a gift of $250 from the heirs of the Ford cstate, and they now have thirty- three hundred and twenty-five volumes in the library, which since 1896 has been conducted as a free institution for the public, with Miss Jen- kins as librarian.
Reviewing the history of the Jenkins ancestry, we find that Benjamin Jenkins, a native of Eng- land, served as sea captain in early life and traveled to many ports and through many seas. After coming to America he married Clara Rogers and settled on a farm. He lived to be eighty-four, and his wife was only one year his junior at the time of death. Their children were
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Marion, Edmund P., Samuel, Benjamin, Clara, Theodora and Henrietta. Of these Edmund P. Jenkins was born at Fairlee, Vt., May 26, 1814, and grew to manhood on a New Hampshire farm. At the age of twenty-four he moved to Maine, where he learned engineering, and at this occupation he secured employment in Law- rence, Mass. In 1861 he came via the isthmus to San Francisco, thence to Sacramento, and from there to Mariposa county, where he ran a stationary engine for two years. Returning to Massachusetts, he worked at his trade. How- ever, having once basked in the delightful coast climate, he was never again satisfied with New England. As soon as practicable he returned to California, bringing with him his three sons and buying a ranch in Monterey county, after which he sent for the balance of his family to join him. On selling his ranch he retired to Watsonville, where he built a residence and has since made his home. His wife died in 1884, at the age of sixty-two years. They were the par- ents of the following-named children: Edmund P., Jr., Samuel (who died in infancy), Samuel Rogers, Frederick E., Charles M., Benjamin F., George B. and Isabelle M. In politics Mr. Jen- kins is a stanch Democrat. In religions views he is liberal, a friend to all movements for the upbuilding of the race.
The oldest son in the Jenkins family, Edmund P., Jr., served as a member of the Twelfth Mas- sachusetts Regiment during the Civil war, and died at fifty years of age; his wife bore the maiden name of Mamie Thompson. S. Rogers married Sarah Deo and has two children, Fred- erick E. and Isabelle M. The fourth son of the family, Frederick E., married Frances Amidon and has three children, Eugene, Walter and Ralph. The fifth son, Charles M., married Emina Thompson and has two children, Lottie B. and Jesse. The sixth son, Benjamin F., died at twenty-eight years of age, leaving a wife and one son, Stanley. George B., the youngest son, married Kate Brown, who lives in Newman, Cal.
In girlhood Miss Jenkins showed a remark- able musical talent and gave special attention to its development, making a specialty of vocal music. Her singing was so expressive, clear and sweet that a constant demand was made on her
for choir work, concerts and various public en- tertainments. As a result of overwork and con- stant use of the vocal organs, a throat trouble developed which forced her to give up what had been one of the chief pleasures of her life. She maintains a deep interest in art and literature and is recognized as one of Watsonville's most cultured women.
WILLIAM W. JAMES.
Although a native of Lincoln county, Mo., where he was born January 24, 1849, William W. James, the present postmaster of Monterey, was little more than an infant when his parents crossed the plains, in 1850, in search of larger opportunities on the coast. His father, Dr. F. WV. James, was a native of St. Charles county, Mo., and after arriving in California established a practice in Nevada City. Not entirely satis- fied with the west, he returned to Missouri in 1853, located in Montgomery county, and prac- ticed medicine until removing to San José, Cal., in January, 1864. In 1885, when seventy- eight years of age, he withdrew from profes- sional ranks, and has since lived a retired life. During the war of the Rebellion he was post surgeon at New Florence, Mo.
At a comparatively early age. William W. James learned the tinner's and plumbing trade in Watsonville, Cal., serving his apprenticeship from 1872 until 1874. He then came to Monte- rey and opened a tin and plumbing establish- ment, conducting the same until disposing of his business in the fall of 1891. He was for a time bookkeeper and cashier of the California State Savings Bank in Monterey, assuming the cash- iership after the former cashier had resigned and left things in a deplorable condition. Mr. James succeeded in straightening up the finances of the institution in about a year, and then went into the real-estate and insurance business, founding what is now the Monterey Investment Company, of which he is secretary. He was ap- pointed postmaster of Monterey June 20, 1897, by President Mckinley, and was reappointed in January, 1902, by President Roosevelt. He has valiantly served the interests of the Repub- lican party for many years, and has held the local
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offices of deputy assessor, deputy county clerk and registrar of voters ever since he came here. He is fraternally connected with the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, having joined that organization in 1872.
Mrs. James was formerly Alice Cox, a native of Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. James have been born four children, viz .: Elton K., who is de- ceased; William F., an attorney of San José; Charles E., a resident of Los Angeles; and Edgar E., who is at home. Mr. James enjoys to an exceptional degree the confidence of his fellow townsmen, and has many friends who re- joice in his fortunate disposal of opportunities.
PHILIP KAETZEL.
The well-conducted book and stationery store in San Luis Obispo, owned and managed by Philip Kaetzel, is one of the popular and inter- esting places in town, the two causes contrib- uting to its success being the complete line of needed commodities, and the personality of the typical old-time Californian who dispenses his wares with so much geniality and good-will.
Although not one of the earliest settlers, hav- ing arrived in the state in 1862, few have more intelligently observed the conditions in different parts of the west than has Mr. Kaetzel. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, where were spent his carly days, and where he attended the public schools until his fourteenth year. This was the beginning of a life of extreme independence and varied accomplishments, for in the fashioning of his career no particularly favored genius guided his way or helped him with money or influ- ence. He first went to work in a bucket and tub factory and eventually learned the trade, after which he apprenticed as a stone cutter, but never made practical application of the lat- ter trade. In the meantime, while making buck- ets and cutting stone, he was listening intently to rumors of the wonderful possibilities of the far west, and mentally planned to some time avail himself of the improvement over his pres- ent condition. An unlooked-for chance of car- rying out his designs came in 1862, when a boy friend, Fred Kennell, proposed to come to Cali-
fornia, and Mr. Kaetzel decided to accompany him. Notwithstanding the solicitations of his family and friends, he started out with a party to cross the plains in wagons and with teams, and were he to narrate all of the thrilling ex- periences that fell to his lot, the covers of a large book would hardly enclose them. Mr. Kaetzel finally reached Sacramento, and for two years engaged in hauling freight to Carson and Virginia City. In 1864 he went to San Joaquin county and purchased a government claim, upon which he lived for a year, and then went to Cambria, on the way passing through where San Luis Obispo now stands, but which was then waving fields, and apples growing on the land where his store now is located.
At Cambria Mr. Kaetzel worked for a time at the carpenter's trade and then went into the wagon business, and an interesting fact con- nected with his life in that town is that he made with his own hands the first wagon built in Cambria. From 1869 until 1882 he continued to make wagons, and during the latter-named year he was elected treasurer of San Luis Obispo county on the Democratic ticket. At the expi- ration of his term of service he resumed his former occupation where Dorsey & McCabe are now doing business, and in 1891 assumed charge of a branch of the Commercial Bank, located at Cambria. For seven years he cred- itably maintained the banking position, and two years ago resigned from the same to take up the business in which he is now engaged.
In Sacramento Mr. Kaetzel married Sarah Jane Scott, whose father came to California in the same band of travelers with her husband, and who was formerly a large real-estate owner in Des Moines, Iowa. One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kaetzel, C. Paul, who is a pop- ular young attorney of San Luis Obispo. Fra- ternally Mr. Kaetzel is associated with the Odd Fellows, and has been for the past thirty years, and he is also a Royal Arch Mason. He is a man who has profited by his many experiences, and has learned to reason calmly in regard to people and events. His wide knowledge of human nature and his innate courtesy and desire to please have been invaluable to him in the prosecution of his many interests.
In. W. Burnett
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
M. D. BURNETT.
One of the best known of the pioneers who have wrested success from the stored fertility of Solano and San Luis Obispo counties is M. D. Burnett, owner of large city and country prop- erties, and formerly engaged in extensive grain and stock-raising enterprises. A native of the vicinity of Hopkinsville, Ky., he was born Sep- tember 25, 1829, and remained in his native state until twenty-six years of age. His father, Patrick Henry Burnett, was born in Virginia, and removed with his father to Kentucky when twelve years old, settling in Christian county, where he farmed and planted, and where his death occurred in 1874, at the age of seventy years. His father, Cornelius, was born, reared and married in Virginia, and died in Kentucky. Patrick Henry Burnett married Maria Bur- bridge, a native of Kentucky, and daughter of Elijah Burbridge, a Virginian, who removed to Kentucky, and remained there until death. Nine children were born of this union, and of the sceond marriage of Mr. Burnett two children were born.
The youth of Mr. Burnett was uneventfully passed in Kentucky, where he attended the dis- trict schools and assisted his father with the care of the farm. In company with a man who was an enthusiastic admirer of California, he started across the plains from Kentucky with teams and wagons, May 9, 1856, and arrived at his destina- tion August I, same year. He settled in So- lano county, where he bought land, securing title thereto because of swamps and overflow. Himself and brother owned three hundred and twenty acres which they divided, and afterward Mr. Burnett bought the two hundred and forty acres adjoining, both of which tracts he still owns. In 1888 he removed to San Luis Obispo county and bought fifty-five acres of land, one- half of which was planted in fruit, but afterwards dug up the trees because the investment proved an unprofitable one. He is at present raising wheat, barley, and hay, and considerable stock.
October 1, 1863, Mr. Burnett married Han- nah Reid, born in Tennessee, and daughter of William Reid, a native of Kentucky, and later a farmer in Alabama, Tennessee and Ar-
kansas. Mr. Reid came to California in 1857, settling in Yolo county, where he bought three hundred and twenty acres of land, upon which he eventually died. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Burnett, three sons and one daughter, of whom William is a graduate of the Louisville (Ky.) Medical College and is now a practicing physician at Santa Rosa, Cal .; Cornelius is the manager of his father's ranch in Solano county, Cal .; Oliver lives in Mon- tana; and Lenora is at home. The second mar- riage of Mr. Burnett was contracted in San Francisco, July 4, 1885, and united him with Mrs. Mary Campbell. Mr. Burnett is a Dem- ocrat in political preference, and his political activity extends to all of his sons. He has been a member of the county central committee, and is a trustee and clerk of the school board.
William Churchman, father of Mrs. Burnett, was born near Evansville, Ind., in 1825, and was a son of Henry Churchman, also a native of Indiana. When a young man William Church- man moved to Ohio and while living there mar- ried Martha Augustine, by whom he had eleven children. In 1853 he crossed the plains to Cal- ifornia with his wife and two children and settled in Petaluma, where he was the first justice of peace in the place. When the county seat was moved to Santa Rosa he moved also. He held the office of superior judge of Sonoma county for twelve years while living in Santa Rosa. He died in the last named city in 1870, aged forty- five years; his wife also died in Santa Rosa, in 1868.
J. D. KALAR.
A fair type of the conscientious and painstak- ing western man of affairs, Mr. Kalar, of Salinas, has made his own way in the world, independent of the aid of friends. He was born near West Virginia in 1866, a son of John and Elizabeth (Parsons) Kalar, the former for years a farmer in Monterey county, but at present retired and living at Salinas. On the maternal side Mr. Kalar comes of a family not only long lived, but of prominence in the early days of Virginia. The paternal grandfather, Job Parsons, served in the war of 1812, and lived to be a hundred
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years old. A brother of Mrs. Kalar was a cap- tain in the Confederate army during the Civil war.
The only child in his father's family, J. D. Kalar was educated in the public schools and given such advantages as the family means ren- dered possible. At the age of twenty-one he embarked in business with a grocery firm. During President Cleveland's first administra- tion, from 1885 to March of 1891, he was assist- ant in the postoffice at Salinas, and later entered Heald's Business College in San Francisco, from which he was graduated. For the two following years he was employed in the Salinas warehouse, and then became a deputy in the office of the county clerk, having been appointed to fill a position resigned by the former incum- bent. In 1898 his popularity was demonstrated when he ran for the office and was elected by the largest majority (ten hundred and forty- seven votes) given any candidate on any ticket.
February 22, 1897, Mr. Kalar married Mar- guerite O. Hern, whose mother is proprietor of a hotel. Fraternally Mr. Kalar is associated with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is popular in Sa- linas and has the respect and good will of all who know him.
EDWARD W. KIRK.
The raising of stock has engaged the attention of Mr. Kirk since he came to Monterey county. At the present writing he occupies and owns a ranch of seven hundred and twelve acres in the Jolon valley, of which tract one hundred and seventy-five acres are tillable. Under his super- vision, and for the proper conduct of his stock- raising interests, he has twenty-six hundred acres, thus securing abundant pasturage for his cattle and hogs. It has been his experience, as that of most farmers in his locality, that the stock business forms a desirable source of rev- enuc and can be conducted with more profit than can the raising of cereals for the markets.
Fifteen miles north of Montreal, Canada, Mr. Kirk was born, in 1854, and there the first eighteen years of his life were uneventfully passed. On coming to the States he spent a
short time in Rutland, Vt., where he secured employment and saved a considerable part of his earnings. After four years he went to Bos- ton, and from there took ship for California. His arrival in Los Angeles was in June, 1876. However, he did not remain in this state at the time, but accompanied a surveying party to Arizona and assisted in laying out the town of Flagstaff. There were fifty men in the party and they spent two months far from civilization, beset by constant dangers, for the Apaches, who were in close proximity to them, were a fierce and bloodthirsty nation. It had been Mr. Kirk's intention to engage in mining in Arizona and also to open up a ranch, but the hostility of the Indians rendered such a step inadvisable, and accordingly the party disbanded in Prescott, and he returned to Los Angeles. For sixty days he was employed in the boring of an artesian well at Pomona, after which he went to San Fran- cisco and for eighteen months was employed near there as foreman on a ranch. His next ven- ture was the teaming and drayage business in San Francisco, which he followed for seven years. On selling out there he came to Mon- terey county and pre-empted a quarter section of land at the head of Jolon valley. During the nine years spent on that ranch he was not only engaged in raising stock, but also became in- terested in the bee business and had a growing apiary. To his original tract one hundred and sixty acres were added, thus giving him a ranch one-half section in extent. From there he came to his present property near Jolon, where he and his family have a neat country home. In 1882 he married Marian Baker, by whom he has three children, Edmund, Ruby and Lucille. The family are identified with the Roman Catholic Church, and in politics Mr. Kirk is a believer in and supporter of Republican principles.
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