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 58
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CAPT. THOMAS G. LAMBERT.
One of the many interesting men of Monterey is Capt. Thomas G. Lambert, for years one of the potent upbuilders of this beautiful town, but erstwhile a seasoned salt with many years of practical experience upon the deep, and a whaler whose unerring aim has terminated the
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watery career of hundreds of members of the monster finny tribe. Born on the island of Martha's Vineyard, in 1826, he comes of a fam- ily associated with this historic piece of land since about 1662. Reared among intensely nautical surroundings, it was not surprising that his gaze was directed to the horizon of the water rather than that of land, and that when sixteen years of age he embarked upon a long contem- plated career amid the fascinations and dangers of the sea. On board the whaler John Coggs- well, he set out for Honolulu, via the Horn, and arrived at the Sandwich Islands as a non- commissioned officer. For two years he en- gaged in whaling in the waters surrounding the islands, and in 1849 made a trip in the same vessel in which he had left Atlantic shores. Ar- riving in the spring of 1850, he again set out in the fall of the same year in the ship Ame- thyst, whaling along the South American coast, and making the ports of Peru and Chile. This trip lasted forty-four months and eight days, and during that time the catch comprised forty- seven sperm whales, which, when rendered, yielded two thousand four hundred and fifty- eight barrels of oil, the market price of which was $126,000. A stalwart man, Mr. Lambert became an expert in the use of the harpoon, and won the favor of his captain to such an extent that the good man recommended him to the po- sition of chief mate for the ship Enterprise, from Nantucket, Mass. Thus advanced, he boarded the vessel in Chile and remained with her for the remainder of her trip to the eastern port, which they reached in 1854. Mr. Lambert then as- sumed charge of the ship John Milton, from Boston to San Francisco, heavily laden with merchandise, and made the journey in one hun- dred and thirty-eight days. After that he sailed along the Pacific coast for several years, and during that time commanded four different ves- scls, and made thirty-two trips up and down the coast on the steamer Senator.
In 1869 Captain Lambert abandoned the sea for the more peaceful existence of a land dweller, and settled in Monterey as a desirable permanent residence. For a couple of years he was identified with the Lambert & Snively Lum- ber Company, and since then has conducted a
general lumber and milling business. In 1886 he established the Monterey Planing Mill, and the following year formed the Monterey Mill & Lumber Company, of which he became president and manager. Aside from his general business he has entered enthusiastically into every effort of note for the general improvement of condi- tions in his adopted town, and has been partic- ularly prominent as a politician. As a stanch Republican he helped to organize the Republican party in San Francisco in 1855, and has ever since voted that ticket. For seventeen years he was president of the Monterey City Republican Club, and is a member of the county central committee, and has been a delegate to numer- ous state and county conventions. Fraternally he is associated with the Monterey Lodge No. 217, F. & A. M., and is one of the organizers of the lodge. He was the first master thereof, and has been installed eighteen times, twelve times as master. He is also a member of the Chapter No. 59, R. A. M., and of the Watsonville Com- mandery No. 22, K. T. He is one the foremost promoters of a movement to erect a monument to John Drake Sloat, and meetings for the fur- therance of this design are held at his home. For thirty-three years he has been government custodian of the old custom-house, and by his faithfulness to trusts imposed, and his unques- tioned ability and devotion to whatsoever re- sponsibility came his way, has incurred the last- ing good will of all with whom he has been associated. Mrs. Lambert was formerly Sarah Masters.
JOSIAH W. LAMBORN.
Occupying a position of respect among the business men of Watsonville is Josiah W. Lam- born, a native of Howard county, Ind .. born November 14, 1845, to the union of Thomas and Laura (Morris) Lamborn. When a young man his father had learned the shoemaker's trade, but prior to 1850 he purchased a farm and thereafter gave his attention to agricultural pursuits. In the cultivation of his land, caring for his family, and enjoying the occasional rec- reations and vacations that form so pleasurable a part of existence, his life was tranquilly
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passed. After many useful years he passed from earth in 1870.
Like most farmer boys, Josiah W. Lamborn alternated work on the farm in summers with at- tendance at school during the winter months. In 1862, fired by an ambition to serve his coun- try, he enlisted in Company K, Forty-eightlı Infantry, and went with his regiment to the front, where he remained until the close of the war. Among the many engagements in which he bore a part was that in front of Richmond, where (as in other battles) he had several nar- row escapes. Bullets penetrated his hat and clothing, but not once was he wounded. On his return home he served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade at Lafayette, and when his time had expired traveled as a journeyman through Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, thence to Kansas, and from there to Leadville, Colo., where in 1878 he began to take contracts. Dur- ing the six years he made that city his head- quarters he had contracts for many buildings there and in the vicinity. When the boom at Leadville had to some degree subsided, he left the town and went to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he remained a year. From there he pro- ceeded to Butte, Mont., where he remained for seven years, meantime having charge of the con- struction of many important public buildings and private residences. From there he returned to Utali and spent four years in Ogden, busily. engaged at his trade.
Since 1893 Mr. Lamborn has made Watson- ville his home and has found this thriving mar- ket town of the Pajaro valley a pleasant place of residence, not only from a climatic standpoint, but also with regard to business possibilities. When the people saw the character of his work, they began to give him contracts and since then he has led a busy life. Among the residences he erected are those for Warren Porter, John Johnson and L. J. Hopkins, also one on Sud- den street for himself. A number of business structures owe their substantial appearance to the reliability of his work as contractor. As an evidence of his energy, it may be stated that during 1901 he built seven houses, remodeled several others, and erected a business block. employing about twelve men all of the year.
By his marriage to Mrs. Martha J. (Case) Weightman, a native of New York state, Mr. Lamborn has a daughter, Eva, now a student in the Watsonville schools. In fraternal rela- tions he is connected with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, holding his member- ship in the latter order in Montana, where he passed all of the chairs and became a member of the grand lodge.
MARK L. LANDRUM.
Peach Tree valley, twenty miles long and av- eraging three-quarters of a mile wide, lying be- tween two low mountains, and running parallel with Salinas valley, is one of the garden spots of Monterey county, and fortunate the posses- sors of land therein. Hither came Mark L. Landrum in 1869, his brother, Joseph, joining him two years later, and their names are asso- ciated with all that is enterprising, both as re- gards farming and stock-raising and typical western citizenship.
A native of Forsythe county, Ga., Mark L. Landrum was born May 17, 1847, and was reared on his father's southern farm until thir- teen years of age. James H. Landrum, the father, came to California in 1850, and after two years of mining and prospecting returned to Georgia, remained there three years and then returned to California and prepared a home for his family in Stanislaus county. He was joined by his wife and children in 1860, during which year lie settled on government land near Knight Ferry, and in 1869 established a ferry across the San Joaquin near Sycamore Bend. He was thus employed for the rest of his life, and his death occurred in 1872, at the age of sixty-one years. His wife was formerly Gatsey Castle- berry, and she bore him eleven children, six of whom are living: William M., one of the pioneer raisers of Angora goats in Texas; Meredith, deceased in Stockton in 1884; John, deceased in 1856; James, deceased in Georgia in 1855, at the age of eighteen years; Nancy J., Mrs. James E. Groves, who died in 1881; Mary, Mrs. E. G. Williams, who died in 1900; Sarah, the widow of Joshua Henderson, of Stockton; Jo- seph, living with Mark L .. and who was born
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April 21, 1844; Mark L., Noah D. and Benja- min C.
When Mark L. Landrum came to the Peach Tree valley it was a very lonely place, and the industries represented here were few and far between. There was a log cabin on the Peach Tree ranch, but no water fit for drinking pur- poses, and not until 1871 did the late arrival succeed in striking at all desirable water. Two miles and a half below the ranch William Lan- drum had his Angora goat settlement, and four miles on the other side was a sheep camp, the end of the valley at the south being taken up with the sheep ranch of Jake Luther. These were the only inhabitants of Peach Tree valley. In 1874 the brothers Landrum homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land apiece, and later purchased the quarter section upon which their home now stands. They now own twelve hundred acres of land, and are engaged in farm- ing and stock-raising, horses, cattle and miles being raised in numbers. The fertility of the soil may be judged of when it is known that twenty-one hundred pounds of wheat to the acre is by no means an unusual yield. The location is altogether desirable, for, in addition to the agricultural possibilities of the soil, oil has been discovered in the surrounding hills only one hundred feet below the surface. These wells are as yet undeveloped, but it is predicted that the new resource will add materially to the value of the surrounding property.
Jannary 26, 1887, Mark L. Landrum mar- ried, and his wife died December 22, 1899, at the age of thirty-nine. She was a native of San Francisco, and was the mother of five chil- dren, viz .: John S., William K., Dorothy, Gat- sey and Mark L., Jr. Mr. Landrum has been prominent in Peach Tree politics, and he is one of the most enthusiastic Populists in the county. He has been postmaster of Peach Tree for the past twenty-five years, notary public for sixteen years, and, beginning with 1876, served as jus- tice of the peace for six years. He is associated with Lodge No. 353. I. O. O. F., of King City; and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is past master. He is the friend and promoter of education, and has been a school director for many years, being at present clerk
of the board. He was the first assessor who had the influence and determination to get suf- ficient money to build a schoolhouse, and has in many ways stimulated interest in this most necessary department of community develop- ment.
HON. JULIUS LEE.
The identification of Judge Lee with the law history of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties has continued ever since 1859, when he came to the Pacific coast, leaving the old associations of his southern home and setting sail upon an unknown sea into an unknown future. He was born in Granby, near Hartford, Conn .. May 25, 1829, and in childhood moved to Hiram, Ohio, with his parents, Hiram and Julia (Pomeroy) Lee. The desire of his parents, aided by his own ambition, enabled him to gain advan- tages not at all common in those days. In 1853 he was graduated from Allegheny (Pa.) College, after which he acted as principal of public schools for two years. A better opening then came to him as professor of Greek and Latin in Washington College, in Tennessee. near Natchez. Miss. Resigning the position a year later, he took up the study of law with Hon. Thomas A. Marshall, of Vicksburg, and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1857. For two years he continued in Vicksburg and on coming to Cali- fornia via the isthmus he shipped via the Horn the valuable library he had accumulated. Ar- riving in San Francisco June 30, 1859. he soon afterward came to Monterey, where he opened an office. Shorly afterward a vacancy occurred in the office of district attorney and he was elected to fill the same, after which he was regularly elected to the office.
During 1862 Judge Lee established his home in Watsonville, where he has handled some of the most important land and civil cases ever tried in this and adjoining counties. The Re- publican party, of which he is a member, at one time tendered him the office of superior judge, but the pressure of his private practice was so great that he declined the position. In 1002 he practically retired from the profession. although he still occasionally acts in consulta-
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tion. In 1867 he married Marcella, daughter of O. D. Elmore, and by her he has a son, Elmore Julius. She was born in Elmira, N. Y., and was quite young when her father settled in Watson- ville, where she was a school teacher during early days.
TOM LEE. ·
Of all places in the United States, the art of the landscape gardener is best appreciated in California, where the opportunities for the exer- cise of his genius and ingenuity are so manifold and varied. Men of this occupation, whose work in the past has contributed to the glory of the show places of Europe, find in the advan- tages of climate and soil, of sunshine and gen- eral environment on the coast, a never-ending outlet for the highest development of their de- lightful and fascinating art. Among those whose gifts in this direction have brought them their most desired expectation is Tom Lee, presiding head of the grounds of the Del Monte Hotel at Monterey, without doubt the most beautiful and extensive hotel and grounds in the United States. One hundred and fifty acres are under cultivation, of which the greater part is under natural timber, and admirably adjustable to the plans of the landscape gardener. The drives, greenhouses and innumerable efforts at orna- mentation are due to the skill of Mr. Lee, who has had charge of his large responsibility since 1894, and has therefore had ample time to get under way his plans for the future.
Born in England, February 26, 1857, Mr. Lce began to learn his trade at the age of sixteen, and was thus employed in his native land until 1884. Arriving in America, he spent a couple of years in San Francisco, and during that time had charge of the grounds of Timothy Hopkins. For a short time in 1886 he was in the Bell con- servatories at Sacramento, and in December, 1886, came to the Del Monte ITotel, first as foreman, and in 1894 was promoted to the posi- tion of general manager of the entire grounds. Before coming to America Mr. Lee married Elizabeth McArthur, a native of Scotland. and of this union there are five children: Maria. Alice, Alfred William, Frances Isabelle, and
Thomas, Jr. Mr. Lee is a Republican in political affiliation, and he has been a member of the Republican committee for two years, and is now serving his second term as trustee of the Del Monte school district. Fraternally he is associ- ated with the Masons and the Independent Or- der of Foresters. The family are members of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Lee is a liberal-minded and progressive member of the community, and has made many friends since identifying his for- tunes with the coast.
J. J. LEWIS.
The subdividing of the large ranches that once characterized Santa Cruz and Monterey counties into the small tracts that are now used for apple orchards or berry gardens has made necessary the services of competent surveyors, and in this line of work Mr. Lewis has the bene- fit of thorough training and long experience. In point of activity, he is the oldest civil engi- neer in Santa Cruz county. During 1888 he erected a residence in Watsonville and moved from his farm into the city, since which time he has given his time to professional work. He is recognized as an authority on maps and bound- ary lines, and his opinion is often sought in the settlement of disputed points.
In Wilmington, Del., J. J. Lewis was born to the union of Enoch and Lydia (Jackson) Lewis, both Quakers. For some years his father was engaged as a teacher of mathematics in Phila- delphia and other cities, after which he aban- doned the schoolroom for the outdoor life of a farmer. He died in 1856 and his wife in 1846. When a boy J. J. Lewis studied surveying and at eighteen was ready to embark in the occupa- tion, but at the time it seemed advisable for him to take up the management of the home farm. From Philadelphia he came to California in 1851 and remained four and one-half years, meantime working at the carpenter's trade in San José. On his return to the east he re- mained for a while in Philadelphia and then moved to Minnesota, where he followed survey- ing in addition to farming. A later place of residence was in Illinois. During 1875 he sold his farm and came to California, buying a farm
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of thirty-four aeres northeast of Watsonville. While living in Watsonville he met with a deep bereavement in the loss of his wife, nee Margaret Wilde, of Minnesota, who died at thirty-one years, leaving six children. The eldest of the family was only thirteen, while the youngest never knew a mother's love. With such help as the oldest children could give him, he took up the care of the family and carefully trained them until they were able to care for themselves. The youngest, Margaret, died when five months old. The others are Mrs. Edith Rider; Mrs. Alice Webb; William E., who is now in Alaska; Frank, a bookkeeper; and Charles B., a civil engineer.
Among the innovations made by Mr. Lewis was that of raising watermelons for the market, in which business he was the pioneer. Since then many others have taken up the work and find it profitable. Besides farming he engaged in gardening, set out apple orchards, raised water- melons and also carried on work in the raising of peas, to which he planted five acres. From ten aeres, he shipped one year, before the Ist of October, two thousand dollars' worth of prod- ucts, which shows the possibilities of the melon industry in this soil. In 1888 he sold his farm and moved into Watsonville, where he built and owns two houses. For some years he served as deputy county surveyor and also filled the office of school trustee.
EDWARD E. LITTLEFIELD.
A native son of California whose efforts have reflected eredit upon Monterey county is Ed- ward E. Littlefield, partner of William E. Bent- ley in a general farming and stock-raising enter- prise on fifteen hundred aeres of the old Buena Vista ranch. He enjoys the advantage of being a nephew of Hiram Corey, whose influence and help have invariably resulted in good to his friends and associates. Mr. Littlefield was born at Bloomfield, Sonoma county, Cal., May 16, 1866. His father, Charles Littlefield, a native of Michigan, came to California and located at Bloomfield, where he engaged in the sheep and livery business, and where he married. Hc is at present living at Eureka, Humboldt county,
Cal., is sixty-five years of age, and has charge of a successful livery business. He married Sarah Corey, a native of Canada, and sister of Hiram Corey, mentioned in another part of this work. Mrs. Littlefield died in 1870, leaving four small children to the care of their father. Of these, Emma is the wife of G. A. Daugherty, of Salinas; Warren is assistant cashier of the Mon- terey County Bank of Salinas; and Rose is the wife of B. V. Sargent, an attorney of Salinas and superior judge of Monterey county.
Edward E. Littlefield was the second in his father's family, and was four years old when his mother died. It was her especial wish that her brother Hiram should assume the bringing up of Edward and his sisters, and the latter re- mained in the home of Mr. Corey until their marriage. In his home they were tenderly reared by their aunt, who was a beautiful char- acter, and treated them as she would her own children. They had special private teachers, and were given every advantage possible under the circumstances. When fourteen years old, Ed- ward E. entered the University of the Pacific. remaining there for two years, and after that worked for his uncle by the month, the farm comprising eight thousand acres. Upon the disposal of the farm to a company in 1889, which company returned five thousand acres, Mr. Lit- thefield rented a part of it, and again worked for his uncle for four years. He then rented a farm for six years, and in 1801 he leased the present farm in partnership with his cousin, Mr. Bentley.
The wife of Mr. Littlefield is Emma, the daughter of Joseph Snyder, of Salinas. Of this union there are four children, Everett Austin, Blanche Corey, Charles Marvin and Emma Mil- dred. Mr. Littlefield is a Republican, and is at present a school trustee. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
B. F. NORRIS.
For the past nine years Mr. Norris has been successfully conducting a meat-market in King City, and he has come to be regarded as one of the reliable business men of the town. He was born in Garnet. Anderson county, Kans., in 1860, and is a son of Elias Norris, who is spend-
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ing the later years of an industrious life with his son. The family came to California in 1875, and settled in Sonoma county, where they lived for many years. B. F. Norris left his father's home in 1878, determined to become independ- ent financially, and in quest of a desirable loca- tion traveled extensively through different parts of the state. He chanced in King City in 1885. where he took up the government land near San Ardo which he still owns. Here he raises cattle for his market in King City. His efforts to succeed have been more than realized, for he has a large trade, and is highly esteemed by all who know him. Considerable real-estate has come into his possession from time to time, and he still owns a number of valuable town lots. He is fraternally a Knight of Pythias, and is a mem- ber and past chancellor of Lodge No. 54 at San Lucas.
On the maternal side, the family with which Mr. Norris is connected is of special interest, his mother having been a Miss Pattie, descendant of James O. Pattie, who, with his father, crossed the plains to California in 1824. The undertak- ing at the time was so remarkable that E. H. Flint, in a book entitled "Personal Narratives of James O. Pattie, of Kentucky." gives a detailed account of the expedition of the father and son, the book, which was published in 1833, being of a most graphic and interesting nature. These early and venturesome travelers started from St Louis in 1824, and crossed the Missouri river June 20th of the same year, reaching Council Bluffs June 30th. After reaching the Pacific ocean James O. made his way to Vera Cruz, Mexico, on the return trip, having been six years in covering the ground over which he journeyed. They were made captives, and in the enforced absence from those who were near and dear to them. the tireless father and boon companion was stricken with death. John A. Pattie, the brother of James O., was the father of Mrs. N. J. Norris, the mother of B. F. Mrs. Norris' grandfather settled in Kentucky in 1781, taking up land on the south side of the Ken- tucky river.
In January, 1894, Mr. Norris married Mary Casey, and of this union there is one child, Walter B., who is six years old. In national pol
ities Mr. Norris is a Democrat, but usually votes for the man he thinks best qualified for the posi- tion at stake. He is broad-minded and liberal in his estimate of people and events. and is one of the progressive influences of his county.
HENRY NELSON.
A representative son of Sweden who has par- tially realized his expectations in regard to Cal- ifornia is Henry Nelson, the owner of a one hundred and twelve acre ranch near Paso Robles, and who is extensively engaged in the cultivation of wheat, and the raising of cattle, horses and hogs. To his work Mr. Nelson brings the thoroughness characteristic of his people, and the neatness and thrift evi- dent from a survey of his property suggests a continuation of his present prosperity.
Born in Sweden, near Roben, December 25, 1834, Mr. Nelson is a son of Nels Nelson, a man of considerable importance in his native land, and who was engaged in the combined occupa- tions of charcoal burning and cattle raising. He lived to be seventy-one years of age, and set for his children an example of industry and economy. He married Maria Henderson, dangh- ter of Henry Henderson, a Swedish farmer, who died when his daughter was a child. Four sons and five daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, of whom Henry is the youngest but one.
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