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 67
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For a few years all went well, but finally the squatters were dispersed by law and their claims were taken from them. He made a test case of his property, but was obliged to submit, losing all of his improvements. Forced to start anew, he bought a ranch of ninety acres, for which he
paid $33-33 an acre. In those days that was considered a very high price, but since then some of the same property has been sold for from $100 to $1,000 an acre. About 1864 hc built a house near the river, but this he later moved to First street, nearly one-half mile away. When he first settled in the Pajaro valley, he and Reuben Pardoe, with the assistance of a negro. engaged in freighting from here to Stockton, using for that purpose three eight- mule teams. Considerable freighting was also done to the coast. Mr. Tuttle was one of the first to own and operate a threshing machine in the valley. These were of the old style, with five sweeps and three teams on each.
During the drought of 1864 Mr. Tuttle had his large herd of cattle at Lonetree, in San Benito county, but could not find sufficient pas- turage for them there, and so sold all at $6 a head (including the calves). The following year such of the herd as had escaped the drought were gathered together by a Cherokee, Joe Mateo, who put his brand on them and sold them for $40 per head. In those days there were 10 railroads, hence cattle could not be shipped out of the country in times of drought. During the early part of 1860 Mr. Tuttle planted a twenty-acre tract in apples, but these proved to be of common stock and unmarketable, so the trees were later dug up. Besides his other en- terprises, he engaged extensively in raising po- tatoes and grain. In company with S. Yoacham, he opened a meat market in Watsonville. in which he was afterward succeeded by his son, Owen S. Though averse to public office, he consented to serve as town trustee and road commissioner, and acted as a delegate to the state convention at the time of the adoption of the new constitution. At the time of his death. May 31. 1804. he was seventy years of age. Ilis wife, who was born in 1826, died in 1896. Their children were named as follows: Dr. Hiram P .. deceased: Owen S .; Mary E., who married J. S. Menasco; Emma, deceased; Frank G. and Reuben S.
Since his earliest recollections Owen S. Tuttle has been associated with Santa Cruz county. About 1880 he succeeded his father in the mar- ket and two years later bought out S. Yoacham.
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continuing to carry on the business until 1896, when he leased the market to his son, George A., and brother, R. S. Since then he has given his attention mainly to farming and dealing in stock. He owns the old homestead of sixty acres adjoining the city limits. Fraternally he is connected with the Foresters, Workmen. lodge of Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs. His interest in educational matters has been shown by his service as school trustee. For four years he also held the office of city trustee.
February 7. 1872, Mr. Tuttle married Edna Andrews, who was born in Stephenson county, 111., February 10, 1857. and died August 10, 1877. Her father. George Andrews, was a Cali- fornia pioneer from New York state. At her death she left two sons: George A., who mar- ried Benella Wilcox, and is now in charge of the market at Watsonville: and D. Roy, who married Maude Skinner and died in 1895. The second marriage of Owen S. Tuttle united him with Sarah, daughter of K. F. Redman, who is represented elsewhere in this volume. The children born of their union are Allver R .. Edna May and Ruth Clair.
HEMAN TOMPKINS.
The farm of Heman Tompkins, in Peach Tree. Monterey county, consists of four thousand and five hundred acres of desirable land. devoted for the greater part to stock-raising, although gen- eral farming is engaged in to some extent. As far as the eye can reach may be seen stock of various kinds grazing in the fertile and pro- ductive meadows, and everywhere are to be found innumerable evidences of the neatness. thrift and successful management of the pros- perous owner.
In his occupation Mr. Tompkins.is but fol- lowing the example of his parents and the train- ing of his youth, for his boyhood and early manhood were spent in doing his share of work on the paternal farm in the state of New York, where he was born September 19. 1833. When arrived at twenty-one years of age. he started ont to make an independent livelihood, and selected California as possessing the best possible chances. Arriving, after a water journey by way
of Panama, he went to the mines in Eldorado county, where he experienced the successes and failures incident to that vocation. Then he went to British Columbia and stayed there five years. Returning to Eldorado county, he remained there until 1870. For the following two years he lived on a farm in Wild Horse Cañon, and then pre-empted three hundred and twenty acres of his present farm, to which was later added enough land to make the forty-five hun- dred acres now comprising the farm. The mar- riage of Mr. Tompkins and Mary Nattrass oc- curred in 1871, and Mrs. Tompkins has been of great assistance to her husband in his life work.
PETER STORM.
One of the valuable farms of the Pajaro valley is that owned and managed by Peter Storm, who has found his greatest success in develop- ing this fertile part of Monterey county. Feb- ruary 4, 1854. Mr. Storm was born in Schles- wig-Holstein, then a province of Denmark, but now in Germany, and came to America with his father. J. P. Storm, in 1867. The elder Storm was also horn in Schleswig, and was a farmer and wheelwright in his native land. In June, 1867, he came to the Pajaro valley and rented land for a year. Afterward he bought three hundred acres of land, which he improved from the wild, and lived thereon for the rest of his farming days. While on a visit to Denmark he died in his seventieth year, and was buried in the land where had lived so many of his ancestors. He was very successful after coming to California, for. in addition to his original farm, he bought two others in the valley, one of which contained two hundred acres and the other one hundred acres. These were sold be- fore his death, and the gain therefrom helped to swell the fortune which resulted from his wise investments and conservative management.
Peter Storm was thirteen years of age when his father settled in the valley, and he worked on the home farm and attended a private school for about six months. He then rented land from his father and conducted an independent farm- ing and stock raising enterprise, and in connec- tion therewith worked on a threshing machine
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for throw summers. For three years he rented a farm in the Salinas valley, but this venture proved disastrous owing to drought, and Mr. Storm lost about all that he had. For the fol- lowing fifteen years he rented the old McCoskey ranch of five hundred acres, and while thus employed was successful beyond his expecta- tions. In 1801 he became a land owner in the valley, purchasing his present ranch of two hun- dired and ten acres, one hundred and ten of which are in the valley, while the rest is hill land for pasture and farming. In 1899 he put out thirty acres in apples, and at the present time the trees are just beginning to bear.
In 1883 Mr. Storm paid a visit of seven months to his old home in Schleswig, and after his return married Hannah Christina Fisher, also born in Schleswig. Of this union there have been born nine children, three of whom died when young. Of the living children, Andy Peter is attending the business college at Santa Cruz; Anna, Maria, Jessie, Minnie and Emma are attending school and living at home. Mr. Storm follows his father's example as far as politics is concerned, but although a stanch upholder of Democratic principles has never mningled with local official affairs. He is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church, and is a con- sistent and enterprising citizen. Fraternally he belongs to Watsonville Lodge No. 110, F. & A. M .; Temple Chapter No. 41, R. A. M .; and Watsonville Commandery No. 22, K. T.
IOWA H. TUTTLE.
One of the most enterprising and successful of the far-sighted men who have taken advantage of the berry and apple possibilities of the Pajaro valley is Iowa H. Tuttle, manager of an eighty- acre ranch about one mile from Watsonville. Mr. Tuttle is one of the enthusiastic residents of this valley, and his efforts here have been praiseworthy. While his name is associ- ated with the growth of his locality, he is entitled to more than passing mention because of his association with the organization of the Pajaro Valley Board of Trade, in May, 1900. The pur- pose of the board is to mite all organizations having to do with the various growers of the
valley, and is calculated to improve general con- ditions, and elevate the already exceptional standards. The helpful associations of the board have been realized by many of the fruit growers, and the already large membership is constantly increasing as its merits become known. For their meetings and exhibits the association has been tendered the club rooms and privileges of the Pajaro Valley Wheelmen, who, for the consideration of $200, have given up all right thereto. At the exhibits are to be found the choicest samples of field, orchard and factory production, and an interest is thus maintained in all that is excellent and the best in its line. Members and would-be members have the privi- lege of meeting the officers of the board of directors at their regular meetings the first Tues- day each month, and every reasonable induce- ment is held out to all who desire the benefits of the association.
A native son of Iowa, Mr. Tuttle was born in Van Buren county, February 23, 1868, a son of Owen and Mary E. (Burns) Tuttle, natives re- spectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Tut- tle family has been well known in Massachusetts for many years. A relative of lowa H. evinced his interest in the cause of education by present- ing to Harvard College the ground upon which the institution was built. Owen Tuttle became associated with Iowa when twelve years of age, having removed to the state with his parents. In 1851 he made a trip to California across the plains with ox-teams, and was so well pleased with the prospects that he brought his family and located in Santa Cruz county, this being his home until his death in July, 1899. He was a prominent Republican, and was school trustee ior sixteen years. Of the nine children born to himself and wife, the following are living: Hiram D .: Morris B .; Emory () .; Anna Bell, now Mrs. Radcliff; Nan E., the widow of R. L. Craig, and now president of the R. L. Craig Wholesale Grocery Company, of Los Angeles; Della, the wife of Dr. Schloss, of San Francisco; and Victor II.
Iowa H. Tuttle was reared to farming, and educated in the public schools. In June, 1800, he married Lillie Tyrrel, a native of Oakland, ('al., and of this union there have been born
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three children, Urania, Lois and Ione. Like his father, Mr. Tuttle is a stanch Republican, and he is fraternally connected with the Masons and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was president of the Watsonville Mckinley Club during the last two elections, and has rendered valuable service to the party which he repre- sents. Mr. Tuttle has a pleasant rural home about a mile from Watsonville, and with his fam- ily he is noted for his hospitality and social prominence.
A. TOGNAZZINI.
The qualities which bring success to a man, when in a strange country and among a people whose language is unfamiliar, are certainly of no ordinary kind. The path to fortune is not strewn with flowers, even under the most favor- able circumstances; and in the life of Mr. Tog- mazzini there were many obstacles to overcome which do not impede the progress of most young men. Hence the high degree of success he has achieved merits especial consideration and proves him to be the possessor of unusual abil- ity. Born of Swiss parents, in the city of Ticino, Switzerland, May 27, 1846, he had no advan- tages in boyhood, except that under his father's oversight he was able to gain a thorough knowl- edge of the dairy business, which afterward proved most helpful. He was the youngest of five children and was given a common-school odlucation.
After a journey of seventy-five days from Switzerland, Mr. Tognazzini arrived in San Francisco. His reason for seeking a home in the far west was the favorable report he had heard concerning its opportunities in the dairy industry. Going to Marin county, he secured employment at $15 a month, which amount was soon doubled. In the fall of 1866 he rented a tract of land and one hundred cows from his former employer, and with this start he em- barked in the dairy business for himself. From the first he was successful. In 1868 he rented fourteen hundred acres of land and bought one hundred and fifty cows, investing in the stock the proceeds of the work of the two previous years. For six years he continued on the same
place, meantime accumulating considerable means. In 1872 he purchased a ranch near Cay- ucos, San Luis Obispo county, and there he made his home for some years. Before moving to San Luis Obispo county, he gave the charge of the Cayucos ranch to a nephew, who man- aged the dairy of one hundred and fifty cows. For five years after he came to this county he rented two thousand acres, paying seventy-five cents an acre. On every hand the prediction was made that the venture would prove a fail- ure, but such gloomy prognostications did not daunt the one principally concerned. Indeed, they served as spurs to inspire him with a greater determination to succeed, and he was able to prove the wisdom of his judgment in a very short time.
In 1881 Mr. Tognazzini bought thirty-two hundred acres near Santa Barbara, and stocked the place with two hundred and fifty milch cows. With a partner, in 1884, he purchased seven thousand acres in Santa Barbara county, which was divided into dairies. On his ranch one and one-half miles northeast of Cayucos he built a comfortable house, the homelike appearance of which was enhanced by the presence of trees and shrubs in considerable numbers. His pos- sessions in the vicinity of Cayucos aggregate almost two thousand acres, a portion of which has been utilized for dairy purposes, while the balance is planted to general farm products or used for the pasturage of horses and other stock.
The marriage of Mr. Tognazzini took place in San Francisco in 1867 and united him with Madeline Reghetti, a native of Switzerland. Five children were born of their union, three of whom are living, namely: Virgil N .; Valerio, an engineer, who received his diploma in Zurich, Switzerland; and Clelia, wife of Romilio Mus- cio, who is connected with the Commercial Bank of San Luis Obispo county. The children were given excellent advantages, not only in this country, but also in Europe.
In the Masonic order Mr. Tognazzini has at- tained the thirty second degree. Politically he bas voted with the Republicans ever since he became an American citizen. While he was in his old home in Europe. in 1892, he was hon- ored by his fellow citizens, who elected him to
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the legislature. In 1897 he made a second trip to Switzerland, in company with H. Brunner, of San Francisco, Cal., for the purpose of estab- lishing the Swiss-American Bank of San Fran- cisco, which they succeeded in doing. and the bank is in a flourishing condition, having been managed by several of the best financiers of San Francisco. He is an officer in this bank. Henry Brunner, who is one of its head men, was also connected with him in the organization of the Commercial Bank of San Luis Obispo, with which he has since been associated as a stock- holder. For the past few years he has been at the head of the Pacific Land Company, one of the most important enterprises of the central coast region.
It will be readily recognized that Mr. Tog- mazzini has attained a success greater than is reached by many men, even though they are persistent, industrious and persevering. This is doubtless due to the fact that he has the qualities just named, and has besides a well-balanced mind and sound judgment. His foresight is remark- able, hence his mistakes in investment's have been few. Ranching would seem to demand qualities very different from those necessary in the banking business, yet he has been able to follow both lines of work successfully, and is no less proud of his success in dairying than of his acknowledged fitness for affairs of finance.
PETER TOGNAZZINI.
Left fatherless when he was only five years of age. Mr. Tognazzini was deprived of advantages that he would have otherwise enjoyed. How- ever, in spite of hardships and obstacles, in spite of having to start for himself in a strange country without friends, he has gained a suc- cess that reflects credit upon his sterling Swiss characteristics. Since 1860 he has lived in Cali- fornia, having during that year emigrated from Switzerland, where he was born in 1852. The voyage was made via Boston and the Isthmus of Panama to San Francisco, where he arrived March 20, 1860. At first he worked in the em- ploy of dairymen in Marin and Sonoma counties, and thus gained a knowledge of the business, as carried on in the west.
During 1873 Mr. Tognazzini came to San Luis Obispo county, where he has since made his home. Renting land on Little Cayucos creek, he stocked it with a herd of dairy cows, and from that small beginning he has built up a large dairy business. As soon as he had the necessary means, he purchased land. In 1880 he bought two hundred and twenty acres, to which he later added two hundred acres. At this writing he owns six hundred and fifteen acres of fine land near Guadaloupe, of which in 1901 he had two hundred and fifty acres in al- falfa for his dairy cows. He was the first in all the vicinity to attempt the raising of alfalfa, and his success proved that his judgment was not amiss in believing it would be a profitable crop.
Since becoming a property owner Mr. Tog- nazzini has given close attention to the improve- ment of his land. He has planted trees, includ- ing a number of fine palms. In 1800 he erected a residence which is unrivaled among the homes on the Little Cayucos. His dairy house is pro- vided with the modern improvements. Between one and two hundred cows of the Holstein breed form the dairy, and the butter produced is of sitch a fine quality that it has several times been awarded premiums at county fairs. No one is more familiar with the dairy business than Mr. Tognazzini, and his thorough acquaintance with the industry is proving financially profitable to him. The dairymen throughout his county rec- ognize in him one of the leading representatives of their occupation, and his influence is every- where acknowledged. He is a director of the Dairymen's Union of San Francisco. As presi- dent and a director of the Guadaloupe Creamery Company at Guadaloupe and president of the Union Creamery at Morro. he is closely asso- ciated with two growing industries that are proving helpful to their localities. These inter- ests, while important and far-reaching, do not represent the limit of Mr. Tognazzini's influ- ence. In addition he is a director of the San Luis Commercial Bank, the San Luis Obispo Savings Bank of San Luis Obispo, and the Swiss-American Bank of San Francisco.
Since coming to America and entering into citizenship in our country Mr. Tognazzini has
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been actively associated with local Republican affairs. As a member of the county central committee and as executive member from the Cayucos district, he has done much to pro- mote the welfare of his party here, and he also represented his district as a delegate to the state convention which nominated Hon. H. H. Mark- ham for governor of California. For several years he has been a school trustee., Fraternally he is connected with San Simeon Lodge No. 196, F. & A. M .; San Luis Obispo Chapter No. 62, R. A. M .; and San Luis Obispo Command- ery No. 27, K. T. In the lodge he is a past master and has been a delegate to the state grand lodge. At the time the proposition was made to build a railroad from Templeton to Cayucos he was deeply interested in the project, took a personal interest in the scheme and con- tributed toward the fund for the making of the survey. In 1881 he married Miss Mary Gaxi- ola, by whom he has five children, Irene, Ro- meo, Juliet, Mabel and Benjamin.
HERBERT E. TITAMORE.
A typical Canadian who has found the change from his somewhat bleak land to Monterey county both a delightful and profitable one is Herbert E. Titamore, engaged in raising grain on one hundred and eighty acres of the old Buena Vista ranch. Mr. Titamore, who brings to his California tasks that enthuiasm so charac- teristic of the northern reared, was born in Que- bec Province, Canada, August 2, 1854. His father, Abraham, spent his life on the frontier of Canada, his farm being located at the spot where the Fenians made their memorable raid during 1866-8. The father was a man of im- portance in his community, and for more than fifty years was postmaster at St. Armand Cen- ter, where he is still living at the age of seventy- six. His wife, formerly Elizabeth Toof, was a native of Canada, and her forefathers were Pennsylvania Dutchmen.
When twenty years of age Herbert E. Tita- more married and left the home of his youth, living for a year on a rented farm. In the fall of 1867 he came to Monterey county and worked for that venerable pioneer, Hiram Corey,
who owned the ranch upon which Mr. Tita- more now lives. At the expiration of three years he bought an interest in a ferry boat at what is now Riverside, and during the following five or six years manipulated the ferry during the summer time and engaged in teaming dur- ing the winter season. He then purchased five or six hundred acres of land among the moun- tains on the stock range, and for seven years raised cattle and horses in large numbers. Af- ter a trip east to his old home he leased about four hundred acres of the old Corey ranch, lived thereon for six years, and in 1901 bought seventy-eight acres at the foot of the hills, the same constituting a part of the old Buena Vista ranch. He also purchased the three-quarters of an acre upon which he lives, and besides rents one hundred and ten acres, making in all one hundred and eighty acres. This land is mostly under grain, principally barley and oats. At present he has thirty-six head of cattle and fifteen horses. He is very successful, and is one of the most practical and enterprising farmers in the neighborhood.
November II, 1875, Mr. Titamore married Mary E. I'ell, a native of Canada. Four chil- dren have been born of this union, namely, Minard; Nettie, living at home; Frank, attend- ing a mechanical school in San Francisco; and Carl, at home. Mr. Titamore is a Republican, and though not an office-seeker himself is often active in the interests of his friends. The family are members of the United Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Titamore is treasurer.
FRED THERWACHTER.
The fertility of the Pajaro valley has enabled inany a newcomer to California to realize his expectations in regard to life on the coast. Among the people thus favored may be men- tioned Fred Therwachter, a pioneer of 1854, and the owner and occupant of one hundred and thirteen acres of rich bottom land near Watson- ville, advantageously located on the bank of the river. That this land is all that is claimed for it is best illustrated by the guaranteed statement that in 1901 fifty acres yielded ten hundred and forty tons of sugar beets. General farming is
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carriel on wolf equal success on this model farm, potatoes being raised in large quantities, as well as a fair amount of fruit.
From his native land of Germany, where he was born May 5, 1833, Mr. Therwachter brought the characteristic thrift and enterprise of his countrymen. He inherits a liking for farming from his parents, John and Mary (Hanke) Ther- wachter, the former of whom died in 1852. They were the parents also of Margaret, Cath- crine and Caroline, as well as another son, all of whom are living in America, and are making their homes in cither St. Louis or New York. After arriving in America in 1850, Mr. Ther- wachter investigated the farming and other con- ditions in New York state, and during his four years' residence there mastered the trade of cab- inet-making, which he failed to follow, owing to the effect of necessary confinement upon his impaired health. He came to California via Central America in 1854, and for a year lived at Soquel, and for five years engaged in mining at Robinson's Ferry. Arriving in Watsonville in 1858, he lived for two years in the town, and in 1860 purchased the farm upon which he has since lived. In the meantime he has grown in the esteem of his fellow townsmen, so that his sueeess includes that without which no truly worthy man is satisfied, the confidence and hon- orable appreciation of those by whom he is surrounded.
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