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 71
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After traveling across the great plains for three months the party struck the cross-timbers of Texas, where they took a northerly course across the plains. About the latter part of August they reached the Arkansas river, along which they traveled to Pike's Peak. There they spent a few days and then entered the moun- tains. In November they established the camp one hundred miles above Pike's Peak, but on the 27th of that month the Indians massaered two of their men, destroyed their winter quar- ters and escaped with their provisions. They then retreated to New Mexico. A few days after reaching New Mexico Mr. Leese entered the store of Mr. St. Varan, of San Fernando, with whom he made an agreement satisfactory to each. October 27, 1833, he left New Mexico with a Spanish trading party and arrived at Los Angeles December 24. having there the good fortune to meet Isaac Williams, an old associate of the hunting expedition. June I he visited Monterey, at that time the capital of California, and here he formed some warm acquaintance- ships, among others meeting General Figueroa,
who gave him a general passport as well as letters to all the padres of the missions. It was his intention to contract with the padres for all the mules they had to sell, it being his ambi- tion to obtain control of the mule trade between California and New Mexico. With the padres of San Miguel and San Luis Obispo he made arrangements to get one hundred mules every year at $14 each, $7 to be paid down and the balance on his return. In this way he reached Los Angeles in September with four hundred and fifty mules and horses. In October he started with nine men for the Mohave river, intending to join the returning Mexiean party, but found on his arrival that they had passed a few days before. Proceeding on his way, he met with disaster in a short time by reason of an attack from Indians, who stampeded their mules so that they could collect only twenty-seven head. About the same time he learned that the New Mexicans, eamped but a few hundred yards above, had been attacked and five of their num- ber massacred.
Thankful to escape with his life, Mr. Leese returned to California. Until the spring of 1836 he engaged in commercial business in Los An- geles. From there he went to Monterey and formed a connection with Capt. W. S. Hinckley and Nathan Spear for the purpose of establish- ing a business on the bay of San Francisco. On his return to Los Angeles, he closed out his business and left for the north, arriving at Santa Barbara at the same time with a schooner which had on board a new governor, Gen. Mariano Chico. The two traveled to the capital to- gether, and there the governor gave Mr. Leese a letter to the authorities of San Francisco, em- powering them to give him a grant of one hun- dred yards of land anywhere on the bay of San Francisco that he might wish to locate. This letter he presented to the alealde, with the state- ment that he desired to locate on the beach of Yerba Buena cove. After considerable discus- sion and a second visit to the governor, the desired space was secured, and he arrived at Yerba Buena July I. His house was finished in time to celebrate the Fourth of July, and on that day for the first time the stars and stripes waved over the land of Yerba Buena. It was
David Leese
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a memorable occasion. Vessels lying in port supplied bunting for decorations; bands gave their sweetest music; among the sixty guests was Gen. M. G. Vallejo, who proposed a toast to Washington. Dancing and other amuse- ments followed the banquet, and as Mr. Leese observed in his diary, "Our 4th ended on the evening of the 5th."
April 1, 1837, Mr. Leese married Rosalie Vallejo, a sister of the general. Their eldest child, Rosalie Leese, was the first born in Yerba Buena. He continued in the commercial business until August, 1841, when he sold out to the Hudson Bay Company and removed to Sonoma. Two years later he made an expedi- tion to Oregon, taking with him eleven hundred head of cattle. The trip consumed seventy days, during which time he and his companions were constantly annoyed by Indians lurking in am- bush. When near Colusi they were attacked by the savages, who killed some of their cattle. At last, however, they reached Oregon in safety and disposed of the stock at fair prices. The return trip was made on one of the Hudson Bay Company's vessels, the voyage from the mouth of the Columbia to the bay of San Francisco taking five days. From there Mr. Leese re- turned to Sonoma, and there remained until June 12, 1846, when, through misrepresentation, he fell under the displeasure of Colonel Fre- mont, who caused his arrest. He was taken to Sacramento and placed in close confinement, together with General Vallejo and others, re- maining there until August 1, when all were liberated by order of Captain Montgomery. After his release Mr. Leese returned to Sonoma. At the time of the discovery of gold he removed to Monterey and soon afterward made a voy- age to China, returning with one of the richest cargoes China had sent to our country up to that date. The change which took place during the fourteen months of his absence was re- markable. When he left there were fourteen vessels in the harbor, but when he returned in 1849 he found four hundred ships, waving the flags of almost every country in the world, and appearing "like a great forest of dead trees," as Mr. Leese expressed it. Nor was the change noticeable only in the harbor. Land which had
been worth only $200 sold readily for as many thousand. The tranquil quiet of Yerba Buena was gone, having given place to noisy bustle and reckless excitement. Men were delirious over the discovery of gold and rushed madly into speculation of every form. Fortunes were madly staked and lost and won in an hour.
The subsequent years of Mr. Leese's life were quietly passed in Monterey, where he was surrounded by the comforts to which his carly toil justified him. Like the majority of pioneers, he was a man of positive character, strong pur- pose, high resolve and untiring perseverance. Through all the toil and danger, the trials and temptations which ever beset the path of the pioneer, he carefully preserved the "image in which he was created;" and his mild and digni- fied manner, cheerful face and kindly manner spoke to all of a life well. spent and a mind at peace with all. His death occurred at the family homestead February 1, 1892.
For facts contained in this article the writer acknowledges indebtedness to "The 'Hesperian," published in San Francisco in June of 1859.
DAVID LEESE.
In the old home of General Vallejo, his uncle, David Leese was born at Sonoma, Cal., in 1846, being a son of Jacob Primer Leese by his mar- riage to Rosalie Vallejo, of an old Spanish fam- ily. In the preceding biography the reader will find the life history of Jacob P. Leese, who was one of the well-known and resourceful Cali- fornia pioneers, a man of tact, energy, ambition and keen judgment, well fitted for the task of carving a great state out of a then wilderness.
Almost the entire life of David Leese has been spent in Monterey county. He was three years of age when the family came here from Sonoma, just about the time gold was discovered in Cali- fornia. The schools in which he studied were not of high grade, but being a diligent pupil. he acquired a fair education. In 1874 he went to Salinas, where he made his home for seven years. Returning from there to Monterey, he spent three years in town, and then settled upon the Cooper ranch, which is his present home. September 8, 1875, he married Miss Delia Mar-
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tin, who was born in Oakland, Cal. Her father, William G. Martin, a native of Ken- tucky and a connection of the Green and Boone families, came to California in 1851, making the journey across the plains with ox-teams. By his marriage to Sarah A. Chapman he became connected with an old Virginian family, founded in America during colonial days. Nine chil- dren were born to the marriage of David Leese and Delia Martin. One of these died in infancy, and another, Adelaide, died when nineteen years old. Those now living are Herbert, Grace, David W., Edith A., Delia O., Jessie F. and Bertha.
Under the supervision of Mr. Leese there are between ten and twelve hundred acres, much under cultivation, and a large part well adapted to pasturing stock. Fraternally Mr. Leese is identified with the Masonic order at King City. In politics he is a Republican, devoted to party principles. For the past fifteen years he has held the office of trustee, his last election being without opposition, a fact that indicates his popularity as a man and a citizen.
ROBERT E. HAMILTON.
The junior member of the firm of Parsons & Hamilton, soap and glue manufacturers of Santa Cruz, was born in Ireland, in March, 1856, a son of Isaac and Martha (McCormick) Hamilton, the former of whom was a large grain dealer in Ireland, and the father also of William Hamilton, of Santa Cruz.
When Robert E. Hamilton landed in New York, in 1874, he had to his credit eighteen years of life, and assets composed chiefly of cn- thusiasm and adaptability. After engaging for a year in the coal business in San Francisco, he came to Santa Cruz in 1876, and for ten years engaged in farming and stock-raising. His soap manufacturing experience was inaugurated in 1886, when, with Mr. Parsons, he began to make soap of different kinds, including five dif- ferent grades of laundry soap. The plant covers five acres of ground, and turns out about ten thousand bars of soap a month. The glue man- ufactured is by far the best in the state of Cali- fornia, and forms an important item of revenue to the firm.
The pleasant home of Mr. Hamilton is pre- sided over by his wife, who was formerly Eliza- beth F. Parsons, daughter of Henry Parsons, of Santa Cruz. Of this union there is one child, Henry, who is living at home. Mr. Hamilton is a Republican in politics and has held various positions of trust in the community, including that of councilman for two years. He is frater- nally connected with the Independent Order Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Episcopal Church, while his wife belongs to the Baptist Church. He has the respect and esteem of all who know him, and is regarded as one of the substantial business men of the town.
CAPT. GILBERT L. ANDERSON.
The connection of Captain Anderson with the coast shipping service dates back to October, 1868, and has continued uninterruptedly to the present time, when he is agent of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, with office at Santa Cruz. Of Scotch birth and parentage, born in 1834, in the land of the heather, he grew to manhood on the bleak and icebound shores of Prince Edward, where he gained a livelihood by clerking. During 1859 he arrived in California, landing in San Francisco and proceeding from there to Santa Clara county, where he worked for a short time on a ranch owned by James Lick. A later location was near Watsonville, where he bought a ranch, and, in order to pay for the same, worked on the Taylor ranch near by. On selling his land he became interested in the shipping of grain and produce at Pajaro, which adjoins Watsonville. In the days of surf- boat loading he became assistant agent to Ed- ward Sanborn in the fall of 1868. Later he acted in the same capacity for Captain Debney and then for Mr. Post. In 1870 he went to .Aptos to take charge of the shipping business for Mr. Spreckels at that point. When it was washed away, in 1880, he came to Santa Cruz, which has since been his home and the center of his business activities.
At the time Captain Anderson became con- nected with the shipping business, the process of loading vessels was unique. As it was im-
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possible for them to come to the shore, they were anchored some little distance out at sea. The freight to be shipped was carried on the backs of Indians along the beach and through the low water until the surfboats were reached, when they were thrown into these small boats. On the boat being loaded it was pulled by horse power to the ship and taken thereon. One thon- sand sacks of grain carried to the ship was con- sidered an excellent record for one day's work. Such a mode of loading seems crude and primi- tive, but it was the best available at that time and met the needs of the people. The wharf at Santa Cruz was built by the South Coast Narrow Gauge Railroad, and is twelve hundred feet long and twelve feet deep at low tide, with a rise of six feet. The broad and narrow gauge tracks run from the Southern Pacific yards to the end of the wharf, thus increasing the facili- ties for shipment. From this wharf are shipped all kinds of products, and the receipts are also large and important. On either side of the wharf may be seen fishermen following their calling, and there are also deep water fishermen near by. The pier furnishes a landing place for the many pleasure steam yachts that sail out from Santa Cruz or seek this charming resort from other cities. The shipments from the wharf ag- gregate about one thousand tons per month, which indicates the large amount of business transacted in the Pajaro valley and the excel- lent crops raised throughout the county.
Besides his home in Santa Cruz, Captain An- derson owns a ranch at Aptos. He married Mary Moreland, a sister of the late Samuel Moreland, of Watsonville. They are the par- ents of four children, namely: Robert, who is a railroad man; Horace, who lives in San Luis Obispo county; Albert, who is freight agent at Santa Cruz; and Mrs. Josie Gillian, of Santa Cruz.
MRS. MARY E. FAGEN.
Some time before Horace Greeley gave his advice, "Go west, young man," there were sturdy young men who were braving the dan- gers of the mountains and deserts, and seeking their fortunes in the mines of the Pacific coast region. The discovery of gold was the lode-
stone which drew John B. Perry to the west in 1850, but his ventures in mining resulted so dis- astrously to his health that he relinquished min- ing and removed to Santa Cruz. A carpenter by trade, he built many of the first houses in this place, and also erected a home for his fam- ily, for whom he sent back east in 1853. IJis wife, Elizabeth, nee Green, and their children, Mary E., Charles C. and Alphonso B., joined him in his new location. The daughter, who was born in Sandwich, Mass., taught a private school in the front room of her father's house when she was only fifteen years of age, having about twenty-five pupils. Later she was en- gaged as assistant to Mrs. Eliza Farnham in teaching the first public school in this city.
March 4, 1859, Miss Mary E. Perry became the wife of Albion P. Jordan, a son of Capt. Peter Jordan, who served in the war of 1812. Having learned the engineer's trade, in 1849 Mr. Jordan came to California and secured em- ployment as engineer on a steamboat plying from Sacramento to San Francisco. While thus employed he met I. E. Davis, who was likewise an engineer. By chance these two men learned of a place where lime could be found, and, test- ing this in his engine, Mr. Jordan proved it to be of fine quality. The discovery was of the greatest importance, for hitherto no lime had been used in California, there being supposed to be none in the state, while to ship it from the east was too expensive. The two young men resigned their positions and started on foot for the locality where the lime was to be found. Their journey was long and the weather ex- ceedingly cold, but they were undaunted by hardships and obstacles. They built a kiln at the foothills near Redwood City and there man- ufactured the first lime made in the state. San Francisco furnished a convenient market and an extensive business was soon established which brought a fortune to the partners. Removing to Santa Cruz in 1853, they engaged in the same business until 1864, when the failure of Mr. Jordan's health cansed him to sell his interest to HI. Cowell. the present owner. Ilis death oc- curred November 14, 1866. Mr. Davis survived him many years, passing away September 25, 1888.
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In the family of Albion P. Jordan there were three children, but the eldest, Mary E., was taken from the home by death when two and one-half years of age. The other daughter, Ma- rian A., married Herbert E. Cox and died at thirty-eight years, leaving a daughter, Gertrude J .. who also died, August 12, 1902, aged sixteen years and ten months. The only son, Peter A. Jordan, who is a wholesale grocer of San Fran- cisco, married Blanche Hartwell, and has three children, Loraine, Albion P. and Marian E.
Mrs. Jordan became the wife of Pierce B. Fagen, M. D., February 27, 1873, and their wedded life was one of mutual happiness and helpfulness until they were parted by the doc- tor's death. in February of 1901. Dr. Fagen was born in New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, November 22, 1818, and was given excel- lent educational advantages, being a graduate of Kemper College medical department of St. Louis, Mo., besides the recipient of superior op- portunities elsewhere. His first experience as a practitioner was gained at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, where he was the first physician. He as- sisted in laying out and platting the city of Des Moines and then bought an eighty-acre tract on the west side of the city, which he laid out in lots. When gold was discovered in California his attention was first attracted to the resources of the west. Disposing of his interests in Iowa, he crossed the plains in 1850 and engaged in mining at Nevada City and later in Placer county, where he was one of the most influential men of the day. After some nineteen years he came to Santa Cruz, where he soon gained a high reputation for professional skill. At the same time he connected himself with leading activities of the city, invested in real estate, acted as trustee of the public schools, held the office of coroner, and was an influential Mason and Odd Fellow. In addition, he served as presi- dent and vice-president of both banks and was also a director in each. His first marriage took place in Des Moines in 1849 and united him with Melissa Hoxie, who died in Placer county, Cal. The two sons born of that union, Clar- ence E. and Herbert D. Fagen, are residents of Santa Cruz county.
The success which was attained both by Mr.
Jordan and Dr. Fagen was due not a little to the counsel and co-operation of the woman who proved to each a devoted and efficient compan- ion. Her children, too, owed much to her wise and thoughtful training. Both among the rich and poor she has many friends. Her wise char- ities find an outlet in the ministrations of the Congregational Church, to which she belongs, and also in private gifts, concerning which noth- ing is known save by the recipient. She was among the charter members of the church in Santa Cruz and has always been especially ac- tive in the Ladies' Aid Society of the congre- gation, as well as in other movements for the progress of the work.
JOHN KANE.
Since the time of establishing his home in Santa Cruz county, in 1884, Mr. Kane has made his home upon his present farm near Watson- ville, and has maintained a careful supervision of its seventy acres. No one within the Pajaro valley has noted its progress with keener pleas- tire than he, and to movements for the general welfare he has been a generous contributor. Realizing that the soil and climate are espe- cially adapted to apples, he has made a specialty of that industry, and now has six thousand ap- ple trees on his place, most of those being in bearing condition.
The parents of Mr. Kane were John and Julia (Desmont) Kane, natives of Ireland. In the oc- cupation of a farmer the father devoted his active years, and spent his entire life in his native land with the exception of a few years in the United States. In his family there are two children, John and Mrs. Mary Brunne, the latter a resident of Gilroy, Cal. The only son in the family was born in county Cork, Ireland, in 1830, and at the age of nineteen years crossed the ocean to America, spending seven weeks on the water. Arriving in America he set- tled in Boston, Mass., where he worked in a paper mill for four years. However, he was not entirely satisfied with conditions there and, at- tracted by reports concerning California, de- termined to try his fortune in the west. In 1857 he came to San Francisco via the isthmus, ar-
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riving at the Golden Gate May 15, 1857. His first occupation in this state was under the United States government. After four years in that employment he secured work with the San Francisco Gas Company, with whom he re- mained for ten years. In 1884 he came to Santa Cruz county, where he has since conducted farm pursuits and fruit-raising enterprises.
Since becoming a citizen of the United States Mr. Kane has voted with the Democratic party. However, he has not been active in public af- fairs nor has he sought office at any time. By his marriage to Mary Hearley, a native of county Cork, Ireland, he has six living children, namely: John, Julia, Daniel, Henry, Frank and Maggie. The family are members of the Ro- man Catholic Church.
MRS. MARY KERNS.
Five miles from Watsonville, on the Santa Cruz road, lies one of the many valuable and fertile farms of Santa Cruz county, the same being the home property of Mrs. Kerns. Under her supervision the work of fruit-growing is carried forward with discrimination and wise judgment, and the results are evidenced in the gratifying returns from each year's crops. While the land is rented, yet the general oversight which she has always maintained has resulted in a satisfactory system of raising and market- ing the fruit. Sixty acres are under cultivation to berries and ten acres are in apples, while the balance (forty acres) is in pasture and hay.
Noting facts concerning the life of Mrs. Kerns, it may be stated that she was born in county Cork, Ireland, January 6, 1850, being a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Driscoll) O'Brien, the latter still a resident of the old home land. There are nine children in the family and it is worthy of mention that all now living are well- to-do and influential members of their several communities. Those besides Mrs. Kerns are Hannah, who is married and makes her home in Santa Cruz; Daniel, who still lives in Ireland: Mrs. Margaret Shannon, of Oakland, Cal .: Mrs. Anna Lynch, John, and Mrs. Ellen Lynch, the three latter residents of San Francisco.
At nineteen years of age Miss Mary O'Brien came to the United States and crossed the isth- mus to California, arriving in San Francisco November 24, 1860. After three years in that city, in 1872 she came to Watsonville, and here. on the 19th of June, of that year, became the wife of Thomas Kerns, a pioneer of California and a man possessing many fine traits of char- acter. Of Irish birth. and lineage, he was born in 1832, a son of Andrew and Margaret Kerns. When thirteen years of age he came to the United States and afterward attended school in New York. During the excitement caused by the discovery of gold in California he decided to seek his fortune in the far west, and accord- ingly in 1850 joined a party of emigrants who took the long and perilous journey across the plains. Arriving in San Francisco, he pro- ceeded to Virginia City, where he kept a hotel. His next location was at Watsonville, where he settled during the latter part of the '50s. The frontier environment of those days did not bring discouragement to his soul, for he was a man of dauntless resolution, fitted to cope with circumstances that would have dampened the enthusiasm of a less courageous man. Farm- ing was his first occupation in this locality, but later he became connected with business enter- prises, and for four years made his headquarters in San Francisco. However, in 1873 he re- turned to Watsonville and resumed agricultural pursuits. In 1883 he bought the farm now oc- cupied by his widow and its one hundred and eighty acres he cultivated with diligence and success. Here it was that his death occurred in 1802. Through all his long life he was a believer in the doctrines of the Roman Catho- lic Church, to which Mrs. Kerns also belongs. After coming to America he identified himself with the Democratic party. In his family there were six children, namely: Thomas, deceased: Margaret: William, deceased: Mary, Catherine. and Anna. at home. The family have mans friends among the people in the vicinity of Watsonville, and in their comfortable Home they frequently entertain and hospitable wel- come the many niequaintances formed during the years of their residence in Sam ( in county.
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WILLIAM H. BIAS.
No greater evidence of popularity or eminent fitness for important responsibility was required of William H. Bias than the fact that he has been successively elected to the office of county treasurer of Santa Cruz since 1889. Prior to the assumption of this trust he had considerable experience in the undeveloped west, some of it of a nature to test his mettle, especially when identified with stage driving under adverse con- ditions. An extremely optimistic nature has lubricated whatever of friction has appeared while carving his career out of raw materials, minus influence or money, and innate grit and determination to succeed have been observable all along the line. Reared on the paternal farm in Waukesha county, Wis., where he was born May 17, 1841, he is one of the thirteen children born to James and Jane (Seller) Bias. Of these children seven are living, one of them being John Bias, a prominent groceryman of Santa Cruz.
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