USA > California > San Bernardino County > Ingersoll's century annals of San Bernadino County, 1769-1904 : prefaced with a brief history of the state of California : supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and portraits of many of its representative people > Part 94
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He married at Needles, February 15, 1896, Miss Jessie L. Bruce, of Los Angeles. They have two children-Robert G. Ingersoll Halsey and Bernice Halsey. Mr. Halsey is a pronounced liberal and a member of the American Secular Union and Free Thinkers' Federation.
JOHN R. MENKIN, of Highland, is a native of Germany, born in Hanover, April 12, 1861, the son of John R. Menken, a carpenter and builder by occupation. The son re. ceived a good education in the schools of his native country and learned the carpenter's trade. He came to America in 1880 and followed his trade and farmed at various points in the west until he came to California. He located at Highland, where he bought a place of fifty-two acres on Highland avenue. He also owns five acres at Old San Bernardino.
Mr. Menkin was married in 1887 to Mrs. Mary Ann, widow of Joseph Briggs, born in Muscatine county, Iowa, July 16, 1848. There are seven children by the first marriage and three by the second.
BENJAMIN E. SIBLEY, of Rialto, is a native of Ohio, born January 23, 1838; the son of Ezekiel Sibley, a minister of the gospel and member of the Ohio M. E. Conference. In September, 1887, Mr. Sibley came to California and located at Rialto. As a pioneer he cleared the land and planted trees and now has a very fine orange grove in the suburbs of that thriving town. He was a member of the Kansas syndicate that purchased the thirty thousand acre tract known as the property of the Semi-Tropic Land and Water Com- pany, a corporation which has for many years benefited by Mr. Sibley's energy and busi- ness experience. He was president of the Lytle Creek Water and Improvement Company, the mutual water company of the settlers.
May, 1861, Mr. Sibley married Miss Francis A. Pinnell, of Racine, O. They have a family of three children, the eldest Hiram D. Sibley, at present treasurer of San Bernar- dino county ; their daughter Evelyn is Mrs. A. L. Parsons, residing at Santa Maria, and
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Benjamin Ernest, a recent graduate of the Wesleyan College at Middletown, Conn., is pro- fessor of languages in an academy at Norwich, Conn.
Mr. Sibley early in life was a prosperous merchant. By an effort to follow the "golden rule" and assist a friend in financial distress, he went down in the wreck and at an age when most men acknowledge defeat began life over again at his new home in Rialto.
JAMES BARNES STEELE, of Chino, was born in Green county, Ky., February I, 1827, the son of Nineon and Jane Worley Steele. The father was a native of Blooming- ton, Ind., a mason by trade. While a young man he went to Kentucky and was there married. He died at the age of thirty- four, having had six children, three of whom died in childhood. James B. Steele spent his boyhood in Kentucky; when eighteen he went to Jackson coun- ty and worked out. He joined in the rush for the California gold fields and drove an ox team across the plains and up the South Platte and following the northern route arrived at Hangtown November 10, 1850. He worked in the mines about Ringold Ravine and Span- ish Flat and had fair success. He worked on the north fork of the Amer- ican river and in 1851, on the divide between Forrest Hill and Lake Tajo, he discovered a rich quartz ledge; he covered it up and as late as 1899 at- tempted to find it again, but the trails and land marks had been obliterated. He remained in the mines three years and then returned east and located in Buchanan county, Mo. Later he settled on a farm in Page county, Iowa, then a new country just being opened up. He returned to Missouri in 1857 and then went to Atchison, Kansas.
In 1877 he returned to California and lived at Hollister and then for eighteen years at San Luis Obispo. He now lives with his sons at Chino.
Mr. Steele was married in 1853 to Miss Nancy, a daughter of Joel Reece, near De Kalb, Mo. She died in San ROBERT C. STEELE Luis Obispo, January 19, 1896. Their family consisted of nine children, eight of whom are now living, all in California. Thomas J., born February 2, 1855, resides at San Luis Obispo; William A., born May 19, 1857, of Chino; Cordelia, born November 24. 1859, lives at San Luis Obispo, Mrs. George McCabe; Martha Ann, deceased, horn April 30, 1862, was Mrs. Wm. Dennice; Robert C., born July 2, 1865, of Chino; Laura B., born April 5, 1868, Mrs. Thomas G. Green, Chino; Jacob A., born March 2, 1875, in northern part of state; Edward N., born April 6, 1879, San Luis Obispo; Fannie, born September 29, 1871, Mrs. Norman Sandycock.
WILLIAM A. STEELE, of Chino, was born in Buchanan county, Mo., May 18, 1857. He was married December 12, 1884, to Miss Carrie, daughter of Jefferson Forkner, at San Luis Obispo. She is a native of Junction City, Kansas. They have four children, William, Stella, Archie and Carmen.
Mr. Steele is extensively engaged in the dairy business at Chino. He keeps about 100 head of stock and produces annually about 12,000 gallons of milk.
ROBERT C. STEELE, of Chino, was born in Kansas, July 2, 1865. He was married in San Francisco, December 17, 1891, to Miss Nannie T., daughter of David B. and Saman- tha Sanders Matlock. Mrs. Steele was born in Shasta county, California, October 12, 1870,
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and graduated from the San Jose Normal School in 1888. She taught school in San Luis Obispo county three years. Mr. and Mrs. Steele are the parents of two sons, Robert Roy and Careleton, the first born April 2, 1893, the second May 21, 1901.
For several years Mr. Steele, in company with Thomas Green, engaged extensively in the dairy business on the Chino grant. In 1903 Mr. Steele purchased Mr. Green's in- terests. He is an enterprising and successful business man and is now general manager of the Chino Rancho.
THOMAS J. GREEN, of Spadra, was born in Wyoming county, New York, Jan- mary 25, 1862, the son of Thomas and Sarah Lochrane Green, both natives of Wyoming county. In 1882, Thomas Green came to California and located at Newhall. Later he went to San Luis Obispo and for four years en- gaged in freighting and later engaged in driv- ing a stage between Santa Barbara and San Luis. His genial and happy manner made him one of the most popular drivers on this scenic route and the fame of "Tom Green" spread far and near. Upon the completion of the coast line of the Southern Pacific from Santa Barbara north, Mr. Green transferred his famous drivers to Catalina Island and in company with a partner constructed a wagon road of eleven miles' length over the summit of the mountains to Eagle Nest, in the heart of the wilderness.
THOMAS J. GREEN
Later Mr. Green, in company with Robert Steele, leased a portion of the Chino Grant and they conducted a dairy business. In 1903 he sold out his dairy interests and leased thic Rancho Los Nogales, at Spadra, where he is extensively engaged in raising grain and stock. Mr. Green married Miss Laura Steele in 1899, at San Luis Obispo.
MARSHALL McWELTHY, of Rialto, was born in Washington, Macomb county, Mich., January 31, 1845. He was the son of Robert and Nancy Phillips McWelthy. the former a native of Oneida county, New York, and the latter born in Massachusetts. His father, Robert McWelthy was one of the early gold-seekers of California, having crossed the plains by the northern route in 1850 and spent two years in the Sacramento Valley placer mining. He met with success and about 1852 returned east, but after a six
months' stay, again went to California and engaged in mining. He also mined for four years near Pike's Peak, Colorado. He finally returned to Michigan and at the age of sixty-two enlisted in the 22nd Mich. Vol. Infantry. Two of his four sons also enlisted, one of them, William, died at Nashville, Tenn., while in service.
Marshall McWelthy worked on a farm in Michigan until 1868, when he went to Kansas and in 1871 became connected with the Osage Indian Agency, in Indian Territory, acting as farm superintendent and as engineer in the government grist mill. In 1881 he located in Kansas and farmed there until he came to California in 1890 and purchased twenty acres of land from the Semi-Tropic Land and Water Company at Rialto.
In 1879, Mr. McWelthy married Miss Sarah J. Miles, a teacher at the Osage Agency. They have three sons, William Ernest, Leroy and Jesse R. Mr. and Mrs. McWelthy are members of the Rialto M. E. church.
WILLIAM SELL, of Ontario, was born in Canton, Ohio, January 4, 1841, the son of Jacob and Martha Sell. His father was a native of France, born near Paris, and his mother was of German descent. Mr. Sell passed his boyhood and youth in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, receiving a common school education. Afterwards he removed to Minne- sota, where he learned the trade of saw filer and lath sawyer and followed that business
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at Winona, Minn. He came to California in March, 1895 and located at Ontario, where he engaged in fruit raising. He owns a valuable orange grove.
Mr. Sell married Miss Augusta Weisenborn in 1864. They have seven children, Ella A., William H., George B., Edward C., Leon H., Lilliam B., all are married and only one is a resident of California. Mr. Sell is a veteran of the civil war, having enlisted in the Company "M," of the Ist Minn. Inf., and received his discharge at Fort Snelling, Minn. Mr. and Mrs. Sell are members of the M. E. church.
JOHN W. DAVIS, Jr .. formerly of Colton, was a native of Fox Lake, Wisconsin, born December 16, 1850. He graduated from the Wisconsin State University at Madison and in 1883 went to South Dakota and assisted in opening and establishing a bank at Bridg- water. In 1884 he was admitted to the bar at Yankton, Dakota. He removed to California in the fall of 1885 and was made cashier of the First National Bank of Colton, just established by his father, John W. Davis, Sr. Upon his father's death in 1887, he became president of the bank. He served as president of the San Bernardino National Bank for two years, 1890-1892. He was also president of the Riverside Bank for a time. He and his father were principal owners of the Colton Water Company and of the Colton Land and Water Company, and were extensively interested in real es- tate. Mr. Davis died August 12, 1893. He was married to Miss Jennie Roberts September 4, 1883. Mrs. Davis now resides in Redlands.
EDWARD R. WAITE, of High- land, is a native of Appleton, Wis., where he was born, November 22, 1863, the son of Sidney and Permelia Barker Waite, both natives of Genesee county, N. Y. Mr. Waite grew up in Appleton and in 1882 accompanied his widowed mother to California and located at Riv- erside, where two of his brothers had settled. Later he removed to Los An- geles and engaged in the grocery busi- ness under the firm name of Waite & March, until 1887, when he returned east for a year. On returning to California JOHN W. DAVIS, Jr. he located for a time at San Fernan lo and in 1892 settled at Highland, where he owns an orange grove and is also a specialist in handling nursery stock and in budding orange stock.
In 1897 he married at Highland, Miss Laura, daughter of Dr. B. F. Metcalf, of Perry, Iowa. They have two children, Orville and Permelia. Mr. and Mrs. Waite are members of the M. E. church of Hightlands.
LEVI WICKERSHAM, of Pomona, was born January 14, 1851, in Dark county. Ohio, the son of Amos and Mary Woods Wickersham. His father was born in the same county and was the son of James, an Englishman who came to America with his brother. Abner, and settled on the frontier in Randolph county, Indiana, at a time when the country was still occupied by Indians. They pre-empted land and were engaged in fights with the Indians and shared the many hardships borne by the pioneers of that day. Amos Wicker- sham died about 1857, leaving a family of seven children. The mother moved with the family to Logan county, Ill., and after fourteen years removed to Monona county, Iowa, where she still resides. The son, Levi, grew up on a farm, and has always been a farmer. He came to California from Iowa in 1894 and has twenty acres of land near Pomona.
He was married in Mills county, Iowa, in 1878, to Miss Martha, daughter of William
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Kisterson and a native of Mills county. They have three children, Maggie, Mrs. Charles Poor, of Watsonville, Cal. ; Elmer, a machinist, located at Pomona, who married, Novem- ber 12, 1899, Miss Elizabeth Davidson, a native of Illinois and a resident of Ontario. The other son, Alfred, is a well driller, located at Watsonville. He was married June 15, 1904, to Miss Amy Clara Myer, a native of California and a resident of Fresno.
WILLIAM HIXON, of Los Angeles, was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, Novem- ber 16, 1838, the son of Louis S. Hixon, a native of Ohio and a cabinet-maker by trade. Mr. Hixon attended the public schools and then learned telegraphy at Carrey, Ohio. He became an operator on the Sandusky, Dayton and Cincinnati Railway, the old "Mad River" route, one of the first rail- roads in Ohio. He soon left the key to work in the yards and in 1859 became a conductor and made his first run from Carey to Sandusky. In 1860 he went to St. Louis, where he was employed as a telegraph operator. Throughout the civil war he served the government as telegraph operator under Col. R. C. Clowry, now president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, New York. After the war he settled at Lexington, Mo., where he was elected county clerk of Fayette county, serving four years, and afterwards served four years as re- corder of deeds.
He was employed for eight years as conductor on the Kansas Pacific Rail- way, with headquarters at Kansas City, then came West to New Mexico, and took a position with the Santa Fe Com- pany, which he retained until 1887, when he came to California. He engaged for a time in the real estate business at San Diego, but soon returned to railroading and acted as conductor on the Pacific Beach and Cuyamaca road, until 1894, when he was placed on the kite-shaped track of the Santa Fe, and served as conductor on this popular route for sev- eral years. He gained a reputation WILLIAM HIXON while here for his uniformly courteous and attentive manner, and made many friends. He was selected by the company to conduct the presidential trains of President McKinley and of President Roosevelt over the Santa Fe system in Southern California, and is proud of the fact that President Roosevelt sought him out and personally thanked him for his efficient service in this responsible position.
Mr Hixon has now retired from active service and is living with his family in Los An- geles.
D. G. WHITING, of San Bernardino, was born at Johnson, Lamoille county, Vt., December 7, 1847. His father was Calvin Whiting, and his mother was Caroline Dodge Whiting. He was educated in Vermont and graduated from the State Normal School at Johnson. The only occupation he ever followed was that of a farmer. After leaving school he remained in his native town until he was twenty-four years of age, then came direct to California, arriving in the fall of 1870. He went to Nevada the next winter and remained there about two years, then returned to Vermont. On Christmas day, 1872, he married Miss Jeanette A. Mossman, and directly after his marriage came to Stockton, Cal. He then went to San Francisco, where he lived one year, and from there to Monterey for three years and then to San Bernardino, where he has lived ever since. Mr. Whiting is the owner of eighty aores of land adjoining the Urbita Springs tract and ninety acres of land in Richie Canyon. He has engaged almost exclusively in the dairy business and has
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
given his attention to raising registered Jersey cows. His stock is all of that breed and of fancy variety.
Mr. and Mrs. Whiting are the parents of four children-Arthur C., Edith F., now Mrs. C. H. Dickson, of San Bernardino; Cora B. and Walter C. He is a member of the A. O. U. W.
J. R. WILLIAMS, of Needles, was born in Callington, Cornwall, England, October 3, 1860. He was the son of J. R. and Mary Ann Eliza (Collins) Williams. He received a common school education in his native town, and served a seven years' apprenticeship at the watchmaking trade, then worked three years as a journeyman. He emigrated to Amer- ica in 1886, coming direct to Colton, where from lack of money with which to buy tools to wark at his trade he engaged at work burning lime at the Colton Lime Works. He re- mained in that business about three years until, having contracted asthma, he was com- pelled to abandon that occupation. He then opened watch-works at Colton, and after a few months went to Beaumont, where he opened a store, carrying a line of groceries, canned goods and confectionery in connection with his watch business, remaining there about four years. From Beaumont Mr. Williams came to Needles and has lived in that town nine years. He is the official watch inspector of the Santa Fe Railway Company at Needles, and in that capacity examines the watches of conductors, engineers and yardmaster once in every month.
Mr. Williams married Miss Grace Down, in Plymouth, Devenshire, England, May 29. 1882. They have a family of four children living, and have lost two children. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the M. E. church.
JOSEPH HENRY WAGNER, formerly of San Bernardino, was born in Herkimer county, N. Y.,Feb. 17, 1812. He belonged to an old New York family, being a descendant of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer of Revolutionary fame, and whose family were among the earliest settlers in the Mohawk valey. Mr. Wagner was a man' of broad education, being not only a student of Greek and Latin, but understanding several modern languages and speaking Ger- man as fluently as English. He took a keen interest and was well versed in all the affairs of his day. He was also a musician of no small ability. He was a graduate of Columbia Uni- versity, as a civil engineer, and followed his profession more or less, up to the date of his death. Being sent by the United States government to survey lands now embraced in Ne- braska, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah and Nevada, he finally reached California, which state be- came his home. He died in San Bernardino, April 28, 1877.
On April 4. 1853, he married Miss Elizabeth Hopeman, of Albany, N. Y. She still survives him. They were the parents of five children, Joseph H. and Walter D., Elizabeth, now Mrs. Rowell; Ella, Mrs. Sonle; Elida, Mrs. James Fleming.
WALTER DOUGLAS WAGNER was born in San Bernardino, Cal., June 21, 1870. He was the son of Judge James H. Wagner, a pioneer citizen of this city. Walter D. was edu- cated in the private schools of San Bernardino and at Sturges Academy acquired a training in business methods. He entered the office of the County Clerk as accountant and then became a deputy in that office. In 1900 he was elected Auditor which office he still holds. He has the advantage of a though training in the technical duties of his office.
In 1893, he married Miss Carla Hamner, a daughter of Carl Hamner of Chino. Mr Wag- ner was a charter member of Arrowhead Parlor, No. 110, is Chairman of the Board of Grand Trustees of the State organization, and is prominent in the sessions of that body.
SCIPIO CRAIG, editor and proprietor of the Citrograph, Redlands, was born in Ohio, February 5, 1848. He was taken to Indiana when six years of age, and lived in that state until 1870. He was educated at the public schools and at Hanover College. Dr. William Craig, his father, was a practicing physician and owner of a drug business in Indiana, and Scipio read medicine, sold drugs, manufactured baking powders, and learned the arts of the printer and publisher with the Muncie Times, the Eastern Indiana Courant and other journals. After coming to California, in 1870, he was connected with the Los Angeles Star and the San Bernardino Argus, and was in turn owner of the Colton Semi-Tropic, job printer, and general utility man on the San Diego Union and foreman on the San Bernar- dino Index and Riverside Press. He was postmaster at Colton for a time, and at intervals of other employment, took a turn at railroad postal work. He has been active in the inter- ests of editorial associations. In 1879, he was the first vice-president of the Pacific Press Association, and was its president a year later. He was a member of the executive com- mittee of the California Press Association for three years, and a member of the same com- mittee of the National Press Association. For three consecutive years, also, he was presi-
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
dent of the Editorial Association of Southern California, and has been a member of its executive committee since it was organized.
Mr. Craig has been twice married. His first wife was Sarah Nason Darracott, a native of Boston, to whom he was married September 30, 1868. She died at Redlands January 27, 1891. On November 12, 1892, at Vallejo, he was married to Mrs. Mary Lynde Hoffman. Mrs. Craig is associate editor of the Citrograph, and is well known as a writer, and has heen admitted to the practice of law in the courts of California and of the United States. Mr. Craig is a charter member of Redlands Lodge No. 300, F. & A. M., and also a charter member of Valley Lodge, No. 27, K. of P., and was the first presiding officer.
LOUIS ANDERSON, of Chino, is a native of Sweden, born in the town of Warburg, September 5. 1860. He came to America in 1880, and first worked on a farm at Batavia, Ill. Later he was employed as a mechanic by a railroad company, but during the great railroad strike of 1884 he went back to farming. He came to California and in 1895 located at Chino. In 1897 he purchased ten acres for a home. In 1894 he married Matilda Johnson, also a native of Sweden, and they have three children, Olive, Joseph and Carl.
JOHN S. WILSON, late of Redlands, was born January 19, 1825, in Richmond, Maine. In 1850 he came to California, and spent three years in the state during the excitement of the mining era. He mined in Amador county. With W. F. Coleman, who accompanied him to the state, he was a member of the Vigilance Committee of 1851, and aided in its purifying work.
On his return to Maine, Mr. Wilson became a successful merchant at Gardiner in that state. and was during this time married to Miss Anna Louisa Field. In 1869 he again visited Califor- nia, spending two years in Alameda; but in or- der to educate his sons, he returned east and set- tled at Portland, Maine, placing his sons in Bow- doin College.
For the third time he came to California in 1887, and located in Redlands, where he resided until his death, which occurred April 29th, 1901.
Mr. Wilson was engaged in the wholesale gro- cery trade in Portland and in San Francisco, On coming to Redlands, he purchased ten acres on Cypress avenue, and devoted himself to ranching. He was very fond of his home place, and took much pride in the beautiful home that he there created. Mr. Wilson was of retiring disposition, but was of a very happy temperament, and his home was a favorite gathering place for the young people of Redlands in early days.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had three sons and two daughters, all of whom live in Redlands. The daughters are Mrs. W. L. Spoor and Mrs. F. B. Gunther.
H. B. WILSON, eldest son of J. S. Wilson, JOHN S. WILSON was born at Gardiner, Me., June 15, 1856. He was educated at Bowdoin College, graduating with the class of 1880. From the time of leav- ing college until he came to Redlands in 1887, Mr. Wilson was accountant for large business
the Pacific Coast he was for three houses in the East. After
coming to years cashier of the Puget Mill Company, on Puget Sound. He has for a number of years been connected with the First National Bank of Redlands, and is now its teller.
Mr. Wilson is Past Chancellor Commander of the Redlands Lodge of K. of P., and Past Exalted Ruler of Redlands Lodge, B .P. O. E. He is a lover of music, and has been a member of the Redlands orchestra since its organization.
He is a member of the Board of Manager of the Southern California State Hospital at Patton. He was married to Mary M. Kenney, November 11th, 1899. They have one son, Kenneth Field Wilson, born November 24, 1904.
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HISTORY OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.
JOHN W. WILSON, of Redlands, was born in Gardiner, Me., August 25, 1858. He "dus.ed from Bowdoin in 1881 and afterwards entered a wholesale hardware house at Portland, Me., where he remained until 1886, becoming the junior member of the firm after : hout one year. Mr. Wilson came to Redlands in October, 1886, and in April, 1887, entered the First National Bank as cashier. He has also been secretary and treasurer of the Savings Bank of Redlands since its organization. He was appointed National Bank Examiner under President Mckinley, having jurisdiction in California and Nevada.
Mr. Wilson has also been an enthusiastic member of the Redlands orchestra, which is a popular and well established musical organization.
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