USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50
238
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
continues actively in his chosen profession. He was married in Buffalo, New York, on the 12th of January, 1858, to Frances Augusta Tyron, and unto them were born five children : William R .; Ida W. Severin, of San Francisco; Charles R .; Mrs. J. E. Dorry, of Detroit, and one who has passed away.
The stability of the east and the enterprise of the west combine in W. R. Alberger and have made him one of the giants in the west- ern traffic world. At an early day he heard and heeded the call of the business life. He did not even pursue a high-school course, but entered at once into the world's activities and has learned his lessons in the school of experience, where he has been a most apt pupil. However, following his removal westward he was persuaded to enter William Jewell College at Liberty, Missouri, where he took a spe- cial course.
His identification with railway interests dates from the early '70s, and he has been connected with every department, save the treasury department. In early life he was employed by the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railway Company, in which connection he passed suc- cessively through the positions of yard weighmaster, division store- keeper and division superintendent's clerk. In 1881 he entered the auditing department of the Santa Fe at Lawrence, Kansas, where he remained for a longer period than in any other position, for his promotions have come with rapidity, inducing many changes. On leaving Lawrence he went to Ottawa, Kansas, where he was con- nected with the mechanical and stores departments. In 1885 he arrived in California and served first as freight and afterward as passenger agent at San Jose, representing the Santa Fe. He was also traveling freight and passenger agent at large and afterward excur- sion agent and general agent of the Santa Fe Fruit and Refrigerator line. He next became chief clerk to the assistant traffic manager, was subsequently foreign freight agent and eventually general agent at San Francisco. He was appointed to the last named position just three days before the great fire. He passed that period which tried men's souls and tested the mettle whereof they were made. The duties of that position were not the only ones that devolved upon him at that momentous period, for only a month before he had been placed at the head of the Transportation Club and its quarters, too, were destroyed in the widespread conflagration. In July, 1906, Mr. Alber- ger became connected with the railway interests controlled by F. M. Smith and has so continued to the present time.
The Time Card, a trade journal, says: "He has seen railroads grow from small, poorly equipped and poorly operated properties
239
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
to the perfect systems of today. He has seen traffic-getting and rate- making in all its phases. He has been through hard times, panics, receiverships and paydays delayed four months. He has seen club members develop from minor positions to general agents and higher places. This experience has molded and made of Alberger the com- posite all around railroad and business man that he is, and won the higher regard of all those who have ever been associated with him. Alberger's word and judgment are law with those who know of his ability and achievements." Aside from being traffic manager of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad in Nevada, Mr. Alberger continues as vice president of the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway Company. Again we quote from the Time Card: "Alberger is largely responsible for the vast improvements in docks, extensions, yards and general facilities planned by the big Key Route System, which will involve many millions and serve to focus the eyes of the world on California. Alberger's has been a busy life. Even in his cradle he was planning big deals, and his tireless capacity for work is the marvel of his confreres. He tackles each problem with a fresh mind and a keen zest, moving in an incisive way, and grappling with complex issues as easily as with the simplest, apparently. He is a born railroad man and organizer, and his life is so systematized that even in his career as president and vice president of the Transporta- tion Club, he had in short order perfected it into a working, resultful band of hustling committeemen. That is Alberger's way. His ex- ample is inspiring."
There are interests which claim Mr. Alberger's attention aside from business, and not the least of these are his home and family. He was married in Ottawa, Kansas, December 27, 1884, to Miss Ala- meda Frances Stephens, and they have a daughter, now Mrs. Anna A. Stanley, of Portland, Oregon. His social nature finds expression in his membership in various clubs. He belongs to the Oakland Commercial Club, the Athenian Club, the Jonathan Club, of Los Angeles; the Drug and Chemical Club, of New York, and the Ma- sonic lodge. He is likewise a member of the Loyal Legion. His greatest activity in the field of clubdom has perhaps been in connec- tion with the Transportation Club of San Francisco, of which he is a most earnest member. He was chosen vice president in 1906 and through the two succeeding years served as its president. Another biographer has said, in speaking of him in connection with the Transportation Club: "Alberger is first in the alphabet-and first in the hearts of his fellow club members-and as one of the pillars of 'Borax' Smith's gigantic interests he is one of the men who control
240
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the destinies of the Pacific slope. During his term as vice president in 1906 and as president in 1907 and 1908 he saw some critical times in its history. He is a ready speaker, always has a message of import, is witty and humorous, and always loaded with facts and good stories to make them more palatable and convincing.
"Always agreeable and affable, he takes a pride in watching the men who have grown up under his care or purview reach positions of prominence. His friends make a line from coast to coast and from the gulf to the great lakes. They know Alberger up in Alaska, and in the British inner financial and commercial circles they know him as one of the potential men of the Pacific coast-the theater of com- mercial progress just now." Mr. Alberger is also a member of the American Association of Freight and Traffic Officers. Like many active men of the present age, Mr. Alberger does not scorn politics as something unworthy of his notice. He is a republican and there is no vital question relating to the party, its policy and its progress with which he is not acquainted, nor are his religious duties neg- lected, his membership being in the Episcopal church, to which he is a generous contributor. The best thing to be said in the history of W. R. Alberger is that he is still up and doing and to the activities of the past will be added the accomplishments of the future, for in his present railway connections there devolves upon him the respon- sibility of carrying out the gigantic plans of railway construction and development which will mean so much to the future of Cali- fornia. His intellect, his energy and his executive ability, com- bined with his technical knowledge, are concentrated upon projects relative to the improvement of the harbor and transportation plans. He can turn with ease to greet a friend and with equal readiness take up the big projects which claim his attention. It is this concen- tration upon the duty or interest of the moment that constitutes one of the salient features of his remarkably successful and resultant career.
JOHN A. COLE, D. C.
Dr. John A. Cole is now successfully engaged in chiropractic in Oakland, California, having embraced this science after many years of careful study and after having reached the conclusion that it is the method by which health may be restored in practically all cases heretofore treated by the drug and surgical method.
241
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Dr. Cole was born in Barry county, Michigan, November 10, 1860, and after receiving his education in the district schools re- mained on the parental farm until 1882. At the age of twenty-two medical men declared that his life could not be prolonged a great while, and he therefore decided to devote the years which were left to him to the study of and search for health. His travels in this quest led him to all parts of western United States and he remained in Missouri for a short time before returning to his Michigan home. The latter part of the year :882 and the year 1883 Dr. Cole devoted to the study of medicine under a brother-in-law, who was located in Kent county, Michigan. He later completed a business course in Professor Parson's Business College at Kalamazoo, but in 1892 went to Valley City, North Dakota, where he was engaged in telephone work. In 1901 he was engaged in the same line of work in Lewiston, Idaho, but during all these years gave most of his attention to the state of his health. He studied the various methods of drugless cures for diseases and in the spring of 1902 returned to North Dakota, where he remained for two years. In 1904 he went to Reno, Nevada, and lived in the mountains for four years, conducting experiments with nature cures, and continuing his studies, also cooperating for a part of that time with Dr. J. P. Bean and becoming more and more convinced of the value of drugless methods for the cure of disease. In the fall of 1907 Dr. Cole located in the mountains, returning to California, where he built a cabin, studying nature and successfully demonstrating to himself a nature cure and studying Professor Bab- bit's philosophy of light and color. In February, 1910, he took an eastern trip and remained in that section of the country until June, when he went to Davenport, Iowa, and after a thorough investiga- tion enrolled in the Palmer School of Chiropractic, chiropratic's fountain head.
To better understand the full meaning of this treatment and its import we quote what Dr. Palmer says himself as to chiropractic : "Chiropractic is the knowledge (not theory or belief) of philosophy of cause of disease, the science of knowing how and the art or ability to adjust it. The human brain is the dynamo where life currents are concentrated. The spinal cord and nerves are the purveyor of this mental force. If brain absorbs, spinal cord conveys, nerves transmit, and tissues, organs and viscera receive this life current. Health is the product. Body plus life equals health. Body minus life equals death. Disease is the abnormal fluctuation between these two quantities caused by varying degrees of pressures upon nerves, interfering with transmission. A chiropractor knows why, where
242
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
and how to remove the 'pressure' and permit currents to continue transmission for the purpose of reconstructing disease to health. Health is the restoration of currents-not the stimulation or dimuni- tion of how little does exist. Stop taking drugs; they are unneces- sary. Avoid the knife; it is useless in ninety-five per cent of cases. If sick, no matter what or where your ailment (mild or severe), investigate. We can prove that chiropractic is right and applicable to your case. Consultation and spinal analysis free."
In September, 1911, Dr. Cole completed his studies. He came to Oakland about November 1st, 1911, and engaged as a practitioner, having ever since continued therein. Many have come to him, and he has seldom failed to obtain results by applying his method. Being himself an example of nature's cure of disease he can more readily understand his patients and has a sympathetic understanding of their ailments. He has adjusted many complicated cases where the patients themselves had despaired of ever regaining health, but soon those who intrusted themselves to his able hands found to their own aston- ishment that a turn for the better had set in and soon they were on the high road to recovery.
Dr. Cole is politically independent, preferring to follow his own judgment and supporting those candidates whom he considers of greatest value to the public without taking cognizance of their party affiliation. For twenty-eight years he has been a member of Unity Lodge, No. 407, I. O. O. F., of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Within but a few years chiropractic has come to the fore in a most remarkable way, and it is more and more accepted by the general public.
GEORGE E. DE GOLIA.
Investigation into the business, political and legal history of Alameda county indicates the prominence of George E. De Golia, whose position is one of honor and distinction. Energy and perse- verance, keen mentality, clear insight, laudable ambition and strong purpose have carried him to his present position. His is the record of a man whom California is proud to claim as a native son, and he was born in Hangtown, now Placerville, on the 3d of May, 1857, his parents being Darwin and Lavinia (Baldwin) De Golia. His father was one of the early gold seekers, coming to California in 1849. As the years passed on he won place among the influential citizens of Placerville and for years was proprietor of the Placer-
GEORGE ELLIS DE GOLIA
245
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
ville Republican. In community affairs he exerted a wide and beneficial influence, and his name is inscribed deeply on the pages of the history of El Dorado county and Placerville, in which city he made his home until 1873, when he moved to Oakland so that his children could attend the State University.
After attending the grammar and high schools of Placerville, George E. De Golia became a student in the University of Cali- fornia, from which he was graduated in June, 1877, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. His early environment had to do with the rugged conditions of pioneer times, when California was the home of gold seekers, many of whom were adventurers-men with- out principle, caring for naught save the gold which they might secure, honestly or otherwise. Among all these, however, was a little percentage of substantial citizens, who laid the foundation for the present prosperity and progress of this great commonwealth. In preparation for the practice of law George E. De Golia began reading in the office of Vrooman & Davis, the senior partner being recognized as a most brilliant member of the bar and an influential republican, occupying a position of leadership in political ranks for many years. Through this association he became well acquainted with Leland Stanford, John F. Swift, Stephen T. Gage, Governor Henry T. Gage, Edson Adams, Henry Carpentier and many other well known citizens of Alameda county and the state. On the retire- ment of Mr. Vrooman from politics Mr. De Golia became the repub- lican leader in Alameda county.
In the meantime, in his early manhood, after completing his preliminary reading, Mr. De Golia was admitted to practice upon examination before the supreme court of California, November 10, 1879, and was admitted to practice before the United States district courts, August 24, 1888, the United States circuit court, May 22, 1889, and the United States supreme court, October 11, 1904. After he began his professional career he became associated with Henry Vrooman and so continued until the latter's death in 1889, the part- nership between them being thus terminated. Since then he has practiced alone and has won for himself a foremost position as a representative of the bar. The consensus of public opinion places him in a position of leadership among the distinguished lawyers of the state. He is the representative of a number of large cor- porations and of many of these is a director. The number includes : the Bank of Germany, the Fresno Cactus Nursery Company and the Montana Smelting Company, of all of which he is a director. The Theo Gier Corporation; the Meeker Land Company; and a number Vol. II - 1
246
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
of mining companies. Mr. De Golia, while having financial inter- ests in many of these important industrial, commercial and financial enterprises, displaying sound judgment as a factor in their control, regards his law practice as his real life work, and his comprehensive study of the science of the profession and his familiarity with precedent and principle have gained him the distinguished honors which have deservedly come to him.
On the 23d of June, 1883, Mr. De Golia was united in marriage to Miss Carrie B. Rabe, and both are well known in social circles of Oakland. Mrs. De Golia is a daughter of William Rabe, an early settler of San Francisco, who with other influential citizens was sent to Washington to aid in influencing the support of a bill to assist the building of the railroads over the mountains to connect with California. Mr. and Mrs. De Golia have two children, George E. and Mrs. Challen R. Parker, both of Oakland. Throughout his entire professional career Mr. De Golia has taken active interest, as previously indicated, in the political situation and has long been a potent force in molding public thought and action in this section of the state. He was assistant district attorney of Alameda county from 1883 until 1889, his record in this position indicating not only his legal ability but his marked public spirit. For a number of years, beginning in the latter part of the '8os and extending through more than a decade, he controlled republican activity, dictating the policies of the party with an understanding that rose from compre- hensive study of the situation as well as keen insight into the great state and national issues. Toward the close of the century, how- ever, he gave up his political activity to devote himself entirely to his legal interests, which were of growing extent and importance. During his entire career he has accepted no office for himself except that of assistant district attorney under Judge Sam T. Hall from 1883 until 1889.
Mr. De Golia has been very prominent also in promoting social and fraternal interests of county and state. He organized the local lodge of Elks, was honored with the position of exalted ruler and is now president of the Elks Hall Association. He induced the order to purchase its present location at a cost of forty-five thousand dollars, a property which is now worth many times that amount. He gave two years of his time to the interests of Elkdom in California. He worked for the clean and wholesome interests of the organization and succeeded in placing it in California on the high plane which it occupies today. He caused the old Elk Lodge of San Francisco to lose its charter, and the lodge was reorganized on a basis that every
247
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
where commands respect. For three years at intervals he was dis- trict deputy of the Elks. He was also one of the organizers and directors of the Claremont Country Club and aided in selecting the site of its present building. He was a charter member and the first secretary of the Athenians, and in Masonry he has attained the Knight Templar degree and is a member of the Mystic Shrine. He greatly enjoys outdoor life and all manly athletic sports, finding recreation and pleasure in tennis and golf especially. In every rela- tion of life and in every activity he is strong and purposeful. His interests have been wide and varied and have largely been of a character that has contributed to public progress. What he has accomplished has worked for the benefit of the community and for public welfare, and he stands as a splendid representative of that profession which the public has rightfully come to regard as the conservator of the life and liberties and the rights of the individual and the community.
WILLIAM M. MENDENHALL.
The last word in one of the most momentous chapters in the his- tory of California was written on November 21, 1911, when William M. Mendenhall, only survivor of the original Bear Flag party and one of the earliest settlers in Alameda county, passed away. He was a conspicuous figure in the early settlement of this part of the state and a leader in its later development, a man of such loyal and reso- lute faith in his adopted region that after his arrival here on Christ- mas Eve, 1845, he never again turned his steps eastward. Through- out a life of important accomplishment, closely connected with some of the most representative industries in the state, Mr. Mendenhall adhered steadily to high and worthy ideals, and his death deprived California of one of her honored and valued citizens and one of her earliest and greatest pioneers.
William M. Mendenhall was born in Xenia, Ohio, April 22, 1823, and spent his youth and early manhood in the east. In July, 1845, he and nine others met at Independence, Missouri, laid in a supply of food and with horses and mules started across the plains to California. After an eventful journey, during which they encoun- tered many hardships and obstacles, including trouble with the In- dians, the party arrived safely at American river, California, reach- ing this point on Christmas Eve. Mr. Mendenhall first worked in
248
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the lumber mills in the Moroga red woods in Alameda county, con- tinuing thus until the troublous conditions throughout the state made it necessary for him to take refuge at Sutter's Fort, where a large party of Americans had gathered for protection. When the Bear Flag was raised in June, 1846, Colonel John C. Fremont, then on his way to Oregon, was informed of the conditions in California and immediately returned. He was soon afterward joined at Fort So- noma by a small company, of which Mr. Mendenhall was a member. In the meantime a man-of-war had been sent by the federal govern- ment to San Francisco Bay with the stars and stripes at the masthead. The war craft brought an American flag to Sutter's Fort and as the Bear Flag was hauled down and the national colors run up the little band in the garrison saluted it with cheers and at once began plans to place the whole state under the sovereignty of the American common- wealth. General Fremont, at the head of one hundred and seventy men, started to take the state by march, going through to San Diego and wresting control from the Spaniards without the loss of a man. Mr. Mendenhall was a member of that historic party and witnessed the stirring events which gave California to the United States. Fol- lowing the close of hostilities he engaged in business in San Francisco and after his marriage, in 1847, lived in Santa Clara county, where he raised stock on an extensive scale. In 1853 he disposed of all his interests there and went to Contra Costa county, where he operated a stock ranch for fifteen years. At the end of that time he purchased twelve hundred acres of land on the present site of Livermore, subse- quently selling all but four hundred and eighty acres, upon which are situated the celebrated springs known as Mendenhall Springs, where there was for years a popular health resort.
Mr. Mendenhall was the founder of the town of Livermore, which stands upon a tract of land which he formerly owned. In 1869 he laid out the town site on a six hundred acre tract, gave the grounds for schools and all public utilities, roads, etc. He erected Livermore College on seven acres of land and maintained the institution from his private means for several years, during which time his interests extended also to many other fields of public and social development. With a faith that never wavered he watched the growth and prog- ress of his city, leading in all measures to promote its material and moral advancement, cooperating heartily in all progressive public projects and making the weight of his influence a potent force in growth. He did capable and farsighted work in various positions of public trust and responsibility, making an enviable record during the eight years of his service as town trustee of Livermore. In the
249
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
city which he founded he built a beautiful nine thousand dollar home and there resided until his death, which occurred November 21, 19II.
In Santa Clara county, in 1847, Mr. Mendenhall was united in marriage to Miss Mary Allen, who had crossed the plains with her parents in the previous year, her father, David Allen, being a pioneer settler of California. Mr. and Mrs. Mendenhall were the first American couple to be married south of the Sacramento river. They became the parents of nine children: James M .; Elizabeth, the wife of Curtis H. Lindley of San Francisco; Emma, who married James N. Block of the same city; Ella, now Mrs. G. W. Langan of Oakland; David A .; William W .; Oswald V .; Etta, who married Fred A. Carrick ; and Asa V.
Mr. Mendenhall was a democrat in his political views and always a stanch supporter of the principles and policies of that party. In the early days he was a member of the Vigilante committee of Contra Costa county and belonged to the Society of California Pioneers. He was a splendid representative of those brave and hardy men who faced the dangers and privations of life on the frontier, whose energies and indomitable purpose aided in the building up of a great commonwealth and whose dauntless spirit lives today in the works they have left behind.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.