USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 36
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
432
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
separate institution, is owned by the stockholders in the First Na- tional and managed by the same board of directors.
Although this was organized only in 1908 it has now total deposits amounting to more than two million dollars and it is constantly expanding its resources and widening its sphere of influence.
The officers of the two banks are as follows: P. E. Bowles, presi- dent; George D. Metcalf, vice president; L. G. Burpee, vice president; O. D. Jacoby, cashier; and J. F. Lange, assistant cashier. The board of directors is as follows: L. C. Morehouse, E. L. Dow, H. C. Morris, E. A. Heron, W. H. Taylor, L. G. Burpee, O. D. Jacoby, P. E. Bowles and George D. Metcalf. The capital and sur- plus of the First National Bank are six hundred thousand dollars, and its total resources are more than four million dollars. The First Trust and Savings Bank has a capital of five hundred thousand dol- lars and resources of over four million dollars.
The present management took control in 1893 and under this administration the present modern building was erected at the inter- section of San Pablo Avenue, Broadway and Fourteenth streets. Believing that the function of the modern bank is to supply any banking need that any customer may possibly desire, the First Na- tional Bank has provided a fine and up-to-date safe deposit depart- ment, in which boxes for the keeping of valuable papers, jewelry and other things may be rented at a low price. The safe deposit vaults are unique in being situated on the street floor, so that customers are not obliged to climb stairs in reaching their boxes. A storage vault in the basement provides facilities for the safekeeping of rugs, sil- verware, fine paintings and other valuables of a bulky nature. The officers and directors of the First National Bank are all men of in- sight and ability, many of whom are proving their capabilities in other fields of endeavor. They have steadily adhered to the excel- lent policy upon which the institution was founded and their intelli- gent and able management has kept the First National a power in financial circles of this part of the state.
ADDISON WOOD NAYLOR.
One of the most commanding figures in financial circles in Berkeley and Alameda county, California, as well as a man who his influenced even the state of California by his activities is Addison Wood Naylor, president of the First National Bank of Berkeley and
433
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the Berkeley Bank of Savings and Trust Company, the combined resources of which institutions exceed eight million dollars. An interesting history of the growth of these two concerns can be found on another page of this work, and therefrom can easily be gleaned an idea as to the ability of Mr. Naylor as a financier. Moreover is he identified with numerous other enterprises of Berkeley, occupying a foremost place in the business affairs of the city. Along financial lines he is also president of the South Berkeley Bank.
Mr. Naylor was born in Morgan county, Ohio, August 27, 1841, of Quaker ancestry. In the acquirement of his education he attended the Quaker schools, finishing in the Mt. Pleasant Seminary, Oh; where he subsequently taught for a time. Ambitious to succeed and recognizing the value of a more thorough education, he then at- tended the Iron City College at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in August, 1864, and resumed teaching, joining the staff of the normal school at Chester Hill, Ohio. In 1865 he located in New Sharon, Iowa, where for a number of years he was engaged in the dry-goods business, and he established in 1873 a private bank in that city, the cashier of which was Miss Anna King, the first woman to ever occupy such a position in the United States. Mr. Naylor remained in New Sharon until 1878, when he sold his interests in order to seek the larger opportunities of Des Moines. There he assisted, in 1878, in the organization of the Capitol City State Bank, of which he became the first president, continuing in that capacity with highly gratifying success for ten years. Disposing of his interests in 1888, he came to the Pacific coast, making his first home in San Diego, California, and afterward living in various places until in 1891, when he permanently located in Berkeley. Here, in 1892, he became a prominent factor in the organization of The Commercial Bank, which soon was converted into the First Na- tional Bank, and the Berkeley Bank of Savings. In 1906 a trust department was also established under his direction and the name of the last mentioned bank was changed to the Berkeley Bank of Savings and Trust Company. He held the position of cashier and manager of these institutions until the death of the president, Mr. Shat- tuck, when Mr. Naylor succeeded him in that office. He has ever since discharged his important duties as chief executive of the banks, building up two of the strongest financial institutions within the con- fines of the state. In March, 1904, Mr. Naylor was instrumental in organizing the South Berkeley Bank, of which he was also elected president, having held the office ever since. To give an idea of his wonderful ability along financial lines, which really may be termed
434
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
genius, it is but necessary to mention that the First National Bank of Berkeley in January, 1892, had deposits amounting practically to forty-nine thousand dollars, while at the present writing the com- bined resources of the First National and Savings Banks amount to over eight million dollars.
Near Marietta, Ohio, January 9, 1864, Mr. Naylor married Miss Rebecca Smedley King, a daughter of James and Deborah (Stevens) King. Her father passed away in that state in September, 1906, at the remarkable age of ninety years. Mr. and Mrs. Naylor became the parents of the following children : Flora May, who died in 1869, at the age of three years; Frank L., vice president of the First National Bank and the Berkeley Bank of Savings, who until enter- ing upon his present position served as cashier of these institutions; and Jessie, who married Elmer K. Cole of Berkeley, cashier of the South Berkeley Bank.
Although the business duties of Mr. Naylor are very confining, he ever finds time to exert his progressive spirit in the support of worthy public enterprises. He always uses his power and influence toward promoting the good of the city, the county and the state and many beneficial measures have succeeded by his endorsement and through his backing.
Mr. and Mrs. Naylor were reared in the faith of the Friends church, both having descended from an ancestry deeply imbued with these religious beliefs for hundreds of years. John Naylor, one of the early forebears of Mr. Naylor, was persecuted in every pos- sible way for preaching Quakerism and even endured torture for the sake of his Christianity. He came to America in order to escape these prosecutions and it was he who founded the family on the east- ern shore of Maryland. Mrs. Naylor is equally sincere and zealous in her religion, having been instrumental in the organizing of two Friends churches, one in Des Moines, Iowa, and one in Berkeley. Mr. Naylor has always been in deep sympathy with the temperance movement, having joined the Good Templars lodge in New Sharon in 1876, and also belonging to the State Alliance. Casting his first vote in support of General Grant, he has ever since affiliated with the republican party. He still regrets the fact that he was not able to vote for Lincoln, as at that time he was on his way from Ohio to lowa. For some years Mr. Naylor was a member of the Berkeley library board and did valuable service in that connection, recogniz- ing the importance of educating the general public. He is ever active in promoting the moral and intellectual status of the people and has proven a powerful factor for good along those lines. For
435
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
many years he has served as Sunday school superintendent in the Friends church and has officiated as elder of his church for a long period.
A. S. KELLY, M. D.
Dr. A. S. Kelly has since 1902 been engaged in the medical pro- fession in Oakland, having won in the course of years a gratifying practice. He is equally well known for his efforts on behalf of the hygienic welfare of the school children, making his work particularly effective as a member of the Oakland board of education. A native of Ontario, Canada, Dr. Kelly was born January 15, 1879, and is of English and Scotch parentage. His father, A. W. Kelly, was born in England and emigrated to America, later becoming a prominent citizen of Yolo county, California, where he located when Dr. Kelly was a boy of fifteen years, and there he conducted a profitable mer- cantile establishment for sixteen years. The mother was a native of Scotland.
Dr. Kelly spent his boyhood days within the borders of the Dominion, journeying with his parents to Yolo county, California, when fifteen years of age. He there remained until coming to Oak- land in 1896, his capital upon his arrival here consisting mainly of good health, energy and the ambition to succeed in the world. At times he worked for his board and on Saturdays and holidays earned the money to assist him in continuing his education. Of his own volition he entered the high school, graduating from that institution and supporting himself during the entire time. He also earned his way through the Cooper Medical College of San Francisco, from which he graduated in 1901. He began the practice of his pro- fession in Oakland in 1902, after a year's hospital experience. Care- ful in diagnosis, he is successful in applying the remedies a case requires and as the years have passed has not only succeeded in building up a gratifying patronage but has made a name for himself among his colleagues. He is at present surgeon to the Alameda County Hospital and is professor of operative surgery in the Oakland Medical College. He is a member of the County Medical Society, of which he was president in 1911; the California Medical Society; the American Medical Association; and the California Academy of Medicine. Of a pleasing personality and sympathetic nature, Dr. Kelly inspires that confidence in his patients which is so necessary to obtain results and is popular on account of these qualities.
436
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
A public-spirited man, Dr. Kelly has always been interested in the general welfare and in April, 1907, was tendered the nomina- tion on the republican ticket for member of the board of education for the city of Oakland from his ward. He was elected by a large majority. Ever since he has been an untiring worker for the cause of education, having been largely responsible for the introduction of medical inspection in the public schools by a competent physician who devotes his entire time to the hygienic welfare of the children. It is now the duty of this physician to not only examine general sani- tary conditions, but to give attention to sickly and backward children. In 1909 and 1911 Dr. Kelly was again nominated and elected school director. As chairman of the high school committee he has taken a strong stand against secret societies and clubs in the high schools, con- sidering them a danger to the democracy and equality of schools, the principles on which American educational institutions are founded.
He has been president of the board of education for the past two years. Dr. Kelly, however, has not occupied himself entirely with the ethical side of life, but takes a deep interest in the material wel- fare of the city and trade expansion, giving an impetus to new meas- ures undertaken in those interests as a member of the Commercial Club. His name is also carried on the roster of the Nile and Uni- versity Clubs. In the Masonic order he stands high and is a Shriner and is also a popular member of the Elks. There is much to be ad- mired in the career of Dr. Kelly, who by his own efforts has attained the position he now occupies, and his accomplishments are the more commendable as they have been largely consecrated to the public welfare.
JUDGE GEORGE SMITH.
Honored and respected by all, Judge George Smith occupies an enviable position in the regard of his fellow citizens of San Lean- dro and Alameda county, where he has made his home since 1867. He was the sixth in order of birth in a family of seven children, his natal day being April 5. 1822. He comes of Holland ancestry, his grandfather, George Schmidt, having been born in Holland in 1730. When a boy of ten years he accompanied his parents to America and while serving in the French and Indian war sustained a wound that caused his death twenty-five years later. He married Katrina Van Alstine, and they occupied the old stone tavern in Esopus, New York,
437
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
which the English army, under Sir Henry Clinton, failed to destroy when the town was burned, October 17, 1777. In that house the wife lived for one hundred and three years and there the father of Judge Smith was born, June 14, 1785. In 1810 he married Anna Ellis, who was born in Dutchess county, New York, October 20, 1793, a daugh- ter of Noah Ellis, who was born in 1763 and was of English lineage. When sixteen years of age he volunteered for service under General Washington and participated in the Revolutionary war to its close, acting a part of the time as one of Washington's life guard. In 1784 he married Amelia Graham, of Highland Scotch descent. Noah Ellis was the pioneer settler of Rensselaerville, New York, he and his wife riding through the unbroken forest to their new home. He died in Middletown, Delaware county, New York, in 1859. For some time George Smith, father of the Judge, followed farming in Delaware county, but in 1822 he returned to the old stone tavern at Esopus. On the Ist of May, 1823, the family started for Chautauqua county, New York, arriving there thirty days later.
Judge Smith was reared and educated in his native state, attend- ing the Fredonia Academy, from which he was graduated in 1839, after which he took up the profession of teaching. In 1846 he be- came a teacher at Coldwater, Michigan, and afterward became one of the pioneer settlers at Hales Corners, Wisconsin, not far from Milwaukee. While there he strongly supported the state constitu- tion and urged the admission of Wisconsin into the Union. In 1848 he returned to New York and followed farming and teaching at South Stockton. On the 24th of July, 1850, he married Eliza M. Fenner, and they became parents of six sons and three daughters. Mrs. Smith was the eldest daughter of C. C. Fenner, who was born December 5, 1801, and in 1825 married Lucinda Fross, who was born January 9, 1807, and was the eldest daughter of Rufus Fross, who settled in Chautauqua, New York, in 1810. C. C. Fenner, a pioneer of South Stockton, built the first sawmill and the first grist mill of that section.
On the Ist of December, 1855, Judge Smith and his wife, after having tried dairy farming in New York, removed to Michigan and resumed teaching, which both had previously followed. In 1857. however, they once more took up dairy farming at Stockton, New York. Suffering from rheumatism, Mr. Smith was advised by his physician to make an overland journey to California, and on the 15th of April, 1861, left home for the far west, accompanied by his brothers-in-law, P'. C. and Wallace Fenner, and his nephew, Alonzo Putnam. On reaching Toledo, Ohio, they learned that Fort Sumter
438
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
had been fired upon and on arriving at Chicago saw two companies armed and equipped leaving for the front. The company with which they were traveling soon joined with others, some from Illinois, In- diana, Wisconsin and Michigan, until there were one hundred men and nineteen women in the party. It was perhaps because of the large number in the party that they were not attacked when crossing the plains, for many other parties suffered as the result of the unrest among Indians at the time of the war.
After reaching California Mr. Smith spent the winter with Sid Griggs at Sid's Landing, Colusa county, and that fall voted for Leland Stanford, republican nominee for governor. In April, 1862, he engaged in teaching school at Fairfield and was appointed deputy county assessor and later deputy county clerk of Solano county. Pleased with California and its prospects, he sent for his wife to join him, and she started on the ist of January, 1863, as a passenger on the ship Ariel. In May of that year Mr. Smith was one of the pioneers in the Washoe territory, where he engaged in teaming, and while there voted for the second time to convert California into a state. On the 17th of March, 1867, he and his wife took up their permanent abode at San Leandro, where he purchased a house and three blocks of ground from Socrates Huff. On this land was an orchard of cherry and pear trees, the cherry trees being some of the first planted in this county, and two of them are still standing and bearing fruit.
In 1869 Mr. Smith was elected justice of the peace, the position being an important one, for San Leandro was the capital of the county. In 1871 he was re-elected, but at the next term, the courts having been removed to Oakland, he did not seek the position. In 1872 San Leandro was incorporated and he was elected police judge, filling the position for four years. Twice he has been elected one of the five trustees of San Leandro and has taken an active and helpful interest in promoting the progress and upbuilding of the place.
Neither the Judge nor his wife ever joined a religious organiza- tion, yet were active in the work of the Presbyterian church, which they attended, and several times he served as a trustee of the church. He was also elected and served for seven years as superintendent of the Sunday school and did much to further the growth and promote the progress of the church. He also served for three termsof three years each as trustee of the schools in San Leandro. On the 24th of July, 1900, he and his wife celebrated their golden wedding, enter- taining one hundred guests. Their home, Rose Cottage, was deco- rated in exquisite and tasteful style, all in the color of gold, and re-
439
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
freshments were served in a vine-covered arbor near the house. It was a happy occasion, not only for the judge and his wife, but for all who were present. Judge Smith has considerable talent as a writer of verse and on the occasion of the golden jubilee read one of his origi- nal poems. His wife died December 14, 1906, at the age of seventy- eight years, after they had traveled life's journey together as man and wife for fifty-six years.
GEORGE S. MEREDITH.
A man of varied interests, forceful personality and effective abil- ity, George S. Meredith is numbered today among the most able financiers and public-spirited citizens of Oakland, where he is cashier of the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank and active in various movements and projects designed to promote the permanent inter- ests of the community. Through successive stages of progress and advancement he has risen steadily in his chosen field of labor and occupies today a position of distinctive prominence in banking circles. He is a director of the bank as well as cashier and secre- tary; has been secretary of the Oakland Clearing House Association ever since its organization ; and is a member of the executive council of the California Bankers' Association.
Mr. Meredith was born in Sacramento, California, December 16, 1865, and is a son of one of the early pioneers of Sierra county, from which he served as a member of the state legislature in 1865. He later moved into Oakland. In the public schools of the latter city George S. Meredith acquired his education and after laying aside his text books turned his attention to the newspaper business in St. Hel- ena, Napa county, where he remained for five years. At the end of that time, however, he returned to Oakland and took a position in a local bank. He entered the employ of the Farmers & Merchants Sav- ings Bank in 1902, beginning a career which has already brought him prominence and distinction. Soon after he became connected with this institution he was made its cashier, a position which he now oc- cupies and the duties of which he discharges in an able and con- scientious manner. He is recognized as a far-sighted and resource- ful financier of sound judgment and discriminating ability and since entering the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank has been a helpful factor in its success.
440
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Mr. Meredith is an authority on real-estate values and his promi- nence in this line is recognized throughout the county. He serves on the board of appraisers for schoolhouse sites in Oakland and has various other public and semi-public connections, his interest and enthusiasm having rapidly carried him forward into important rela- tions with general community life. He was at one time chairman of the republican city central committee, is secretary and treasurer of the Industrial Home for the Adult Blind, has been secretary of the Oakland Clearing-House Association since its formation in 1906 and is a director and vice president of the California Mutual Invest- ment Association.
Mr. Meredith married Miss Mary Noyes, a native of San Fran- cisco, who is well known in social circles of Oakland. He belongs to the Nile Club and is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the native Sons of the Golden West. He is at this time potentate of Aahmes Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is widely and favorably known in business circles of Oakland, where his ability, industry and integrity have gained him the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact.
FRANK W. BILGER.
Business, fraternal, social and political interests of Oakland find a progressive and worthy representative in Frank W. Bilger, whose interests have extended to many fields touching closely the general development of this community. He is president, treasurer and gen- eral manager of The Oakland Paving Company and has a record of able and far-sighted service as president of the Chamber of Com- merce. He has been active in the support of various progressive public measures and his name has come to be regarded as synonymous with development and progress in this locality.
Frank W. Bilger was born at Willow Springs, Jackson county, Oregon, August 2, 1868, a son of William F. and Pauline ( Hauser) Bilger, both of German ancestry. His education was acquired in San Leandro, Alameda county, where the family moved in 1874 and where he remained until 1883, after which he spent two years work- ing upon his father's farm at Vacaville, Solano county. Tiring of this, he secured employment in 1885 in Bowman's drug store in Oak- land as errand boy, window washer and general handy man. During this time he entered the department of pharmacy at the University
1
441
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
of California and was graduated in 1889 with the degree of Ph. G. Pending his intended entrance into the Cooper Medical College, he secured a position as collector for the Oakland Paving Company and, becoming interested in this line of work, rose rapidly to the posi- tion of bookkeeper. On the death of one of the owners he was elected a member of the board of trustees and later was made secretary, treas- urer and general manager. He is now president of the company, which position his initiative spirit and executive ability make him eminently well qualified to fill. In 1905 Mr. Bilger, with Anson S. Blake, organized the Blake & Bilger Company, contractors for all kinds of work connected with the paving business. Although he has labored for his individual success, he is also interested in the general business advancement of the city and for years promoted this in an intelligent and able way as a director of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. During the period of his service the membership in this body was greatly increased and his work proved so valuable that in 1906, on the consolidation of the Chamber of Commerce with the Board of Trade, he was made first vice president of the organization, of which he was elected president in the following year. In his official capacity and as a private citizen he took an active part in the relief work following the fire of 1906 and was truly a Good Samari- tan to those afflicted in that disaster. Mr. Bilger organized the Har- bor Bank in 1907 and served as its first president, inagurating the policy of progressiveness, tempered by a safe conservatism, to which its directorate has since adhered. He is recognized in business cir- cles as a resourceful and discriminating man, whose sagacity is far- reaching and whose integrity is beyond question.
In Oakland, on the 19th of December, 1894, Mr. Bilger was united in marriage to Miss Carrie S. Siebe, a daughter of George Siebe, for many years an official in the San Francisco customhouse. Mr. and Mrs. Bilger have four children-Anson S., Marion A., Wil- liam F. and Frank W., Jr.
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.