Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 111

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

USA > California > Santa Clara County > Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California > Part 111

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Simeon Ellsworth was born in England in July, 1839, and was married there in 1872, to Jane Craven, and came to California in 1879.

BRAHAM P. CHRISMAN. Nearly every visitor who comes to the beautiful Santa Clara Valley will hear of the large prune orchard. This has reference to the one owned by Abra- ham P. Chrisman. It is situated on the Los Gatos and Saratoga road, about three miles from Los Gatos, and in one of the most beautiful and productive spots in the valley. A great many visitors to Los Gatos or in the immediate vicinity will pay a visit to this orchard, and, in fact, from those who have seen it the fame of its beauty and grandeur has gone abroad throughout the Eastern States. This and the orchard adjoining, owned by Mr. Handy, is known as the Huggins and Stoddard Prune Orchard. In May, 1886, the east half, seventy-one acres, was purchased by Mr. Chrisman, all the land being under cultivation. There are fifty-three acres in French prunes, eight years old, thirteen acres in apricots, three years old, besides three acres devoted to a family orchard of va- rious kinds of fruit in good bearing condition. There are also three acres devoted to drying grounds, in preparing the fruit for the market. The number of trees of the different kinds are as follows: French prunes, about 9,300; apricots, about 1,300, and in the family orchard there are about 350 trees, together with grape-vines of different varieties. The product from the place for the year 1887 was about 300 tons of fruit.

Abraham P. Chrisman is a native of Contra Costa County, California, where he was born January 2, 1855, a son of John P. and Barbara (Powell) Chris-

man. He was raised in the town of Danville, and came to Santa Clara County on the ninth day of June, 1887. He was united in marriage, September 20, 1881, to Mary L. McDonald, a native of Ralls County, Missouri, where she was born April 15, 1865. They have two children: John P., born August 12, 1883, and Ethel, born October 21, 1884.

EORGE W. LYNCH was born in New York city, January 22, 1844. His father, William, was a native of Ireland, and his mother, Mary, a na- tive of Glasgow, Scotland. They were married in Glasgow and came to New York at an early date, and the mother died when George was very young. They raised a family of seven children, of whom five are still living. When George was very young his parents removed to Pittsburg, where his mother died. His father then moved to Keokuk, Iowa, and thence to Carthage, Illinois, and finally to California, where he died in 1881.

George came to California in 1864, and located first in San Francisco, and afterward at Suisun, So- lano County, where he taught school for three years. He then returned to San Francisco, where he has been employed as an accountant and general business man ever since. He was married, in August, 1870, to Annie P. Vice, a native of Philadelphia, of German and French parentage. They have two children, a son and .a daughter. His family have resided in Santa Clara County since 1879. Mr. Lynch is Secre- tary of the Los Gatos and Saratoga Wine Company, being one of the incorporators of the same; is also secretary and one of the incorporators of the real- estate company called the Saratoga and Los Gatos Syndicate; is Secretary and lessee of the Los Gatos Gas Works, and organizer of the same; is Secretary and lessee of the Gilroy and Hollister Gas Works; is President of the Visalia (Tulare County) and Po- mona (Los Angeles County) Gas Works, and has in- terests in all these incorporations. He has a ranch of forty acres, all in fruit and vines. Has twelve acres in fruit, principally French prunes, the remainder being a family orchard, all from one to seven years old. He has sixteen acres in wine grapes, and the rest in Muscats from one to seven years old. His residence is beautifully located on an eminence, and commands a magnificent view of the surrounding country. The view of Santa Clara Valley to the

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north, east, and west is especially grand. His house, barn, fruit houses and other buildings are large and convenient, and has an abundance of water furnished by a windmill on his place, the large water tank being attached to the house. His grounds, fronting on the Los Gatos and Saratoga road, are beautifully laid out, through which the road to his house winds up an easy grade.

Mr. Lynch is one of our most public-spirited citi- zens, and deserves to prosper, as he has done much toward the building up of Los Gatos.

LG S. POTTS, JR. This gentleman, who is Secre- tary of the Fredericksburg Brewing Company, with which he has been connected for the past ten years, was born in Philadelphia in 1856. He there attended the public schools, graduating at the High School in 1871. Immediately afterward he came to California, and accepted the position of book- keeper, and later became a commercial traveler. In 1882 he was married to Miss Emma Haney, daughter of W. W. Haney, of San Francisco. For six years he was interested in general merchandising and contract- ing in Walla Walla, Washington Territory, which he abandoned to accept the position he now holds with the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. He owns forty acres of choice land on the Stevens Creek road, about five miles from San Jose, which he purchased in the month of May, 1877, and in the winters of 1877-78 and 1878-79 he had it planted exclusively to prunes. As yet he has no buildings upon the place. This gentleman is a member of the Knights of Pythias, San Jose Lodge, No. 125, of which he is at present Chancellor Commander.

NDREW LEWIS KING. To the visitor who drives at random, leaving the beaten thorough- fares of travel, and who seeks the less frequented drives and avenues, this " Garden Valley " pre- sents its chief attraction and its wonderful beauty, every turn bringing a new surprise and revealing a fresh charm. Everywhere, half hidden in the orchards, nestling among the vines, overtopped by stately for- est trees, giant sycamores and old oaks, or embowered amid the roses, spacious and elegant mansions and beautiful cottages produce a succession of delight.

Such is the feeling one has who drives out to " Locust Farm " on the King road, just an easy drive of two and a half miles from the city and its busy activity. This is the orchard home of Mr. Andrew Lewis King, a splendid tract of ninety-five acres of a soil that can- not be surpassed for its exuberant fertility, as will readily be imagined when one sees the giant locust and other trees about the place. One locust has grown from a mere twig when it was set out in 1864 to be a tree of over seventy feet in height and over three feet in diameter in 1888. There is also an oak planted as an acorn by Mrs. King in the same year as the other, now (in 1888) a tree two feet in diameter and fifty feet in height. But it requires diligent cul- tivation and attention on the part of the owners to bring these garden spots to their present perfection, and "Locust Farm " is no exception. Mr. King pur- chased the farm in 1851, since which time he has de- voted himself ardently to agricultural pursuits, and is now reaping the reward that always awaits diligence and attention in this valley. He has thirty-six acres of the ninety-five in orchard, divided as follows: Five acres in apricots, five in peaches, and twenty-six in French prunes. This is all young orchard just about to come into bearing, and seems destined to become one of the finest and most productive in the county. The remainder of the land is devoted to raising hay grain, etc., and in pasturing stock, for which it is well suited. Sufficient water for every purpose is furnished by four flowing artesian wells.

Mr. King was born in Montgomery County, Vir- ginia, on July 12, 1818, and is the son of Joseph and Catharine (Lewis) King, who were natives of that country. His father was a farmer, and young Andrew was brought up as a farmer's lad, gathering such learning as can be obtained in the public schools. At the age of twenty years he located in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he entered into mercantile pursuits, as a clerk in a general merchandise store. While en- gaged at this, his ambition led him to enter Knox- ville College, in which he took a partial course. In 1844 he removed to Tuscumbia, Alabama, where he began the study of law, being duly admitted in proper time to the practice of his profession. He opened an office and followed the practice until May, 1849, when, fired with the gold fever, he started overland for California, reaching here in April, 1850. The ox train to which he was attached was very large and made but slow progress, wintering in New Mexico and entering the State by the Southern route. Mr. King went to San Francisco by vessel from San

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Diego, and for a time was engaged in a survey at Humboldt Bay. He afterward visited the mines and established himself in a clothing store at Georgetown. In 1851 he came to the Santa Clara Valley, and pur- chased the lands upon which he now resides. He is a pioneer of this county, and a gentleman prominent in matters of a general interest, and has aided more than a little in the development and prosperity of this sec- tion.

In 1853 he married Miss Elizabeth Lee, daughter of Mark and Nancy (Hickey) Lee, who were residents of Santa Clara County. Mrs. King died September 2, 1884. He has had seven children, six of whom are living. They are: Joseph R., residing on the old homestead; Dora Lena, who married William H. Cureton, of Fresno; Zoe Alma, residing here; Effie Allien, who married Thomas W. Tompkins, of San Francisco; Andrew Lewis, Jr., and Albert Woods, residing at home.

Mr. King is a Democrat in politics, following the lead of the party in all proper ways.

Such in brief is an account of one of the pioneers of this county, and a worthy member of society.

AMES G. ARTHUR was born in Alexandria, Virginia, July 17, 1843. His parents, Marcus and Jane (Jones) Arthur, were natives of Virginia. James lived with his parents till he was eight years old, when he went to New York, where he was chiefly brought up. In 1861, at the age of eighteen, he en- listed as a private in Company D, First New York Cavalry, and was in the campaigns of his regiment until June, 1863, when he was transferred from this to Company C, Sixty-third New York Infantry, as First Lieutenant; he soon afterward was promoted to the Captaincy of the company, in which capacity he served until the close of the war, or until September, 1865, when he was mustered out. He was in nineteen battles and innumerable skirmishes. He had two brothers in the Confederate army. At the second battle of Bull Run, one of his brothers was taken prisoner by his and other Union regiments. After the prisoners had been gathered in, Mr. Arthur met and had a conversation with his brother. This brother, Marcus Arthur, was afterward killed at Selma, Ala- bama. Mr. Arthur was taken prisoner at the battle of the Wilderness, and taken to and confined in Libby prison for seven months. After being mustered out, Mr. Arthur came to California, in 1865, and located in

San Francisco, where he remained four years working at the carpenter's trade. In 1869 he came to San Jose, where he followed his trade for thirteen years. In 1880 he purchased his present place of ten acres near Los Gatos. He was married, in 1877, to Ange- line M. Castle, a native of Detroit, Michigan; she died in December, 1884. Was married again, in 1886, to Nancy Desmarais, a native of Troy, New York. Mr. Arthur is a member of E. O. C. Ord Post, No. 82, G. A. R., of Los Gatos, and a member of the Odd Fellows and Masonic Lodges of San Jose. Has I,200 trees on his place, 900 in French prunes from one to seven years old, 200 apricots four years old, and the remainder in family orchard.

EORGE CARSON, Assistant Accountant of the Quicksilver Mining Company, New Almaden, is a native of Detroit, Michigan, born May 30, 1849, his parents being James and Mary (Han- mer) Carson. He was reared in Detroit, attending school there until fifteen years of age. He then at- tended the Metropolitan Institute, New York, for four years. He then went into the office of his father, who was in the iron trade in New York city. Thence he went to the Lake Superior mines, and from there to Detroit, where he engaged in the wholesale tobacco business as clerk, and afterward in the iron business. In 1875 he came to California, and after four months at Oakland, went into the United States employ in the post-office, San Francisco. Eight months later he came to Santa Clara and bought an interest in a plumbing house, which then became Menzel & Carson. After eighteen months he closed out his interest to his partner and engaged in the district telegraph business at San Jose, and succeeded to the superintendency about one year later. When the concern changed hands he started the telephone business, at San Jose, but the competition of the other firm with its pro- tected patents compelled the selling out of the busi- ness, and he entered the employ of the South Pacific Coast Railroad as agent at Agnew and afterward at Los Gatos, which position he filled until coming to New Almaden.

Mr. Carson was married, in Detroit, to Miss Nellie Carter. They have seven children, namely: James, George, Edward W., Mary, Hattie, Lulu, and Nellie. The oldest was born in Detroit, the others all in Cali- fornia.

Mr. Carson was one of the charter members of

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Mt. Hamilton Lodge, A. O. U. W., and has been its Master. Politically he is a Democrat. He was ap- pointed Postmaster of New Almaden shortly after the commencement of Cleveland's administration, and has since held that position.

RS. DELIA J. MCLELLAN, of San Jose Township, is a native of Lincoln County, Mis- souri. She was reared in Lincoln County, and there was married to Andrew Hall, a native of Kentucky. He crossed the plains in 1850 and went into the mines of this State, but died in 1852, before his family arrived. By this marriage there were two children: William Henry, and Alice, the wife of H. W. Edwards. Both reside in this county. In 1854 our subject came out to California, with her parents. In 1856 she was married to James McLellan, a native of Danville County, Maine. He was reared in that State, and came from there to California, by water, in an early day. He died in this county in 1872. He was a Republican, politically, and took an active part in public affairs. Mrs. McLellan has by her second marriage one son, Edward F., who resides near his mother's home. He married Louisa Aldrich, and they have two children: Harry and Ralph.

OHN E. PILLOT was born in Santiago, Chili, in 1846. In 1853, at the age of seven years, his parents, Julian and Sylvestra Pillot, removed to California and settled in San Jose. His father was a contractor and builder, which business he fol- lowed until his death, in 1859. He was a native of Bordeaux, France, and his wife was a native of Chili, South America, and is still living in San Jose.

The subject of this sketch received his education in the public schools of San Jose, and later attended the Santa Clara College. When eighteen years of age he left the college and engaged for two years in the in- surance business, in San Jose, for the New York Mutual Insurance Company, with D. O. Callahan, one of the earliest insurance agents in San Jose. He then engaged in the grocery business for four years with Lemonie, Gambert & Co. In 1871 he became weigh- ing clerk for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at San Jose, and remained with the company seven years, being promoted through the various grades to

the position of chief clerk, in which he continued for several years. In 1878 he accepted a clerkship with the South Pacific Coast Railroad Company, in which capacity he served several years, when he was appointed station agent, which position he held for five years previous to the purchase of the road by the Southern Pacific Railway Company, in 1887. Since that time he has continued in that position. Most of the active, mature life of Mr. Pillot has been passed in the railroad business, in which he is an expert, having full charge of all the business done by the Southern Pacific Coast Railway Company in San Jose. He has about forty men under his charge in the freight, storage, and other departments. They receive daily an average of fifty cars of freight from the southern points on the road, while from the north they receive about fifteen car loads. This traffic is constantly in- creasing, Mr. Pillot being compelled to increase his force from time to time. He is a member of San Jose Lodge, No. 125, Knights of Pythias.

Mr. Pillot was married, in 1884, to Miss Emma Bailey, a native of Mendocino County, and a grad- uate of the State Normal School of San Jose. She has been a teacher in her native county. He resides at No. 197 Montgomery Street, San Jose.

H. WAKEFIELD, son of Jonathan and Re- becca Wakefield, was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, July 9, 1823. His parents were na- tives of New Hampshire. He lived with them until sixteen years old, and attended the common schools at Cornish, the New Hampshire Academy, and the Academy at Randolph Center, one of the oldest academies in Vermont. He then went into business as a traveling salesman for his brother, Charles A., an inventor, and remained with him two years. This was before he attended the academies. He then went to Boston and engaged in the daguerreotype business for himself, and continued in the business two years, when he went to Kenosha, Wisconsin. He remained there three years, following the same business. In the spring of 1852 he went to Oregon, and opened a commercial store in Albany. In 1856 he went to San Francisco as a buyer of goods for three different houses,-his own, and two houses in Honolulu. He was in San Francisco one year, then went to Port- land, Oregon, and opened another commercial house, under the firm name of Wilson, Wakefield & Co., at

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the same time continuing his business in Albany. He represented Multnomah County in the Oregon Legislature in 1864, which Legislature passed the amendment abolishing slavery. He had stores in the mines at Lewiston and Oro Fino in 1864. Was one of the directors of the First National Bank of Port- land, which position he held until his removal to San Francisco; was postmaster of Portland four years; was instrumental in getting subscriptions for the Port- land Mercantile Library, and was its President the most of the time before his removal to San Francisco; it is now a prosperous institution. In 1873 he re- moved to Oakland, California, and still retains a con- siderable part of his interest in Portland. He now has an office in San Francisco, doing a commission business, mostly in lumber.

In 1883 he purchased 10412 acres on Fruit Vale Avenue, near Saratoga, of which sixty acres are now in vines, and the rest in fruit; has about twenty acres of French Silver prunes, five years old, 500 Blen- heim apricots, and 450 Moorpark apricots, five years old, 360 white cherry, 650 Muir, Alexander, and Susquehanna peaches the same age; has twenty- five acres of vines set out the first year, now five years old, and thirty-five acres set out the next year, and for size and quality is the banner vineyard of Santa Clara County. Mr. Wakefield is one of the directors of the Los Gatos and Saratoga Wine Company.

He was married, in 1872, to Miss Mary R. Warren, of Oakland, and they have five children-two sons and three daughters.

CULBERT J. WILCOX was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in July, 1829, and remained at home, working on his father's farm and attending school 1 until twenty-three years of age. He came to California, around Cape Horn, on the ship Flying Dutchman, and arrived in San Francisco in January, 1853, making the trip in 100 days. He came im- mediately to San Jose, where he engaged in farming with his brother-in-law, J. O. McKee, the first year. He then engaged in various occupations until 1856, when he bought an interest in a grocery business, which he sold two years afterward. He then became interested in the hotel business, purchasing an interest in the Morgan House, which he continued to run and manage until 1871, when he sold the hotel buildings and erected the Wilcox Block, where his present busi- ness is carried on. This block has a frontage of sixty-

nine feet on First Street, and 138 feet on San Fernando Street,-one of the best-appointed business blocks in the city. In 1871 Mr. Wilcox bought out the boot and shoe stock of McGoun & Co., and removed it to the store in his block, which he now occupies, and which he has occupied since that time.

He was married, in 1852, to Miss Sarah McKee, a native of Cromwell, Connecticut. They have had six children, of whom three are living, viz .: Anna K., a graduate of the Gates Institute; Edith, attending the University of the Pacific; and E. J., attending the San Jose High School.

Mr. Wilcox is a Republican in politics. He was a member of the City Council of San Jose in 1860, and of all his associates in the city government at that time he is the only survivor. He has been a Trustee of the City Free Library of San Jose since its forma- tion, in 1880, representing the Fourth Ward in the Board.

FRANK OLDHAM was born in Greenville District, South Carolina, December 16, 1826, his parents being also natives of that State. Major George Oldham, his grandfather, was a Revolutionary officer and fought the battle of the Cowpens alongside of Dekalb. When the subject was six years old, his parents removed to Selma, Ala- bama, where he was reared and educated and clerked in a store. His parents died when he was seventeen years old. On May 1, 1852, he started for California by way of Nicaragua, where he remained three months, when he came on to California and located in San Francisco. There he was employed for eight years by the firm of Jonas G. Clark & Co., and then he came to Gilroy and engaged in the hotel and livery business, conducting the old " Exchange" in partner- ship with George Roop, with whom he had been pre- viously connected for a year in the business of driv- ing cattle from Los Angeles County to San Francisco. He was in the hotel business about ten years, and while so engaged he and Mr. Roop bought the Gilroy Hot Springs and improved and made a resort of them. Upon closing out his hotel and livery business he engaged in farming near San Felipe for about ten years, when he removed to the place where he now resides, which he had previously purchased.

He was married, in Gilroy, January 6, 1862, to Miss Martha R. Martin, daughter of Julius and Elizabeth Martin, and has one child, Maud. He had a son,

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Ashley by name, who died in November, 1882, at the age of eighteen years. He was a member of the class of 1883 at the San Mateo Military Academy. He was at the time at the head of the Military Depart- ment and at the head of his classes also. In politics Mr. Oldham is a Democrat, and was the first Mayor of Gilroy, holding the office two years. His family are Episcopalians. He has a ranch of twenty-five acres, one-half mile north of Gilroy, on the San Jose and Monterey road, four acres of which are in orchard set out in the winter of 1884-85, containing a variety of trees. The land is well adapted to the stone fruits, and he intends to set out ten acres during the coming winter. He erected his present residence in 1869, al- though it has the appearance of a new house. He has a few head of cattle. He rents land from others and farms from 100 to 200 acres every year. He regards fruit as the proper crop to raise in this locality.

ULIUS TOURNY was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, April 10, 1839, and came to New York in 1863, where he remained two years, then came to California in 1855 and located in San Francisco. In 1858 he made the trip overland to Fraser River in British Columbia, but soon after returned to San Francisco, where he resided the most of the time till 1869, when he took a trip to Germany. He was married, in 1860, to Sophia Fritz, a native of Balti- more, Maryland. She died in 1869, leaving three children. He was again married, in 1870, to Helen Kress, a native of Fort Madison, Iowa, where she was born in 1851. She came to California with her par- ents in 1855. They have three children. Mr. Tourny was a traveling salesman for Stein, Simon & Co., whole- sale ciothiers, in San Francisco. He bought his present place near Los Gatos in 1882, and moved upon it in 1886. He has twenty-five acres, about ten acres be- ing under cultivation, mostly in prunes and apricots, with a few of other varieties, the trees being from one to five years old. The view of the surrounding coun- try is excellent. He owns a nice spring about one and one-fourth miles from his place, which is about 100 feet above his house. He has a vineyard of two acres, mostly in table grapes. His Muscats are four years old and in full bearing.

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Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 111

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844