Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 55

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 55

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he continued for a year, he came to California in 1868 and located in San Jose. He spent fourteen months in Nevada and Oregon, after which he was in the em- ploy of William Berringer, in Oakland and San Fran- cisco, in the hay and grain business, for seven years. He was also employed a portion of this time in San Jose. In 1884 he purchased his present place of twenty-two and one half acres near Los Gatos, where he has since resided.

He was married in Oakland, in 1878, to Emily Cutter, a native of Tompkins County, New York. Mr. MacDonald has a fine vineyard of eight and one half acres, and also eight acres in trees,-French prunes, cherries, apricots, etc.

CONROE C. PARK was born in Lenawee County, Michigan, February 24, 1846. His parents, Thomas K. and Sabrina E. Park, were natives of Vermont, settled in Michigan in 1844, lived there nine years, and then removed to Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana, where they lived two years. They then went to Iowa County, Iowa, where they remained three years. In the spring of 1858 they moved to Franklin County, Kansas, near Centropolis, where they lived seven years. They then moved to Shawnee County, four miles from Topeka, where they died, the mother in October, 1883, and the father in January, 1887. They reared five children, three daughters and two sons. One son has since died.

Monroe, the subject of this sketch, lived with his parents till twenty-three years of age. He was mar- ried April 1, 1869, to Lucy E. McNown, a native of Racine County, Wisconsin. After his marriage he went upon a farm of seventy-five acres, which he had purchased when twenty years old. He made improve- ments and lived there till September 23, 1874, when he rented his place and emigrated to California. He first located in Santa Rosa, where he remained about a year. He then moved to a place ncar Guerneville, in the same county, and went to teaming, hauling wood and pickets to the railroad. He continued in this business about a year and a half, then went to Mendocino County and took up 160 acres of govern- ment land under the homestead act in the Redwoods on the Mavarro River, and staid there six years. He improved the place during that time by putting up buildings, fences, etc. In the fall of 1883 he came to Santa Clara County and moved on his present ranch,

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which he purchased in 1881, after selling his Kansas ranch. His farm in Mendocino County he sold in 1887. He now has a nicely improved ranch of twenty acres all in fruit. He has 890 French prunes four years old, 180 silver prunes two years old, 353 apricots two and four years old, 130 peaches mostly four and six years old, 109 cherries six years old, 38 yellow egg plums four years old, 22 Bartlett pears two years old, 23 apples from four to six years old, and 20 fig trees three years old, besides other choice trees. He has three acres in vines, mostly Muscat and table grapes, from four to six years old. Mr. and Mrs. Park have four children, viz .: Edward K., born Jan- uary 27, 1870; Celia E., February 24, 1872; Clara E., September 18, 1873; Edith M., May 7, 1886.

OSTER W. CHASE, son of Cyrus and Sophro- nia (Bagley) Chase, was born in Machias Port, Maine, December 4, 1848. His parents were na- tives of that State. His father died April 25, 1852, and was buried in the Gulf of Tehuantepec on his way to California. His mother is now living at Soquel, with one of her daughters. They reared a family of nine children, of whom three have since died. The oldest of the family died when a small child. Foster was reared in Maine at a place called Chase's Mill, after he was five years old. When nearly nineteen, he came to California vie Panama, and landed in San Francisco in October, 1867. He at once went to work for his brother, Josiah Chase, on his ranch, and remained there during the winter. In the following March he went to Lexington and took charge of a lumber yard there owned by his brother Josiah, and continued his business until 1883. After remaining at Lexington four years, he went to his brother's ranch near where he had a saw-mill turning out the lumber. In 1884 Mr. Chase bought thirty-five acres of his brother's ranch, on which he has since resided. He has about eight acres in fruit, consisting of 500 French prunes, 150 egg plums, 200 pears and apples, 30 peach and apricot. All are four years old except the apples and pears, which are but two.

In December, 1870, he was married to Nannie J. Howell, who was born February 21, 1850, in Linn County, Missouri. They have five children, namely: Maude E., born September 25, 1871; Ralph C., No- vember 23, 1873; Walter W., October 31, 1878; Irma P., April 6, 1884, and Chester J., March 28, 1886. They lost one child, Charles C., born February II,

1876, and dicd October 2, 1877. Mrs. Chase came to California with her parents in 1852. Her father, Watkins F. Howell, first located at Grass Valley, Nevada County, and in 1855 removed to Santa Clara County, where Mrs. Chase has since resided.

RANK LOBDELL, son of Calvin and Eliza Ann (Williams) Lobdell, was born in Lake County, Illinois, June II, 1849. His parents were natives of New York State and settled in Lake County in 1843, where his father located on a pre-emption claim under the land laws of the United States. They have a family of four children, of whom Frank is the oldest son. He lived with his parents till sixteen years of age and attended the district school while living at home, and afterward went to the High School at Waukegan, in his native county. He worked as an apprentice at the carpenter's trade in the summer and attended school in winter for two years. He then went to Chicago and worked as a journeyman carpenter, and was there during the great fire of 1871. In the winter of 1871-72 he opened a contractor's and builder's shop with O. J. Daily, under the firm name of Daily & Lobdell. About this time he began the study of architecture, and attended night schools under different masters for about three years. After this he turned most of his attention to archi- tecture, and continued the practice of his profession there until 1876, when his health failed and he was unable a great deal of the time to attend to business. On March 4, 1877, he left Chicago and came to Cali- fornia and located in Bridgeport, Mono County, where he ran a restaurant for about a year and a half, when he sold it and moved to Bodie, in the same county, and opened a notion emporium, dealing in cigars, to- bacco, and notions; he continued in that business there till the fall of 1880, when he sold out and moved to Los Gatos, where he purchased a ranch of ten acres about a mile north of the town, and planted it to trees and vines. He worked at the carpenter's trade until 1885, when he turned his attention to the pro- fession of architecture. In the fall of 1887, on the growing demand for his work, he opened an office in Los Gatos, where he has been constantly engaged ever since. He has made a great many designs for builders in Los Gatos and vicinity. He has one acre in table grapes, five years old; 350 French prunes, 250 apricots, 200 peaches, 100 yellow egg plums, all

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of different ages, and about 50 irces of different vari- eties in the family orchard.

Mr. Lobdell was married in 1873, to Cora A. Davis, a native of Lake County, Illinois. They have four children, viz .: Annie R., Winniford, Mand R., and Jessie.

EV. ARTHUR ELLIOT SEARS, son of Edward and Jemima (Root) Sears, was born at Walnut Hills, near Cincinnati, Ohio, June 6, 1823. His father was a native of Massachu- setts, and his mother of Connecticut. After their marriage his parents settled in Vermont, and then in New York. From New York they removed first to Indiana, and then to Ohio, where the father died, June 10, 1831. His mother afterward married Mathias Potter, who died in Milford, Ohio. She removed to Missouri, and became a member of her son's family, and removed with him to Oregon, where she died August 30, 1876. She was the mother of eight chil- dren, of whom Arthur, the subject of this sketch, is the youngest living. He lived eight years in Hamil- ton County, and after that in Clermont County, Ohio. He was educated in Cincinnati, where he attended Woodward College. In the fall of 1845 he went to Missouri and joined the Missouri Conference; the next year, the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He was a traveling minister in that Conference nearly seventeen years. In 1862 he emigrated to Oregon, and was transferred to the Pacific Conference, and took work in Oregon, where he remained twelve years. He was Presiding Elder six years, and served as preacher three years on another charge. He was agent of Corvallis College, a State agricultural insti- tution under the management of the Columbia Con- ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1874 he removed to Colorado, and there had charge of the entire work for one year; the next year the work was divided and he was continued on the Denver District, when his health broke down, and he was compelled to leave the State. He then came to the Pacific Coast, and in the spring of 1878 settled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Wrights Station, on his present place, which he styles the " Sunshine Ranch." Here he has devoted a part of his time to preaching, as a local preacher. His ranch contains about sixty acres, of which about twenty are under cultivation. He has about 600 prunes, embracing the different varieties, some from ten to fifteen years

old, and 300 plums of different varieties, 80 cher- ries, twenty years old, besides a family orchard. He has about seven acres in vines, all table grapes. This is one of the oldest vineyards in the mountains. The ranch was purchased from Lyman J. Burrell. Four acres of this vineyard, in 1887, yielded $1,300, after all expenses were paid.

He was married in April, 1847, at Shelbyville, Mis- souri, to Julia A. Hawkins. She died in Carrollton, Missouri, in May, 1859. She was the mother of five children, three of whom are living. Mr. Sears was married again in January, 1860, to Eliza E. De France, in Milan, Sullivan County, Missouri, and by her had one son. The first children are : Mary C., Laura R., and Arthur L. The two former are married. Will- iam A., by the second marriage, is now married, and principal of a school in Contra Costa County.

APT. HENRY C. HOGG was born in Letcher (at that time Perry) County, Kentucky, January 29, 1836. His father, Hiram Hogg, was a native of Culpeper County, Virginia, and removed with his parents in 1802, when two years old, to Kentucky. Hiram was married to Levina Polly, a native of Ken- tucky, and reared a family of eleven children, who grew to maturity, of whom five are now living. Mrs. Hogg died in April, 1846. Hiram afterward married Polly Roark, of Kentucky, and by her had seven chil- dren, of whom five are now living. Hiram died in 1863, and his wife in 1884. Henry C. Hogg is now the youngest son of the first family. He made his home with his parents till he was nineteen years old. He was educated principally in Lee County, Virginia. At the age of twenty-one he studied law, and at the age of twenty-two was admitted to the Bar in Irvine, Estill County, Kentucky, and practiced law there and in Perry County until September, 1861. He then enlisted in Company D, Nineteenth Kentucky Infantry, as a private. On February 5, 1863, he was commissioned First Lieutenant, and March 10 of the same year received his commission as Captain. He was at Cumberland Gap in 1862, and in December went to Vicksburg with General Sherman, and re- mained there until after the surrender of the city. From Vicksburg his regiment was sent to New Or- leans, where he served under General Banks until he was mustered out, January 28, 1865. He then located at Booneville, Kentucky, opened a law office, and also engaged in general merchandise. He lived there till

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1885, when he sold out and came to California. He made a previous visit to this State in 1884, and bought a ranch near Saratoga on the road leading from Saratoga to Mountain View. It contains nearly twenty-seven acres. In 1887 he added to it nine acres more, making in all thirty-six acres. His ranch has 450 French prunes, in their sixth year, and 1,480 in their fifth year, 250 apricots, 110 peaches, and 100 pears, all in their sixth year, and 40 cherries in their fourth year.

Mr. Hogg was married April 16, 1867, to Martha A. Marion, a native of Owsley County, Kentucky, and daughter of Matthew and Rebecca (Kelley) Marion, who moved from Virginia to Kentucky in 1850. Mr. Marion was a native of Tennessee and his wife of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hogg have four children, two sons and two daughters: Charles Henry, born December 30, 1869; Cora, born November 15, 1873; Raymond, born July 22, 1877; Carrie, born April 17, 1880.

RANK M. JACKSON, son of Willard C. and Harriet (White) Jackson, was born at Lancaster, Coos County, New Hampshire, June 22, 1847. His parents were both natives of Maine. When four- teen years of age, his parents moved to Waltham, Massachusetts, where he went to work delivering milk for one year. He then engaged with A. L. Jewell in the manufacture of weather-vanes, and continued in this business for three years. He attended no school after leaving Lancaster. When twenty years of age he went to Boston, and for six months worked for the Fremont Watch Company in the manufacture of watches. He then went to Elgin, Illinois, to work in the watch factory there, but remained only about five months. He then returned to Boston, and again en- gaged in the weather-vane business, with J. Harris, where he remained for five years, when, in 1872, he came to California and located at Marysville, Yuba County. He there entered the jewelry store of Frank E. Smith, and remained with him two and one-half years. In 1875 he went to Chico, Butte County, and engaged in the jewelry business, in which he con- tinued until 1882, when he sold out and went to Port- land, Oregon, and engaged in the same business. After remaining there twenty-one months he returned to California, in 1883, and purchased his present ranch of thirteen acres in the town of Los Gatos. It con- tains 1,000 trees, four years old, of which 750 are French prunes, 150 peaches, and 100 in a family

orchard. In 1884 he started a book, stationery, and jewelry store.

Mr. Jackson was married, in 1873, to Lizzie Hunt, a native of Louisville, Kentucky. She died in June, 1878, leaving a daughter, who survived her four years. He was again married, in 1880, to Fannie F. Ringo, a native of Gallatin, Missouri. They have a son, three years old. Mr. Jackson is a Knight Templar, an Odd Fellow, a Workman, and a Democrat. He was appointed Postmaster of Los Gatos in October, 1885. In January, 1886, the office was changed from a fourth to a third class, and is now a presidential office.

OHN W. LYNDON, son of Samuel and Polly Caroline Lyndon, was born at Alburgh Springs, Grand Isle County, Vermont, February 18, 1836. When between ten and twelve years of age he left home and began to earn his own livelihood. At this age he went to New Hampshire, and from there to Massa- chusetts, and was in Maine for a short time. He came to California in October, 1859, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and landed in San Francisco after a voyage of twenty-three days. The next day after his arrival he went to San Jose, where he remained a few days, when he went to Lexington and hired out to H. M. Hervey, who kept a boarding-house. His first busi- ness was the driving of an ox team, and it was the first attempt of his life in that business. To show his skill in the work, he says he tipped his wagon over the first day! Soon becoming dissatisfied with this business, he applied for something else to do, and was sent by the proprietor to his ranch. When he began to work for Mr. Hervey he had but sixty cents. After remaining with him two months, he hired to Bernard Joseph, who kept a grocery and general store in Lexington, where he worked more than two years. The money saved during this time he invested in a piece of land in the Willows, near San Jose. He then went to San Francisco, bought some goods, and started a little store of his own in Lexington. After carrying on the business for a year, Joseph pro- posed a partnership, which was accepted, and the business carried on under the firm name of Joseph & Lyndon. After a year and a half, Joseph sold his interest to Lyndon, who continued in the business until 1868, making considerable money. He sold out in 1868, and took a trip back to Vermont, going via Panama. He came back to Santa Clara County in the fall of 1869, and bought the 100-acre tract on which

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the hotel called the "Ten Mile House" is situated, which at that time was owned by H. D. McCabb. He paid $7,500 for it, and two months afterward sold it for $10,000, and four years thereafter he re-purchased it for $8,500! Upon his return to this county he located in Los Gatos, and rented the piece of land on which the Wilcox House and depot now stand, and kept a lumber yard, supplying people all over the valley with lumber. When the railroad came through Los Gatos, in 1877, Mr. Lyndon cut up a part of his land into lots, whic . was the beginning of the laying out and selling of lots in Los Gatos. After he sold his 100-acre tract the first time, he bought a lot and moved his lumber yard to East Los Gatos, and con- tinued the business there. He also built a dwelling- house and store, which was the second store kept in Los Gatos. Mr. Lyndon has been a very successful business man. When he came to California he did not spend his money as fast as he earned it, as many did, but was saving and industrious, and invested his money in property as he earned it. The first property he bought in the Willows for $500, he afterward sold for $4,000. When Los Gatos was incorporated, in 1887, Mr. Lyndon was elected a member of the Board of Trustees, and again in 1888, and is now President of the Board. He has been a School Trustee for many years, and has probably done more to build up the town of Los Gatos than any other man. He was one of the original stockholders of the Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company, organized in 1882, and of the Los Gatos Gas Company, incorporated in 1884. He is also a stockholder in the Los Gatos Bank.

Mr. Lyndon was married, in 1872, to Theresa Rector, a native of Missouri, a daughter of W. H. Rector, one of the early settlers of Oregon, who after- ward removed to California. They have two children: Ora Everett, aged twelve years, and Irma Lyle, aged eight years. Mr. Lyndon built, in 1887, his present residence, situated on one of the beautiful knolls in Los Gatos, overlooking the valley and surrounding country, which he calls "Lyndon Home."

GDJEV. JAMES RICHARDS WRIGHT was born in Tallmadge, Summit County, Ohio, June 14, 1814, and was reared there. He attended the Academy of Tallmadge, and afterward Oberlin College, and graduated in 1839 in the college depart- ment. He afterward studied theology privately with a Presbyterian minister at Elyria, Ohio, and was

ordained a preacher in 1841. He began preach- ing at Sheffield, Lorain County, Ohio, in 1842, re- maining there nine years and then going to Ridgeville, Ohio, where he continued his sojourn eight years. From there he went to Benzonia, in the northern portion of Michigan, where he remained four years, and then he was in Sheffield again for three years.

He came to California in the fall of 1869 and lo- cated on his present place, in the Santa Cruz Mount- ains. In 1873 he opened a summer resort for tour- ists and visitors, and continued in this business till 1887. He built his house, called " Arbor Villa," situ- ated on one of the most delightful places on a mount- ain ridge 1,500 feet above the sea level, in 1877. He has 134 acres, of which forty are in fruit-trees about sixteen years old. His vines are of the same age. The ranch was first started in March, 1868, by Elizur and William H. Wright.

Mr. Wright was married, in 1844, to Sarah Holmes Vincent, a native of Boston, Massachusetts. They have eight children: Elizur, residing on the home place; William H., Superintendent of a canning fac- tory in San Jose; Albert T., foreman of the canning factory; Henry W., in the real estate and insurance business in San Jose; Sumner B., residing in San Bernardino County; Frank Vincent at the same place; Lucy A., wife of Captain A. Whittlesey, of Portland, Oregon ; and Clara A., residing at home. They lost two children, Charles R., who died in 1876, aged thirty-one years, and James Frederick, who died in 1880, aged twenty-eight years.

UGUSTINE NICHOLSON, son of John and Hannah (Robinson) Nicholson, was born in Harrison County, Ohio, February 21, 1830. His father was a native of County Armagh, Ireland, and came to Ohio about the beginning of the present century. His wife was a native of Delaware. They made their home on a farm in Harrison County, Ohio, from the time of their marriage till their death, he dying October 7, 1844, aged seventy-two years, and his wife in April, 1874, aged eighty-seven years. They reared a family of six sons and three daughters, Augustine being next to the youngest child. He lived on the home place till twenty-five years old. In the spring of 1855 he went to Iowa, and in the fall of that year bought a farm in Ringgold County, consist- ing of 400 acres, then returning home to Ohio. In the spring of 1857 he went again to Iowa and bought

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400 acres more. He made some improvements on the first purchase, and staid there two years, when he went to the northern part of Missouri, where he had a sister living, and remained there eight or ten months; being then taken with the ague, he returned to Ohio, where he lived till 1875, having previouly disposed of his Iowa lands. In the spring of 1875, after visit- ing some of the Eastern cities, he sailed for Liver- pool, and from there he went to Belfast, in which vicinity he had relatives. After making a short visit at Belfast, he visited Dublin, London, and Paris, and other principal places of interest, and then went to St. Helier, on Jersey Island, where he remained from September till the following May, when he re- turned to Ohio. After attending the Centennial at Philadelphia, the following October, he came to Cali- fornia, to Los Gatos and San Jose. He spent the winter in San Jose, and in July, 1877, went as far east as Oskaloosa, Jefferson County, Kansas, where he remained till after the holidays, when he took a trip down into the Indian Territory and Texas.

He visited Ohio, and was married there April 9, 1879, to Margaret Miller, a native of Ireland. In the fall of the same year he brought his wife to California and lived in Los Gatos two years and a half. After making one more trip to Ohio, in 1882, and remaining there a year, he returned to Los Gatos, where he has since resided. March 3, 1885, he bought his present place in the Almond Grove Addition, and in the fall of the same year built his present house. Just two years and six months before the time of purchase, he disposed of a number of lots by auction sale.

INVILLE E. HAMILTON, son of Asa and Lydia Hamilton, was born in Wellington, Lorain County, Ohio, March 14, 1844. His father was a native of Vermont, born in 1799, and was one of the first settlers in Wellington Township, in that county, in 1823, and lived there till his death, April 4, 1866. After his death his widow moved to the oil regions of Pennsylvania, where she died, in 1881. Linville lived in Wellington till he was twenty-one years old. He worked with his father, who was a carpenter and joiner, until sixteen years of age, when he was ap- prenticed to learn the carpenter's trade. In 1862 he enlisted in Company C, 86th Ohio Infantry, and was honorably discharged in the winter of 1863, where- upon he re-enlisted in Company C, 176th Ohio In- fantry, and served till the close of the war. He served

through the campaigns of the Army of the Cumber- land, and was discharged in 1865. After the death of his father he went to Pennsylvania with his mother and remained there till 1878, when he went to Hum- boldt, Humboldt County, Iowa, and went to work at his trade. He was married there in June, 1881, to Jennie L. Henderson, a native of Canada, of Scotch descent. In 1883 he came to California, reaching Los Gatos September 4, where he has lived and worked at his trade ever since. They have one son, William Wallace, born August 18, 1882.

TAMES H. LYNDON, son of Samuel and Polly (Carline) Lyndon, was born in Grand Island County, Vermont, May 6, 1847, where he lived with his parents until seventeen years of age, and attended the common district schools. In 1863, when sixteen years old, he went to Burlington and enlisted in the Fifth Vermont Infantry, but was rejected by the in- specting officer on account of his age. The next year he went to Massachusetts and enlisted in Com- pany I, Twenty-first Massachusetts Infantry. He, with some 300 recruits for the regiment, was sent to Galoups Island, in Boston Harbor, where they re- mained about six weeks, when they left for Annapo- lis, Maryland, to join their regiment, which was at- tached to the Ninth Army Corps, commanded by General Burnside. They remained in Annapolis until the middle of April, when they were ordered to join their regiment at the front. Marching by way of Washington city, they joined their regiment in the Second Brigade, Second Division of the Ninth Corps, near the Rapidan, just before the Battles of the Wilderness. He participated in these battles, and in those of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor, in which latter engagement his regiment suffered a heavy loss. After the battle of Cold Harbor the Ninth Corps was ordered to City Point, where the Army of the Potomac invested Petersburg for several months. After the capture of several of the outposts, with heavy losses, the city of Petersburg fell, after a siege of several months: From Petersburg the Army of the Potomac followed Lee's army for several days, the Ninth Corps going as far as Farmville, which they reached on the eighth of April, 1865, and the next day General Lee surrendered his army to General Grant, which practi- cally closed the war.

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Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 55

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