Merced County, California

Biographies

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HENRY F. BURKE

From early youth to the present day, Henry F. Burke, who has the agency of the Paige and Jewett cars at Merced, has always been interested in and operating some sort of instrument or appliance for locomotion. The son of Henry F. and Frances (Bittell) Burke, he was born in Cleveland, Ohio, February 11, 1881, and attended the local public school until he was thirteen years of age, when he became a jockey for two years. He then served an apprenticeship as a machinist for three years, after which he went into the bicycle business, all in Cleveland. As an amateur rider he won two prizes, riding to Geneva and return, but when he sold these prizes he was rated as a professional, which he practiced for three years in connection with the bicycle business. He won a number of century medals for riding 100 miles a day. In 1889 he was engaged in working on the first Winton car built. After that he was in the Buick and the Packard factories, and in the Kissel factory in Wisconsin two years. Through the succeeding years he worked in various States, North and South. For a year and a half he was in business in Louisiana, and then went to Texas. From there he came to California and in 1920 located in Merced. He worked on a salary for a time and then engaged in business for himself. He started in a modest way on October 20, 1921, and now employs five men in his present location at 345 Seven­teenth Street, with the agency of the Paige and Jewett cars.

Mr. Burke was united in marriage with Miss Emma Nelson, of Louisiana, who shares with him the high regard of many friends. Mr. Burke is not tied to any party; he votes for the men and measures which seem to be for the best interest to the greatest number. He is a member of the Moose fraternity. He is fond of outdoor life and motoring, and made the record from Merced to Yosemite Valley on June 1, 1923, driving in a blinding storm, in three hours and twenty-six minutes. Highly respected and public-spirited, he has won a place in the foremost ranks of representative citizens.

JERRY J. JIRSA

The well known contracting painter and interior decorator of Merced, Jerry J. Jirsa, was born in Bohemia, now Czecho-Slovakia, on March 25, 1877. He came with his parents to the United States in 1880, and located in Chicago, where he was educated in the public schools. He then learned the trade of painter, and after completing his apprenticeship, took up the painting business in Chicago and fol­lowed it there for a time. He then went to Idaho Falls, Idaho, and engaged in his work there for ten years.

In March, 1920, Mr. Jirsa located in Merced, and for the past two years has been engaged in business for himself, and has met with the success which always comes to a man who knows his work thoroughly and is interested in the artistic as well as the commercial side of it. He has painted the new gymnasium at the high school, the auditorium, and the cafeteria at the manual arts school, as well as a number of residences and apartments, and he specializes in interior decorating, paper work, etc. During the busy season he employs a number of men, but does all the planning and laying out of the work himself, and his years of experience have made him expert in his line, getting the best results obtainable, and adding to the pleasure in life derived from beautiful surroundings.

The marriage of Mr. Jirsa united him with Miss Nellie Lymath, and seven children have blessed their union: Robert, Louise, Vera, Helen, Madalene, Leslie, and Mildred. Fraternally, Mr. Jirsa be­longs to the Modern Woodmen and to the Eagles. He is deeply interested in Merced and Merced County, and shows his public spirit in supporting civic and moral advancement in his community, and is most highly esteemed as a citizen of real worth.

JOSEPH PATRICK ADAMS

Whatever of success has been achieved by Joseph Patrick Adams may be attributed to his own keen and capable judgment and his indus­trious application to business. For the past six years he has been dealing in washing machines; while making this his specialty he also sells the Eureka vacuum cleaner and the Grand Electric Ironer, manu­factured in Detroit, Mich. His store is located at 409 Seventeenth Street, Merced, and here he is headquarters for hemstitching, pleat­ing, button-making, etc. In Dublin, Ireland, he was born August 9, 1888, a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Ellis) Adams, both natives of the same country. Joseph was six years old when he accompanied his parents to the United States; they settled in Philadelphia, Pa., where he attended the Sisters' School. While still in .his teens he became con­nected with Ringling Brothers Circus and remained with them for seven years, and for one year he was with Forepaugh & Sells Circus. In 1911 he came to California and located in Fresno, where he became an employee of the San Joaquin Light & Power Company, remaining for five years in their employ. In 1919 he engaged in his present business, in Merced, which has proven a successful venture.

 

The marriage of Mr. Adams united him with Miss Margaret Cook, a native of Kansas, but reared in Fresno, Cal. Four children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Adams: Jesse is the eldest; then comes Jane, who is musically inclined and frequently appears in public in Merced; Kathryn is the third; and the youngest is Robert. Mr. Adams is prominent fraternally, being affiliated with the Benevo­lent Protective Order of Elks, all branches of the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World, all of Merced; politically he is independent in his selection of candidates to hold offices.

 

CHARLES W. REUTER

Although a young man, Charles W. Reuter has become well estab­lished in Merced as one of the representative business men of the city. His birth occurred in Merced, November 17, 1886, a son of George and Margaret (Martin) Reuter. George Reuter settled in Merced County about forty years ago, and operated one of the lead­ing tonsorial parlors in the City of Merced for many years. Both parents are now deceased.

 

Charles W. Reuter received a public school education in Merced and after his school days were over he learned the carriage trimming and furniture business and followed it for eight years; then for three years he was in the garage business and gradually worked into his present line. At first he established a vulcanizing business, then put in a stock of automobile accessories and at the present time carries the largest stock in this line in the city and employs the services of five men.

 

The marriage of Mr. Reuter united him with Miss Julia Collins and one child, Catherine, was born of this union. Mrs. Reuter is now deceased. Mr. Reuter is a stanch Republican. Fraternally, he belongs to the Elks, the Native Sons of the Golden West, and the U. P. E. C. He is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.

L. C. GARDNER

A progressive business man of Merced is found in L. C. Gardner, more familiarly known as "Rube" Gardner, a nickname acquired during his fifteen years of active connection with the baseball leagues of our nation. He first engaged in professional baseball in 1904, and, with the exception of two years, continued with decided success until 1919, when he engaged in business in Merced. First he conducted an auto service station at the corner of Sixteenth and M Streets for three years, then moved to his new location on Seventeenth and M Streets, where he carries a complete line of service supplies and auto­mobile tires. He was born in Huntington, Tenn., on November 5, 1883, a son of Daniel and Mollie Gardner, farmer folk. The mother is now deceased, while the father is still living.

 

L. C. Gardner was reared on the home farm in Tennessee and attended public school in Huntington; he was also engaged in the grocery business in his native state for a time. At the age of twenty-one he took up professional baseball and for four years played with the southern league ; then he went to Panama as United States deputy collector of customs and remained in this capacity for two years, when he again took up baseball, coming to the Coast League in 1912, and was with the Oakland Club until 1919. His career as a baseball player was distinguished by marked ability and he won an enviable reputation as a successful player. Mr. Gardner employs the most modern methods in the operation of his business, which is growing steadily under his capable supervision.

The marriage of Mr. Gardner united him with Miss Emma Story, a native of Savannah, Tenn., and they are the parents of one son, Jack, born at Panama in 1909. Mr. Gardner is a public-spirited citizen who supports men and measures calculated to advance the prosperity of his community. Fraternally he is a member of the Elks and the Knights of Pythias; and he belongs to the Merced Cham­ber of Commerce.

HUGH K. LANDRAM

Among Merced's native sons is attorney Hugh K. Landram, a man endowed with a large amount of vim and energy, who has won for himself a notable position among the lawyers of this prosperous city. He is a son of an esteemed pioneer family. His father, Carter Landram, was a prominent citizen of Merced, born in Macon County, Mo., April 13, 1840. After a long and useful life he passed away on March 2, 1924. The mother of our subject passed away in 1896.

 

The birth of Hugh K. Landram occurred on January 1, 1885, and he was reared and educated in Merced. After completing the grammar school course he entered high school, from which he was graduated in 1903 ; then he went to Lebanon, Tenn., where he at­tended the Cumberland University, from which he was graduated in 1907, with the degrees of B. S. and LL. B. He took one year of postgraduate work at the University of Michigan; then returning to Tennessee he took the bar examination and was admitted to practice in July, 1908. The following fall he returned to California and was admitted to the bar of California in October of the same year. It was but natural that his thoughts turned to his native city in which to begin the practice of his profession, and in Merced he became associated with F. G. Ostrander. The association was carried on suc­cessfully until 1912, when Mr. Landram, on account of failing health, retired and discontinued the practice of law for three years. In January, 1915, he again opened offices in Merced and one year later became associated with J. J. Griffin; this association was terminated at the death of Mr. Griffin in December, 1921. On July 1, 1919 Mr. Landram was appointed district attorney of Merced County to complete the term of C. W. Croop, who resigned, and this appointment covered a period of two and a half years.

The first marriage of Mr. Landram united him with Miss Rubye Keck, a native of Tennessee. She passed away in 1912. In 1919, Mr. Landram was married the second time, Miss Charlotte Stockird, a native of Merced, becoming his bride. Fraternally, Mr. Landram is a member of the Masons and the Elks; he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and to the Rotary Club. Since 1919 he has served as a trustee of the Merced High School. Mr. Landram actively supports all measures that advance the interest of the people of his native county.

WILLIAM E. BAILEY

As the proprietor of a cement contracting business in Merced William E. Bailey has built up an important trade in his line. The business was inaugurated by Elton F. Bailey, the father of our sub­ject, in 1911, and one year later William E. took over the active management of the business, which has steadily increased with the passing of the years. His birth occurred in San Francisco, Cal., on May 12, 1885, a son of Elton F. and Emma (Conklin) Bailey. The father is also a native son, born in Placerville, Cal., and a son of a very early pioneer, who located in that section of California. Both parents are still living, Elton F. being associated with his son in the cement works.

 

William E. Bailey attended public school in San Francisco and, as his father before him was a cement contractor, he began to learn the business at an early age and has grown up in it. During the World War he was employed as a mechanic in merchant marine work; after the war he returned to Merced, having previously located here in 1912, and resumed his cement contract work. He had the contract for the cement work on the Doyle Garage, the Gateway Garage, the postoflice building and the building adjoining, the warehouse of the Merced Hardware Company, the Merced Creamery building, the Galen Clark School, the Keystone Hardware building, the John Muir School, and the Livingston High School. He (lid the cement work on the cafeteria, the manual arts building, and the auditorium of the high school, and the creamery floors at Atwater. Mr. Bailey guarantees all of his work to be first class in every particular and employs only high grade workmen.

 

The marriage of Mr. Bailey united him with Miss Pauline Miller, a native of Ohio. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Fraternal Brotherhood of Merced and in politics votes the Republican ticket.

 

 

THOMAS BURTON STRIBLING, JR.

Agriculture has been the life occupation of Thomas Burton Strib­ling, Jr., for he was only fourteen years old when he determined to make this line his life's work. In 1911 he established the Stribling Nursery which he operated alone for ten years; then in 1921, he be­came associated with Ivan Lilley and the firm now operates under the name of Lilley & Stribling Nursery, and they have succeeded in build­ing up a prosperous business. Mr. Stribling was born at Granite Spring, Mariposa County, Cal., on August 28, 1895, a son of Thomas Burton and Mary Lavina (Halstead) Stribling, both natives of Cali­fornia, and still living. The grandparents of our subject crossed the plains to California in an early day.

 

Thomas Burton Stribling, Jr., attended the public schools in Mari­posa, Merced and Stanislaus Counties, with three years in high school. During vacation periods he worked in a nursery and started his own business in 1911 in Merced.

The marriage of Mr. Stribling united him with Miss Eugenia Inez Cabral, and they are the parents of three children: Willis An­thony, Burt Lee and Ivan LeRoy. Mr. Stribling served for three months during the World War and is a member of the local Ameri­can Legion Post; he is also affiliated fraternally with Merced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. O. Elks, and the Red Men of Le Grand; he also is a member of the Chamber, of Commerce and the Farm Bureau. In politics he is independent.

 

MISS IVA E. TRUMBELL

That the credit for progress and the amelioration of the condition of humanity is due to the male sex entirely has never been for a mo­ment conceded, even by the most prejudiced. In some lines it must be admitted that the work of women has far overshadowed anything that man has been able to accomplish. One of those lines is nursing and caring for the sick, and one who is a worthy exponent of that line is Miss Iva E. Trumbell, proprietor of the new Mercy Hospital in Merced.

 

The daughter of Charles and Alpha (Brooks) Trumbell, she was born on July 9, 1893, on a farm near Belmont, Iowa. Her father was a farmer and is now living in Stockton, Cal. Her mother has passed away. Miss Trumbell's education began in the public schools of Iowa and was completed in the Iowa Methodist Hospital Train­ing School for Nurses in Des Moines, from which she was graduated in 1917. Afterward she was night superintendent of the same institution from 1917 until June, 1919. She then did post-graduate work in the Teachers' College of Columbia University in New York. From there she was called to Iowa as the superintendent of the Congrega­tional Hospital in Des Moines, where she remained until 1922, when she came to California and for ten months conducted a hospital at Oakdale. On November 20, 1923, she came to Merced to take charge of the newly constructed Mercy Hospital.

This building was erected by the people of Merced and is most modern in construction and is equipped with every up-to-date appli­ance for the care of its patients and the convenience of the attending physicians and nurses. The heating, lighting and cooking are all done by electricity. The hospital has eleven private rooms and four wards and has a total bed capacity of thirty-five. There are six graduate nurses besides the other attaches of the place. The building is located in a square of ground comprising four blocks and overlooks the new park. With its fine lawn and surroundings it is ideal in its location and a very valuable adjunct to the city.

 

Miss Trumbell is a member of the American Nurses Association and the National League of Nursing Education, which has its head­quarters in New York City. She is also a Red Cross nurse and a member of the Rebekahs of Merced. Politically she votes the Republican ticket.

MANUEL T. CUNHA

Bereaved of his father when eleven years of age, and of his mother when four, Manuel Cunha had a hard row to hoe but he has hoed it well and has arrived at a comfortable competence and commands the respect of his fellow citizens. He was born in St. George, in the Azores, on December 25, 1872, the son of Manuel and Anna (Betten­court) Cunha. The father was a clerk in a store in St. George, came to California in the fall of 1875 and settled at San Rafael, Marin County, where he carried on a farm and dairy business. At the early age of thirty-three he passed away and his wife died at twenty-four. Manuel had one brother who is at Petaluma. Manuel attended the grammar school until his father died, then he started out to work for himself, taking odd jobs at first till he got steady employment on a farm near Millbrae, where he worked three years in gardens and at general farming. The dry goods business was his next venture, and he followed it for ten years in San Rafael. Upon selling out he came to Gustine, Merced County, in 1910, and for six years was manager of the dry goods department of Miller and Lux's store in Gustine. In 1916 he became manager of the Gustine Creamery, holding the position for two years. In 1919 he engaged in the insurance business with the New York Life Insurance Company for six months, and then with the Reliance Life Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, with which he still remains.

In September, 1911, Mr. Cunha married, at Stockton, Mrs. Fran­ces Fernandes, widow of Manuel Fernandes. Her maiden name was Frances Rose, and she was born at San Rafael, the daughter of Man­uel and Isabella Rose. Her father was a native of the Azores Is­lands, who came to California as a young man and engaged in the dairy business, and later in brick making. Mr. Cunha's family con­sists of five children: Anna Fernandes, a stepdaughter; Nathalie, Margaret, Frances and Milton. In politics he is a Republican. He is a director of the Bank of Gustine and is corporation secretary of the Gustine Creamery. Mr. Cunha owns an alfalfa ranch of twenty-seven acres near Gustine; and his home, which he bought in 1918 in Gustine.

IVAN W. LILLEY

Prominently identified with the best interests of Merced County is Ivan W. Lilley, an enterprising and progressive nursery man and horticulturist, residing in Merced, where he is engaged in the nursery business. The business was established in 1920; later he formed a partnership with Thomas B. Stribling, Jr. and they specialized in commercial fruit trees, putting particular stress on fig trees, a fruit which is admirably adapted to Merced County climate and soil. They also handle ornamental trees and shrubs. Lilley and Stribling maintain their nursery at Le Grand, Merced County, where they grow their stock. They handle about a million and a half fruit trees annually, employing fifteen men during the planting season. Their stock is of the very best to be obtained, and they sell throughout the State.

Ivan W. Lilley was born in the State of New York, on June 6, 1895, the son of Dr. W. E. and Mabel (Crosgrove) Lilley, whose sketch may be found in this history. He was brought to Merced in 1899, and was graduated from the Merced High School in 1913, then entered the University of California, from which he was graduated with the degree of B.S., in 1919. He took up horticulture, and for one year worked as field man with the Peach & Fig Association in Fresno. He then engaged in contract pruning until he established a nursery business in Merced County, which has expanded rapidly under the joint management of Messrs. Lilley and Stribling.

The marriage of Mr. Lilley united him with Miss Inez H. Youd, a native daughter of Merced. Mr. Lilley's interest centers in Merced County, which he considers one of the most fertile portions of the State, and he takes an active part in the development of its re­sources. He is a member of the Merced Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau. He is a member of Alpha Chi Chapter of the Kappa Alpha college fraternity. In politics he prefers to vote inde­pendently of any party lines.

JAMES McCUE

While James McCue is among the more recent accessions to the business ranks of Merced he is none the less deservedly popular and successful in his line, that of contract plastering, in which he usually employs six men. Among the outstanding contracts he has handled was the plastering of the gymnasium of the Union High School build­ing, the new Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and many of the finer residences where A-1 work was required. He was born in Erie, Pa., on July 13, 1872, a son of Thomas and Helen (Flannigan) Mc­Cue. The father, Thomas McCue, was a machinist by occupation and lived and died in Pennsylvania.

 

James McCue received his education in the public schools of Buf­falo, N. Y. Reaching young manhood he learned the plasterer's trade and for a number of years followed it successfully; he also ran a grain elevator in the East before coming to California, about 1900, and made his home in Oakland, although he worked around the Bay dis­trict. It was not until the summer of 1922 that he located in Mer­ced, and by his integrity and exceptional grade of work he has taken the lead in his line of business.

At Oakland, Cal., Mr. McCue was married to Miss Bertha White, one of California's native daughters. In politics Mr. McCue prefers to select the candidate best fitted to serve the public rather than be confined to strict party lines; fraternally he is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at Merced.

A. A. LEWIS

Although a resident of Merced only since 1922, A. A. Lewis has won for himself a place among the successful business men of the city as the agent for the Studebaker automobiles. Besides carry­ing a full line of cars he has a large stock of parts and supplies, all of which is housed in a concrete, fireproof building erected by the company at 842 Seventeenth Street. The business has steadily grown from month to month under his management. His birth occurred in Sierra County, Cal., on March 29, 1884, a son of David and Leah (Davis) Lewis, both natives of England, who came to California in 1871. The father, David Lewis, spent the greater part of his life in placer mining, but is now living retired with his wife in Plumas County.

A. A. Lewis finished the grammar and high school courses, then took a business course; later he took a mining course in the Van der Nailen School of Mines in San Francisco, and for twelve years there­after followed mining. From 1907 to 1910 he operated the old Vir­ginia mine at Coulterville. From 1911 to 1912 he resided at Coalinga, Cal., where he was engaged in the oil business; then he returned to his mining operations and spent the following seven years in the quick­silver mines of Northern California. In February, 1919, he returned to Coalinga, where he was associated with Mr. Fluetsch in the Pio­neer Garage and Machine Works, which they operated until 1922, when Mr. Lewis came to Merced and established his present business.

 

The marriage of Mr. Lewis united him with Miss Eula McKee­han, a native of Warrensburg, Mo., and a graduate of the normal school there. Four children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis : Leah Lillian, Artajean, Richard Kenneth and James William. Mr. Lewis is satisfied to make Merced his permanent home, where he takes a good citizen's part in all measures looking toward its pros­perity and advancement. He is independent in his political views.

FRANK J. DUNCAN

A notable instance of one who has risen to a responsible position by his own unaided efforts and who commands the respect of his fel­low citizens, is presented by Frank J. Duncan, deputy sheriff of Mer­ced County. A record of his career takes us back to his birth in Den­ver, Colo., September 2, 1884, when he entered the family of William T. and Elizabeth (Terrill) Duncan, who lived to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. The father, now retired, was an at­torney-at-law who came to Denver about 1849.

The mother came from Virginia.

 

Frank J. Duncan was educated in the public schools and was graduated from the East Denver High School, to which foundation he added a business course in the Denver Modern School of Business. At the age of nineteen, in 1903, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Philippines for six years. Altogether he was fifteen years in the army and was promoted to first lieutenant; his later service was in California. On January 1, 1919, he resigned his cornmission and went to Yosemite as a ranger. While on a vacation in Merced he was appointed city marshal, which position he held from November, 1919, to April, 1922. He then resigned to accept the position of State inspector with the Motor Vehicle department until January 1, 1923, when he was appointed a deputy sheriff.

Mr. Duncan is happily married to Miss Beatrice H. Nelson, daughter of Henry Nelson, a California pioneer. He is a Republican in politics. His popularity and wide influence are betokened by his many stanch friends and well-wishers. He is a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner, and is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

 

JOHN E. OUST, JR.

A citizen and business man of much worth and character is John E. Oust, Jr., who, though a comparatively recent accession to the business life of Merced, has made his influence felt in the best in­terests of the place and in the progress and development of its resources. His birth occurred in Norway, October 5, 1883, a son of John E. and Anna N. (Olson) Oust, both natives of the same country. Our subject was six years old when his parents came to California and settled at Merced, where the father was employed with the Crocker-Huffman Company for many years; he is now liv­ing retired; the mother passed away in October, 1922.

 

John E. Oust, Jr., attended grammar and high school in Mer­ced; then he entered the University of California, where he pursued the electrical engineering course, finishing in 1906. He then returned to Merced, where he entered the employ of the Merced Falls Gas & Electric Company; after some time spent in their employ he went to Chile, S. A., where he remained for eighteen months. Then he located in Sonora, Mexico, for nine months, when he removed to San Francisco and for the following two years was employed with the Westinghouse Company; then for three years he was with the tele­phone company in San Francisco. Mr. Oust then returned to Mexico and after being there for five months, the revolution broke out and he was obliged to return to his own country, where he became an employee of the Half Moon Bay Light & Power Company and while in this locality was city engineer of Burlingame. After remaining with this company for some time he entered the employ of the U. S. Gov­ernment and had charge of the electrical work at the various coast fortifications. In July, 1923, he returned once more to Merced, where he established his present business of electrical engineer and contractor. He has completed the electrical work on the following buildings: the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Christian Church, the manual arts building of the high school, the manual arts building of the grammar school, the motors and wiring of the Cody apartments and many of the handsome residences in and around Merced.

The marriage of Mr. Oust united him with Miss Adele Louise Johnson, a native of Alameda, Cal., and they are the parents of two children, Jack E. and Signa D. Mr. Oust is a Republican in politics and fraternally belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World of Merced. He is highly esteemed and respected by all who know him.

WILLIAM M. GRIFFIN

By virtue of his integrity and progressive spirit, added to those qualities which have distinguished the Griffin family in their resi­dence in this section, as well as by his business ability, William M. Griffin is named among the representative citizens of Merced. As the junior member of the firm of Welch and Griffin, funeral direc­tors and undertakers, he had an opportunity for the display of his executive .ability and judgment in its successful management. Mr. Griffin was appointed county coroner in 1917, to fill a vacancy, and he was elected to succeed himself. He was one of Merced County's native sons, born on the old Duggan ranch about five miles from Merced, on April 19, 1872, a son of Patrick and Catherine (Town-sell) Griffin. Patrick Griffin had immigrated from Ireland to Aus­tralia in an early day and in 1871 came to California and located in Merced County, where he engaged in business until his death in 1882; the mother died in 1875.

 

William M. Griffin received a public school education. He clerked in a grocery store until he became a clerk in the El Capitan Hotel, his employment there covering a period of four years. In 1896, he went to the Klondyke and spent one year, meeting with only fair success and encountering many hardships. He returned to Mer­ced and went to work for G. E. Nordgren, a furniture and under­taking firm; when Mr. Nordgren sold to Welch & Company, Mr. Griffin came into the company and later, when he bought a half interest in the business, the firm name was changed to Welch & Griffin. The parlors are maintained as a thoroughly modern under­taking establishment and are located in the Masonic Building in Merced, where every consideration is given to their clients.

 

The marriage of Mr. Griffin united him with Miss Lulu Knisley, born at El Dorado in Eldorado County. Mr. Griffin died February 6, 1924. In politics Mr. Griffin was a Republican, and fraternally was a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Wood­men of the World, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus. At his passing, the city and county lost a worthy citizen and supporter of their best interests. The firm still remains Welch & Griffin, Mrs. Lulu K. Griffin succeeding her late husband in the conduct of the business.

ANDREW EARL MONTGOMERY

Having passed thirteen years of his life in Merced County and having made a special study of properties and their real worth, Andrew Earl Montgomery is a recognized authority on land values. His special work has been the developing of fig orchards, vineyards and dairies and disposing of them; thus his efforts have contributed to the growth of Merced County in a very substantial manner. His birth occurred on his father's ranch in western Kansas, on July 1, 1889, and he is a son of W. C. and Delia (Kelly) Montgomery; W. C. Montgomery was engaged in farming all his life, and is now deceased. At one time he was a member of the Kansas State legislature. His widow makes her home in Los Angeles.

Andrew Earl Montgomery received his preliminary education in the grammar and high schools of his native state; after the family came to California, he entered St. Vincent's College in Los Angeles, from which he was graduated in 1910, with the degree of A. B. After finishing school he went to Mexico, where he spent two years in prospecting and mining, then returned to Los Angeles and engaged in the real estate business. Through having charge of a tract of land in Merced County, he became interested in this section of California, and in 1911 located in Merced permanently. He purchased a dairy ranch and after eight years of successful management sold out and devoted his attention to the development of a fig orchard. He now owns two bearing fig orchards and one vineyard in the vicinity.

 

In 1917, Mr. Montgomery was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Josephine Iler, one of California's native daughters, born at San Rafael, and they have two children : Marjorie Ruth, and Andrew Earl, Jr. Fraternally, Mr. Montgomery is affiliated with Merced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. 0. E., of Merced. He has served as tem­porary secretary and a director of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he is an active member. Mr. Montgomery had charge of the campaign of putting over the irrigation pageant in Merced, a great undertaking, which was wisely handled and which proved a great factor in advertising this productive section of California.

 

JOHN LESTER QUAIL

The possession of superior business qualifications has enabled John Lester Qail to rise to prominence in his chosen line of work. He located in Merced, Cal., in 1920, where he became assistant county agricultural agent of the extension service, holding this posi­tion until July, 1923, when he was appointed county agricultural agent, and his determination to win in this position has brought him the confidence and good-will of the entire community in which he resides. He is one of California's native sons, born at Stockton, on August 6, 1894, a son of F. E. and Salina Jane (McCleary) Quail, both natives of Ohio. The family came to California in 1890 and settled at Stockton, where the father has been county engineer of San Joaquin County for five terms. Both parents are living, making their home in Stockton.

 

John Lester Quail spent twenty years of his life in his home city, and completed the grammar and high school courses there; then in 1914 he entered the University of California, from which he was graduated in 1920, with the degree of B. S. During the World War he was a commissioned officer in the air service, being second lieu­tenant aerial observer. He completed his service in fourteen months and received his honorable discharge, then returned to his home and assisted his father until December, 1920, when he located in Merced, which has since been his home.

 

The marriage of Mr. Quail united him with Miss Violet M. Hamilton of Amador County, and they are the parents of two sons; John Lester, Jr. and Donald Eugene. Mr. Quail is liberal in politics, preferring to support the candidate best fitted for office rather than hew to party lines. In his fraternal relations he is identified with the American Legion and the S. A. E. Fraternity. He is an enthusiast on wholesome outdoor sports and is particularly interested in the growth and prosperity of Merced County.

ROBERT CLARK CUNNINGHAM

A deservedly popular citizen, Robert Clark Cunningham is num­bered among the representative men of Merced who have labored zealously for its upbuilding and the development of its resources. During the twelve years of his residence in Merced he has wit­nessed many changes. He was born in Sidney, Ohio, on September 6, 1892, a son of J. F. and Molly (Clark) Cunningham, both parents of pre-Revolutionary ancestors. The mother is now deceased, while the father makes his home in Merced. Robert Clark Cunningham finished the grammar and high school courses in Ohio; then in 1912 he came to California and settled in Merced. For six years he served as deputy county tax collector. During the World War he was chief clerk on the Merced County exemption board; after this he became bookkeeper and cashier for the Crocker-Huffman Land & Water Company, serving in this capacity for two years. His next position was as bookkeeper and salesman for the Cullen Motor Car Com­pany, his services covering a period of one year; then for two years he was chief clerk for the San Joaquin Light & Power Company. On February 1, 1923, he and an associate engaged in the public accounting business and the following November Mr. Cunningham became sole owner of the business.

The marriage of Mr. Cunningham united him with Miss Lucille Clough, born in Merced, and they have one daughter, Barbara. Mr. Cunningham is a Republican in politics, and fraternally belongs to Merced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. 0. E.; and Yosemite Lodge No. 30, K. of P., of which he is a Past Chancellor. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is a past president of the Lions' Club of Merced.

ULYSSES GRANT FOUGHT

A retired citizen of Merced County now making his home in Los Banos is Ulysses G. Fought, who was born in Paulding County, Ohio, on December 2, 1867. His parents were Elias and Eliza Fought, both natives of the Buckeye State, the former a blacksmith by trade and a farmer who had settled in Kansas in its frontier days. In their family were eight children, viz.: Fred (deceased), Mollie, Henry, Lucinda, Edward (deceased), Ulysses Grant and W. S., twins, and Ella.

 

Mr. Fought was taken to Kansas when six months old, where he grew to manhood and received his education in the common schools. At the age of twenty, in 1888, he came to California and was em­ployed in San Diego and in San Bernardino, for a short time. In 1889 he came to Merced County and located in Los Banos when that was but a struggling village. When he was able he purchased a quar­ter section of land, leased other tracts and raised grain with mod­erate success. He also was road overseer of the fifth supervisoral district in Merced County for twelve years. He is now living retired from active participation in business affairs, only looking after his personal investments, which include a five-acre tract on the edge of Los Banos which he has subdivided into building lots.

On April 30, 1889, Mr. Fought was united in marriage with Miss Susie Watkins, daughter of John and Harriet Watkins, who came to California about 1888. Of this union there were five chil­dren: Clyde, Charles, Walter, Cecil and Hazel. Mr. Fought is a Democrat in his political convictions, and fraternally, belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Los Banos. Of late, he has spent considerable of his time in Santa Cruz on account of the health of Mrs. Fought, but he retains his interest in the city where he is so well known.

GLENN H. KINNEY

The changing vicissitudes of life brought Glenn H. Kinney into an intimate acquaintance with various localities before he established a permanent home in Merced County. The son of W. P. and Alvira (Lewis) Kinney, he was born in the State of Michigan, on Jan­uary 15, 1889. The parents were both born in Michigan. The father was a farmer but is now living retired with his wife, both enjoying the best of health. Glenn H. is the .third in order of birth of four children, viz.: Grace, Mrs. Bruce Hutchings, and Hazel, Mrs. Fred Wilson, still reside in Michigan; Glenn H.; and Clyde, of Montana. Glenn was educated in the grammar school and had one year in high school, then 1912 he went to Portland, Ore., and from there went to Trout Creek, Wash., where he was employed for six months. Then he came down into California and worked one winter in a box factory at Sonora, Tuolumne County; from there he came to Dos Palos and for three years was employed out on the plains. Mr. Kinney then leased a ranch and engaged in farming on his own account. He finally bought thirty acres north of town, which he sold and invested the proceeds in three acres on the edge of Dos Palos. Since 1923 he has been the distributor at Dos Palos for the Union Ice Company.

On January 17, 1915, Mr. Kinney was united in marriage with Miss Margaret John, born in Oklahoma, the daughter of A. D. and Rilda (Sears) John. When Margaret was a babe the family came to California and settled at Dos Palos, where her father farmed, also worked at the carpenter trade; and he was later engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Dos Palos and is now living retired. There were four children in the John family: Albert (de­ceased) ; Ira ; Margaret, Mrs. Kinney; and Alva. Mr. and Mrs. Kinney have three boys: Hugh Erwin, Holon Oliver, and William Daily. In politics Mr. Kinney is a Republican and he is a member of Santa Rita Lodge of Odd Fellows in Dos Palos.

 

RUFUS P. COVERT

A successful business man who has won the esteem and confidence of all who have had business dealings with him, is Rufus P. Covert of Merced, whose transfer and storage business has been carried on for the past thirteen years. He has contracts with the United States government for carrying mail; also with the Southern Pacific Rail­road Company and the Yosemite Valley Railroad Company; he is also engaged in a local transfer business, and also does long distance hauling, using four trucks in his business. His birth occurred in New Brighton, Pa., on March 8, 1881, a son of Charles and Margaret (Phillis) Covert. In 1893 the family came to California and lo­cated in Merced, where the father engaged in business. He and his wife are now living retired in Oakland, Cal.

 

Rufus P. Covert was educated in the public schools of Merced; then after a two years' business course he entered the employ of John R. Graham and for the following five years was foreman and bookkeeper for this firm. Then he became the superintendent of ice agencies for the National Ice Company; later he tried farming for a couple of years. In 1913 he established his present business, which has brought him independence.

 

Mr. Covert was married to Miss Hattie Whealan, a native daugh­ter of Merced County, Cal., and to them have been born seven child­ren: Sherwood, Calvin, Grace, Lester, Margie, Carroll, and Jackie. Mr. Covert is a Republican in politics and fraternally is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World. He belongs to the Chamber of Com­merce in Merced.

CYRUS WILLIAM CROOP

Among the native sons of California conspicuous for their abil­ity, enterprise and worth, is Cyrus William Croop, of Merced, who is actively and successfully engaged in the practice of law in his native city. He was born January 22, 1891, a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Croop. -Both parents are living retired in Santa Cruz, Cal., whither they removed in 1920.

 

Cyrus William Croop first attended grammar school in Merced, then spent two years in the Merced High School, and when the family removed to Santa Cruz he attended high school .there. After grad­uating from high school he entered the University of California, from which he received his LL. B. degree in 1913. He returned to his native city and was associated with his father in the practice of law until January, 1919, when he was elected to the office of district attorney of Merced County; after one and and a half years in this posi­tion he resigned and became associated with the Simonson-Harrell Abstract Company in the capacity of legal adviser; he also enjoys a lucrative private practice.

The marriage of Mr. Croop united him with Miss Tolbert Ford, also born in Merced, the daughter of the late G. W. Ford. Mr. and Mrs. Croop are the parents of one son, Cyrus William, Jr. Mr. Croop is prominent fraternally, being member and Past President of Yosemite Parlor No. 24, N. S. G. W.; Past Exalted Ruler of Mer­ced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. 0. E.; and a member of Yosemite Lodge No. 30, K. of P.; Merced Lodge No. 208, I. O. O. F., and Wood­men of the World.

 

 

LEWIS R. JOHNSON

As a real estate and insurance broker, Lewis R. Johnson is add­ing his share to the business life of the city of Merced, where he ranks among the representative citizens. On September 27, 1878, he was born in Niles, Mich., a son of Hiram R. and Almeda (Simms) John­son. Hiram R. Johnson was a railroad man and passed away when our subject was fourteen years old; the mother is still living, making her home in California. Lewis R. Johnson attended school up to the tenth grade, in Niles, Mich:, then took a business course, after which he became bookkeeper for the Ohio Paper Company in his native city, where he remained for six months. Then he volunteered for service during the Spanish-American War, and was a member of Company I, 33rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry. His service covered the period from May, 1898, to January, 1899, and he was in action at Santiago de Cuba, West Indies; while in service he contracted an illness and was sent home to recuperate, which required about one year. He then entered the employ of the New York Central Rail­road Company; for the first five years he was a fireman, then for two years an engineer.

 

In the fall of 1905, Mr. Johnson came to California and located at Merced, where for two years he succeeded as a truck gardener. He then took the civil service examination and when rural route No. 2 was established he was put on as carrier; during this time he was elected and served as chairman of the Republican County Central Committee. In the fall of 1909 he was elected auditor of Merced County, was reelected in 1913, and served two terms with marked ability and satisfaction to the voters of the county. After complet­ing his term of office as auditor he removed to Stockton, Cal., where for a year and a half he was in the tire business, which he later sold and returned to Merced and engaged in his present business, which has gradually increased since its inception.

The marriage of Mr. Johnson united him with Miss Edith E. Pickard, of Indiana, and four children have been born to them: Lonetta, Leonore, Frances and Harold. Mr. Johnson is a stanch Republican and fraternally is identified with the Woodmen of the World and the U. P. E. C. of Merced.

LUTHER QUINTIN HUTCHINS

The life history of L. Q., familiarly known as "Gus" Hutchins, is one of unusual interest. He was born in Ripley, Tippah County, Miss., on August 17, 1887, the son of Walter and Jennie (Hensley) Hutchins, the fourth in order of birth of seven children, namely: Alfred F., Erastus C.; Leland E., Luther Q., Maggie, Velma and Wilhelmina. The father migrated to Covington, Tipton County, Tenn., when his son was twelve years old. -

 

Gus Hutchins was educated in the public schools and remained with his father until he was twenty years old. He then went to work on farms in Sumner County, Kans., and became a foreman on a large estate. From there he went to Spokane, Wash., and in 1909 came to California and for a short time was in the Sacramento Valley, but he was unsettled and soon returned to Kansas and then went to Oklahoma. Mr. Hutchins came to California again in 1912, and was employed with the Standard Oil Company at Calexico for three years. From there he went down into Lower California and was a foreman in a development project of a large tract of land.

 

When our country entered into the World War he responded to the call and enlisted on October 3,  1917, at El Centro, was sent to Camp Lewis, Washington, and enrolled in Company K, 364th In­fantry of the 91st Division. With this regiment he served in the major offensives and defensives until September 27, 1918, when he was twice hit by bullets from a machine gun, once in the knee and once in the hand, and became a casual. The bullet in the hand re­mained and caused him much annoyance until it was extracted after he had been out of service three and a half years. He received an honorable discharge as corporal on April 26, 1919, returned to Cali­fornia and was engaged in cotton growing on the west side of Fresno County on land leased from Miller & Lux. He was sent by this same company, as superintendent of the Bloomfield ranch near Gil­roy for a short time, and then came to the Dos Palos Colony where he has since farmed the ninety-six-acre ranch of Mrs. James Mitchell. In 1924, he purchased fifty-six acres of land which he is developing.

On June 3, 1920, Mr. Hutchins was married to Evelyn Mitchell, daughter of James and Gertrude E. Mitchell, born at Oroloma, Fresno County, but reared and educated at Dos Palos. Her father was born at .Antioch, Cal., and her grandfather was one of the pio­neers of California. James Mitchell acquired a ranch of ninety-six acres in the Dos Palos Colony, which he left to his widow upon his death, at the age of sixty-five. Mrs. Hutchins is one of a family of five children, namely: William H., Evelyn (Mrs. Hutchins)., James Jr. (deceased), Gertrude (Mrs. Hansen of .Kerman), Amy (Mrs. Ashley of Oakland). Mr. Hutchins carries on general farming on the Mitchell ranch which lies about two miles northwest of Dos Palos. He is not tied to any political party, voting for the best man and issues at stake. He served during 1921-1923 as a deputy tax assessor of Merced County. He belongs to Dos Palos Post No. 86, American Legion.

IRA S. HART

A man who has in many ways proved a valuable citizen of Dos Palos, Merced County, is Ira S. Hart. The movement that has placed him in high regard by his fellowmen is his activities to obtain a larger irrigation district for the West Side, taking in some 208,­000 acres of land not now' covered by canal. The son of John and Mary (Jolliff) Hart, he was born in Blackford County, Ind., on September 22, 1873. His parents were both natives of Indiana, where the father was a farmer. Later he moved the family to Kan­sas, where the children were reared in Morris, Pratt and Cherokee Counties; later the father took up a timber claim in Nebraska. There were eleven children in the family, viz.: Ira, Alice, Jacob, Henry, Anna, Rachael, Katherine, Lee and Dora (twins), James, and John.

 

Ira S. Hart was only three years old when he was taken to Kan­sas. At the age of eighteen he went to work in the mines at Galena, Kans., and for the following sixteen years he prospected in Kansas and Arizona. In the fall of 1907 he came to California and worked on construction work near Willows for a couple of seasons, then in 1908, he bought a ranch in the Dos Palos Colony in Merced County, about one mile east of Dos Palos. It was an improved ranch of twenty-two and a half acres on which he raises alfalfa and vegetables and where he set out eight acres to Thompson seedless grapes.

 

On December 9, 1894, Ira S. Hart was married in the Shawnee Reservation; Indian Territory, to Miss Mary Price, a native of Clay County, Mo., and daughter of Robert and Mary (Stephens) Price, both being natives of Missouri, where her father was a farmer and merchant in Rich Hill. The daughter, Mary, was one of five chil­dren, namely : John, Lee, Fannie, Anna Belle and Mary. There is one child, Viola, in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Hart. Mr. Hart is a Democrat in politics. He served as a deputy marshal in several strike uprisings in Kansas. He is a mechanic and has done consid­erable constructive work on large buildings in Los Banos, and he ran threshing machines in the grain and rice fields on the West Side. When young, he enlisted in Troop K, 3rd U. S. Cavalry, and trained at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, but was discharged on account of physical disability.

PETER C. HANSEN

Among the men who have contributed to the development of Merced County, Peter C. Hansen occupies a conspicuous place, for he possesses the characteristic traits of his countrymen upon which material success is founded. The son of Chris and Egidia (Peter­sen) Hansen, he was born in Ero, Denmark, November 2, 1867. His father was a farmer and spent his life in Denmark, dying at the age of sixty-eight. There were three children in the family : Hans, Bodil, and Peter C. With but an elementary schooling secured in his native place Peter C. began to make his own way at the age of fourteen, working around on different farms until 1887, when he came to America and landed eventually at Hill's Ferry, Stanislaus County. He first found employment as a ranch hand, and later worked in the lumber yards at Newman, and after working for wages for four years, began to farm on his own account, leasing a grain farm west of Volta, Merced County. For many years he raised grain on 700 to 800 acres of land leased from Simon Newman. His next move was to the Agua Fria, also known as the Hoffman ranch, of 800 acres and leased it for four years. He gave up the lease and in April, 1902, bought the ranch of forty acres he is now occupying, two miles south of Los Banos, which is under the old San Joaquin-Kings River Canal and is devoted to alfalfa and a dairy.

 

On January 18, 1903, in Los Banos, Mr. Hansen was married to Nellie Wright, a daughter of William W. and Corinne (Jones) Wright, the former a native of New York State and the latter of California, of Kentucky stock. Mr. Wright came to California when quite a young lad and has been a sheep grower for years and owns considerable property in the hills sixteen miles out from Los Banos. Mrs. Hansen was educated in the Mendezable district school of Merced County and they have eight children : Walter C., Wil­liam B., Margaret B., Helen E., Peter C., Nell Virginia, Lucille E., and Mary Belle. Mr. Hansen is a Democrat. Fraternally, he is a member of Orestimba Lodge No. 354, I. 0. 0. F., of Newman, and of the Woodmen of the World, of Los Banos. Mrs. Hansen is a member of Los Olivas Lodge of Rebekahs and of the Eastern Star of Los Banos. Mr. Hansen has been chairman of the Los Banos Center of the Merced County Farm Bureau for two years and is now a director of the same.

JOSEPH WILLIAM SPAGNOLI

Distinguished as the son of a pioneer family of worth, Joseph William Spagnoli is well deserving of representation in this volume. He is now actively engaged in the contracting and building business in Merced, an occupation which so readily marks the wealth and pros­perity of the community. His birth occurred in a mining camp in Mariposa County, on September 13, 1875, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth Jane (Simmons) Spagnoli. Joseph Spagnoli, the father, came by boat from his native country of Switzerland to California in the early fifties, and mined in the mountains of Mariposa County, where he became a successful mine owner and was one of the pioneers of Mariposa County. Miss Elizabeth Jane Simmons was born in England and when a small child accompanied her parents to Australia, and was still a young girl when her parents came to California. She was married to Joseph Spagnoli at Hornitos, Mariposa County, and is still living, having reached an advanced age. The father passed away in 1915.

Joseph William Spagnoli received a grammar school education in Mariposa County. Following in his father's footsteps he turned to mining pursuits and for seventeen years was thus occupied, the greater part of which was spent as a hoisting engineer in the mines. He had also learned the carpenter's trade, and, when he located in Merced, in 1909, he turned his attention to this line of occupation, and for the past five years he has been successfully engaged in the contracting and building business.

 

Mr. Spagnoli was united in marriage with Miss Rose May Peard, also born in Mariposa County, Cal. Her parents were also pioneers of California, her mother, Martha Branson, crossing the plains with ox-teams in early days, while Mr. Peard came from England. Mr. and Mrs. Spagnoli have two children : Iva, Mrs. Shirley Parsons, and Donald. In politics, Mr. Spagnoli is a Democrat, and fraternally belongs to the Lodge, Encampment, Canton and Rebekahs of the Odd Fellows. For the past six years he has served as a trustee of the grammar school in Merced.

 

JAMES C. IVERS

No citizen of Merced County is more highly honored and respected than James C. Ivers who, since 1914, has capably filled the office of county recorder. He has ably demonstrated his ability to handle the affairs of this office and has borne his part in the growth and advancement of his locality. He is a native Californian, born in Napa, on October 21, 1867, a son of Richard and Margaret (Tobin) Ivers. Richard Ivers came to California from Virginia in 1865, and at San Francisco, Cal., was married to Miss Margaret Tobin. They then settled in Napa County where Mr. Ivers engaged in farming until 1868, when he removed to Merced County, where he spent the remainder of his life. Both parents are now deceased.

 

James C. Ivers received his education in the schools of Merced and assisted his father in ranching, and also farmed independently until 1903, when he became a deputy sheriff under John Swan and served for four years; then for the next four years he was engaged in ranching. He returned to the sheriff's office, where another four years were spent, and in 1914, he was elected to the office of county recorder and since that time has been re-elected twice.

 

The marriage of Mr. Ivers united him with Miss Margaret Sul­livan, a daughter of Joseph Sullivan who came to Merced County with the father of our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Ivers have an adopted daughter, Anna M. Mr. Ivers is a Democrat in politics, and fra­ternally is affiliated with the Woodwen of the World, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Native Sons of the Golden West. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. His interest centers in Mer­ced County, where he has been instrumental in forwarding the ad­vancement of his community and where he has won and holds the esteem of the entire section.

KNUD LAURITSEN KNUDSEN

It was on the Isle of Ero, in Denmark, on August 13, 1875, that Knud L. Knudsen was born, the son of Knud L. and Anna Marie (Albertsen) Knudsen. The father was a farmer, who lived all his life in Denmark, and died at the age of eighty-one. There were seven children in the family, namely : Albert and Erik, both still in Denmark; Hans, in British Columbia ; Margaret, who died in 1898; Knud Lauritsen, our subject; Jens C., of Los Banos; and Louis, at Winton, Cal.

 

Knud L. started out for himself at the age of fourteen and did odd jobs until 1902, when he left his native land and set out for the land beyond the sea where so many of his countrymen had gone to make their fortunes. He did not stop until he had reached the western shores and he settled in Los Banos, Merced County, got a job on a dairy farm and worked three years for wages. He then leased twenty acres, and later forty acres, and farmed on leased land for seven years. By this time there was enough surplus of money to his credit to enable him to buy twenty-five acres two and a half miles south of Los Banos, where he has since carried on a dairy.

On March 1, 1905, Knud L. Knudsen was married to Anna Mar­garet Petersen, a native of the same neighborhood from which he came in Denmark, and the daughter of Hans C. and Christina Petersen, farmers in Ero. The daughter was one of six children: Anna, Maria, Sophia, Peter, Hansina, and Erik, and she was edu­cated in Denmark and came to California in 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Knudsen have six children : Emma, Margaret, Louisa H., Emmett, Helen, and Winifred. Mr. Knudsen is a Democrat in politics, is a trustee of the Center school district of Merced County, and is a member of the Woodmen of the World of Los Banos.

WALTER KING NIELSEN

A notable instance of the sterling worth which overcomes all obstacles and creates its own opportunities is presented in the career of Walter K. Nielsen, proprietor of the Arena Garage, two and one-half miles east of Livingston. A popular young man, and an engineer and machinist of ability, his personal appearance and agree­able ways win for him many stanch friends. The garage, 125x54 feet, which he built in 1919, is equipped with machinery and up-to-date appliances for all modern work, overhauling, vulcanizing, etc., and in the work of repairing, tractors, trucks and automobiles he employs three men besides himself.

 

Mr. Nielsen was born in San Francisco on November 4, 1896, the son of J. J. Nielsen, a native of Denmark, who is a prominent concrete contractor in the Santa Clara Valley. He built the Morgan Hill High School building and nearly all the concrete bridges in the Santa Clara Valley. The mother, Catherine- (Kling) Nielsen, was also born in Denmark and died in 1918, aged sixty-one years. While yet a youth of fifteen Walter started to work for the Union Iron Works of San Francisco and since that time he has made his own way. After four years and four months in the _Union Iron Works he en­listed in 1917, in the U. S. Navy, where he made a very excellent record as assistant engineer on a dozen torpedo boats and naval craft, among which may be mentioned, the U. S. S. Chew, U. S. S. Kerman­shaw, a freighter; U. S. S. George Washington, a transport. He served in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic during the war and went to Constantinople, Turkey, and was in the Black Sea. He drove the first torpedo boat of the U. S. Navy which passed through the Dardanelles after the Turkish surrender. He was honorably discharged at Mare Island on September 27, 1919, having served altogether two and a half years.

 

Walter King Nielsen was married in San Jose, October 28, 1919, to Miss Gertrude Hatch, a native of New York City, and they came to Arena the night after their marriage. He is a member of the American Automobile Association of Garage Owners. He is a Ma­son, belonging to Turlock Lodge No. 395, F. & A. M. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen are Protestants. They reside in their home Mr. Nielsen built near his garage and dispense a kindly hospitality.

FRANK SILVA

Born in 1871 on the Island of St. George of the Azores group, Frank Silva is the eleventh child in a large family of children born to John Silveira and Mariana Silva, both born on St. George Island. The father was a farmer and spent his entire life following this occu­pation in Portugal. The names of the children are as follows: John, Antone, Joseph, George, Fostino, Manuel, Joaquin, Mary, Mariana, Katherine, Frank, and Peter.

 

Frank Silva acquired a very limited education, for very early in life he helped with the support of the family. He was only a lad when he landed in Boston, Mass., where he remained until 1886, when he came to California and located in Marin County, where for two years he milked cows for his board; after that he received ten dollars per month for his services. He also worked at San Rafael, Point Reyes and Spanish Town. His next move was to San Francisco, where he was delivery boy for a retail milk company for eleven years. During these years he saved some money and bought an interest in a dairy at Redwood City. During the, panic of 1897, the partners sold the stock and with the proceeds Mr. Silva paid his debts and again began working for wages, milking cows at a dairy in San Mateo. Later he drove a milk wagon at San Bruno and dur­ing these years again saved his money. With this money he bought and sold cattle until 1906, when the conditions around San Fran­cisco were not so good as could be hoped for and Mr. Silva shipped several carloads of cattle to the San Joaquin Valley and sold them.

 

Coming to Merced County he bought ninety-five dairy cows and put them on 170 acres of land which he had rented about three miles southwest of Gustine. He continued to buy and sell cattle, and later, when he removed to a neighboring farm, he had a herd of 250 cattle. He paid off all he owed and rented 300 acres of land on which he maintains a dairy. Mr. Silva built a house on this place and a first-class dairy barn; later he built another barn and planted the land to alfalfa. Mr. Silva also runs three other ranches in the same vicin­ity, one of 173 acres, another of 1161/2 acres, and the third one of 240 acres, all planted to alfalfa with modern milking and feeding barns. Mr. Silva's dairy business is a partnership affair and the dairy herd now numbers about 700 cattle.

 

At San Rafael, in 1901, Mr. Silva was married to Miss Mary Cabral, born at Bolinas but reared at Arcata, Cal.; she is a daughter of Joseph and Mary Cabral, natives of St. George of the Azores. Her mother died in 1919, but her father is still living, having returned to his native country. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Silva : Frank, Jr., Angie, and Howard. Mr. Silva is a mem­ber of the U. P. E. C., the I. D. E. S. and the Eagles, all of San Rafael, where he maintains his home, but most of his time is spent in Merced County looking after his large dairy interests. Mrs. Silva met her death in an automobile accident at Dublin, Cal., on September 30, 1924, and is buried at San Rafael.

MRS. ELVEZIA TONOLLA

No object lesson could be presented to the student of history more striking than the progress of civilization and especially of California in the last twenty years. It was about that time that Miss
Elvezia Pedrazzini, a native of Canton Ticino, Switzerland, came to California. Since her arrival she has seen more new inventions that are now in common use than were made in a hundred years
previously. Her father, Fedele Pedrazzini, was an attorney at law, who went to Australia and died there leaving his family in Switzerland. The daughter, who remained with her mother, Celestina
(Traversi) Pedrazzini, was educated in the grammar school in Switzerland and taught school there. She was the youngest of five children, namely: Adelaide, Pauline, Flamina, Carmelo and Elvezia.
Miss Pedrazzini came to Pescadero, San Mateo County, and was married in Redwood City, on December 3, 1903, to Venanzio Tonolla, a native of Canton Ticino, Switzerland, the son of Antonio and Martina De Grigioni; and reared on his father's farm. When nineteen years old he came to California and worked in hotels, dairies and as a ranch hand. After his marriage he remained on ranches in San Mateo County. Later they moved to Merced County and he leased the S. A. Smith ranch and ran it for nine years. In 1916, he bought the Louis Bambauer place of thirty-seven acres, one and a quarter miles south of Los Banos and carried on a dairy there. He died there, on January 17, 1918, leaving a family of three children: Ida, Oscar, and George. Mrs. Tonolla is a Democrat in politics. Mr. Tonolla was a member of the Druids of Santa Cruz.

MANUEL SOUZA

While a young lad living in the Island of St. George, in the Azores, Manuel Souza often heard stories of America, and Cali­fornia in particular, and he was fired with the ambition to cast in his lot and see if he could not make a fortune where his brothers Antone and Joseph had already made a good beginning. The opportunity came when he was eighteen years old and ever since that date he has resided in the Golden State. He was born in 1865, a son of Joseph O. and Anna (Brazil) Souza, who also had a daughter, Marie, besides the three sons, and being poor people the son had no chance to go to school. Upon arriving in California he stopped in Watsonville and soon found employment at ranch work among his countrymen who had ranches in the section and ever after he has been engaged in that kind of work and has made a success of it. He is a practical dairyman and knows how to make a dairy pay.

 

Mr. Souza married Josephine Pimentel, born in Flores, in Wat­sonville, Cal., and the young couple set out together to make a home and found a fortune. In 1903, they moved to the West Side in Mer­ced County and leased the Jameson ranch near Los Banos; two years later they moved to the McCarthy place and farmed there two years. The next move took them to the Simonson ranch where, with a part­ner, Mr. Souza ran three strings of dairy cows. The profits he made enabled him to buy eighty acres of his own in the Cottonwood dis­trict and here he erected a house and barns and developed the ranch to alfalfa and runs a dairy.

 

Mrs. Souza was the daughter.of Joseph and Mary Pimentel and came to California with her brother when she was sixteen years old. The twelve children in her father's family are : Delphine, Mary, Joseph, Antone, Flora, Joaquin, Frank, Anna, Josephine, John, Amelia and Marion. Of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Souza three children were born, and the only one now living is Josephine, who married Frank. Tosta of Patterson, in January, 1921, and is the mother of two children, Gerald and Aldine. Mary married Joseph Olivieira August 30, 1912, and died, aged twenty-one. Joseph mar­ried Mary De Gregori on November 30, 1914, and they had two children, Clinton and Vernon. Joseph died November 7, 1923, aged thirty-two. His widow lives in a house he erected on the home ranch where, during his life, he helped his father with the ranch work. Manuel Souza became a citizen of the United States at Santa Cruz, Cal., and is a Republican. He is a member of the U. P. E. C. and the I. D. E. S. societies.

CARL EDWARD OLSON

The assistant superintendent of the canal system on the West Side with a territory extending from Mendota to Crows Landing, a distance of seventy-one miles, is Carl Edward Olson, residing on his ranch one mile southwest of Los Banos. A native of Sweden he was born in Oland, on January 28, 1870, a son of Ole and Christina (Pearson) Olson. His father was a corporal in the Swedish Navy and was in the service until he was retired. He came to California in October, 1913, and now resides in Turlock, and is eighty-four years old. The wife and mother died at the age seventy-four. They had seven children: Peter, 'of Turlock; Amanda, deceased; John, of Los Banos; Carl Edward, our subject; Ida, of Turlock; Hilda, in Hilmar; and Albert.

Carl Edward Olson had but little opportunity to get an education and when he was sixteen he began earning his own living, working about in his native country until 1889. He decided he could better his condition by coming to the United States and California was his goal. For a time he stopped in San Francisco, then came to Dos Palos in Merced County and secured employment with Miller and Lux as a ranch hand. He knew little of the English language, but was alert and picked up a practical working knowledge as he went about his daily tasks. He was next in the employ of Crocker & Huffman, on the Merced River, for a time; and as a diversion he spent four seasons hunting game for the markets of the bay cities, and it paid very well. He worked in the harvest fields in the sum­mer. In 1895, he went to work for Hans Albertsen, in the hills on the Newman ranch, and for four years was steadily engaged; then he spent fifteen months in the employ of the San Joaquin-Kings River Canal and Irrigation Co.; later, after a harvest season for Albert­sen, he took a trip back to his native land, spending six months visit­ing among friends and relatives. Returning to California Mr. Olson worked for Mr. Albertsen, for two years, then for John Olson, and in 1904 he again entered the employ of the San Joaquin-Kings River Canal and Irrigation Co., beginning at the bottom and gradually working his way through the various positions with the company until he is now the assistant superintendent over seventy-one miles of ditches. In 1922, he bought a part of the Midway ranch con­sisting of twenty acres and makes that his home.

On August 2, 1903, Mr. Olson was married to Miss Anna Lena Albertsen, a native of Ero, Denmark; and this union has been blessed by the birth of a son, Ray Olson.

JEAN B. ERRECA

A very representative business man of Los Banos who has earned the respect of his many friends is Jean B. Erreca, drayman of that city. He was born in the Basque province in the Pyrenees, in France, on May 26, 1874, and attended the public schools in his native land; in the meantime he was reared in the sheep business. When he was old enough to make up his mind as to his future he embarked for America and landed in New York on January 1, 1893, and made his way to California and we find him first in San Diego County herding sheep on the Ensenada for the next few months. He then came to Los Angeles and worked in a butcher shop for Charles Gasen and Simon Meyer ; later he went to Williams, Ariz., where he had charge of the sheep on the Welch ranch until in September, 1902, when he came back to California and herded sheep with his brothers, on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley. He had learned the English language and had saved his money, so he was now able to become a property owner in his own right and bought a lot 150 x 150 feet at the corner of Sixth and K Streets in Los Banos, which he still owns. Here he established a feed yard and dealt in hay and grain and also erected a brick residence. As he prospered he bought the Robert Miller livery stable and ran that for four years. Then he erected a garage, at a cost of $45,000, the finest in the valley and known as the Sischo Garage. Mr. Erreca owns and operates a five-ton Pierce-Arrow truck and has built up a fine draying and hauling business.

Mr. Erreca married Marian Laxague and they have three boys, Martin, Peter and Emil. They have reared one adopted daughter Marcelin Menta. Mr. Erreca belongs to the Woodmen of the World and is a member of the San Francisco Hospital Association. He became an American citizen in 1905 and supports the best men and measures at all elections.

 

WILLIAM MAZZINA

An active rancher, William Mazzina is well-known in Merced County as one of the progressive men of Los Banos. He was born in Milano, Province of Sondrino, Italy, on May 30, 1880, and at­tended the schools of his native land and worked at various occu­pations until 1900, when he went to South America, arriving at Bonasario. Two years later he arrived in New York City with one-hundred dollars in his pocket, and from there he made his way to San Francisco and found employment in dock construction. It was hard work and his faithfulness was rewarded with promotion and he stuck to it for three years. He saved his wages and was able to take up ranching in Napa County, which he followed for two years. In 1908 he came to Los Banos and was engaged in the liquor busi­ness up to the passing of the war prohibition in 1917. During this time he bought a dairy ranch of seventy-five acres, six miles from Dos Palos, where he is engaged in ranching and in the dairy business. In 1920 Mr. Mazzina took a trip to his old home in Italy and was gone six months. He was made a citizen. of the United States Febru­ary 14, 1911.

 

Mr. Mazzina married Faustina Arburua, a native of Spain, and there are four children of the union: Mary, Tony, Ellen and Theresa. Fraternally he is a member of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles and of the Druids.

FRANK M. OSTRANDER

An old and prominent family in Merced County, is that repre­sented by Frank M. Ostrander, the junior member of the law firm of Ostrander & Ostrander, of Merced, Cal., where he was born on January 13, 1890. His father, Frank Merced Ostrander, was the first white boy born in Merced County. His grandfather, Harvey J. Ostrander, was a pioneer of 1850 and he spent the remainder of his life in Merced County. The father was also an attorney by profession and he was the first Republican to be elected to the office of district attorney in Merced County; he passed away in 1890, the year our subject was born. The mother, who in maidenhood was Georgina Bain, is still living.

 

Frank M. Ostrander attended public school in Palo Alto, Cal., also the Hitchcock Military Academy and the Leland Stanford, Jr., University, where he completed his law course. He was admitted to the bar of California in 1920 and immediately began practicing in Merced. On November 1, 1923, he became associated with his uncle in the firm of Ostrander & Ostrander and their efforts have been rewarded with gratifying success.

 

The marriage of Mr. Ostrander united him with Miss Frances L. Reesor of Oakland, who was born in Montana. Mr. Ostrander enlisted for service during the World War and spent one year over seas at Base Hospital No. 30; he was a sergeant, first class, when he was discharged from the service. In his fraternal relations he is a Mason, a member of the N. S. G. W., and the Moose. He belongs to the Merced Post of the American Legion. Mr. Ostrander is actively identified with the public life of Merced and his aid in pro­moting measures for the public good has been of vital importance to the community in general.

NIELS LARSEN

The life story of Niels Larsen has been one of toil and cease­less endeavor since early boyhood. His father, Jorgen Larsen was a carpenter and cabinet-maker who lived his entire allotted time in Denmark, dying at the age of sixty-eight. His mother, Marie (Niel­sen) Larsen, died there at the age of forty-nine. They had fifteen children, two of whom died in infancy. Those living to grow to maturity are : Lars, Hans, Margaret, Niels, Christina, Anna, Thomas, Christian, Ingaborg, Theodore, Johanna, Jens, and Laura.

Niels was born at Sjeetland, Denmark, on October 9, 1871, and was educated in the schools of his native land. When he was nine­teen he came to the United States, in 1890, and soon after his arrival made his way out to Douglas County, Neb., where he secured employ­ment for three years on a farm, then he undertook to farm some land on his own account, leased 160 acres on the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers and raised corn, cattle and other stock. The lure of adven­ture and the possibility of making more than he could make on a farm, decided him to go on a whaling expedition in 1907. He was gone eight months in the north Pacific and five whales were brought back to San Francisco. His percentage of the profits was one dollar net for the eight months' work. In 1908, he first came to Los Banos. Returning to Nebraska he worked a year and went back to Denmark. In 1909, he was back again in Nebraska and worked there until 1911, when he came to California and followed carpentering for a short time. He next worked a year on the canal and then undertook a dairy which he carried on for five years near Los Banos. In 1917, he went to work for the San Joaquin-Kings River Canal Co. and has been on that job ever since. He is foreman of the Los Banos Out­side Division of this canal.

On May 6, 1909, Mr. Larsen was married in Fremont, Neb., to Miss Inga Jensen, a native of Sjeetland, Denmark, and daughter of Jens and Sine (Sivensen) Jensen, born in Denmark and Sweden, respectively. She was the eldest of five children, the others are Sven, Carl, Alma and Apel. Mr. and Mrs. Larsen have had four children:Laura (died in infancy), Laura, Margaret, and Evelyn. Mr. Larsen is a Democrat. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America in Fremont, Neb.

RANSE R. SISCHO

Although somewhat of a recent acquisition to the ranks of Mer­ced's attorneys, Ranse R. Sischo has won a name for himself and today ranks among the successful lawyers of the county, as well as representative citizens of the locality. He was born in Shelton, Wash., on August 1, 1892, a son of Abel and Frances (Willie) Sischo. The parents were married in New York and removed to Iowa; then in 1870 went to Missouri, from there to Nebraska, and in 1872, settled in the State of Washington, where both parents passed away.

 

Ranse R. Sischo completed the grammar and high school courses in Long Beach, Cal.; then he took up the study of law in a private office and in November, 1921, was admitted to practice law in the. State of Nevada. In 1922, he came to California and settled in Merced, and having been admitted to the bar of California on March 17, 1924, he opened and maintains a law office in that city.

 

Mr. Sischo was married on January 4, 1925, in Los Banos, Cal., to Miss Ethel L. Riedeman, of Santa Cruz. Politically he gives his influence to the Republican party; fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at Long Beach. Mr. Sischo has become an enthusiast on the resources of Merced County and his public spirit and activity for the prosperity and welfare of Merced has won for him many friends and a well-established law practice.

CHARLES WILLIAM DEMPSEY

One of the busiest and most enterprising men of Merced is Charles William Dempsey, contractor and builder, architect and de­signer. In many ways he has proved a valuable citizen of his county, contributing to its growth, fostering its enterprises and promoting its welfare. At Washington, D. C., on October 20, 1885, he was born, the son of William Daniel and Elmira (Chilton) Dempsey, who have both passed away. The father was a carpenter by trade and the son, after what education he was able to get in the public schools of Washington, learned the trade from his father, which he followed in the capital of our country up to 1906, when he reached his majority and struck out for himself. Houston, Texas, was his first landing place, where he spent two years at his trade. Various cities in the State of Washington were where he followed his trade for the next four years. In 1912 he came to Merced, and since 1917 has been contracting for himself. He specializes in residences, remodels build­ings and also designs new buildings, employing eight men. Among the seventy fine houses which he has built in Merced the homes of E. S. Hass and Charles Crossland may be mentioned as evidence of superior workmanship and design. He also built the wholesale house for the Richfield Oil Company.

 

The changing vicissitudes of life brought Mr. Dempsey in contact with Miss Emily Scofield, a lady who was brought up near Merced. An intimacy was formed which resulted in marriage and two children, viz. : Thomas and Thelma. As a public-spirited man, he is deeply interested in the progress of Merced. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias; and is the Worshipful Master of Yosemite Lodge No. 99, F. & A. M., of Mercd, and is highly respected.

MAURY CURTIS

The genealogy of Maury Curtis, is traced back to Scotland and England, his ancestors being among the American families who settled in Virginia in an early day. He was born on his father's farm in Virginia, on May 18, 1885, a son of A. M. and Roberta (Hume) Curtis, both natives of Virginia. A. M. Curtis served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; after the war he engaged in farming for the balance of his life and passed away in 1901. The mother is still living.

 

Maury Curtis began his preliminary educational training for his life's work in the public schools of his native state; after graduating from the high school he entered the academic department of the Washington Lee University at Lexington, Va., where he remained one year ; subsequently he entered Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D. C., from which he was graduated with the degree LL.B., in 1910. He then became connected with the solic­itor's office, in the United States Department of Agriculture. On January 1, 1912, he left Washington for San Francisco to become assistant to the solicitor of that department, and remained in that position until April 15, 1914 ; he then spent one year in private prac­tice in San Francisco. In 1916, he went into the United States De­partment of Justice and was thus occupied until 1917, when he removed to Los Angeles, where he became clerk in the United States District Court under Judge B. F. Bledsoe. On August 15, 1920, Mr. Curtis removed to Merced to become assistant district attorney of the county, where he has since resided. Mr. Curtis is a single man and takes great delight in all outdoor sports, especially base­ball and football. No trait is more noticeable in his character and life than that of energy, and he deservedly ranks among the enter­prising and resourceful citizens of Merced.

JOHN M. SILVA

Among the many immigrants from the Azores Islands who have contributed towards the development of Merced County is John M. Silva, who possesses those traits of character upon which material success is founded. He was born in St. George, of the Azores on June 7, 1886, the son of Joseph M. and Barbara Silva, and was the second of six children as follows: Germania (deceased), John M., Rosa (deceased), Antonio, Joseph and Manuel. He came to Amer­ica in 1904 and stopped for a short time in Boston, Mass., came to San Luis Obispo where he secured employment as a milker on a dairy ranch for four years. It was the first round of the ladder on which he hoped to climb toward a business for himself. With the wages he saved he was able to enter into partnership with J. M. Diaz, in a dairy of 100 cows on a ranch of 700 acres, five miles from San Luis Obispo, and after running the dairy five years they moved fifty of the cows to Merced County and settled on the Henry Pfitzer place five miles southwest of Gustine. Here John M. Silva has sixty-three acres in alfalfa, having bought the land the same year he came here. In March, 1925, he bought out his partner and is now running the business alone.

 

On September 9, 1914, J. M. Silva was married to Mary Azevedo in San Luis Obispo. She is the daughter of Manuel and Minnie (Perry) Azevedo and was born in San Luis Obispo; her parents were both natives of the Azores, the former of Pico and the latter of Fayal. Her father came to California in 1889 and was married in San Luis Obispo, where he is still dairy farming near that place. Mrs. Silva is the eldest of six children, namely: Mary, Ida, Manuel, William, Louis, and Mabel. She attended school in the Los Osos and the Santa Fe districts, both of San Luis Obispo County. Mr. Silva is a member of the U. P. E. C. and of the I. D. E. S. of Gustine; also a member of the Foresters of America and Knights of Columbus of Newman. Mrs. Silva is a member of the S. P. R. S. I. of Gustine and of the U. P. P. E. C. of Newman.

PATRICK J. THORNTON

An official of Merced County who has proven his worth and ability in the discharge of the duties of his office, is Patrick J. Thorn­ton, the county clerk. He was born on March 27, 1872, within a stone's throw of the limits of the city of Merced, a son of the late William and Julia (Whelan) Thornton. William Thornton owned and operated a large ranch in the McSwain school district. He was born in Ireland, came to California across the Isthmus of Panama in 1865, and settled in Merced County in 1867. He was married in San Francisco in 1869. His wife was also born in Ireland, and came to California in 1866. Of this union ten children were born, all in Merced County: Daniel W., who died in 1898, at the age of twenty-six; Patrick James, of this review; Mary A.; Margaret M.; John J.; Hannah T., now the wife of M. S. Maddux; Julia B. who died unmarried; Rose M., who married W. H. Wegner; William W.; and Joseph F., who died in early boyhood. William Thornton, though a stanch Democrat, never aspired to official honors. He was a man of excellent judgment and common sense. He died at the age of sixty-nine; but his widow survived until 1919, dying at the age of seventy-two. She was an active member of the Catholic Church and liberally contributed to the fund for the building of the new edifice.

 

Patrick J. Thornton attended the McSwain district school and grew up to farm work. He became a student at St. Mary's College, Oakland, graduating from its business department. He entered the court house in the capacity of deputy county clerk, under W. B. Croop. In 1906 he became a candidate for the office on the Demo­cratic ticket and was elected, being returned to the office of county clerk in 1910, 1914, 1918, and 1922.

 

On May 19, 1920, Patrick J. Thornton was united in marriage with Miss Agnes Ryan, a native of Ireland but a resident of Cali­fornia since 1917. The family home is located at 1030 L Street, the house having been erected in 1921. The Thornton ranch of 740 acres has been divided among the living children, who still own it. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are members of the Catholic Church in Merced. He is a member of Merced Lodge No. 1240, B. P. O. E.; a Past Grand Knight of the Merced Council, Knights of Columbus; and a member of Yosemite Parlor No. 24, N. S. G. W., and of the local Chamber of Commerce. By virtue of his office, during the World War Mr. Thornton was a member of the County Council of Defense. He gives his whole time to his official duties.

LOUIS PETER TAGLIO

A prosperous dairyman of the Gustine section of Merced County is found in Louis Peter Taglio, who resides on his twenty-acre home place south of the city limits of Gustine; he operates a milk route in Newman and Gustine and is fast developing his property to wal­nuts. His birth occurred in Salinas, Cal., on January 16, 1894, a son of P. L. and Nellie A. Taglio, whose sketch may be found on another page in this history.

 

Louis Peter Taglio attended public school in Salinas and Gon­zales, with a partial high school course in Gonzales. From young manhood he was associated with his father in ranching on the home place near Gustine. When his father retired and moved into town, Mr. Taglio and his brothers ran the place until 1921, when our sub­ject purchased his present place.

 

At Gustine on June 28, 1919, Mr. Taglio was married to Miss Rosalie M. Bizzini, born at San Lucas, Cal., daughter of Charles and Delphina Bizzini, farmer folk in the Gustine section, where Mrs. Taglio was reared and educated in the grammar and high schools. Mr. and Mrs. Taglio have two daughters : Rosalie, and Lorinne. Mr. Taglio is a trustee of the joint telephone companies, namely the Bunker Farmers line and the Sturgeon line. In politics he is a Demo­crat, and fraternally, is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and is a charter member of the Knights of Columbus of Newman.

JOSEPH S. PANCOAST

In Merced are located some of the most energetic and enterpris­ing young business men of Merced County, men who have been successful in their undertakings, and whose efforts through life thus far, by their own perserverance and activity, have brought ample returns. Among this number is Joseph S. Pancoast, proprietor of the Pancoast Battery Works. A native of California, he was born on February 19, 1897, in San Francisco. His father, Mulford Pancoast, was born in Virginia and came to California about thirty years ago and was married to Miss Rose Ingham, a native of San Francisco, Cal. The father is now deceased, but the mother is still living, resid­ing in San Francisco.

 

Joseph S. Pancoast completed the grammar school course and was in his second year in high school when his father passed away. He was then obliged to leave school and go to work and chose the automobile game. His first job was with the Howard Auto Com­pany; then he worked as an instructor for the Studebaker Company for one year. He then took up the battery business. This was before there were battery stations, and he advanced until he was put in charge of the battery department of several large shops. Then he spent two years selling life insurance, which further equipped him for operating his own business. In December, 1921, he came to Merced to deliver a policy, and he was so favorably impressed with the possibilities of the town that he rented a small space and opened a battery works. In September, 1923, having bought a site, he built his present modern shop, where he manufactures his own batteries, and in addition, carries a full line of accessories for all makes of automobiles.

 

The marriage of Mr. Pancoast united him with Miss Peggy Kim­ball, a native of Maine. Mr. Pancoast is a Republican in politics. For recreation, he enjoys motoring through the mountains.

HENRY P. GREEN

Public-spirited, enterprising and progressive, Henry P. Green has, for the past nineteen years, given substantial aid to the growth and development of the city of Gustine, where he has helped to build most of the homes and continues to be active in the upbuilding of this section, and also finds time to cultivate his home place of two acres within the city limits, where he makes his home. His birth occurred in Schuyler County, Mo., May 22, 1883, a son of John Henry and Margaret (Kirkland) Green, both natives of the same state. His father has spent his entire life in Missouri, where he is engaged in farming. He was county treasurer of Schuyler County for a couple of terms. There were ten children in this family, nine of whom are now living: Ona ; Irvie, resides in western Kansas; Myrtle ; Henry P., the subject of this review ; Cordie; Gracie; Buella,, deceased; Anna ; Nellie; and Velma.

 

The education of Henry P. Green was obtained in the grammar schools of his native county. He spent twenty-two years of his life at home; then he came to California and located at Gustine, where he learned the carpenter's trade and for several years has been a build­ing contractor.

 

At Gustine, February 27, 1913, Mr. Green was married to Miss Leslie Hollingsworth, daughter of J. E. and Lucy J. (Drummond) Hollingsworth, both natives of Illinois and both pioneers of the San Joaquin Valley. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Green, J. Q. Drummond, came to California in 1852 and was a prominent and respected citizen of Merced County, where he engaged in farming near Ingomar. Her father, J. E. Hollingsworth, engaged in farming and dairying in Merced County and lived to be sixty-five years old. Her mother, whose sketch will also be found in this history, still makes her home at Gustine. Of this union there were four children: Ruby; John; an infant deceased; and Leslie, the wife of our subject. Two sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Green: Leland Henry and James Lester. Mr. Green is a stanch Democrat in politics, fra­ternally, he belongs to the Odd Fellows Lodge of Gustine and is a past grand of this order ; with his wife he is a member of the Re­bekahs ; he also serves as a member of the city council of Gustine.

GEORGE ROBERT HULEN

When the lure of gold was drawing thousands to California in the early fifties, among the hardy and adventurous argonauts who crossed the plains in 1854 was Andrew Jackson Hulen. With the .cheerful optimism of youth he began the quest for the precious metal at Chinese Camp and Downieville. Of how much gold he found, there is no record, but it is recorded that he found something a great deal more precious, a faithful wife, Mary Ida Lewis, to whom he was united in marriage on September 2, 1873, in Contra Costa County, where he turned his attention to freighting among the farmers and merchants. He had filed on a quarter section in Merced County, but he gave that up and settled at Volta in 1894, and rented 100 acres of Uriah Wood; he also leased 800 acres and went in for grain farm­ing. He finally bought ninety acres near Volta, where he spent the balance of his life, dying in 1917, at the age of eighty-six; his good wife is still living and is sixty-seven years old. Of this union there were born ten children: Lee A., deceased; John S., born April 13, 1876, who was married September 14, 1913, at San Rafael to Nettie Jeffers, born at Volta, Merced County, a daughter of Ben­jamin and Eliza (Knight) Jeffers, both born in 1843, the former in Jones County, Iowa, and the latter in Columbiana County, Ohio; George R.; Margaret A., Mrs. A. C. Shafer of Manteca ; William F., deceased; Lewis; Alice, Mrs. Smith Acker of Merced; Edna, Mrs. Weisman of Modesto; Frank; and Woodson, familiarly known as "Jack."

 

George Robert Hulen was born on February 16, 1879, near Lakeport, Lake County, Cal., was educated in the Santa Nella district school and remained with his father until 1904, when he went out and worked for wages as a ranch hand. He was frugal and saved his money and in eight years was able to acquire some stock, and in 1912 he came to his present location four miles west of Volta and bought eighty acres devoted to alfalfa on which he runs a dairy of sixty cows. He also owns thirty acres five miles south of his home. This is also under the canal and devoted to alfalfa. He is an inde­pendent in politics, voting for the best men and measures regardless of party. He is a member of the Mountain Brow Lodge No. 82, I. O. O. F.

ANDREW F. SILVA

Within the city limits of Gustine on the southwest lies the small ranch of six and a half acres, which for the past ten years has been the home of Andrew F. Silva. His birth occurred at San Lorenzo, Cal., August 4, 1885, a son of Andrew Silva and Mary (Cardoza) D'Souza, both natives of the town of Fayal of the Azores Islands, who came to the United States when young and were married in Boston, Mass. In 1871 they came to California and settled at San Lorenzo, where the father worked for wages on farms until 1903. They then removed to Gustine, which at that time was a flag station on the railroad, and here a farm of sixty-six acres was purchased and the father engaged in the dairy business for the balance of his life. He was fifty-three years old when he died. The mother makes her home at Newman, aged sixty-eight years. There were eight children in this family, namely: John, Rose, Mary, Alice, and Anna, all de­ceased; the surviving members are Manuel, Joseph and Andrew F.

 

Andrew F. Silva attended the public schools in Alameda County and was associated with his father in the dairy business at Gustine until his father passed away; he then bought the home place, which lies east of town about three-quarters of a mile, continued to run a dairy for several years, and then sold the cows and rented the land and moved onto his present home place, where he has built a substan­tial residence and necessary farm buildings.

 

At Oakland, Cal., December 12, 1909, Mr. Silva was married to Miss Mary Rodrigues Silva, born at Fayal, Azores Islands, daughter of Antone Silva, a pioneer gold miner of California, who later re­turned to his native country, where he still lives. Mrs. Silva received her education in her native city. Three children constitute this fam­ily: Manuel, Antone, and Mary, the wife of our subject. Besides farming the home place, Mr. Silva writes life insurance for the Western States Life Insurance Company of San Francisco. In poli­tics he is a Republican.

JOSEPH MACHADO SOARES

While Joseph M. Soares was growing up in his native land such glowing reports were continually coming from many of his country­men, who had migrated to California and were making money, that it was quite natural for our subject to have a desire to see this country himself. He was born on December 21, 1888, a son of J. M. and Rosa (Azevedo) Soares, and grew up and went to school in his native land. His father was a farmer and also a mechanic and lived at Pico, in the Azores. There were nine children in the family: Manuel, Joseph M., John, Frank, Mary, Julia, Angelina, Seraphim and Rose. At the age of eighteen Joseph landed in Boston, Mass., coming di­rectly to California and on arriving in Napa Valley, he found employ­ment on a dairy farm, where he worked five years at twenty-five dollars a month to start with. From there he came to Newman, Stanislaus County; in the summer he worked at baling hay around Pleasanton, and in the winter time in the dairies in Stanislaus County. In due time he had accumulated funds enough to get into business on his own account, so we find him in partnership with his brother, John, and M. S. Machado, in a herd of 160 cows on the Crittenden ranch; this partnership continued for nine years when he sold out and bought sixty-eight acres in the Romero school district, a part of the old Menzel ranch, and here he built his house and farm buildings and raises alfalfa hay.

On October 8, 1917, J. M. Soares was married, at Gustine, to Theresa A. Luiz, born in San Rafael, Marin County, the daughter of Frank and Mary (Bernard) Luiz, both natives of the Azores, the former of St. George and the latter of Fayal. Frank Luiz was brought to California about sixty years ago, when a young lad, by his uncle who was a captain of a whaling vessel. He became a dairy rancher in Marin and Colusa Counties, and died at the age of sixty-nine. Mrs. Soares was the twelfth in a family of fifteen, as follows : Antone, Mary, Frank, Emily, John, Joseph, Belle, Madaline, Mil­dred, George, Henry, Theresa, Rose, Olivia, and Catherine. Mr. and Mrs. Soares have five children : Joseph; John, Edwin, Alice and Erwin. Fraternally, Mr. Soares is a member of the U. P. E. C. and the I. D. E. S. Lodge of Gustine, also of the E. S. E. S. of Gustine. Mrs. Soares is a member of the S. P. R. S. I. of Gustine. Mr. Soares took out his naturalization papers about three years ago, and is a Republican.

JOHN PAUL GIBBONS

The son of a pioneer couple, and a well-known man in Merced, John Paul Gibbons, more familiarly known as Paul Gibbons, is the foreman and chief trouble-shooter for the Ford Garage operated by R. Shaffer at Merced. A son of John Wesley and Helen (Leslie) Gibbons, he was born at Merced Falls on April 29, 1890, and grew to manhood on his father's ranch and attended the common schools of his locality. In 1906 he came to Merced. Always being interested in machinery of various kinds, he entered the machine shop of the Yosemite Valley Railway and served an apprenticeship. He then became a locomotive engineer in 1907, serving seven years on the Yosemite Valley Railroad, running from Merced to El Portal.

 

The marriage of Paul Gibbons at Richmond, Cal., on June 6, 1911, united him with Miss Margaret Thornton, daughter of the late Michael Thornton, a prominent rancher of this county. Mrs. Gib­bons is the twelfth of a family of thirteen children. She grew up in the county and attended the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons have one child, Paul. In 1913 Mr. Gibbons erected their home at 1010 Seventeenth Street, Merced.

 

After leaving the employ of the Yosemite Valley Railway Mr. Gibbons entered the employ of Lounsbury and Shaffer as an auto­mobile mechanic. When Mr. Shaffer took over the Ford agency on Sixteenth Street, in 1922, Mr. Gibbons went with him. He is a competent mechanic and ably fills his responsible position. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. Politically he is a Democrat.

JULIUS BONTA

The life which this sketch outlines began in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, on November 26, 1871, when Julius Bonta was born to Carlo and Maria (Cesalina) Bonta. The father is still living in his native country at the age of ninety; the mother died at the age of forty-four. Julius has two brothers, Placido and August, in California.

His father was a farmer and stockman. As Julius grew up he went to the common school and helped his father at home. When he came to that period in life when a boy begins to think what he is going to do in the world his thoughts were turned to that country across the sea whither so many of his countrymen had gone, and as soon as he reached his majority, in 1892, he bade good-bye to his native land and embarked for the New World. He had no capital or trade, but had learned about caring for stock from his father, and he naturally sought for work on a dairy ranch when he reached Salinas, Monterey County, Cal. After working there six years he came to the West Side of the San Joaquin and worked on ranches fourteen months near Newman. By this time he had saved enough of his wages to go into business on his own account. Entering into partnership with George Stewart, he carried on a dairy of 120 cows for five years, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Bonta carried on the business by himself, with two strings of cows, for five years. His next venture was the purchase of 100 acres of land eight miles south of Gustine in 1908, part of it in alfalfa and part undeveloped; but he has brought it all into a high state of cultivation and carries on a dairy of sixty head at the present time.

 

On March 4, 1909, Julius Bonta was married in Switzerland to Elvira Guzzi, a native of that country, and daughter of Clement and Celeste Guzzi, farmer folk, and they have two children, Emile and Daniel. Mr. Bonta received his naturalization papers in Monterey County and votes for the best man and measures regardless of party. In 1924, Mrs. Bonta made a visit to her home in Canton Ticino.

SILVERIO P. SILVA

The success which numbers Silverio P. Silva among the prosper­ous business men of Gustine has been entirely the result of his own efforts, for he came empty-handed from Portugal, where he was born August 4, 1876, and with the energy and perseverance char­acteristic of the natives of Portugal has gained a competence in the face of many difficulties. He is the son of Jacintho and Joaquina Maria (Alves) Silva. Jacintho Silva was a blacksmith and followed his trade all his life in Portugal. There were nine children in this family, namely: Maria ; Jose; Lucina; Antonio; Felizarda ; Benigno, deceased; Silverio P., our subject; Quiteria ; and Neves, who died in infancy. The father passed away at the age of sixty-five years, while the mother is still living, having reached the advanced age of ninety-one years.

Silverio P. Silva received a common school education, and when only thirteen years old he took a position as clerk and from that time on has made his own way in the world. He worked as a clerk in various stores for fifteen years, when he came to the United States and directly to California, locating in San Francisco, where he worked for wages. In 1903 he located in Merced and for the fol­lowing three years worked on farms. In 1906 he removed to Gustine and worked for two years for John V. Azevedo, and on September 1, 1913, established his own general merchandise business and within six years had accumulated sufficient means to build his own store building, which is SO x 125 feet.

 

At Merced, in February, 1914, Mr. Silva was married to Miss Mary Rose, a native of Marin County, Cal., daughter of Manuel and Isabelle Rose, early settlers in Marin County. Mr. and Mrs. Silva have one daughter, Zelma. Fraternally, Mr. Silva belongs to the U. P. E. C., and for the past twelve years has served as secretary of the I. D. E. S. Lodge of Gustine; politically he is a Republican.

DALTON E. HALES

Possessing executive ability of a high order, Dalton E. Hales has won well-merited success by his honest and upright dealings with all with whom he has business relations and has gained the respect of the community. He is the local representative, with his office in Gustine, of the Western States Life Insurance Company of San Francisco. Since becoming identified with this company, Mr. Hales has become an honorary member of the sales force and is one of the first fifteen salesmen of this company in a force of 600.

One of California's native sons, Dalton E. Hales was born at Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz County, September 8, 1893, a son of Elisha and Edith (Maddocks) Hales, both natives of California. Dalton E. Hales attended school in Gustine and later took a course at Heald's Business College in San Francisco. In 1910 he started in business for himself as a retailer of milk and continued in this busi­ness for a few years; he then engaged in the dairy business. When he located in Gustine he worked for Chappell and Reuter, remaining with them until he went to San Francisco, where he took his business course; then he went to work for the Pacific Hardware & Steel Com­pany in that city. He next removed to Los Banos where he worked in Miller & Lux's store. From Los Banos, Mr. Hales went to San Jose and conducted a business in East San Jose for one year, when he again returned to Gustine and for eight months was engaged in the dairy business, when he sold out. In 1920 he engaged in the general insurance business, which has since occupied his time and attention. He is the special agent at Gustine of the Western States Life In­surance Company of San Francisco.

On September 26, 1914, at Gustine, Mr. Hales was married to Miss Florence Pearce, born at Ingomar, Merced County, a daughter of J. L. and Flora Pearce, pioneer farmers of Merced County. Mrs. Hales was educated, in the grammar and high school at Gustine and the Modesto High School. Mr. and Mrs. Hales are the parents of two children: Athol Merrill and Dalton Eugene. Mr. Hales served as deputy constable for four years; in 1923 he was elected justice of the peace of township No. 6 of Merced County. He is a Republican in politics and fraternally is Past Grand of the Romero Lodge No. 413, I. 0. 0. F., at Gustine.

PETER E. PETERSEN

As a natural result of his thrift and industry Peter E. Petersen has become a prosperous citizen of Gustine, Cal., which has been his home since 1909. His birth occurred in Aro, Denmark, on Jan­uary 7, 1888, a son of Hans Peter and Maria Catherine (Smith) Petersen, both natives of Denmark, where they still make their home, the father being seventy-two years old and the mother sixty-seven years. There are six children in the family : Alfreda P., Mrs. C. L. Smith residing at Turlock; Peter E., the subject of this review; Jor­gen; Hans P., deceased; Johannas; and Nora.

 

Peter E. Petersen attended grammar school in his native country and learned the blacksmith trade in Aro with his father. In 1907 he came to the United States and almost directly to California, where he worked for his brother-in-law, C. L. Smith, for a year and a half. He then followed his trade with James R. Jensen in Gustine for three years, when, on March 29, 1912, he bought a half interest in a black­smith business with A. Andersen, and the firm became Andersen and Petersen, and in 1914 they built a garage building; in 1919 he sold his interest in the garage to Gilbert Kerr and in 1923 took over the entire blacksmith end of the business. Mr. Petersen is also inter­ested in agriculture, owning a fifth interest in a 131-acre farm, known as the Gustine Orchard Company, which is devoted to almonds, grapes, walnuts and figs.

 

At Gustine, July 15, 1916, Mr. Petersen was married to Miss Lillie Hansen, born at Ingomar, Cal., a daughter of Hans and Chris­tina (Smith) Hansen, whose sketch will be found in this history.

Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Petersen: Hans Peter and Eleanor Marie. Mr. Petersen is Past Grand of Romero Lodge No. 413, I. 0. 0. F., and has served as trustee of this order for many years ; he is also a member of the Dania Lodge of Gustine. In politics he is a Democrat.

JAMES C. AUSTIN

A deservedly popular and prominent citizen, James C. Austin is numbered among the representative men of Gustine. Since arriving at this place in 1920, he has labored zealously for its upbuilding and the development of its resources. A native of Scotland, he was born in Edinburgh, October 2, 1882, a son of James C. and Mary I. (Jenkins) Austin, both natives of Scotland. The father, James C. Austin, was a wholesale tea and wine merchant during most of his active career; he passed away in 1920, never having left his native shores.

 

James C. Austin received his education at the George Watson's College in his native city. In 1900 he joined a volunteer contingent and served during the Boer War in South Africa for two years. After a visit to his boyhood home in Edinburgh he went to Canada and for the next ten years was identified with two of the leading banks of that country. Later he removed to Montana and opened a bank at Coburg, and when he came to California he established a bank at Lemon Cove. Then he took a trip to Honolulu and was connected with the Bank of Bishop & Company, Ltd., as accountant. In Feb­ruary, 1920 he located in Gustine, where he has since remained as the capable and efficient cashier of the Bank of Gustine.

 

At San Francisco, on August 14, 1922, Mr. Austin was united in marriage with Miss Mabel Hansen, born at Gustine, a daughter of Hans Hansen, an early settler of Merced County and an extensive land owner. Mr. Austin supports all public matters and measures that will advance the interest of the people and county.

WILLIAM H. GILBERT

The success achieved by William H. Gilbert, since identifying him­self with the agricultural interests of Merced County, furnishes an­other proof of the opportunities offered by this section of California to men of persevering industry. Since 1907, Mr. Gilbert has been associated with various creameries in this section of California and for the past three years has been manager of the Gustine Creamery. He is a native of England, born June 4, 1882, a son of Henry Gilbert, also a native of England who owned and operated a hotel in that country.

 

William H. Gilbert attended public school in his native country and in 1894 went to Ontario, Canada, where he attended the Kings­ton Dairy School; after finishing school he was identified with milk association work in Kingston, Canada, for eleven years. When he came to California he settled, at Lathrop where, for a time, he was connected with the Oakwood Stock Farm ; he then removed to Ceres and for two years worked in the Ceres Creamery. In February, 1910, he located in Gustine and for the following eleven years he worked for the Dairy Delivery Company as butter maker and tester ; two years of this time he was manager of the company. In 1921 he be­came manager of the Gustine Creamery, which has an output of 1,500,000 pounds of butter in one year. This creamery sells to the San Francisco and Oakland markets, and is also associated with the Challenge Cream & Butter Company of Los Angeles ; they also supply the local trade of Gustine, Newman and vicinity. There are thirty people employed in this creamery collecting milk and cream from Stanislaus and Merced Counties.

 

Mr. Gilbert is associated with Dr. Stagner in a fifty-acre peach and walnut orchard near Wheatland, Yuba County. Fraternally, he is a member of Romero Lodge No. 413, I. 0. 0. F. in Gustine; he belongs to Leeds Lodge No. 201, A. F. & A. M. ; Leeds Chapter No. 132, R. A. M., both at Gananoque, Canada ; is a charter member of Modesto Commandery No. 57, K. T., and belongs to Aahmes Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S. in Oakland.

ORSON B. CARD

No more satisfactory example of the self-made and substantial business man can be found than Orson B. Card, proprietor of the Card Garage at Arena, Cal. He was born in Potts County, Pa., on September 25, 1882, the youngest of three children born to Orrin and Louisa (Haskins) Card, the others being Oscar M., who mar­ried Maimie Havens and had two children, Ernest and John, who are now living with their maternal grandparents, their father and mother having met an accidental death in an auto and electric car accident at Boise, Idaho; and Carrie A., who married J. P. Berlin and lives at Livingston; she has two sons. The mother died at Nelson Run in 1900, and the father, who was born at Oswego, N. Y., resides at Yountville, Cal., and is eighty-two years of age. He was a Civil War veteran, and after the war he farmed and had a sawmill at Nelson Run, Potts County, Pa., where he made shingles and lumber.

Orson B. Card was reared in Potts County, Pa., and attended the public schools till he was fourteen, when he began to assist his father on the farm and in his sawmill, becoming familiar with machinery at an early age. He was the first member of the family to come to California. Before he landed in this state he was engaged in lumber­ing near Idaho City, Idaho, and in mining at Deadwood, that state. In company with his uncle, C. S. Card, he owned the Dewey mine and they brought in the first stamp mill, which weighed 5500 pounds, through almost impassable mountains. He sold his interest in this silver and gold prospect to his uncle in 1916. When war was de­clared our subject was classified as A 1 for war service and was called just .as the armistice was signed. Coming then to California, he de­veloped a forty-acre Malaga vineyard from a wheatfield near Livings­ton, selling out to Clara M. Myhead in 1923. He then erected his garage, fifty by sixty-four feet in dimensions, and established a Ford agency, handling also the Fordson tractor. He has a full line of accessories, gas, oils, tires and tubes and does all kinds of repairing, employing one and sometimes two men, and is building up a good business in his district, where he is known as an experienced mechanic. In politics he is a Republican.

FRED H. CRONWELL

A successful business man of Los Banos who is now serving his township as justice of the peace is Fred H. Cronwell. A native of Illinois, he was born in Rockford, Winnebago County, on September 9, 1884, and attended the public schools of his city until he was eighteen, when he made up his mind he would strike out for himself and see something of the West. He arrived in San Francisco in 1902 and soon secured work as a clerk in the Russ House; thereafter he followed hotel work for several years in California, Oregon and Washington. He finally located in Healdsburg, Cal., and engaged in the tailoring and cleaning business, later removing to San Francisco where he carried on the same kind of business until 1916, when he came to Merced County and located in Los Banos. Here he opened a tailor shop and also deals in men's wearing apparel and furnish­ings, and does a cleaning and repairing business in connection, being now accounted one of the leading business men of the town.

 

Mr. Cronwell was united in marriage with Miss Nell Jones, of Healdsburg, and they have a daughter Ida May. Mr. Cronwell is a member and ex-president of the Los Banos Chamber of Com­merce. Fraternally he belongs to Mountain Brow Lodge No. 82, I. 0. 0. F. and to Los Banos Lodge No. 312, F. & A. M. Mr. Cronwell was appointed by the board of supervisors to the office of justice of the peace to fill a vacancy and at the regular election in 1922 he was a candidate to succeed himself, was elected by a good majority and continues to fill the office to the satisfaction of his many friends.

 

History of Merced County California: John Outcalt

Historic Record Company Los Angeles, California 1925

Transcribed by Martha A Crosley Graham – Pages 861 - 908

 

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Martha A Crosley Graham

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