Orange County CA

Biographical Sketch of George Hough

George Hough a prominent citizen of Garden Grove, Orange County, was born February 5, 1815, in Lewis County, New York. His parents were Burage and Mary (Alexander) Hough, natives respectively of Connecticut and New York. The father removed with his family to De Kalb County, Illinois, in 1837, and died there, at the age of sixty-five years. Mr. George Hough, our subject, was the second in a family of twelve children. He returned to New York State in 1838, and was there married, in Lewis County, to Miss Hester A., daughter of David and Polly (Puffer) Tiffany. In 1842 Mr. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George P. Bessonett

George P. Bessonett a prominent business man of Santa Ana, was born in Mississippi, July 21, 1850, and is the son of Edwin and Sophia (Neill) Bessonett, natives of Pennsylvania, and of French ancestry. The father was a cotton planter, and the mother was a teacher, from whom George received all of his education. The latter started out in the world for himself at the age of fifteen years, at Brookhaven, Mississippi, by clerking in a confectionery store. Subsequently he carried on the business in his own name. Quitting that place, he went to Kansas City and learned the brick-layer’s … Read more

Biography of J. W. Towner

J. W. Towner the subject of this sketch, now Judge of the Superior Court of Orange County, is a native of Essex County, New York, born in 1823, in the town of Willsboro. When he was fifteen years old his father moved to St. Lawrence County, same State. His education was only that of the common school except one term, in 1841, at the Malone Academy, Franklin County. In 1844, he and an older brother went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until 1854, when he went to West Union, Fayette County, Iowa, remaining there until August, 1861, when he … Read more

Biography of Illiam Lamson

Illiam Lamson a capitalist of Garden Grove, was born at Mt. Vernon, New Hampshire, October 1, 1810, the eldest of six children of John L. and Nancy (Bradford) Lamson. At the age of twenty-one years, after having been an industrious worker for his father, he started out in life for himself, his father taking him as far as he could in one day, giving him $2 and telling him not to drink or to gamble, and to do the best he could for himself. With the $2 Mr. Lamson went about half way to Boston and hired out for one … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John Turner

John Turner of Westminster, was born in Genesee County, New York, in 1818. At the age of eighteen years he walked all the way to Michigan, where he worked by the day for a year, and then returned to New York. There he married Miss Harriet Hopkins, whose father, James Hopkins, was one of the wealthiest farmers of Genesee County. Mr. Turner went with his wife to Michigan and carved a farm out of the dense forest. In 1852 he came to this State, and for ten years followed dairying in Amador County. In 1862 he moved to Carson City, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Illiam A. Firebaugh

Illiam A. Firebaugh farmer and and stock-raiser near Newport, was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, November 24, 1848, a son of David and Margaret (Hull) Firebaugh, both of Virginia. William, the fourth in a family of eight children, received but a limited education. In 1870 he went to Cedar County, Virginia, and began business for himself by renting land for two years. In 1872 he came to California and bought land, which he subsequently improved and finally sold, when he bought a ranch a half mile southwest of Newport, and here he has been successfully engaged in general farming and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Alexander Henry

Alexander Henry farmer and stock-raiser, near Anaheim, was born in Edinburg, Scotland in 1838, the son of Innes and Jacobina (Nicholson) Henry. His father had seven children by his first marriage, and eleven by the second: Alexander, who was a member of the second family, joined the English navy in 1850, and was in service throughout the Crimean war. He was at first errand boy and then ship’s carpenter. After the war lie served six years at the shipwright’s trade at Leith. Next he joined the Sidney of Glasgow and came to San Francisco in 1860, where he worked at … Read more

Hofmann, Sandra L. – Obituary

Sandra Louise (Fagan) Hofmann died Feb. 15, 1988 in Huntington Beach, Calif. of cancer. She was born May 28, 1942 in La Grande, to Arletta (Jackson) and Gifford Fagan. She is survived by three children, Dean, and Richard Hofmann, and Kari Kessler all of Garden Grove, Calif.; a twin brother, Steve Guy Fagan, Lodi, Calif.; her mother, Arletta Neumann, and step-father Ray Neumann of Seattle, Wash.; grandmother Letty Jackson, Wallowa County Nursing Home; aunts, Mary Kennison, Baker, Betty King, West Sacramento, Calif., Mary May and Dorothy Confer of The Dallas, and one uncle Neal Fagan of Renton, Wash. Her father, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of C. F. Mansur

C. F. Mansur, cashier of the Orange County Savings, Loan and Trust Company at Santa Ana, was born in Barnston, Ontario, Canada, July 8, 1840. At the age of fourteen years he came to the United States and located at Randolph, Wisconsin, upon a farm. During the war he enlisted in the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, better known as the ” Live Eagle Regiment,” because they carried a live eagle through the war. After the war Mr. Mansur returned to Wisconsin, followed farming two years, then was a merchant a year or two in Canada, and in 1867 came to … Read more

Bloomer, Ted S., Sr. – Obituary

Durkee, Oregon Ted S. Bloomer Sr., 91, a longtime Durkee rancher, died Aug. 5, 2002, at the Holy Rosary Medical Center in Ontario. His graveside funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery mausoleum. Jim Rex of the Baker City Christian Science Church will officiate. Disposition will be by mausoleum entombment. A reception will follow at the Durkee Grange. Visitations will be today until 8 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Mr. Bloomer was born July 16, 1911, at Lebanon, Mo., to William A. and Maude F. (Blackburn) Bloomer. The family moved … Read more

Genealogy of Daniel Baker

Qa161 DANIEL BAKER: b. in England; m. Sarah Chase, 1740. Col. Jacob: reported to have served on General Washington’s staff, and at his death left an estate now reported to be worth about $800,000,000. Samuel: M.D.; b. 1742; m. Roda (Silliman) Weed, 1773. Isaac: M.D.; b. 1783, at Fairfield, Conn.; m. Susan Morgan Dodge (d. 1833); in 1804 Dr. Isaac surveyed, laid out and named the townsite of Bloomington, Ill.; was county surveyor, clerk of the court (held this office for fifteen years) ; served as postmaster for a great many years and was a much respected citizen; died at … Read more

Biography of George Ridgeley Broadbere

George Ridgeley Broadbere editor of the Santa Ana Free Press, was born in New York city and educated at Cambridge University, England. He began the newspaper business as war correspondent while serving in the naval brigade in the Zulu war in Africa, and while there he was severely wounded. In China he did war correspondence for the London Daily News. Returning to America, he was employed on the New Orleans Picayune as reporter and traveling correspondent in Louisiana and Texas; next he was a traveling agent and correspondent for the States of the great southwest for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat; … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Prof. John P. Greeley

John P. Greeley, County Superintendent of Schools of Orange County, was born in Swanville, Maine, in 1860. Was educated in the common and high schools of his native place. Graduated at the State Normal School at Castine in 1883, standing second in a class of forty-five. Before graduating he taught in his native town six years. Had charge of the graded schools at Searsport for two years, and in Belfast two years. Prof. Greeley was elected Superintendent of Schools of his native place for three successive years, resigning when he came to California in 1884. Taught one year in San … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Tim Carroll

Tim Carroll proprietor of the Anaheim 4, Evergreen Nursery, was born in County Cork, Ireland, March 25, 1840, the second in a family of nine children, of Patrick and Mary (Scandlan) Carroll, who moved to Australia in 1855. He came to Santa Cruz, California, in 1866, and worked at shipping lumber two years. In 1868 he came to Anaheim and bought fifty acres of land, his purchase being the first outside of the town limits. He then started the nursery business on a small scale, and today he has the largest nursery in Southern California if not in the State. … Read more

Biography of Prof. C. N. Andrews

Prof. C. N. Andrews, of Redlands, was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1852. His father, Robert Andrews, crossed the plains to California with an ox team in 1857. They were on the plains at the time of the Mountain Meadow massacre, and were five months and ten days from Boonville to Sacramento. He purchased a farm in Sonoma County, in 1859, and is still living on it. He had a family of four sons and one daughter. The subject of this sketch received his early training in the common schools of Sonoma County, is a graduate of several prominent … Read more

Biographical Sketch of W. W. Halesworth

W. W. Halesworth, has been a resident of Santa Ana since March, 1872, enjoying signal success in business affairs. At first he was employed in Los Angeles city, and in the fall of 1873 purchased twenty acres of land where the city of Santa Ana now stands, which he devoted to grapevines and fruit-trees, until in 1884 he began to cut it up into city lots. ” Halesworth’s Addition” is bounded on the north by Washington avenue, east by West street, south by Hales-worth street, and west by Ross Street. The second addition which bears his name is bounded on … Read more

Biographical Sketch of P. T. Adams

P. T. Adams of Tustin, was born in Shelby County, Tennessee, November, 1834. His father, Peter Adams, was a native of North Carolina, and moved to Texas in 1833, back to Tennessee again, and in 1839 to Texas the second time, where his children were brought up. The subject of this sketch passed his youth herding cattle, much of the time on horseback. He served during the war in the Confederate army, two years in James M. McCord’s regiment, and then until the close of the war, in General Bankhead’s brigade. Politically Mr. Adams is a Democrat, well informed upon … Read more

Biography of James W. Layman

James W. Layman deceased, late of Santa Ana, was born in Peoria, Illinois, January 24, 1846. His parents, Martin and Elizabeth Layman, were from the State of New York, and had thirteen children, of whom James was the eighth. He was educated at Minneapolis, Minnesota, where his father had moved when the son was seven years old. He followed farming with his father in Minnesota until 1871, when he came to California. His first purchase here was a ranch near Newport, where he lived four years. He then purchased property on Main Street in Santa Ana, which he improved and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Madison H. Bear

Madison H. Bear a farmer and dairyman near Newport, was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, December 6, 1841, the fifth child in a family of eight children of David and Maria (Anderson) Bear. Was educated in Harrisonburg and also worked upon his father’s farm until he was twenty-seven years of age, when he married Miss Cornelia Firebaugh, of Rockbridge County, Virginia, and a daughter of John and Ella (McCutchen) Firebaugh. Mr. Bear then bought 120 acres of land four miles west of Harrisonburg and managed a farm there four years; selling out then, he came, in November, 1873, to California, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Jacob Ross

Jacob Ross, deceased, formerly a resident of Santa Ana, was literally the first pioneer in this place, coining here when the land was owned by the Spaniards, and buying some 2,500 acres of the Santa Ana de Santiago rancho. He also bought other lands near where the city of Santa Ana now stands, and improved a farm one mile west of the city, where Mrs. Ross now lives. He crossed the plains to this coast with wagons in 1865, and many were the hardships he endured. In the early days here his crops had to be guarded both day and … Read more