Orange County CA

Biography of Henry Sterling Pankey

Henry Sterling Pankey, born in 1852 in Mississippi, endured a challenging childhood, losing his father early and facing mistreatment from his stepfather. He migrated to California in 1869, often traveling at night with little money. After a series of jobs and locational shifts, he became a successful farmer in Orange County. Notably, he reunited with his destitute mother through a chance encounter years later. Married in 1872 to Nancy E. Damron, Pankey built a thriving farm in the Los Bolsa tract, exemplifying resilience and enterprise.

Biographical Sketch of Alfred Beckett

Alfred Beckett, born on June 7, 1830, in Ontario, Canada, was a respected figure in Westminster, Orange County. The son of Stephen and Anna Beckett, he pursued education and worked in various industries before relocating to California in 1877, where he cultivated forty acres of land. A staunch Republican, he was well-regarded in his community. He married Mercy Ward in 1856, and together they had three children: Ruth, Hattie, and Susie, further intertwining their legacy within the region.

Biographical Sketch of Josiah Ross

Josiah Ross, born in 1844 in Indiana, was a pioneering settler in Santa Ana, where he became a successful farmer focused on horticulture. He cultivated diverse orchards on his farm west of the city and maintained a low political profile while quietly supporting the Democratic party. Married to Sarah A. Prather in 1865, they had twelve children, of whom ten survive. Ross built a notable country residence on Seventeenth Street and remains a respected figure in the community.

Biographical Sketch of Dr. Moses Spencer Jones

Dr. Moses Spencer Jones, born in 1842 in Illinois, was the oldest practicing physician in Orange County. After receiving medical education at McKendree College and St. Louis Medical College, he specialized in ophthalmology and aural surgery. He initially practiced in Louisiana before relocating to California in 1874, where he established a practice in Santa Ana. Dr. Jones married Cordelia J. Reierson, who he cured of blindness, but she passed away in 1887. He remarried Venia Avera in 1889, continuing his medical career dedicated to eye and ear diseases.

Biographical Sketch of C. F. Mansur

C. F. Mansur, born in Canada in 1840, moved to Wisconsin at fourteen and later served in the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Afterward, he engaged in farming and merchant ventures in Canada before relocating to California in 1867. In Santa Ana, where he settled in 1878, he became prominent in local agriculture and finance, ultimately establishing the Orange County Savings, Loan and Trust Company in 1889. Mansur had six children with his wife, C. L. Gale, and was active in community and business affairs.

Biographical Sketch of Prof. John P. Greeley

John P. Greeley, born in 1860 in Swanville, Maine, became a prominent educator after graduating second in his class from the State Normal School at Castine in 1883. He taught for several years in Maine before moving to California in 1884. Greeley held various teaching positions, including principal in Placentia, before being elected as Orange County’s first Superintendent of Public Schools in 1889. He married A. Evelyn Earl on July 7, 1889, shortly after taking on his leadership role.

Biographical Sketch of R. Q. Wickham

R. Q. Wickham, born on January 31, 1855, in Hancock County, Ohio, became the first County Clerk of Orange County, California. A skilled printer and teacher, he worked in Iowa, Dakota, and Nebraska until 1887, when he entered the real-estate business in Santa Ana. Actively supporting the formation of the new county, Wickham served as a commissioner and secretary before winning the Clerk election decisively with 1,714 votes. A Republican, he was recognized for his accommodating nature and popularity among constituents.

Biographical Sketch of R. T. Harris

R. T. Harris, born in Richmond, Virginia, became the first Sheriff of Orange County after moving to California with his father, John Harris, in 1860. Educated in Santa Clara County, he settled in Westminster in 1876, where he ran a mercantile business and served as assistant Postmaster. In the inaugural Orange County election, Harris won the sheriff position by a significant majority. He married Maria Larter in 1888, and they have one daughter, Geraldine, residing in Santa Ana.

Biography of Judge Nathan Baker

Judge Nathan Baker, born in Ohio in 1817, migrated west at eighteen, eventually settling in California. He served as a state senator in Iowa before arriving in San Francisco in 1851. After a stint in mining and farming, he opened a mercantile business in Visalia and later became Tulare County’s County Judge, distinguishing himself as the only Republican officer during the Civil War. Baker later laid out city lots in Santa Ana, where he enjoyed success before retiring. He married twice and had four children.

Biography of William M. Higgins, Dr.

Dr. William M. Higgins, born June 18, 1826, in New Jersey, graduated from Princeton College in 1845. After a brief medical study, he journeyed to California via Brazil, serving as a ship’s doctor. He established a drug store in Anaheim in 1869 and served as Postmaster for thirteen years. Engaged in local education, he was chairman of the school board and a charter member of the Masonic lodge. Married to Alice Boyle, a pioneering physician, they have three children, including a son in the pharmacy business.

Biographical Sketch of Henry and Charles Kuchel

Henry and Charles Kuchel became editors and proprietors of the Anaheim Gazette in 1887, following in the footsteps of their father, Conrad Kuchel, an early Anaheim settler and engineer. Born in San Francisco in 1859, Henry received his education locally and learned the printing trade at the Gazette. With a decade of experience in major newspapers across California, he has proven himself a skilled newspaperman, poised for future prominence in journalism in Southern California.