California

Biographical Sketch of Josiah McCoy

Josiah McCoy Justice of the Peace at Westminster, was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, May 20, 1826. His father was Colonel John McCoy, of Scotch ancestry; and his mother, whose maiden name was Jane Brice, was a daughter of Rev. John Brice, of West Virginia. They were among the early settlers of Washington County, Pennsylvania. In 1850 Josiah McCoy went to Marshall County, Illinois, followed farming for a number of years, and subsequently mercantile business some five years at Henry, that county. In December, 1873, he became a citizen of California and a resident of the town of Westminster, where … 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

Biographical Sketch of Henry A. Peabody

Henry A. Peabody manager of the Santa Ana Blade, was born in Detroit, Michigan, Starch 19, 1837; in 1847 he was a newsboy in Cincinnati, Ohio; in March, 1857, as a journeyman printer. He started from Columbia, Missouri, for California, crossing the plains, and arriving at Colusa, California, September 1, 1857, barefooted and without a coat to his back. There he hired himself out to drive an ox team, three yoke, to Petaluma, California, earning his first money in the State. About September 20 he took work in the Democrat office at Santa Rosa, California, and from that time followed … 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

Biography of Jesse H. Arnold

Jesse H. Arnold, Prominent among those who have been most active in advancing the interests of Orange County, stands the gentleman whose name heads this sketch – the pioneer merchant of Orange. He is a native of Howard County, Missouri, born July 15, 1842, and son of John and Margaret (Heard) Arnold. His father died in Howard County, Missouri, January 30, 1870, aged about seventy-four years; his mother died at his residence in Orange, September 19, 1889, aged eighty-seven years, three months and twenty days. At the time of his mother’s death, Mr. Arnold wrote the following obituary, which not … Read more

Biography of Fred C. Smythe

Fred C. Smythe the first Assessor of Orange County, was born in the city of Los Angeles, near the old Pico Hotel, in 1857. His father, John Smythe, was a native of the State of New York, and of Irish ancestry, while his mother, whose maiden name was Josephine Yorba, is a native of California and of Spanish descent. The subject of this sketch, the eldest of his parent’s nine children, left home to take care of himself at the age of eleven years, taking as his first task that of waiting on the table at Los Angeles. Afterward he … Read more

Biography of Louis Schorn

Louis Schorn President of the Olive Milling Company, was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1839, came to the United States in 1856, and engaged as clerk for a dry-goods merchant in Alabama until 1861, when he returned to the old country to visit his parents. In 1864 he again sought “the land of the free.” After clerking three years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he spent one year in Kansas, and then until 1882 he was successfully engaged in the grocery and milling business in Texas. Then he came to California and purchased forty acres of land northwest of Anaheim, where he … Read more

Biography of Leonard Parker

Leonard Parker of Anaheim, was born in the town of Boston, New York, March 1, 1818. His parents, Joel and Annie (Woodcock) Parker, were natives of Massachusetts. The senior Parker, by trade a carpenter, was employed as a builder and contractor in the city of Buffalo, New York, for many years, and the subject of this sketch had very little opportunity for getting an education. At the age of twenty-one years he started out as a farmer, and afterward learned the blacksmith trade, his early life being a rugged one. He walked five miles to work and then cradled wheat … 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

Biography of Carey R. Smith

Carey R. Smith President of the Savings Bank of Santa Ana, was born in Strykersville, New York, in 1843. His father, Rev. Dexter P. Smith, D. D. was a native of New York State, and his mother, nee Hannah J. Borland, was a native of Vermont. They moved to Iowa in 1845. Carey was educated at the State University of Iowa, graduating in the normal department in 1860. He then taught school until 1861, when he entered the army, in Company F, First Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, and served three years, most of the time on detached service, his health failing. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of J. E. Sharp

J. E. Sharp a retired capitalist of Santa Ana, was born in East Tennessee, November 17, 1809, a son of Joseph and Sarah (Lamb) Sharp, who had but two children: the subject of this sketch and a boy named Prophet, who died in 1850. The parents died in 1828, the father one day and the mother the next. In 1830 Mr. Sharp went to Illinois, where for several years he followed farming in Madison County; after this he went into the mercantile business at Bunker Hill, Illinois, and subsequently he moved to Litchfield, that State. In 1864 he came to … Read more

Biography of William Dresser

William Dresser the proprietor of extensive farms and a resident of Santa Ana, was born in East Smithfield, London, England, August 20, 1813. His parents, Christopher and Mary Dresser, came to America in 1824, landing at Montreal. Subsequently they settled in northern New York, in 1833 in Ohio, and in 1836 in Boone County, Illinois, They had four children. His father was born January 1, 1769, and died June 13, 1841; and his mother, born June 25, 1772, died November 9, 1845. By trade his father was a “linen draper,” which in England corresponds with a dry-goods merchant in the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of A. R. Dresser

A. R. Dresser one of the pioneers of Santa Ana, and a successful businessman, was born in De Kalb County, Illinois, in 1839. For his parentage see sketch of William Dresser. He started out life for himself at the age of twenty-one as a farmer. In 1861 he came to California, located first in Sutter County, where he “held down a squatter’s claim” until 1870, when he Came to Southern California and located in Santa Ana, where he has since resided; and here he devotes his attention mostly to agricultural pursuits. His first purchase was that of 140 acres in … Read more

Biography of F. E. Kellogg

F. E. Kellogg farmer and stock-raiser near Anaheim, was born in Morgan County, Illinois, April 31, 1822. His parents, Elisha and Elizabeth (Derrick) Kellogg, were natives respectively of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and of Scotch descent. They settled first in western New York, where most of the children were born. They emigrated to Morgan County, Illinois, in pioneer times, where Mr. Kellogg built the first house in the county. Elisha Kellogg was a prominent politician in his day, serving as county judge and sheriff of Genesee County, New York. He died in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in 1844. The subject of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Jacob Maggard

Jacob Maggard residing near Anaheim, was born in Caldwell County, Kentucky, August 12, 1815. His parents,. Jacob and Susan (Bright) Maggard, natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee, had ten children, he being the fifth. At the age of twenty years he started out in life for himself by working by the day in Scotland County, Missouri, whither his father had moved fifteen years previously. He was reared principally in Randolph County, Missouri. He continued in his calling as a farmer, in which he was successful, until about twelve years ago, when he came to California and purchased property in Sonoma … Read more

Biography of John Harris

John Harris of Westminster, was born in Cornwall, England, in May, 1832, and came to the United Sates in 1852. After spending three and a half years in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and one year in Missouri, he came in 1859 to San Franciso, and was in the mines for several years. Afterward he served as Superintendent of the Pine Tree mines for John C. Fremont. In 1874, his health failing, he came to Westminster and purchased 160 acres of land. For several years, in company with his son, Richard T., now the sheriff of Orange County,-he was in the general … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Henry Stephens

Henry Stephens a farmer near Westminster, was born in Monmouthshire, England, in July, 1827, and in 1851 came to the United States. He traveled awhile in the Eastern States, and in 1852 came to California, by sail-vessel from New Orleans to the Isthmus, across which he traveled by the Nicaragua route, and thence to San Francisco, where he landed in August, having been six months in coining. After spending a year in the mines he returned to the Southern States, purchased a number of cattle and drove them across the plains, starting from Clark County, Arkansas, and arriving in California … 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 Warner

John Warner dentist at Garden Grove, was born in Otsego County, New York, in 1820. His parents, Zachariah and Laura (Hale) Warner, were natives of Connecticut and of English ancestry. John, the fifth in a family of eight children, learned dentistry at Cincinnati, first started in business in Kentucky in 1840, and from 1865 to 1877 he was at Leavenworth, Kansas, engaged in wholesale queensware and plated-ware. In 1877 he came to Oakland, this State, where he practiced dentistry for seven years. Since coming to Garden Grove he has practiced his profession to some extent, but most of his attention … Read more

Biographical Sketch of J. D. Chaffee, M. D.

J. D. Chaffee M. D. of Garden Grove, was born in Campton, Kane County, Illinois, November 5, 1843, and received his literary education at the Methodist Seminary at Mt. Morris, that State. His health failing, he came to California in 1875, and purchased a ranch at Garden Grove, intending to give his time to outdoor pursuits; but his love for study still grew upon him, and, having in great measure regained his health, he went to San Francisco and took a course at the Hahnemann Medical College, where he graduated in 1887. Since that time he has given his whole … Read more