California

Biographical Sketch of Judge S. M. Craddick

Judge S. M. Craddick Justice of the Peace and City Recorder at Orange, was born in Marion County, Iowa. In 1881 he went to Pierre, Dakota, and thence to Mankato, Minnesota, where he was engaged in the book and stationery trade. In 1886 he went to Chicago and engaged in the real-estate business until, on account of the ill-health of his wife, he had to seek a more genial climate. Coming to Orange, he has since then, by his active business habits and enterprising spirit, won the confidence and respect of all the business men who know him. He was … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Captain H. Hall

Captain H. Hall one of the prosper?ous orange-growers of Santa Ana Valley, has been a citizen of the Golden State for eighteen years. Born at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1838, he was educated there and read law for several years, which study was interrupted by his enlistment in the army in Company H, Thirty-second Iowa Volunteer Infantry. During his service of three years he was commissioned Second Lieutenant and First Lieutenant. At the close of the war, being broken in health, he for a number of years traveled as a commercial agent. In 1876 he came to California and bought and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Illiam T. Richards

Illiam T. Richards formerly a cattle-dealer, but now retired and living at Orange, was born in the State of New York in 1833. His first employment in that State was as an agriculturist, and then he was a dairyman in Illinois, and later engaged in the dry-goods and clothing trade at Elgin, that State, for fifteen years. He came to California ten years ago, resided at San Gabriel three years and in Los Angeles one year; next he was en-gaged in the cattle business in Texas until three years ago, when he returned to California and purchased the place where … 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 Samuel Armor

Samuel Armor a Supervisor of Orange County from the fourth district, came to California in 1874, and located on a fruit-farm, giving what time he could spare from the ranch to the carpenter trade. He subsequently taught school in Orange for three and one-half years; then clerked in a store, and five years ago began the mercantile business in his own name. He carries a fall line of stationery, fancy articles and boots and shoes. He has contributed to the architectural beauty of Orange by erecting a fine brick block on the corner of Chapman street and the plaza, and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John H. Kellom

John H. Kellom of Tustin, was born in Washington County, New York, in 1818, a son of Isaac and Eliza (Healy) Kellom. He graduated at Williams College in 1842 taught school four years in Georgia, studied law two years at Auburn, New York, taught school again until 1856, and then went to Omaha, Nebraska, and engaged in banking. Two years afterward he was elected State Superintendent of schools for a term of two years; he also served as United States Assessor; was clerk of all the courts of Nebraska for four years; was Postmaster at Omaha one year under President … Read more

Biography of Hon. William H. Spurgeon

The Honorable William H. Spurgeon founder of the city of Santa Ana, and the principal factor of its subsequent growth, is a native of Henry County, Kentucky, born October 10, 1829, his parents being Granville and Levina (Sibley) Spurgeon, the latter a native of Virginia, the former of Kentucky. The Spurgeons, of English origin, chose for their first location in this country, North Carolina. From those of the family who afterward removed to Kentucky, our subject springs. When he was but a year old, the family removed to Indiana, and ten years later they settled in Clark County, northeast Missouri. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Henry Yount

Henry Yount of Tustin, was born in Platte County, Missouri, December 11, 1845, his parents being Henry and Deborah (Doherty) Yount, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Pennsylvania, who moved to Missouri in 1832, locating upon a farm, and there the senior Yount died in 1845, when his son Henry was but two weeks old. His mother subsequently married Abraham Van Vranken. May 5, 1865, Mr. Yount started for California with an ox team; and after arriving he followed farming the first year in Santa Clara County; then he was a wheat-raiser in San Joaquin County … Read more

Biographical Sketch of H. A. McKee

H. A. McKee of Santa Ana, was born in Friendship, Allegany County, New York. At the age of seventeen years he entered the army, enlisting in the Twenty-third New York Volunteer Infantry, and served two years; then for several years he was engaged in the live-stock business in Kansas, and for a few years in merchandising at Wichita; married in Junction City, Kansas, in 1869, to Miss Jennie Paxton, a native of the Buckeye State. She has been a school-teacher; taught her first term in her native State and subsequently in West Virginia, Illinois, Kansas and Texas. Mr. McKee moved … 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

Biographical Sketch of S. W. Preble

S. W. Preble of Tustin, is a pioneer of 1849. He was born in York, Maine, in 1826. Educated at Gorham Academy, clerked for a short time in a carpet store in Philadelphia, then followed the mercantile business upon his own account for nearly three years at Salmon Falls, New Hampshire, when the gold excitement broke out, and he sold out, and March 15, 1849, left his native land for California, and after a voyage of four months arrived in San Francisco, July 15 following. For nearly three years he was engaged in mining, and was quite successful. In the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Harlan Fairbanks

Harlan Fairbanks of Tustin, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1840. For twenty two years he was engaged in the drug business, and in 1861 he entered the army in the Fifteenth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry; was acting Sergeant; was wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia, and discharged for disability at Philadelphia, in 1862. In 1886 he became a citizen of California, where he has since been eminently successful in the real-estate business. In 1889 he built a drug store at the corner of D and Fourth streets in Tustin, having bought out C. W. Smith & Co. of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William B. Wall, M.D.

Dr. William B. Wall Santa Ana, the first Treasurer of Orange County, was born near Danville, Virginia, in1890. His literary education he received at the common schools in Mississippi, and his medical education at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, where he graduated in 1853. He further attended lectures in New Orleans in 1854, and began the practice of his profession in Mississippi, where he built up a fine patronage; but on the breaking out of the war he entered the Confederate army, in the Twenty-third Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, and was Surgeon for the regiment. He was elected First Lieutenant, and … 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

Biography of Theodore Reiser

Theodore Reiser President of the City Council of Anaheim, was born in the city of Lahr, Baden, Germany, September 7, 1829, and after receiving a good education he began at the age of fourteen years to learn the art of wine-making on the Rhine, and served three years. He traveled and worked at his trade in Switzerland, and at the age of nineteen years he came to New York and worked at the cooper’s trade four years. In the spring of 1854 he came to San Francisco by steamer, and was employed in a brewery three years. Next he went … Read more

Biographical Sketch of J. B. Stone

J. B. Stone orchardist near Fullerton and a worthy citizen of the Golden State, began life in Pennsylvania, July 21, 1831, the ninth in a family of eleven children of his parents, Silas and Susanna (Ward) Stone, who were from Vermont, and moved from Michigan to Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1837. November 13, 1851, Mr. J. B. Stone started by a steamer for California, but came part of the way by sail vessel, landing in San Francisco March 8, 1852. After mining one year he began farming in Alamada and Contra Costa counties. After a time he came to … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Hon. Isaac Lyons

The Honorable Isaac Lyons residing three miles northwest of Anaheim, was born in England in 1847, and came to San Francisco as a merchant in 1862. In 1868 he went to Prescott, Arizona, and in 1875 to Yuma, where he was engaged in the mercantile business for a number of years, with signal success. In 1887 he was elected to the Legislature front Yuma County by the Democratic party. Afterward he served two years as director of the Territorial penitentiary, his appointment to this position being received in March while he was yet in the Legislature. In 1883 he was … Read more

Biography of G. G. Greeley

G. G. Greeley horticulturist, near Anaheim, was born in Belfast, Maine, in 1817. His parents, John and Mary (Black) Greeley, natives respectively of New Hampshire and Maine, and of English descent, had seven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second. At the age of twenty-one he started out in life for himself, learning the trade of carpenter at Searsport, Maine, being employed in that business four years. He subsequently took up land at Aroostook, and followed timbering for about a year. Next he worked at his trade for a time, building a hotel at No. 11; … 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

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