Bio-Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: HALBERT, HOWSMON
was born in St. Clair County, Illinois, September 19, 1850. His father, Joseph McGuire, was a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother, Catharine Halbert, a native of Virginia. Joseph's father removed to Illinois in 1826, when he was two years old, and he and his wife now live in Macon County, Illinois. They have a family of eight children, Lyman being the fourth. He lived with his parents until he was twenty-two years of age, when he went to Harristown, Illinois, and was engaged in the business of buying and shipping grain; he was also Postmaster and station agent for the Wabash Railroad. He remained there eight years, when he moved on a farm in the same county (Macon), and remained there three years, and then, in 1884, came to California and bought a place of twenty-one acres in the vicinity of his present residence, but after two years he sold out and purchased the place on which he now resides, near Saratoga. It contains thirty-six acres, of which twenty-four are in fruit, consisting of 1,200 French prunes (500 of which are thirteen years old), 200 apricots, 500 peaches, 375 pears, 200 English walnuts, and 100 apples. The place is nearly all in full-bearing trees. The product in 1887 was: Apricots, $240; walnuts, $100; prunes, $1,300; apples, $50. In that year Mr. McGuire purchased a Fleming Fruit Dryer with a capacity of 9,000 pounds of fruit per day, and the same year he handled 40 tons of apricots, 10 tons of peaches, and 60 tons of prunes in addition to his own fruit.
Mr. McGuire was
married, in 1874, to Ella Howsmon, a native of Lexington, Illinois, by whom he
has twins, Lou and Hattie, born June 2, 1876, and Ida, born November 14, 1884.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888.
Pg. 619
J. O. McKEE
Bio - Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: SAGE, CLEVENGER, LUNDY, COYKENDALL
professional architect, has a beautiful orchard home on the McKee road, a continuation of Julian Street, on the east bank of Coyote Creek, just beyond the city limits of San Jose. Mr. McKee is one of California's pioneers. He was born in Cromwell, Connecticut, May 7, 1831, son of Henry and Sarah (Sage) McKee, of Scotch extraction, and from a long line of American ancestry. His father was a sea-faring man, and became a master mariner at the age of twenty-two years. Accompanied by his son, whose name heads this sketch, he left New York in command of the ship Isabella, of which he was part owner, in November, 1849, bound for San Francisco. The long voyage around Cape Horn was safely concluded by the arrival of the vessel at the Golden Gate, in May, 1850. Both father and son engaged, for a few years, in the coasting trade, each as Captain of a vessel owned in part by themselves. The family came on to join them, in the spring of 1853, but the all-ruling Power permitted the father never more to meet them. He was carried away before they reached this coast, dying at the age of fifty years. Upon the arrival of his mother and the family, J. O. McKee left his occupation, and, having largely the care of the family, provided a home in San Jose. After two or three years had passed he bought the fifteen acres of property now making his fine orchard home. In 1856 he wedded Miss Rachel Clevenger, who was born in Ray County, Missouri, and is now the mother of four daughters, viz.: Belle, wife of A. Lundy ; Nellie; Abbie, wife of R. Coykendall; and Edith.
In the vessel commanded by the elder McKee, the archives of the capitol were conveyed on their way from San Jose to Vallejo. Mr. J. O. McKee believes that the first fruit shipped from a Santa Clara orchard to San Francisco was carried on his vessel. It was gathered in one of the old orchards planted by the Mission Fathers at Santa Clara.
Mr. McKee is one of the leading men in his profession in Santa Clara County. His office is at his home. In political action he is identified with the Republican party.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888.
Pg. 519-520
SANTA CLARA COUNTY The Valley of Heart's Delight