Kings County
Biographies
BIDDLE, SAMUEL EDWARD
The death of Hanford’s most prominent banker, who had been identified with its financial, commercial and political circles for man years, proved a great shock to the people here and was deeply felt throughout the entire county, whose welfare had been of so much importance to him. Samuel Edward Biddle had more to do with things pertaining to the business life here and in this county than any other citizen of the city. His death, which occurred May 7, 1908, at the St. Helena Sanitarium at Hanford, removed from their midst one of the people’s best friends.
Mr. Biddle was a native of Normandie, Bedford county, Tenn., born there September 15, 1845, the son of J. V. and Eliza Biddle. He received his educational training in the schools there and in 1874 came to California to ever afterward make it his home. When but fifteen years of age he had enlisted in the Confederate army, seeing active service, but he was finally incapacitated by a wound and received his discharge, returning to Tennessee. Here in his native town he was married on January 6, 1870, to Miss Achsah A. McQuiddy, daughter of Major T. J. McQuiddy, who is a well known pioneer of Tulare county, and is still living in Hanford. Major McQuiddy made his first trip to California in the early ‘70s and selected land for himself and other members of the party of emigrants who came overland with him in 1874 and settled in Tulare county. This said party consisted of eighteen people, including Samuel E. Biddle and his family, M. P. Troxler and family and Major Cartner and wife, Major McQuiddy also bringing his family.
After his marriage and before coming to California, Mr. Biddle took his bride to live in Gibson county, Tenn., where they stayed for some time, later being at Brazil, Trenton and Humboldt. He had learned the milling business and ran a flouring mill at Trenton, later at Humboldt, and the experience proved most helpful; to him upon coming to the new country. When he came to California his family consisted of his wife and two children, a son and a daughter, and they settled upon a railroad quarter-section of land a mile and a half north and three miles east of the present site of Hanford, which Mrs. Biddle’s father, Major McQuiddy, had selected for them. They here built a board and batten house, Mr. Biddle immediately seeing the necessity for any improvements which he started to make. Irrigation ditches were erected and the land was prepared for cultivation, and in the year 1876 he harvested his first crop, which was wheat.
In the meantime Mr. Biddle found that all this had taken much of his resources, and he accordingly went to work for I. H. Ham, the pioneer miller of Tulare county, taking charge of the mill at Tulare, and as agriculturists in the surrounding country were meeting with good success in the cultivation of grain, he found much work and demand for his milling. At this time his means were practically exhausted, he having only $3.75 in his pocket. Accepting the first land job that offered, he began as a roustabout at the Tulare mill. Leaving his family at home, he walked six miles and worked all day on Cross Creek bridge, and then proceeded to Tulare, where he took his position as roustabout. Mr. Ham soon recognized his ability, for in less than a week he was made a miller, and from this time a very close intimacy grew between Mr. Ham and himself. It was in 1877 that he, in partnership with Mr. Ham, built the Lemoore mill, of which he took charge and built up a prosperous business in 1880 selling it at a handsome profit. He then came to Hanford and built a grain warehouse which he operated himself. This warehouse was so much in demand that it became filled to capacity, and finally, under the stress of too heavy a weight of grain, it collapsed and Mr. Biddle was greatly inconvenienced financially by the disaster. He turned to R. E. Hyde, the banker at Visalia for assistance, and the latter proved his true friendship for Mr. Biddle when he came forward and supplied the means to rebuild the warehouse, which was immediately done. From this time on is chronicled for Mr. Biddle one success after another. In 1883 he built a large brick building on the corner of Sixth and Irwin streets in Hanford, where in association with his brother he conducted a profitable farm implement business until 1887, at which time his banking interests became his most vital business.
On April 11, 1887, was launched the Bank of Hanford, in whose incorporation Mr. Biddle was most actively interested. It was the first bank established in Hanford and he was installed as its cashier and manager, serving in this capacity for a long period, and when this was succeeded by the First National Bank of Hanford, Mr. Biddle severed his connection therewith and organized in November, 1901, what is now the Old Bank, and of this establishment he was president and manager up to the time of his death, being a heavy stockholder. His wide reputation for strict integrity of character and honesty in all his dealings made him sought out by many for advice and the handling of their capital, and he had always proved himself to be a clever and shrewd business man in making investments and in the execution of his duties in general.
Along with these heavy business cares, Mr. Biddle had found time to give himself to public service, having served as supervisor for this part of Tulare county for one term, and at the time the fight was made for the independence of Kings county he was one of the earnest workers, was one of the commissioners, and afterward served as a member of the first board of supervisors of Kings county. Associated with him in the organization of the new county government were, J. H. Malone, W. H. Newport. William Ogden, E. E. Bush and G. X. Wendling. Later he was president of the Hanford Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade, and in all these offices he had ever held the advance and the development of his town and county foremost in mind. His exceptional activity as a public-spirited citizen and a charitable and well-wishing friend to all with whom he came in contact caused his death to cast a shadow over the entire public of this city and county.
Samuel E. Biddle and his wife were the parents of three sons and four daughters, viz: Tolbert Vance, who resides in Coalinga, Cal.; Eliza Jane, wife of I. C. Taylor, of Berkeley; Samuel Edward, Jr., cashier and manger of the Citizens’ Bank of Alameda; Reta H., wife of Robert Crawford, of Hanford; Wallace J., a plasterer, with residence at Oakland; Kate J., wife of Dallas H. Gray, of Armona, Kings county; Annie Dale, Mrs. William S. Andrews, of Berkeley.
SOURCE: History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913 Pp 326, 329, 330
Transcribed by: Craig A Hahn
BLOYD, WILLIAM WASHINGTON
The life of the late William Washington Bloyd extended from July 18, 1835, when he was born in Illinois, until November, 1908, when he died at his home in Hanford, Kings county, Cal. He grew to manhood on the farm in Hancock county, Ill., and was married April 14, 1855 to Miss Elizabeth Cowan, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 18, 1835, and had come to Illinois. After his marriage he lived four years in his native state, then sold out his interests there and moved to Appanoose county, Iowa, where he made his home until 1861, when he came with a train of eight wagons drawn by oxen over the southern route to California. For two years he lived at Red Bluff, Tehama county, and afterwards until 1874 in San Joaquin county, where he bought a ranch. Then because he could not do well in so dry a country he sold out and came to what is now Kings county, settling on railroad land in the Grangeville section four miles west of Hanford, homesteading at the same time one hundred and sixty acres nearby. It was not until after the rioting at Mussel Slough that he finally paid out on his railroad land. He naturally sided with the settlers, and was at Hanford at the time of the historic fight. Mrs. Bloyd, hearing of it, hurried to the scene of action, but did not arrive until the conflict was over and one man lay dead and two wounded on the ground; Mr. Bloyd arrived a few minutes afterward. It was not cheerfully that the settlers later gave up so much good money for their land, but the courts compelled them to do it and they made the best of the situation. After a time Mr. Bloyd sold out here and lived for a year in Oregon. Returning then, he bought back his old ranch and lived on it until 1907, when he sold it to move to Hanford, where he had bought a residence at 115 West Elm street. As an investment he owned several other houses in the city.
Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bloyd, viz: Rosalie Adeline, deceased; Winfield Scott, mentioned elsewhere in this work; Charles S., who lives at Hanford; Clara Ellen, who is the wife of K. L. Wilcox of Los Angeles; Ida Belle, who married Ed Parsons, of Hanford; Elizabeth Jane, deceased, Levi, who is also mentioned fully in this publication; and Willie Wilford, who lives in Kings county. Of these children Adeline and Winfield were born in Illinois, the others being natives of California.
The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Bloyd were with the Masons and the Ancient Order of United Workmen and his religious convictions drew him to the Christian church. His early experiences in California included some in the mines in Placer county. He superintended the construction of the People’s Ditch in Kings county. When he came to that county it was an open plain on which wild horses and cattle roamed at will and in all the development down to a comparatively recent time he manfully did his part, for he was public spirited to a degree that made him a most useful citizen.
SOURCE: History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913 Pp 323, 324
Transcribed by: Craig A Hahn