Yuba County
Biographies
J. M. CREMIN
Among the successful and enterprising business men of Marysville is J. M. Cremin, who has won an enviable reputation as a newspaper man throughout Yuba County, where he has long resided. A native son of the State, he was born in the city of Marysville, February 7, 1867, a son of pioneer parents. Mr. Cremin began his career as “devil” on the Marysville Democrat years ago; later he became connected with San Francisco newspapers, notably the San Francisco Call, of which he was circulation manager for years. During the administration of Governor Stephens, Mr. Cremin was State Printer. Afterward he was appointed to the State Reclamation Board, from which, however, he later resigned. Mr. Cremin was connected with the old Sacramento Union for some time. Later he spent several years as State Statistician in the office of Secretary of State Jordan.
After his resignation as a member of the State Reclamation Board, Mr. Cremin purchased the Marysville Appeal, of which he is now owner and editor. Mr. Cremin has been a property-owner and taxpayer of Yuba County practically all his life. He is intensely interested in its growth and development, and with true optimism sees for this region a prosperous future. He owns and operates a fine fruit and dairy ranch in the Bear River Garden section of the county. Mr. Cremin is a man of progressive spirit and unfaltering perseverance and his wide acquaintance and helpful influence in this part of the State are of great value to the community where he has resided for so many years.
History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924
p 319-320
A. WALTER LEWIS
Among the outstanding business men of Marysville is A. Walter Lewis, the president and general manager of the J. R. Garrett Company. He was born at Marysville, April 26, 1877, a son of Abram Wallace and Emma (Garrett) Lewis. A. W. Lewis crossed the plains to California in 1863 accompanied by his family; he settled in Yuba County and engaged in delivering water from the mountain springs to the residents of Marysville. At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined Company C, 6th California Infantry, and was sent to Arizona. In 1865 he returned to California, where he was discharged; and here he took up the barber’s trade, which he followed throughout the remainder of his life. He is survived by his widow, who is now living in Pasadena, Cal.
A. Walter Lewis finished the grammar school courses in Marysville and spent two years in the Marysville High School; during vacations he worked for the J. R. Garrett Co., beginning in a minor position and working up through the different departments. As early as 1901 he became a stockholder and was elected a director in the company. On the resignation of Harold Comforth as secretary in 1909, A. Walter Lewis was elected secretary in his stead; and after the death of J. R. Garrett in 1912, Mr. Lewis assumed the management of the business for Mrs. J. R. Garrett, who had become president of the company. When Mrs. Garrett passed on in 1918, Mr. Lewis was elected president and manager of the company. He gives his time and attention to the duties and details of this position, which he is filling with his usual ability.
This company is one of the oldest and largest wholesale grocery establishments in the Sacramento Valley. It has a very large trade, extending into the mountain counties and into the State of Nevada, and from Sacramento on the south to Ashland and Klamath, Ore., on the north. Lately they have added another concrete warehouse to their already large capacity, and also erected a bean-cleaning plant, their combined floor space capacity now reaching approximately 66,000 square feet. The company had been incorporated by Mr. J. R. Garrett in 1895 with a capital stock of $200,000, which sufficed until July, 1909, when the capital was increased to $550,000; and it has continued at this figure till the present time, although there is now a surplus of $150,000.
Aside from the management of this large company, Mr. Lewis is also interested in ranching and horticulture in both Yuba and Sutter Counties.
The marriage of Mr. Lewis united him with Miss Maud Martin, born in Nebraska but reared in Marysville. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are the parents of four children: Lorene; Elizabeth and Alice, twins; and Mildred. In politics, Mr. Lewis is a stanch Republican. Fraternally, he is a member of Corinthian Lodge, No. 9, F. & A. M., in which he is a Past Master; Washington Chapter, No. 13, R. A. M.; Marysville Council, Royal and Select Masters; and Marysville Commandery, No. 7, K. T., in which he is Past Commander. He is also a member of Sacramento Lodge of Perfection; a charter member of Ben Ali Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; a Past Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star; and a trustee in the Masonic Hall Association. He is a Past Exalted Ruler of Marysville Lodge, No. 783, B.P.O.E.; a Past President of Marysville Parlor, No. 6, N.S.G.W.; and a member of the Woodsmen of the World and of Oriental Lodge, I.O.O.F. He was the first president of the Marysville Rotary Club, and is a director in the Chamber of Commerce and also of the First National Bank of Marysville. Mr. Lewis takes a decided interest in educational matters and serves as trustee of the Marysville union high school and the grammar school. He is fond of all healthy sports, especially fishing and baseball. During the World War, Mr. Lewis served as chairman of the Red Cross, Yuba-Sutter Chapter.
History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, 1924
p 325-326