Shasta County
Biographies
J. G. FARHNER
J. G. Farhner, one of the business men of Redding, California, was born in Pennsylvania, June 16, 1848. His parents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Rohm) Farhner, were both of German ancestry, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Pennsylvania. Grandfather Farhner and grandfather Jacob Rohm emigrated from Germany to this country. The subject of this sketch is the oldest son and third child of a family of ten children, seven of whom are now living. He was educated in Illinois, and learned the trade of carriage and wagon-maker in Missouri, to which State his father had moved.
April 14, 1876, Mr. Farhner came to California and settled at Shasta. He carried on business there for four years; then removed to Redding and conducted a wagon and carriage-making business and also undertaking. In 1882 he was elected Coroner and Administrator of the County, on the Democratic ticket. In 1888 he purchased a furniture store. The latter part of that year he was one of the organizers of the Redding Planing Mill Company, which he is now running, and in connection with it is doing contracting and building. He has erected most of the best buildings in the city, including the following: Good Templar’s Hall, I.O.O.F. Hall, Golden Eagle Hotel, McCormick & Saeltzer’s store, and the Bank of Northern California. He is an Odd Fellow, a member of the Encampment of the K. and P., and a member of the A.O.U.W. He is also a member of the G.A.R., having served in the Fifty-eighth Illinois Infantry under General A. J. Smith.
Mr. Farhner was married in 1872, to Miss Amanda Lovina Lockridge, a native of Illinois. They have four children, the first born in Missouri, and the others in California, viz.: Lora, Myrta, Ambrose and Emory. Mr. Farhner has built himself a comfortable home, in which he resides with his family. By his fellow-citizens he is regarded as an active business man, full of push and energy.
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler, July 2004.
SOURCE: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1891. pg. 300-301.
EDWARD FRISBIE
Edward Frisbie, President of the Bank of Northern California, is one of Shasta County’s prominent citizens and business men. A brief sketch of his life is as follows:
He was born in Albany, New York, November 18, 1826, the son of Eleazer and Cynthia (Cornell) Frisbie, both natives of the State of New York, the former of French ancestry and the latter of English. He was the fourth born in the family, was reared on his father’s farm and received his early education in Albany. At the age of fourteen young Frisbie left home to work on a farm at six dollars per month. He worked out four years and in the meantime attended school six months at the Albany Academy. April 16, 1846, he was united in marriage to Miss Phebe Ann Klink, a beautiful young girl of his own county. He started a small dairy at Albany and continued it successfully for four years. At the end of that time he removed to Syracuse and purchased a farm, remaining there seven years.
In 1855 he sold out and came to California and settled in Napa County. He purchased a farm five miles from Vallejo, where he farmed successfully for twenty-two years. In 1877 Mr. Frisbie purchased 20,000 acres of the Redding grant, covering the towns of Redding and Anderson. He divided the property up, put it on the market and sold it off, having disposed of the last of it in 1885. He engaged in lumbering on Pitt River, floated the logs to Redding and sawed them there. In 1888 he formed a banking corporation, composed of the following gentlemen: E. Frisbie, F. H. Deakin, J. McCormick, Captain T. G. Taylor and T. A. C. Doland. They gave it the name of the Bank of Northern California. They started with a capital of $100,000. Mr. Frisbie was elected President, which position he still occupies. He also has large farming interests in this State; owns a stock-ranch of 920 acres on the Bald Hills in Shasta County, where he is raising cattle and horses. With one of his sons and another gentleman Mr. Frisbie is farming 12,000 acres of land in Monterey County. On this place they have a large dairy. About one-half of the place is being cultivated. On it they harvested 63,000 sacks of wheat and barley.
There were born to Mr. Frisbie by his first wife eleven children, all of whom are married and have children of their own. At his writing Mr. Frisbie has twenty-four grandchildren. July 17, 1886, after a useful and happy life Mrs. Frisbie was called home. The loss of this loving and indulgent mother and true and devoted wife was deeply felt by her family and many friends. In June, 1887, Mr. Frisbie wedded Miss Laura A. Walden, a native of California and daughter of Mr. Jerome Walden, an early settler of the State. This union is blessed with a daughter, Edwina Fay.
Mr. Frisbie’s brother, now General J. B. Frisbie, was a Captain of one of the companies in General Stevenson’s regiment, and came with that regiment to California in 1846. He is now a resident of Mexico. Another brother, Eleazer, came to this State with the same regiment. General J. B. Frisbie and Dr. L. C. Frisbie married General Vallejo’s daughters. Dr. Frisbie has resided at Vallejo since 1852.
Previous to the civil war the subject of this sketch was Democrat, but he voted for John C. Fremont, and has since given his vote and influence to the Republican party. In all business matters he is very exact, both to give and receive what is just. In public affairs he has always been very liberal, having given much to aid in the many improvements made in his section of the country. He is one of the citizens of California, who, by his industry, integrity and well-directed efforts, has risen to an enviable position in a business point of view, not only in Shasta County but also throughout Northern California.
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler, July 2004.
SOURCE: Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1891. pg. 311-312