Santa
Clara County
Biographies
CHARLES
D. BEVERSON
CHARLES D. BEVERSON. The career of Mr. Beverson
is a remarkable one from the fact that he began the battle of life at an early
age, in a foreign country, without capital, and has worked his way inch by inch
into the front ranks, easily ranking at the present time among the most
prosperous and successful stock-raisers and fruit growers in Santa Clara
county, Cal., which has been his home since the fall of 1868. Upon first coming into this county he took up
a claim of one hundred and sixty acres of land, twenty-three miles east of Milpitas, and with keen foresight at once began raising
cattle. This venture proved so
successful that from time to time Mr. Beverson
was enabled to add to his possessions by making additional purchases, and in
this way he has acquired a fine ranch of two thousand acres in that locality,
keeping three hundred head of choice cattle and quite a number of horses. In addition, he owns a milk ranch of eight-six[sic] acres at Lagoona, milking
twenty-five cows and making a fine grade of butter. Nor is this all. His home place of three and a half acres
contains a fine two-story residence and adds one more to the list of attractive
places on that beautiful driveway, the Milpitas road.
Born in Bremen, Germany, April 10,
1850, his parents, Clause and Matt (Juston) Beverson, were of the same nativity and spent the whole of
their lives in that community. The
father owned one hundred acres and followed farm pursuits, and their family
consisted of five children, three being sons and two daughters, Charles D.
being the fourth of this interesting family.
The recipient of but a moderate education, gleaned from the schools of
his native place, at the early age of fourteen, young Beverson
left the fatherland, en route to America, and landing in New York City in
1864, he found employment there for three years. Conceiving a desire to try his fortune in the
faraway California of which he had heard so much, he set forth in 1867, making
the trip thither by water, via the Nicaragua route. Arriving in that state, he proceeded to the
San Joaquin river district, renting land the first season near Alice in the
river valley. The following year he went
into Santa Clara county and took up his residence on
the claim previously described.
Mr. Beverson
has been twice married, his first union being contracted with
Mrs. Jennie L. (Gallea) Williams, a
daughter of Hiram D. and Amanda (Kennedy) Gallea. He was of Scotch descent and a native of New
York, and she of Ohio. Mrs. Beverson was born in Michigan, and at her death, which took
place on the stock ranch, she left two children,
Robert L. Williams and Meta Ruth Beverson, both
of whom are still at home. Some time later Mr. Beverson
married his present wife, who was then Miss Olive S. Gallea, his first wife’s sister. The present Mrs. Beverson
is also a native of Michigan, having been born at Ewing in that state. A Republican in his political preferences,
Mr. Beverson cannot be termed an active
politician, as his time and energies have been so continuously employed in his
business pursuits.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 517-518. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Donna Toole.