Santa
Clara County
Biographies
In naming
the representative citizens of San Jose honorable mention belongs to Mrs. L.D.
Letcher, whose efforts have added no little to the material upbuilding [sic.]
of the city. The Letcher flats, which
have been recently erected, are among the finest in the city, centrally
located, being on North Market street, one block from
the broad gauge depot. The building has
a seventy-foot frontage. Each flat
contains eight rooms, finished in a modern and up-to-date style and equipped
with all conveniences. The management of
this property is entirely in the hands of Mrs. Letcher, who has eminently
manifested her capability as a business woman.
Born in
Slater, Saline county, Mo., Mrs. Letcher is the
daughter of A.G. Lucas, who was also a native of that locality, where he
engaged in farming operations for a livelihood.
Though a resident of a southern state he was loyal to the Union in her
time of need serving in her army during the Civil war. In 1889 he came to California, locating with
his family in Wallace, Calaveras county, where he
engaged as a farmer. Later he entered
into mercantile business in San Jose. His wife, formerly Jennie Stauffer, was
mother of six children, namely: Lillie D., Mrs. Letcher; Lou, the wife of
Charley Coil, of Lockeford; Kate, the wife of Clark Gillespie, of San
Francisco; May, the wife of Herman a Skiff, of San Jose; Charles, a merchant of
San Jose; and Florence, at home. Lillie
D. Lucas received her education in the public schools which she attended for
some years, growing to a useful and refined womanhood. August 25, 1894, she was united in marriage with
G.E. Letcher, a native of Ohio. A
business woman by instinct, Mrs. Letcher entered into that kind of life through
her association with the Broad Gauge restaurant in the Southern Pacific depot
managing the interests of the same very successfully for eight years. Upon the refusal of the Southern Pacific
Railroad to grant a farther lease, she located just across the street and conducted
a restaurant for a year, after which she sold out. Owning the site upon which her flats are
erected, Mrs. Letcher then planned and put up the building as an
investment. Success attended the enterprise,
as it has everything that Mrs. Letcher has seriously attempted. In San Jose she holds the respect ad
confidence of all business men for the admiral equalities she has shown in the
business world.
Mrs.
Letcher is a member of the Baptist Church, and politically she adheres to the
principles advocated in the platform of the Democratic party,
and though deprived of the right of franchise still gives her influence in this
direction.
Transcribed by
Louise E Shoemaker; February 1, 2016.
ญญญญSource: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 964-967. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
ฉ 2016 Louise E. Shoemaker.