San
Joaquin County
Biographies
HENRY GUSTAVSON
On the list of prosperous citizens
of San Jose stands the name of Henry Gustavson, who for more than a quarter of
a century has been engaged in the useful profession of patternmaker. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, he was born
August 7, 1875, a son of John August and Clara Matilda (Bonnvier)
Gustavson, the father being a native of Stockholm and
the mother of France. The father, John
August, a man of rare ability and genius, was for many years the cabinetmaker
for King Oscar of Sweden; a brother, Kastman, is the
king’s gardener; another brother, Carlson, was for many years chief of police
for Stockholm, and is now the commodore of the Stockholm Yacht Club. The paternal grandfather of Henry Gustavson
was Gustave Felt, who came to America in 1854, settling first in Chicago; later
he drove an ox-team from Chicago to Galesville, Wisconsin, where he was engaged
in farming. The maternal grandfather was
a Frenchman who served under Napoleon, and who was condemned to exile for a
minor offense. He made his way to
Sweden, after many narrow escapes, taking with him eight potatoes; upon his
arrival, he planted them and raised the first potatoes ever raised in Sweden. The family of Henry Gustavson left their
native land of Sweden when he was less than a year old, landing in Chicago
April 7, 1876. Here Henry attended the
public schools; but at the age of nine years he entered the employ of the
McEwen Manufacturing Company as an apprentice to learn the trade of
patternmaker and woodcarver. During the
year of 1890, the family moved to San Jose, where the parents lived until they
passed away, the father living to be seventy-five and the mother sixty-eight. Here Henry Gustavson was employed first by
the Pacific Manufacturing Company; later he was employed by the Bean Spray Pump
Company, and for ten years made all the patterns for this company, making the
first pattern for the celebrated Bean Spray Pump, the motor and all
appurtenances. Realizing the necessity
and advisability of establishing his own business, during the year of 1897 he
opened his own pattern-making establishment.
His business prospered from its inception, and enjoyed a large
patronage. Among his clients may be
mentioned the Western Well Works, for whom he did $5,000 worth of work in 1920;
and he also worked extensively for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company; the
San Jose Water Works; the Nash, Engelhardt, Silva Manufacturing Company, and
many other prominent business firms of San Jose. His shop was equipped with the most modern
machinery and appliances for pattern-making and wood-carving, and employed nine
men for this work. Mr. Gustavson
disposed of his business interests in San Jose on October 1, 1921, and being
importuned to come to Lodi and become connected with the Superior Iron Works,
as the patternmaker, he bought a block of its stock and has ever since made his
home at Lodi, giving his best efforts to the company in the manufacture of
their excellent line of deep-well and turbine pumps and general irrigation
machinery.
Mr. Gustavson is a genius in his
chosen line of work, a master mechanic.
While experience has been the largest factor in his mechanical
education, he holds a diploma from the International Correspondence School of
Scranton, Pennsylvania, whose course in mechanical drawing he successfully
completed. He is endowed with great
inventive force and executive ability, a man of fine physique and an alert
mind, which serves to place him in the forefront of the patternmakers of
California. Fraternally Mr. Gustavson is
a member of the Vasa Orderen,
a Swedish order; and also of the Knight of Pythias, the Maccabees, and the
dramatic order of the Knights of Khorassan.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1507-1508. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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