Appendix 4

MATHEW KELLER OBITUARY

AN OLD LANDMARK GONE LOS ANGELES HERALD, APRIL 12, 1881

The people of Los Angeles were much shocked yesterday by intelligence of the death of Matthew I. Keller, familiarly known as Don Mateo Keller, which took place at his late residence on Alameda street at nine o’clock yesterday morning. The event was not expected, although Mr. Keller had been ailing for some weeks. After having been confined to his bed for quite a spell he rallied and was strong enough to be driven out. It was a matter of general remark amongst the friends who saw him on these occasions that his constitution was irreparably broken, but few of them expected to hear of his death so soon. While eating his breakfaster yesterday morning, Mrs. Stuhr, wife of the Superintendent of his winery, had occasion to leave the room to procure some necessary article and, though absent but for a moment, on her return she found him dead in his chair. Dr. Wise pronounced heart disease the immediate cause of his death. We take the following resume of Mr. Keller’s career from the Express of yesterday evening: Mr. Keller was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1811. He emigrated to this county soon after attaining his majority. Little is known of his early career, except that he was in Mexico during the war, accompanying the American army as a trader. He was naturalized in New Orleans in 1849. He settled in Los Angeles about the year 1850, and began as a merchant, having a store on the southwest corner of Commercial and Los Angeles streets. He devoted himself to this business six or seven years, later finding a remunerative trade in packing and shipping grapes. From dealing in grapes he soon drifted into raising them, when he gave up merchandizing altogether. For more than twenty years he has been known as one of the prominent and extensive wine producers in the county. Recently younger and more active men have surpassed in the quantity of wine and brandy which they have made, but none have turned out a better quality. Five years ago Mr. Keller found himself in somewhat straightened circumstances by reason of the stringency of the times generally and the especial depress of the wine industry. He had a large quantity of wine on hand for which there was no market, and, at the same time, heavy debts at a high rate of interest were pressing upon him. Under the pressure of these circumstances he took up his residence in New York City, where he remained for about a year, devoting his personal attention to opening a market for his products. His efforts were remarkably successful, as he sold every spare gallon of his wines, and, with the proceeds, it is gratifying to say, he had enough to discharge his obligations, and placed himself in easy financial circumstances. Within the past year he had been planting new vineyards and making arrangements to increase his business by a marked degree. The estate which he leaves is a valuable one, embracing the home place on Alameda street—about twenty acres—and the Rising Sun Vineyard, in the southern suburbs, of 150 acres, the Vines being from twenty to twenty five years old. The wine and brandy manufactory and cellars are located on the home place, Alameda Street. The machinery has a capacity for crushing fifty tons of grapes in a day, and turns out, during the season, 200 gallons of brandy and 1,000 gallons of wine daily. The estate also includes the Malaga ranch, on the coast above Santa Monica, running out to Point Dumas. Mr. Keller planted five hundred acres of vineyard on this ranch during the past two seasons. Mr. Keller’s preference was Malvosie and Mission vines for heavy wines, and he often said that there was no better than the ordinary Mission for all the purposes of a vigueron. He thought the Blaue Elbe had not good keeping qualities. His manufactures of wines were Madeiras, Sherries and Port, and upon these he established quite a reputation; especially the sherry, taking diplomas at our local Fairs and carrying off a silver medal from the Centennial at Philadelphia. The wine cellars, of which there are two, one 60x60 and the other 50x300—are located on the home place adjoining the works. With all the old stock sold and only the vintage of 1879 on hand, he still had one hundred thousand gallons of wine in store. Mr. Keller was the first man to raise cotton in California, receiving a premium of $1,000 or upward from the State therefor. The cotton was produced during the early years of the war of the Rebellion. Deceased was a man notable for his physical and intellectual vigor. His robust frame and blonde hair, in which scarcely a streak of gray could be detected, gave him the appearance of a man of not over fifty years of age. His friends were frequently in the habit of rallying him on his healthy and youthful appearance, and most of them thought the old gentleman, although past seventy, was good for ten years of life. Universally known in Southern California and a favorite with great numbers of our people, the death of this useful citizen and worthy man will cast a pall over a large circle.