Mervin J. Monnette -- 951 South Western Ave.

The Los Angeles Herald put a very large picture at the top center of its real estate section on that Sunday in 1905. Mr. Alfred Jeremy, a "Pittsburgh capitalist", had announced plans to build a new home on a small knoll located at Western Avenue and San Marino Street. The Herald explained:

"Some weeks ago Mr. Jeremy purchased four lots in the Country Club Heights tract, with frontage of 196 feet on Western avenue and 255 feet on San Marino street. The ground surmounts a knoll from which a fine view of the surrounding country can be had--the ocean to the south and Hollywood and the mountains on the north.

On this knoll will be erected a highly ornamental and commodious home of the old mission style of architecture from plans drawn by Dennis & Farwell, architects, at a cost of about $10,000. The porch and terrace on the south and east fronts are 12 to 14 feet wide. The reception hall finished in oak and with recessed seats will be 18x21 feet, with ornamented staircase at the rear of the hall. At the right of the hall the plans show the parlor 15x18 feet, and the living room 18x26 feet. In each room is a tile mantel, and French windows separate the living room and conservatory at the rear. Provision is made in the conservatory for a fountain.

The family dining room 19x26 feet with large mantel in oak, is at the left of the hall, and at the rear is the butler's pantry, a large kitchen and other home conveniences; also the servant's hall and a screen porch. The patio, 16x30 feet, is at the rear of the center of the residence, flanked by the living room and the kitchen.

On the second floor are five large bedrooms, two mantels, two bath rooms, besides numerous closets and balconies, one on the east front and one at the rear.

This improvement will be one of the show places of the southeastern [sic] section of Los Angeles."

As pictured in the L.A. Herald of June 11, 1905
(courtesy of cdnc.ucr.edu)

Another article later that year in the Herald mentioned Mr. Jeremy's intention to "be in by Christmas".

Meanwhile, in Goldfield, Nevada in September of 1905, a Mr. Mervin Jeremiah Monnette (1847-1931) had just signed an agreement with a Mr. Granville Hayes for 1/2 ownership in a two-year lease on a not-so-well-performing mine. Mervin, who was a cattle rancher in Omaha at the time, was sent by Chicago business associates earlier that year to check out an offered lease on another mine. The associates knew that Mervin, who had previously operated in Cripple Creek, was an "honest" man who would provide an impartial report. Mervin concluded that the mine was worthless and had been "salted". But since he had spent the time and effort to reach Goldfield, he remained in town to see if anything else might be worthwhile.

1906 Caricature of M. J. Monnette

He soon met Granville Hayes, who owned the previously mentioned lease, and who had been working it when he ran low on capital. Trusting Granville's long experience in mining, along with some promising assays of prior workings, Mervin decided to sign up, contributing $10,000 in capital for the 50% ownership position. He quickly saw that this would not be enough money, so he convinced two of his Chicago business partners, J.W. Smith and Harry Benedict, to join him. Another $25,000 was expended without uncovering any ore worth shipping, when in April, 1906 they hit the "mother lode".

From the Goldfield News, 1906-1907:

"...At this point in the sinking, Hayes had wanted to drift on the big body of low-grade ore then in evidence, believing that it would narrow down to a good-sized high-grade vein, and he had cut a station at the 80-foot point with that in view, but he had been dissuaded. He now returned to demonstrate his theory.
Hardly had the miners fired their first round of shots, when lo! and behold, the long-expected bonanza was at hand. Here was ore that needed no assayer's test. Sulphide ore which, by its very weight and dull yellow color in the glare of the candle light told that it was rich in gold. As the miners pushed inwards with their work the discovery became even more startling. It was one monstrous ore chamber that had apparently neither walls, tops nor bottom. Ore everywhere!" [1]

They ended up taking over $5 million in ore by January, 1907 when their lease expired.

Granville and Mervin ended up in Los Angeles and went their separate ways. Mervin contacted his son Orra (1875-1936), a successful lawyer back in Ohio, who came to L.A. to manage his father's new-found wealth. They spent a goodly sum on L.A. banks, installing Mervin as President of one purchase, American National Bank, and VP of another, Citizens National Bank. And for a new L.A. residence Mervin bought Mr. Jeremy's house out on South Western Avenue for $55,000.

911 S. Western Ave. in 1910

In 1910, living in the house when the census came by, were Mervin, his wife Olive (1850-1912), a niece Cora, and two maids.

The next year son Orra published the family genealogy, a tome of 1100+ pages, making approximately 350 copies, which over time were distributed to libraries across the country. You may find one in your city's main library. Archive.org has a digitized copy (#229) from the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the book the house on S. Western Avenue was featured.

911 S. Western Ave. in 1910

A closeup of Mervin, Olive, and possibly Cora

Just a guess but standing in front of the steps were most likely Mervin and Olive, while on the porch to the right was probably their niece Cora (who lived there in 1910).  The plantings have grown, and a driveway across the front had been added to accommodate visitors who arrive by new-fangled auto. Sadly the next year Olive contracted pneumonia and passed away. She was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood.

Mervin decided to remarry in June, 1913 but it was not to be.  Elizabeth Spencer, 38, (Mervin is now 66), abandoned him for another man within two months.  The San Francisco Call on its front page reported that Mervin "quits wife". He tried again, however, and remarried this time to 36 year-old Ethel Clark. They resided in the house until well into 1917. In 1921 the city renamed the one-block long street directly across from the mansion from Gage Place to Monnette Place. Even though younger, Ethel passed away from cancer in 1927, preceding Mervin. She, too, was buried in the Monnette family plot at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

After the Monnettes left, the house entered a new era. As many older, close-in houses did in that time period, it appeared to have been broken up into rental units. By 1926 three families are living at various addresses between 901 and 951 S. Western.

In 1927 Dick Whittington Studio decided to do a photo shoot of Western Ave. from Olympic Blvd. to 3rd St. While they didn't catch the house (except for a small bit of the tower), they did catch a shot of the front yard and street with the now-large trees surrounding the property.

Driveway of 951 S. Western Ave. at right of photo. Notice the current height of the palm trees.
The last palm tree on the right is about where the light standard is located in the image below.
(courtesy of USC Digital Collections)

In 1930, there are 16 people now living at 901, 909, and 945 S. Western.

In 1938 a new owner arrived.  The National Institute of Music & Arts located its headquarters in the building, relocating from its formative location in Seattle. Along with music and art, they rent out space in the building (Ralph Hoffman and Laurence Smith show up in the 1940 census). The Institute remains through 1951.

Then in 1965 a new list of businesses appear at 945 S. Western, which we can assume was the new two-story building we see today.  The back of the building's parking lot enters to the upper level, thus keeping the original knoll intact. From today's photo, it can be seen as an integral element of Koreatown.

945-955 S. Western Ave. recently

More info:
Mervin in 1910
M. J.'s purchase of the house in 1907
Mervin's breakup in 1913
The Hayes-Monnette mine[1]
[1]from Monnett Family Genealogy

George R. Davis -- 400 N. Madison, Pasadena

Born in Huntsville, Ohio, George Davis (b.1861) obtained a law degree and settled in Tucson, Arizona Territory. By 1895 he was married to Katharine Scovil, with children George Russell, Jr. (b. 1891) and Florence (b. 1896), and appointed to the supreme court of Arizona. Re-appointed in 1901 by Pres. Roosevelt, he served until re-settling in California permanently in 1905. He practiced law until 1909, meeting those in Southern California politics along the way. One of those he met was William H. Vedder, former mayor of Pasadena, and in 1907 Davis purchased the Vedder home at 400 N. Madison, which was chronicled in this blog back in early 2011.

400 N. Madison under ownership of W. H. Vedder (ca. 1906)

In 1910 the census showed George and Katharine living in the house, as well as George, Jr. and Florence. Joining them were two more siblings, Frances (b. 1901 CA), and Helen (b. 1903, CA) along with Florence's father and a maid named Ida.

In 1909 George was appointed to the Superior Court Bench of Los Angeles County, which was followed by his election to the post in 1910.  He continued as a judge for the next 20 years.

The house under the ownership of George & Katharine Davis (ca. 1909)

The family remained in the house through George's passing in 1932-1933 timeframe. California voter rolls in 1934 show Katharine, George Jr., along with daughter Frances living in the house. By 1940 Katharine remained but was then living with her two older unmarried sisters, Josephine and Jessie Scovil.

Katharine died in 1943. The property, large and centrally located, was redone with twin apartments, which are there today.

Today at 400 N. Madison (courtesy of Google Maps)

While there is another instance of the same house in different editions of the original book used for this blog, this one is unusual as BOTH men are listed in the same edition.

A photo of George in 1910

Newton J. Skinner -- 3507 Grove Place

A letter from the Galveston
Law Office of N. J. Skinner

Born in Northfield, Ohio, Newton J. Skinner first began his adult life in Iowa. Marrying Mattie Ballou Stafford (1869-1911) in 1889, they had three children, all born in Iowa.  Etta M. (b. 1890), Carl Newton (b. 1892), and Gladys M. (b. 1894) all moved with their parents to Galveston, Texas, where Newton ran a law practice until 1902.

He then spent two years in New York City, after which in October, 1905, he moved to Los Angeles, where he was admitted to practice in the state and federal courts. Helping to organize the new Bank of Southern California, he began work for them as Vice-President when they opened their doors in May, 1906. At a time when banks were opening left and right across town, its name was coincidentally very close to Southern California Savings Bank, the oldest savings bank in the Los Angeles area. In today's world where a company sues because someone puts "Mc" in front of something, there seemed to be no indication of concern in this past case (McSettlement here).

In May, 1907 a small article appeared on the front page of the Sunday L.A. Herald indicating plans for a new house. As the article mentioned,

"Paul C. Pape has prepared plans of a two-story and basement frame residence to be built on Grove place, near Bimini baths, for N. J. Skinner of the Bank of Southern California. It will contain ten rooms and will have furnace heat, gas and electrical conveniences, hardwood floors and trim, and up to date in its appointments."

With a roof deck and what seems to be either skylights or passive heating, it appeared to live up to the article...

3507 Grove Place
or 3527 White House Place today

The home was the first on the one-block long street. The earliest Sanborn map (1921) shows the house along with three apartment buildings towards the corner on the west (Bimini Place). Typically Sanborn would show lot divisions--this block showed no divisions, allowing one to infer that all the buildings were in the hands of one owner.

White House Place in 1921
(3507 highlighted)

1909 was a busy year for Newton. Having left the Bank of Southern California, he decided to help start up another bank, called the "All Night and Day" Bank. The first on the west coast and third in the U.S., the bank opened its doors to customers at 7:00 a.m. Monday mornings, and did not close them until Saturday evening at midnight. Opening on January 6th, the bank bragged of its ability to serve merchants late in the day so they could avoid leaving their stores, to serve theaters depositing late night receipts, and any others who wished to relieve themselves of the risk of robbery during other bank off hours.

Early next year Newton and a bank associate took a flyer on the Hotel Redondo, located at Redondo Beach. Bought from manager J. S. Woolacott, headlines exclaimed of an upcoming $25,000 investment to increase occupancy. Evidently the investment was not as lucrative as it first appeared, as in May, 1910 the hotel was sold outright to Miss Emma Summers, known locally as the "Oil Queen". The hotel struggled when Redondo Beach outlawed liquor sales, and its death knell was confirmed when the nation started prohibition in 1919. The hotel closed, was sold for salvage, and was demolished in 1925.

Also that Spring the bank had a run. A large portion of bank stock had been used to secure a $120,000 loan (maybe for a hotel?), and it ended up in the hands of someone who combined it with other stock--forming a new majority, who then declared a new set of directors for the bank. The ensuing fight resulted in the state superintendent of banks closing the bank's doors for a few days, which set off the run when the bank reopened. The bank survived, but fighting continued in court into November, 1910. The stock loan had not been repaid, thus the judge ruled in favor of the new directors, which effectively ended Newton's participation at the bank.

Shatto Chapel window
(click here for larger image)
(courtesy of Michael Locke)

Life on the home front could not have been going too well, either. In 1910, Mattie and the children are all at home, according to the census. Mattie may not have been well, because in 1911, she died. Services were probably held at the First Congregational Church, the oldest continuously-operating protestant church in Southern California. Located in 1911 at Hope & 8th Streets, the main sanctuary held a stained-glass window now used in the Shatto Chapel at its current location of West 6th and Commonwealth. We know this because part of the stained-glass window in the Shatto Chapel holds a memorial to Mattie (the pane devoted to her is at lower right in the window).

Newton returned to his roots as an attorney (and most likely an apartment landlord too). In 1915 he is noted as law partners with his son Carl, who had just obtained his law degree from USC, and living on Wilton Place. But the State of California does not show Carl was ever admitted to practice. By 1918 Carl has moved into an apartment at 3553 White House Place (which has changed street names from Grove Place). By 1920 Carl disappeared from L.A. directories.

The probability is strong that Newton developed the quadriplex apartments along White House Place, due to his long-time living on the street, along with his children taking up residence there. The aerial photo below shows the area in the mid 1920's. A second house has appeared behind the residence at 3507, along with an apartment building to the east of 3507.

Bimini Baths ca. 1925 with
3507 White House Place in view above left
(with roof deck still intact)

Newton and Jeannette on their
passport application 1922

By 1920 Newton has moved out of 3507 and is living in the corner apartment at 3557.  In 1922 he remarried and took a round-the-world cruise with his new bride Jeannette. According to the passport application, they were using Raymond Whitcomb Tours, a major provider of the day. Upon their return, they settled in at 3557, while 3507 (which was now known as 3527 because of the new apartment building to the east) was rented to various people, including lawyer Leonard Thomas (1926), who worked in the same building that Newton had worked in in 1910, and doctor Louis Wyckoff (1930).  Around 1925 the Skinners themselves changed apartments in the same 4-plex, now taking up at 3555, where they remained until Newton's passing.

During the late 1910's and 20's neither daughter Emma nor Gladys can be found in the directories, but in 1932 a change occurred. Jeannette is listed as a widow, still living in 3555, which will be the last mention for her in the apartments of White House Place; and in 1936 a new resident, Miss Orine Emerson, is living at 3555. And in the same building at 3553 we now find younger daughter Gladys, who has married and resides with Mr. Claude Puryear.

White House Place ca. 1929

In 1942 the elegant house begins a new career. Called the White House Sanitarium, it is listed in the 1951 Sanborn map as a "Rest Home". A check reveals that the Sanitarium remained in use through 1965. It disappears in 1967, with no phone listed at that property. Gladys passes away in 1980, and in the next phone book available, there are no listings for the apartment building or the sanitarium addresses.

In 1992 the L.A. Unified School District made purchases on the block, starting up the "White House Place Primary Center".  By 2008 they owned all of the north side of White House Place. Then in 2007 LAUSD contracted for a hazardous materials report for the area. It was entitled..."PHASE I
ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT
CENTRAL REGION ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL #20, SITE 1 (CRES #20, SITE 1)
108 SOUTH BIMINI PLACE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90004" .

Four hundred fifty pages long, the document listed much of the area's history, along with the contractor's efforts to determine if there were any hazardous substances on the property. Nothing significant was found, so the district went ahead and razed the structures and built a very nice parking lot, which just happened to be directly across the street from Virgil Middle School. No elementary school in sight just yet.

Thanks to Newton Skinner for his house photo--another element of Los Angeles now gone.

Today's aerial view of White House Place

More info:
A  visit to the All Night and Day Bank
Newton Skinner in 1910

Gilbert D. Munson -- 2717 West Eighth Street

Gilbert Dwight Munson (1840-1911) traveled to Southern California in 1900 after a successful career as a judge and lawyer in Ohio. Upon arriving he joined up with local lawyer Henry A. Barclay (who got him admitted to practice law in California) and hung out his shingle as the firm Munson & Barclay, specializing in civil matters in superior court. Coming to L.A. with Gilbert were his wife Lucy (who went by the name Lulu)(d. 1926) and only child Sarah(d. 1911), who married an old flame from Zanesville after returning there to help him heal from a lingering sickness. They came back to California and settled first in Los Angeles before moving to the Santa Barbara area.

L.A. Herald, Oct. 1903

By 1903 things were going well as can be seen by the notice at right in the Los Angeles Herald of a new Munson house to be built out on West 8th St. The $3,700 planned price tag works out to be around $95,000 in today's dollars. It appears that real estate in L.A. was a good bet even then. Houses in the same block today are valued in the $700K range according to Zillow.com.

Sarah and Lulu joined in the society of the times--in one article they were noted as signing up for annual dues to the new Children's Hospital. Other donors included Arthur Letts, Niles Pease, Mrs. W.C. Patterson, and Mrs. Homer Laughlin.

Below--a photo of the house ca. 1910:

The Munson Residence in 1910

Sadly, Gilbert passed away soon after in May, 1911. His law partner Barclay continued his practice after that alone. Then in October another death--daughter Sarah dies, leaving three children with husband Ernest.

Gilbert in 1910

By 1913 Lulu left the house, moving to then Santa Monica, now Brentwood (quite out of town for the day), settling in on Cliffwood Drive. The 8th Street house was then rented for awhile to Moses P. Brown and family, a bookkeeper at the German American Trust and Savings Bank.

Supposedly Ernest came from an upper-class background in Zanesville, but his relationship with Lulu didn't seem to be a great one, as in May, 1913 a judgment against him is posted in the Oxnard Courier followed ten days later by a notice of him transferring a 1/4 interest in a large acreage in the Montecito area.

In 1926 Lulu passed away, and was buried with Gilbert back in Zanesville.  Daughter Sarah, husband Ernest, and their three children were all buried in Santa Barbara.

And the house on West 8th Street?  It disappears from the listings after 1915, and when the area next showed up in a 1951 Sanborn map, the corner east to Hoover including the Munson lot is a commercial L-shaped retail area, as it appears today. And here's a look courtesy of Google:

The "Max" sign is where the house had been.

More Info:
G. D. Munson Biography

J. Nehemiah Blackstock -- 109 W. Avenue 54

Nehemiah ca. age 65

Born in Asheville, NC in 1846, Nehemiah Blackstock (1846-1928) served in the Confederate army for four years, before moving to Tennessee where he passed the bar in 1868. About the same time he married Abigail (Abbie) Smith (1848-1930) of Newport, Tennessee. After spending a few years in Missouri, they along with their three children Mary Belle, James, and John, moved to Los Angeles in 1875. They stayed a short time before moving to Ventura (then known as San Buenaventura, which can still be seen over the City Hall doors), shortly after the organization of the county.  Nehemiah practiced law there for about 30 years, fathering seven more children, including Charles (1876-1966), Lillian (b. 1879), Laura Mabel (1880-1968), and Edward (1892-1941). In 1897 Nehemiah was appointed to the State Railroad Commission, serving for four years. The Commission held the responsibility to set freight rates throughout the state.

In 1905 Nehemiah was appointed State Banking Commissioner, which involved a move to Los Angeles. He chose to live in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles. In 1910 living at the house on Avenue 54 were Abbie, now 62, son Edward, 18, and one servant. Daughter Lillian had lived there for awhile but was gone during the census. Son Edward was listed as being a newspaper reporter. Son Charles remained in Ventura County, first teaching school, then becoming the City Attorney in Oxnard. Older son James ran a grocery store in Ventura. Daughter Mabel had married Oliver Dunn in 1906, an early resident of the Oxnard area, and was living in Camarillo.

109 W. Ave. 54 in 1909

With Nehemiah's connection as State Banking Commissioner, he became associated with Merchants Bank & Trust Co. of Los Angeles as a Vice-President and Trust Officer. By 1911 he had left and formed a new company, the International Indemnity Company, located downtown.

In 1912 Mabel's husband Oliver Dunn contracted a blood disease and died two months after diagnosis, resulting in Mabel and her two children moving from Camarillo to a house in Los Angeles around the corner from Nehemiah and Abbie (then known as 5409 Pasadena Ave.).

Now when one went on international travel in the 1910's, one passport was usually enough. The only time more than one was made was when the owner had lost the original one. Mabel appeared in the passport records in both 1917 and 1919 for a different reason. As she stated for an affidavit in  applying for her new passport in 1919:

"...that while she was gone on the said trip the said passport was handled so often and so much by various officials of said countries, that when she returned the same was practically worn out and destroyed; and that not deeming it necessary to retain the same, she completed the destruction." 

...which of course required a new passport. (I liked the first photo better, I think. ;-)

Nehemiah continued on as president of his International Indemnity Company, which offered casualty insurance, from his office at 347 S. Hill St. Son Edward continued to live at home, noted as an artist in the 1927 street directory of Los Angeles. The next year Nehemiah died, and was buried at Forest Lawn, Glendale.

Abbie followed in 1930, after declaring the house being worth $50,000 in the federal census. In the house besides Abbie (listed as 82 years of age) were Mabel, her two sons Oliver and Gerald, Edward (now a commercial artist), and a housekeeper.

Mabel continued to live in the house until 1967. She died the next year, and was buried in Forest Lawn next to Nehemiah and Abbie. Sometime later the house came down. Today at the corner of Avenue 54 and Figueroa:

109 N. Ave 54 (today's address)
(courtesy of Bing maps)

Son Charles, the City Attorney of Oxnard, went on to become head of Ventura County schools, then a judge in Oxnard. In 1965 a new Charles Blackstock Junior High School was named for him.  He passed away the next year.

More info:
Bio of Nehemiah Blackstock
Grave at Forest Lawn

Eugene E. Hewlett--1450 Hillcrest Ave., Pasadena

Frederick and Cleora Hewlett were listed as farmers in Petaluma in the 1880 federal census, but they must have been more successful than most. They were able to live in San Francisco, as well as retire after that in the Napa valley. Of their five children born, tragically only two would get past childhood--but they were both strong achievers. Eugene Elbert (1878-1946) was the younger brother of Albion Walter (1875-1925). Father Frederick moved to San Francisco when the boys were young, and they grew up going to San Francisco public schools.

Walter headed off to UC Berkeley for college, earning a B.S. degree in 1895, before advancing to Johns Hopkins University to become a doctor. With his MD degree in hand in 1900, he came back to San Francisco to teach at Cooper Medical College (today part of Stanford). In 1908 he took a position in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he joined the faculty at the University, and met his future wife Louise.

Meanwhile younger brother Eugene followed in Walter's footsteps at Berkeley earning his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1900, then headed off to Harvard for his LLB degree. It was there he became friends with Howard E. Huntington, only son of Henry E. Huntington, the latter of  Huntington Library fame. After graduation in 1903, Eugene returned to San Francisco to pick up the same law degree at Hastings, which would allow him to practice law in California, which is what he did shortly after being admitted to the bar, again in 1903. He set up practice with two other Harvard graduates, calling themselves Hewlett, Bancroft & Ballantine, with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

On October 20, 1904 the Society news in Oakland was

Oakland Tribune 22 Oct 1904
(courtesy of ccdn.ucr.edu)

abuzz with the marriage of Eugene to Ione Fore. The description of the event (along with photos of the bride and maid of honor) took eight column inches in the paper. Ione was described...

"The bride was simply beautiful. Miss Ione Fore has always been beautiful, at all times, and she was a royally beautiful bride. The gown was of white satin, the heavy effect relieved with the overdress of fluffy tulle, and over that was the filmiest of Bruges lace."

The article went on to list Eugene's best man--brother Walter, who assisted in the event along with ushers Allen Chickering, Thomas Bishop, and Howard Huntington.

The next August Howard had found his bride-to-be and the wedding with Leslie was a society event of the season. The stag dinner for Howard was held two days prior at the San Francisco Palace, and hosted by--Eugene Hewlett. No doubt Howard's money set a high bar for keeping up, but Eugene appeared to be staying in step.

The next year was a tough one for San Francisco, with the earthquake and subsequent fire eliminating large portions of the central city. Included among the victims was Mrs. Simeon Wenban, who'd lost her Van Ness Avenue mansion in the fire--as widow of Simeon, a very successful miner in Colorado, she was indeed wealthy, but had no ready access to cash. She needed assistance in getting the insurance to pay for her house, and her daughter Eva Shaw recommended her friend Eugene, which established the beginning of a long-term relationship.

By 1907 Eugene and Ione moved to Los Angeles, taking up residence in the stylish West Adams district on west 28th Ave. It was simple to do as the law offices just added a new office in Los Angeles. It was located in the Pacific Electric Building, 3rd floor, in downtown L.A. (which was owned by Howard's father...). Howard had moved from San Francisco where he had been working at the Southern Pacific Railway, to Los Angeles where he ran the Los Angeles Railway out of the same Pacific Electric Building. Howard and Leslie had located in his father's new Oak Knoll subdivision in Pasadena, which was about a mile from Henry Huntington's new palatial home in today's San Marino, and adjacent to the new Huntington Hotel.

Eugene and Ione quickly purchased a new lot in Oak Knoll, building their new home on a 10+ acres with expansive views of the San Gabriel valley, and moved in by 1909. Now the Hewletts were just up the hill from the Huntingtons.

1450 Hillcrest Ave. in 1909

The 1910 census described inhabitants as Mr. and Mrs. Hewlett, along with two servants, and two "hired men". Interestingly Mrs. Hewlett attended a family reunion in San Francisco two weeks prior, and ended up with the distinction of being listed twice in the census. And that same year Henry Huntington divorced his long time wife Mary, Howard's mother. The world was later to find out that Eugene took on the role of managing some of her money, too.

The Hewletts were a strong part of Pasadena's society.  One article in the Pasadena Star-News described Mrs. Hewlett thus:

"...Mrs. Hewlett stopped at Hotel Huntington last year and her costumes were the admiration and wonder of Pasadena's wealthy and the millionaires who came from the east. At the tango dinners where famous professional dancers performed, she was always the most brilliant in the throng and her appearance invariably excited admiring comments. Slightly built, with perfect features and dark hair, she was always gowned in the most dazzling creations and at the charity ball, where women brought their costumes direct from Paris for the brilliant event, Mrs. Hewlett in her attire always managed to outshine the others."

Eugene in 1910

As Mrs. Hewlett delighted society, Eugene immersed himself in his passion for race cars. No doubt convincing Howard to join him, they were partners in the Pacific Coast Motor Car Co., which gained dealer rights for Fiat on the west coast, including Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  An office was opened in San Francisco. Eugene bought a Fiat racer in late 1910, and hired a driver, David Bruce-Brown. The Fiat had just come off some successful races, and it was expected to do well in future showings. With its 175 horsepower engine, it could sustain speeds of 75 mph, so with great anticipation Eugene entered the car and driver in the FIRST Indianapolis 500, held May 30, 1911. Lo and behold the Fiat finished third, entitling owner Eugene to winnings of $3,250.

Next year 1912 was even more successful.  Eugene, with a new

The 1912 Fiat Recently

driver "Terrible" Teddy Tetzlaff, placed the Fiat second at the Indianapolis 500, with an average speed of over 76 MPH, earning $10,000 for the finish. They were one of only ten cars to complete the full 500 miles.

The successes continued throughout the year, with a win in Tacoma at the Montamarathon--and a trophy to prove it.  This was followed by a win in Phoenix with Teddy again at the wheel. A great racing season for the team.

In 1913 racing continued with Frank Verbeck as the new driver. As a former chauffeur for Hewlett, he raced under the Pacific Coast Motor Car Co. banner. He won more than one race in which he beat the famous Barney Oldfield, including the 1913 Panama-Pacific Road Race, to the point that Oldfield purchased the Fiat for his own after the 1914 season.

But not all was wine and roses. It was reported that the house at 1450 Hillcrest was sold in 1913, and rumors abounded about an impending split between the Hewletts, which was denied by Ione. Then in September, 1914 the headlines hit newspapers from Pasadena to El Paso.

Pasadena Star-News 9-11-14
(courtesy Pasadena Library)

It seems that a retired Englishman, a Reginald Gernon, had earlier contracted with Eugene to provide an annuity of $3,000 per year in exchange for $30,000 cash and some properties, totaling $34,000. Soon after Hewlett is alleged to have defaulted on the annuity, which caused Gernon to file the embezzlement suit. Hewlett was out of town the day the suit was filed--he returned quickly to California and was soon out on bail. But in Oakland the story added a new twist.  It mentioned that Hewlett had been sued "two months ago, by Howard Huntington, son of Millionaire Henry E. Huntington, for the recovery of $100,000 alleged to have been obtained fraudulently by Hewlett."

October was more bad news as the new headline read "Attorney Accused of $576,000 Fraud". Eugene was accused of fraudulently converting to his own uses client securities aggregating $576,000. The suit this time was by the Wenban estate, incorporated. The complaint stated that "Hewlett as confidential agent of Mary E. Huntington mismanaged her property, aggregating $500,000, and that when she threatened criminal prosecution, restitution was made with the estate's bonds." The complaint by the Wenban estate was tortuously slow in being resolved, eventually reaching the California Supreme Court in 1924 (Wenban v. Hewlett 193 Cal. 675). It appeared that Eugene was attempting to separate Hewlett the man from Hewlett the company, and selling the story that the bonds were taken by the company, not the man. The ruling came back that "..It is not necessary that the plaintiff prove actual fraud.  It is enough if the recognition of the two entities as separate would result in an injustice."

By this time not only had Howard's mother Mary E. Huntington died, so had the primary Wenban plaintiff, Caroline Wenban, as well as Howard Huntington himself. His obituary in 1922 read his health had declined due to an ulcer of the stomach.  In today's parlance, we would say he died of stomach cancer.

Eugene knew the writing was on the wall back in 1915, so he and Ione headed for the east coast, where he ended up in New York in 1918. By 1930 they had moved on to Chicago, where he and Ione were renting at the Briar Apartments for $100/month.  His profession was listed as "coal organizer". In 1938 the Hewletts came back to town, living in L.A. on Rampart Blvd., before moving back to Pasadena, where they could be found in 1942 at 1390 N. Arroyo Blvd.  Four years later, Eugene died on August 3rd--Ione then moved back to the bay area (probably with family), where she passed away in Alameda County on March 3rd, 1965. The Hewletts are buried in Cypress Lawn Cemetery, Colma.

And what of 1450 Hillcrest? In 1920 no one is found to be living in the house. Howard & Leslie Huntington are still living in their home down the hill at 1079 Old Mill Road. But as noted above, Howard died in 1922, leaving widow Leslie with their four children. By 1924 she becomes engaged to James Brehm, a wealthy real estate investor, and a widower with children. And their new house for the combined families? Yes--1450 Hillcrest, where Leslie and James remain until their passings, two months apart, in 1962. After their deaths, the house was demolished, the property subdivided, and today there are three houses on the site, one of the addresses is today's 1446 Hillcrest Ave. Coincidentally, one of Henry Huntington's most profitable lines on the Pacific Electric Railway (called the Oak Knoll line) ran just south of the Hillcrest Ave. property (more detail in map below).

P.E. Railway on the private right-of-way below the Hillcrest House
(date unknown) (courtesy of peryhs.org)

And lastly--Eugene and Ione had no known children, but Eugene's brother A. Walter did.  While Walter was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he and Louise became parents to William Redington Hewlett (1913-2001), Redington being a family name on his mother's side. And what became of William (Bill) Hewlett?  With father Walter's death early on in 1925, son Bill committed he would attend Stanford and while there in the 1930's, he hit it off with another student whose name you already know, David Packard. They went on to found their scientific instrument company, Hewlett-Packard.

Uncle Eugene and Aunt Ione--who knew?


Additional Information:
1930 Sanborn Map of the area
An interesting aerial of the Baroness Zimmerman house next door
El Paso article on Hewlett Case 1914

(Author's note: this is my favorite post in the blog)

 

 

 

 

 

 

830 Sierra Madre Avenue, Glendora

As we venture deeper into the book, we find more "special" pages.  Today's client, Charles Henry Converse (1856-1912), not only paid for his photo and his house photo, he had a second photo put in of his building in downtown Glendora--understanding that Glendora wasn't yet incorporated, but was already known for its pepper trees and citrus farms.

C. H.was born in Iowa City, Iowa, moving to California first in 1878 to Mariposa, then he returned to Iowa to graduate from the University of Iowa in 1882, and receive his law degree from there in 1884. By 1902 he returned to California, first in Merced, then later in Pasadena before settling on Glendora, where he remained until his untimely death in 1912. His Glendora house was located on 20 acres of orange trees, containing about 3,000 sq. ft., with 5 bedrooms. In 1909/1910 great views surrounded the home as seen by the image below:

830 Sierra Madre Avenue in 1910

He lived there with his wife Flora, two sons and three daughters. In Glendora, C.H. was part of numerous enterprises including First National Bank, First Savings Bank, Glendora Light and Power, Glendora Irrigating Company and Glendora Water Company. His office as attorney was located in his 1905-built building, the Converse Block. The two-story structure with retail below and offices above, was located in the center of downtown, next to the soon-to-arrive P.E. line from L.A. to San Bernardino. In 1910 a photographer took this view:

159 North Michigan  in 1910

Window Mystery Man

A peek at the above image shows a couple of interesting items.  The persian-type domed device out front was a water fountain, erected by the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1909. The street side was for watering horses, the building side had a fountain for pedestrians. The upper corner office facing the photographer probably belonged to C.H. himself.  With the sign "Lawyer" in the window, and a man next to it with the window open holding a large cane or similar object out the window--it could only be our subject.

Pres. Diaz and C.H. , 1911

In 1911 C.H. was to face a new challenge. The Mexican revolution was underway and C.H.'s wayfaring son Lawrence seemed to want to be a part of it. On Sunday, February 20 Lawrence was with another man visiting a ranch very close to the border just southeast of El Paso near the small town of Tornilo. The men were resting their horses awaiting lunch when, according to news reports, three men captured them, tied them up and forced them to wade the Rio Grande river where they were turned over to soldiers hiding in the woods.  From there they were taken to Guadeloupe and then on to Juarez, where they were imprisoned. C.H. was notified of his son's peril, and immediately went to Juarez, securing admission to the prison and creating enough turmoil with the Mexican government to attract the attention of Mexican president Diaz, who invited C.H. to his palace in Mexico City to discuss it. The president volunteered to direct the general in charge to return Lawrence (and all other Americans in the prison) to C.H. This all took place just prior to the Battle of Juarez, in which the city and the prison were battered into fragments.

During this period the Converse's three daughters all attended Pomona College in Claremont. To be nearer to them, C.H. and Flora rented a cottage there. Then in 1912 disaster struck.  C.H. was driving from his office enroute to the Claremont cottage when he missed noticing a Santa Fe train on its crossing at Loraine Street, wrecking the car and pinning C.H. between the train engine and the top of the auto. He had fractured his skull and died before he could be taken to a hospital. He was later extolled in the local newspaper, the Glendora Gleaner, which recognized him as "one of Glendora's most valued and highly esteemed citizens." He is buried in nearby Oakdale Cemetery.

The house with its 20 acres of orange trees was sold. Flora moved to Pasadena, son Earnest and daughter Hazel became lawyers, son Lawrence moved to Cuba. But interestingly both the house and the commercial building survive today.  First--the house:









According to Zillow, the house has had the same owners since 1984. The surrounding acreage has long since been sold, but the current lot size far exceeds its neighbors. And the Converse Block? It has been known for years as the Nelson Building:











Train Kills a Lawyer - N.Y. Times (PDF)
(photo of Diaz courtesy of  glendorahistory.blogspot.com)

George W. Adams -- 1645 Huntington Drive

George Adams (1865-aft 1947) arrived in Los Angeles in 1902 with his family consisting of wife Iva Binford (1871-1948), and daughters Florence E. (1897-1964) and Maude (1900- ).  George and Iva knew about Los Angeles as they were married there in 1896 while they were residents of Estherville, Iowa, where George had his law practice. George had graduated from the University of Iowa Law School in 1891--the 1906 Iowa Alumnus thought George at the time was "a fruit farmer in L.A.".  Turned out there was another George Adams in Massachusetts who was very well known for his beekeeping, but that's another story.

The family settled in South Pasadena at 1645 Huntington Drive. In 1909-1910 the residence looked like the below:

The Adams Family on Huntington Drive

Florence and Maude?

The photo shows two children in the front yard--it's very possible you see a childhood photo of Maude and Florence, who would have been nine and 12 years old at the time.  Directly behind the photographer on Huntington was the Pacific Electric Railway line which went downtown to 6th and Hill, which when followed by a short walk to the Van Nuys building, one could visit George in his office as part of the Adams, Adams, and Binford law firm.  While the "Binford" was George's brother-in-law Lewis, there is no listing for any other law-partner-Adams in L.A.'s directories of the era other than George.

Life was good for the Adams family--the L.A. Herald reported that same August they were "returning home from a month in Venice, and are leaving soon for Tahoe".  No mention of which Venice... By 1915 they had moved to the newly fashionable west side at 663 South Westmoreland Ave. and then in 1920 were residing at the Garden Court Apartments and Hotel on fashionable Hollywood Boulevard.

George's work must have been mostly usual stuff, nothing that would land him in the newspapers of the day. His only easily accessible appellate appearance came in 1920. Evidently Mrs. Minnie Ong had George write up a deed of her house, which Mrs. Ong gave to her housemaid Jennie Cole, with the intention of her taking the house after her death. The house must have been worth something because the Ong descendants descended on the courts to get the deed declared void. George was called to testify. And while the account doesn't mention it, this was probably a family feud, as Mrs. Ong may have been a close relation, since Iva's mother's maiden name was Ong. Jennie got to keep the house.

Still listed as an attorney in 1946 after 44 years in L.A., George and Iva by then were living at 3614 Country Club Drive. Iva was to pass away just two years later.

And what of our house on Huntington Drive? When the Adams' moved out, the Stamps family moved in. Lucius was retiring from his Downey farming business, and Eleanor, along with daughters Addie, Pearl, and Mary, and Eleanor's mother Susan all lived on Huntington from 1916 through the early '20s.  Evidently South Pasadena did not suit them as they had moved back to Downey by 1924, where Lucius had kept a real estate office.

Below is a photo taken of the Huntington neighborhood in 1926. The house at the right behind the palm trees is 1645 Huntington--its outline has changed as after the Stamps family left, it was converted to multi-family, with a noticeable add-on at the right rear. This crossing had both a Pacific Electric line at 90 degrees to the photo, but also there is a Southern Pacific R.R. crossing from right foreground to left background at the same intersection, which continued south to run along the east side of Alhambra Park.

1926 Looking South on Marengo across Huntington (courtesy of USC digital Collections)

The house has remained throughout the years, watching as Huntington Drive became a main auto conduit to San Marino, watching as the P.E. line tracks were pulled, and watching as the S.P. tracks were yanked.  Today, it looks like this:

A recent shot of 1645 Huntington Drive
(courtesy of the author)

The old S.P. right-of-way is still visible out of frame to the left.

The house has seen a lot of change in its 100+ years of life.

Other images:
P.E. Crossing detail at Marengo & Huntington Dr. 1926
The book's photo of G.W. in 1910
A brief write-up in California of the South, 1933

Shobal P. Mulford -- 1056 South Hill Street

Born in Cincinnati, Shobal Patton Mulford (1850-1922) was known as S.P. to all who knew him.  Passing the Ohio bar in 1878, his ill health convinced him to move to Los Angeles in 1883, where he continued to practice law his entire career. He married Helen B. Farrar (1856-    ) of Cambridge, Ohio in 1885 (he'd met her while they both went to law school in Ohio), and in 1888 they moved into their new house on the northeast corner of Hill and 11th Street.

1056 South Hill Street in 1906.

Along with his law practice, he invested heavily in the banking sector in Los Angeles (including the First National and Commercial National Banks of L.A.), and devoted significant efforts to the Methodist Church and the YMCA and YWCA. The Mulfords donated $1000 in 1906 for a new YMCA building, and Helen was an Officer of the YWCA in 1908 (along with Mrs. W.C. Patterson--who lived less than a mile from Helen, Mrs. W.J. Hole, and Mrs. Homer Laughlin, Jr.)

In 1904 S.P. formed the firm of Mulford & Dryer (along with George Dryer), which still exists today after multiple mergers, specializing in corporate and probate law. In 1905 S.P. took on a no-doubt pro-bono case which resulted in his name in headlines, when a Sunday school teacher at the nearby church was arrested for forging checks. She was allowed to plead guilty and given probation, even though similar crimes of the era were usually given jail time.

The area of South Hill Street matured into multi-family residences, with many of the larger homes on the street being converted to rental rooms. So in 1913 the Mulfords moved west to 5th and Westmoreland. Ironically, that house is still there today, but not 1056 S. Hill.
By the mid-1920's that side of the block had been converted into the Mayan and the Belasco Theaters, changing the whole look of the area.

S.P. in 1906

S.P. passed away in January, 1922. An obituary article in the L.A. Times mentions his interment at Sunnyside Cemetery, Inglewood, which is now part of Inglewood Park Cemetery, where Mr. Mulford's tombstone is present today.  Helen Mulford continued to live in the Westmoreland house past 1934, where the 1930 census determined she was living with her a maid, chauffeur, and a guest.

The Belasco Theater still stands on the site of the Mulford residence. Closed for 20 years, it reopened in 2013 as a dance club and concert venue.

1056 South Hill Street today (courtesy of maps.google.com)