Joseph W. Wolfskill and Louis Wolfskill

Last updated

Joseph W. Wolfskill (born 1844) and Louis Wolfskill (died 1884) were brothers who were members of the Los Angeles, California, Common Council, the legislative arm of that city's government, between 1874 and 1884. They were landowner successors to their pioneer Southern California father, William Wolfskill.

Contents

Personal

The brothers were the sons of William Wolfskill of Richmond, Kentucky, and Magadalena Lugo or Rafaela Romero Lugo of Santa Barbara, California, Joseph being born on September 14, 1844, in Los Angeles. They were educated in the family home at Fourth and Alameda streets [1] under the tutelage of H.B. Barrows. Their sisters were Mrs. Charles J. Shepherd, Mrs. Frank Sabichi, Alice (Mrs. H.D. Barrows, died 1863) and Rafaelita, who died as a child in 1855. [2] [3] [4]

Joseph was married in San Francisco, California, to Ellen or Elena de Pedrorena of San Diego, California, and they had ten or eleven children, including Joseph W. Jr. (died June 1944), William F., David and John, who were educated at home. An infant son, Christian Reid, died on October 29, 1892, and a grown daughter, Francisco M., died in Redondo on January 8, 1894. The couple had houses and property in Riverside, Redondo and Los Angeles. [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] Mrs. Wolfskill died four years before Joseph. [3]

Louis was married in 1873 to Louisa Anna Dalton of Azusa, California, or of Los Angeles. He died on February 26, 1884, at Pasadena Highlands, Los Angeles County, California; his wife died at her residence in the City of Los Angeles on May 29, 1887; two daughters and four sons were left behind. [3] [8] [9] [10]

Vocations

Joseph Wolfskill

Wolfskill lots and Arcade Depot in 1890, just completed Arcade Depot sold by Wolfskill.jpg
Wolfskill lots and Arcade Depot in 1890, just completed

Joseph Wolfskill was associated with his father in stock raising and citriculture, and on the death of his father in 1866, he took over the businesses. He "introduced scientific methods into the culture of oranges and extended the original Wolfskill grove until it was made to yield . . . the largest commercial crops in the Southland." The Wolfskill property in Los Angeles proper occupied the land later given over to the Arcade Depot. He had a nursery at the corner of Wabash and Zonal streets in Brooklyn Heights, Los Angeles, along with a retail store at 218 West Fourth Street in downtown L.A. [2] [3] [4] [11] An influx of white-scale insects from Australia devastated the orchards, and so Joseph Wolfskill divided the acreage and sold it piecemeal, in the meantime establishing an experimental station to devise a method of fighting the disease, including the use of "washes, sprays, gases, and latterly the parasites of the white scale[,] which have been brought from Australia." [4]

Louis Wolfskill

When his father died in 1866, Louis Wolfskill took over the management of William Wolfskill's San Gabriel Valley properties, including Rancho San Antonio. Louis became a landowner whose estate at one time included property that later became the Los Angeles Arboretum. One subdivision became Chapman Woods, Pasadena, and Louis also owned Rancho San Francisquito, previously the property of his father-in-law, Henry Dalton. [12] [13]

Public service

Louis Wolfskill was elected to represent the 3rd Ward on the Los Angeles Common Council on December 7, 1874, serving two one-year terms until December 6, 1876. Joseph, a Republican, [3] was elected December 4, 1882, to represent the 4th Ward; he served until December 8, 1884. [14] Joseph was foreman of the 1894 federal grand jury. [15]

Legacy

Joseph W. Wolfskill sold a lot between Central Avenue and Alameda street, on Fourth Street, where a refrigeration plant was to be built by the Ice and Cold Storage Company, of which J.G. McKinney was the president. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden</span> Arboretum and botanical garden in Arcadia, California

The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 127 acres, is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site nestled into hills near the San Gabriel Mountains in Arcadia, California, United States. Open daily, it only closes on Christmas Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Wolfskill</span> American cowboy and agronomist (1798–1866)

William Wolfskill (1798–1866) was an American-Mexican pioneer, cowboy, and agronomist in Los Angeles, California beginning in the 1830s. He had earned money for land in a decade as a fur trapper near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had become a Mexican citizen. This enabled him to own land in California.

Rancho Santa Anita was a 13,319-acre (53.90 km2) land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given to naturalized Scottish immigrant Hugo Reid and his Kizh people wife. Reid built an adobe residence there in 1839, and the land grant was formally recognized by Governor Pio Pico in 1845. The land grant covered all or portions of the present day cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and San Marino. A small portion of the rancho has been preserved as the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho La Ballona</span> Historical cattle ranch in Los Angeles, California, USA

Rancho La Ballona was a 13,920-acre (56.3 km2) Mexican land grant in the present-day Westside region of Los Angeles County, Southern California.

Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States.

The Workman–Temple family relates to the pioneer interconnected Workman and Temple families that were prominent in: the history of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles and American Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Valley regions; and Southern California from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican Alta California and the subsequent state of California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho San José de Buenos Ayres</span>

Rancho San José de Buenos Ayres was a 4,438-acre (17.96 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given by Governor Micheltorena in 1843 to Maximo Alanis. The area that was given to Alanis now occupies Westwood, UCLA, Holmby Hills, and Bel Air, Los Angeles. The ranch extended from what is now Sepulveda Boulevard to Beverly Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Santa Ana del Chino</span> Mexican land grant in what is now California

Rancho Santa Ana del Chino was a 22,193-acre (89.81 km2) Mexican land grant in the Chino Hills and southwestern Pomona Valley, in present-day San Bernardino County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ávila family of California</span> Influential early settlers

The Ávila family was a prominent Californio family of Spanish origins from Southern California, founded by Cornelio Ávila in the 1780s. Numerous members of the family held important rancho grants and political positions, including two Alcaldes of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela</span> Pre-statehood California land grant

Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela was a 2,219-acre (8.98 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Ygnacio Machado. The name means "Sentinel of the Waters" in Spanish, and refers to the artesian water in the area exemplified by Centinela Springs. Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela included parts of present-day Westchester and Inglewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Sabichi</span> American politician

Frank Sabichi was an attorney and developer of extensive properties who sat on the Los Angeles, California, Common Council, the legislative arm of that city, from 1870 to 1874 and again from 1897 to 1899. He was council president in 1873–74.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomon Lazard</span> American politician

Solomon Lazard, also known as S. Lazard, (1827–1916) was an entrepreneur in 19th century Los Angeles, California, a member of the city council there in 1854, and founder of S. Lazard & Co.

John Ozias Wheeler was an American merchant, court clerk, government employee, city council member and newspaper editor. He worked primarily in California during the 19th century.

Elijah Moulton (1820–1902) was a pioneer settler in Los Angeles, California, after the Mexican–American War, and became one of its wealthiest citizens. He was a member of the city's governing body, the Common Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Macy</span> American politician, publisher and pioneer (1829–1910)

Oscar Macy was an American politician, newspaper publisher, and pioneer in Los Angeles County, California. The son of Obed Macy, he was served on the Los Angeles Common Council, served as a county sheriff, and served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He and his father operated one of Los Angeles's historic hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Greer McDonald</span> American surveyor, horticulturalist and politician

James Greer McDonald was a surveyor in Los Angeles County, California, an authority on horticulture and a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, the governing body of that city, in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan R. Vail</span> American politician

Nathan Randolph Vail was a mine operator in Arizona Territory, and a landowner in 19th century Los Angeles, California. He was a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, the legislative body of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Reid Wolfskill</span> California pioneer and agriculturalist

John Reid Wolfskill was a California pioneer who helped establish development of California's agricultural industry in the Sacramento Valley in the 19th century. In 1842, Wolfskill was the first settler to plant vineyards and fruit trees there. Born in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, he migrated to join his brother William in California, where they bought land near Sacramento. Wolfskill became a pioneer of Solano County: "he was the first English speaking man to settle in the area around what is now Winters, California".

Hemen "H. C." Cardwell was a pioneer settler in California who served in the Mexican–American War, served as Zanjero of Los Angeles, was a major contributor to early California business and agriculture, and served in the first California State Assembly in 1849–1850.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesmer family of California</span> Early Los Angeles settlers and developers

The Mesmer family of California was a wealthy family of early Los Angeles settlers who contributed to the development of the city between the rancho era and the explosive growth of the post-WWII era.

References

Access to the Los Angeles Times links may require the use of a library card.

  1. Location of the family home at Mapping L.A.
  2. 1 2 3 Los Angeles Public Library reference file.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 John Steven McGroarty, "Joseph W. Wolfskill," California of the South, volume v, pages 188–192, Chicago: Clarke Publications (1933) Los Angeles County Biographies, RootsWeb
  4. 1 2 3 An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California, Chicago:Lewis Publishing (1889), page 528
  5. "Died," Los Angeles Times, October 31, 1892, page 7
  6. "Death Record," Los Angeles Times, January 10, 1894, page 7
  7. "Obituary: Joseph W. Wolfskill," Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1944
  8. "Obituary: Death of Mrs. Louisa Wolfskill Yesterday Afternoon," Los Angeles Times, May 30, 1887, page 1
  9. Wolfskill, Louis (27 February 1884). "Death of Louis Wolfskill". No. Los Angeles Herald, Volume 20, Number 165. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  10. Wolfskill, Louis (28 February 1884). "Death of Louis Wolfskill". No. Los Angeles Herald, Volume 20, Number 166. California Digital Newspaper Collection. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  11. California Genealogy and History Archives
  12. "Arboretum," movielocationsplus.com
  13. "William Wolfskill," Hugo Reid Adobe, laokay.com
  14. Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, compiled under direction of Municipal Reference Library, City Hall, Los Angeles (March 1938, reprinted 1966). "Prepared ... as a report on Project No. SA 3123-5703-6077-8121-9900 conducted under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration."
  15. "Federal Grand Jury," Los Angeles Express, May 5, 1894, page 5
  16. "Five-Story Cold Storage," Los Angeles Times, March 28, 1902, page A-3