El Monte: From the Pioneer Days History and Biographical Sketches

El Monte in Pioneer Days

One of the Works Progress Administration projects in the 1930s was to research and write biographies of the pioneers of El Monte California. The WPA assigned this project the number of N-5740. Altogether,workers accumulated 118 biographies of men and women. These biographies range anywhere from 25 words to 1,000 words, the amount of content pursuant to available data at the researchers hands.

Compiled and Written for The City of El Monte

by The Works Progress Administration

Project N-5740

Supervisors: C.D. Maxon, Fred J. Brown, Lee Stoddard, Charles G. Mudd

  1. Alexander, John Henry
  2. Allgeyer, Henry
  3. Andrew, Charles G.
  4. Andrew, Tilghman D.
  5. Asher, Hugh L.
  6. Baker, Isaac Funk
  7. Barnes, William Penn
  8. Barton, Chester R.
  9. Barton, John W.
  10. Bell, Charles M.
  11. Bell, Thomas
  12. Bell, William C.
  13. Blackley, Charley
  14. Bryant, Barney S.
  15. Bunyard, Larkin S.
  16. Burdick, Herbert Alfred
  17. Burdick, Lester C.
  18. Callan, Jacob Mitchell
  19. Cave, Fredrick Payson
  20. Choate, Roger L.
  21. Cleminson, James
  22. Cleminson, James D.
  23. Cleminson, John
  24. Cogswell, Prescott F.
  25. Coleman, Joseph L.
  26. Cuddeback, Grant P.
  27. Cuddeback, Moses Clinton
  28. De Garmo, Rollie F.
  29. Dobyns, George W.
  30. Dodson, William R.
  31. Drake, Alfred C.
  32. Durfee, James D.
  33. Durfee, James R.
  34. Elliott, Alexander
  35. Elliott, William
  36. Farmer, Lewis
  37. Farrington, E.A.
  38. Forst, Frank A.
  39. Freer, Jackson
  40. Freer, James Bascom
  41. Freer, John H.
  42. Freer, Lee
  43. Freer, Martin Stucker
  44. Freer, Thomas
  45. Freer, William H.
  46. Fryer, Henry F.
  47. Fryer, R. C
  48. Garey, Thomas Andres
  49. Gibson, Fielding W.
  50. Guess, Henry
  51. Guess, John
  52. Haddox, John T.
  53. Hannon, J.C.
  54. Hartle, Charles H.
  55. Hayes, John
  56. Heath, Samuel M.
    Samuel M. Heath, came to El Monte in 1851, and died here in 1876. He was noted for his kindness to poor and unfortunate immigrants.
  57. Herbert, Fernando C.
  58. Hicks, Robert
  59. Hoyt, Albert H.
  60. James, William
  61. Jones, Edward B.
  62. Kallmeyer, G. H.
  63. Kerns, Albert Lee
  64. Killian, J. Scott
  65. Lambert, Thomas H.
  66. Lewis, David
  67. Lewis, Fannie
  68. Macy, Dr. Obed
  69. Maltman, Curtis C. M.
  70. Martin, William C.
  71. Martin, William Thomas
  72. Maxson, Benjamin Franklin
  73. Maxson, Benjamin F., Jr.
  74. Mayes, Dr. T. A.
  75. McGirk, John A.
  76. McMichael, Thomas Reece
  77. Metcalf, George
  78. Mills Brothers
  79. Mings, Braxton B.
  80. Olmsted, Perry
  81. Osmund, Michael
  82. Peck, George H., Jr.
  83. Peck, George, Sr.
  84. Prouty, Joseph
  85. Quinn, Michael F.
  86. Quinn, Richard
  87. Reed, Dr. Elgar A.
  88. Reeves, William A.
  89. Renfro, George B.
  90. Repetto, Timoteo
  91. Ritter, David I.
  92. Sappington, Francis P.
  93. Schmidt, Henry
  94. Selbach, E. W.
  95. Shirpser, Ephraim J.
  96. Shirpser, Solomon
  97. Shobe, C. B.
  98. Shugg, William
  99. Slack, Albert
  100. Slack, Arthur V.
  101. Slack, William
  102. Smith, Nicholas
  103. Snoddy, John B.
  104. Snoddy, William M.
  105. Steele, Christopher C.
  106. Stephenson, John C.
  107. Temple, Walter P.
  108. Thompson, Ira W.
  109. Thurman, Alexander Lamb
  110. Thurman, John
  111. Thurman, R. Monroe
  112. Thurman, Stephen D.
  113. Tibbet, Jonathan
  114. Tucker, John A.
  115. Vise, Annie Francis
  116. Wiggins, Archie N.
  117. Wiggins, Thomas Mayes
  118. Woods, Harry Johnstone

Source: C. D. Mayon, F. Brow, L. Stoddard, and C. Mudd; El Monte from the Pioneer Days. WPA Project No. N-5740, 1936. In record 19-187072. (California Historical Landmark No. 765: El Monte). On file at the SCCIC, CSU Fullerton.

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