Orange County
Biographies
RICHARD ROBINSON,
a prosperous farmer of Garden Grove, was born near Ottawa, Canada, in 1827. His parents, Isaac and Margaret (Moses) Robinson, were natives of Ireland, moving to Canada in 1821. The senior Robinson was a shoemaker by trade and also owned a large farm. He died in Canada in 1843, leaving a family of nine children. Richard, the third in the family, received a common-school education and entered business when very young, having to help in the maintenance of the family until 1852, when he started for California by way of Cape Horn on the bark Fanny Major. He landed in San Francisco in September, 1852, and first followed mining for eight months on the Yuba river; then for six months he drove a truck from San Francisco; then followed mining two years in El Dorado County. Next he followed farming two years in Sonoma County, and again sought the mines. In May, 1858, he he went to British Columbia and followed mining there for a year and a half; then he was engaged in mercantile business two and a half years at Kempville, Canada. In 1862 he came again to California, by way of the Isthmus. Until 1872 he followed farming in Sonoma County, and then three years near Colusa City; next for two years he kept a college boarding house at Santa Rosa, and in this lost money. He next went to Tulare County, where he followed farming again for about six years. His next and last move was to Southern California. At Garden Grove he has a fine ranch and is very prosperous.
Mr. Robinson was married in the spring of 1854, in El Dorado County, to Lettie Bolton, also a native of Canada, and a daughter of Richard Bolton, a native of Iowa. The children are: Isaac, Forest, Wellington and Chester Arlington (twins), Mina, Frank, Adda, Byron, Porter (deceased) and Bertha. Mr. Robinson has traveled a great deal and has seen many of the hardest realities of life; but he retains a sympathetic heart and gives a cordial welcome to all his friends.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 865-866
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
GEORGE HOUGH.,
a prominent citizen of Garden Grove, Orange County, was
boy, February 5, 1855, in Lewis County, New York. His parents were Burage and
Mary (Alexander) Hough, natives respectively of Connecticut and New York. The
father removed with his family to De Kalb County, Illinois, in 1837, and died
there, at the age of
sixty-five years. Mr. George Hough, our subject, was the second in a family of
twelve children. He returned to New York State in 1838, and was there married,
in Lewis County, to Miss Hester A., daughter of David and Polly (Puffer)
Tiffany. In 1842 Mr. Hough removed again to De Kalb County, Illinois, where he
was a successful farmer until 1881, when he came to California and bought a
residence in Garden Grove. In 1878 his wife died and July 20, 1887, he married
Mrs. Harriet Walker, whose parents, Daniel and Melissa (Peck) Hoag, were natives
of New York State. She had two children by her former husband—Theodore and
Charles. Mr. Hough's children are: John J. and Calvin, living, and the deceased
are Daniel, Albert, Clinton, Henry, Helen, Mary, Elizabeth and Levantia. Mr.
Hough is a sincere Christian gentleman, and is enjoying the evening of life in
his quiet home at Garden Grove.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 866
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
H. W. HEAD, M. D.,
of Garden Grove, was born in West Tennessee, in 1840. His parents, Dr. Horace and Mary (Brown) Head, were natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee. He received his literary education at Obion, Tennessee, and his medical education at Nashville, and in 1866 began the practice of his profession, in company with his father. After sustaining this relation for ten years, he came to California and bought land near Garden Grove, where he has since given most of his attention to stock-raising and farming. In political matters the Doctor is a zealous and able advocate of Democracy. He was in the Confederate army four years, serving for a time as a Captain in the Ninth Tennessee Regiment. Near Greensboro, North Carolina, he received two wounds, and in 1865 surrendered to Sherman. In 1882–'84 Dr. Head represented Los Angeles County in the Legislature, and was a faithful worker for the late county division. Socially he is a Master Mason.
He was married in August, 1869, to Miss Maria Caldwell, a native of Tennessee and daughter of Waller Caldwell, a wealthy planter. They have an interesting family of seven children, namely: Horace, now a student of the State University; Percie, Flora, Maggie, Bessie, Clare and Mary.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 866
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler