San Diego County
Biographies
G. D. COMPTON
was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, August 22, 1820. His father, John A. Compton, was a native of Virginia, of English descent; his mother, Susan (Chumley) Compton, also. There came to this family twelve children, born poor and in a slave State. His father was an overseer on a tobacco plantation and received the meagre return of one-twentieth of the crop produced by each negro he worked. G. D. Compton's education was but meagre, consisting of but six months' schooling when he was six years old. At the age of sixteen he could spell only words of three letters. Afterward a lady at the place where he worked gave him some help and the rest of his education he picked up himself as best he could. He worked in the field with the colored men until he was sixteen years of age without any remuneration worth mentioning; then he left home to seek for something better. He traveled until he got hungry, when he stopped and asked for work at the residence of Major Clayborn, who had no work to give him and advised him to go home, but he declined to do so. Major Clayborn then lent him $5 and told him to go to Elder Stone, who would advise him what to do. He stayed all night with Mr. Stone, who finally persuaded him to go back home and returned with him. It was finally agreed that he would take charge of Mr. Stone's son's place in his absence, which he did for three months, and for which he received $100. He then had charge of Mr. Stone's place for three years and cleared $3,000, with which he helped his mother and the children. Soon after he went to Hamilton County, Illinois, and took up a Government claim. Here he became acquainted with Miss Lucy Compton, whom be married. He afterward ascertained that she was his second cousin. After he had paid the justice $2.50 for marrying them he had but $1 left. They lived with a cousin while he cut the logs and built his home. He farmed and improved the place for four years, when he sold out and moved to Adams County, Illinois. He remained there until 1847, then removed to Marion County, Iowa. Here times were hard with him: he worked three months for $8 per month with a Government surveying company. After this he bought a section of Government land at $1.25 per acre, and in 1849 came to California and made a little money. In 1852 he returned by way of the Isthmus and remained the most of the year, when he sold out and started across the plains with his family and others. In Carson valley his wife was taken ill with cholera and died, and he buried her there. He was left with two little children, only one of whom now lives—Jordana, by whom he has two great-grandchildren. After this he again crossed the plains with cattle. In the fall of 1852, after going back to California, he settled on Mokelumne river.
In 1853 he married his second wife, Miss Emily Flood. She was but thirteen years of age, while he was thirty-two. They have seven children, viz.: Mary, Elizabeth, Eda, Charles G., William Sherman, John Lincoln and Angelina Emma. In 1867 he sold his farm and removed to Watsonville on account of his wife's health, remaining there one year, during which time she greatly improved in health, and in the fall of 1868 they came to Los Angeles County, where he laid out and started the town of Compton. Five other families of his acquaintance came and helped to make the town. Here he first started in the real-estate business, in which
he has been so successful since. The Land Company made him their agent and gave him a commission, and thus he became a heavy real-estate dealer. In 1881 he sold out at Compton and moved to Los Angeles, where he became interested with Mr. Widney in starting the first university. He is one of the trustees of the Endowment Fund and of the Ontario University Fund. He also helped to build Downey and did much in Pomona in its settlement.
In 1883, in connection with Mr. Pomeroy, he bought 18,000 acres of land in San Jacinto valley. They laid out San Jacinto and sold it to the Land Company, and Mr. Compton and Mr. James Kerr, as partners, sold the whole property to settlers. Mr. Compton, with three or four others, then bought 4,500 acres of land five miles south of San Jacinto and laid out the nice town of Florida. They have piped water in iron pipes all over the town and have built a brick hotel, a store and about thirty nice, neat new houses. He is now president and superintendent of the Florida Company and is superintendent and one of the directors of the San Jacinto Company and has charge of the settlement of its business. While engaged in those enterprises in 1887 he took charge of the Rialto tract of 30,000 acres of land, laid it out into streets and twenty-acre lots and made a cut ditch that cost $50,000. He sold $240,000 worth of that property and then he declined to continue the business longer. His has been a very busy business life, and he has had much of frontier experience. He was at Carthage when Joseph and Hiram Smith were killed.
Mr. Compton joined the Methodist Church in 1840, to which church his whole family also belong. He has done much for the cause in building churches and otherwise. He is one of the men who voted for President Harrison's grandfather, and was for a long time connected with the grand old Republican party, but is now a Prohibitionist. He has been for sixteen years a school trustee. He is a modest, unassuming man who says of himself: " I never was much, but have held my own pretty well."
He is a fine sample of what a poor boy may become in this country.
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.- 244-245
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
W. J. PROUT
was born in the city of New York, November 25, 1844. He received a good common-school education in the public schools, and when old enough learned the ship and steamboat joiner's trade, with the well-known firm of John E. Hoffmire, and then remained with the firm two years as foreman. April 9, 1868, he left New York for Montana, and for nearly six years he worked in the gold mines of Montana and Idaho. He returned home to New York in 1873, in consequence of a severe accident which befell him while in the mines. Two years later he crossed the continent to California and Oregon. In 1885 he was appointed master mechanic by Colonel Peter French, collector of the ports of Alaska, and held the position until October, 1886, when he sent in his resignation and returned to New York; but, not being able to stand the climate, he returned to the Pacific coast in 1887 and settled in San Diego. He now enjoys the pleasure of a beautiful home, which he has built for himself on Golden Hill. His grandfather, Roger Prout, established the first printing ink manufactory in the United States, in the year 1806, and the business was continued by his sons until 1860. He (Roger Prout) was also president of the Fourteenth Ward Democratic Club in New York city, that first named Andrew Jackson for the Presidency, and raised the first hickory pole in Center Market of New York city.
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.- 245
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler