As kids in the mid-late 1960s, during visits to Ontario, California, our grandmother Margaret would sometimes send us to visit Cousin Mary. A short walk down the alley, left on Flora Street and down a couple of houses, these visits were win-win-win propositions–the elderly Cousin Mary got company for 45 minutes or so, grandma gotContinue reading “Linked Memories: Who Was “Cousin Mary”?”
Category Archives: Sandford
Searching for Crossing Paths in the Civil War
Great grandfather Edward Sandford was not our only ancestor to fight in the United States Civil War. Our second great grandfather Aaron Sechler, the father of our great grandfather George Sechler, served in the war for three years. Although they were a generation apart, Aaron Sechler was only three years older than Edward. The 1860Continue reading “Searching for Crossing Paths in the Civil War”
Joe’s Family Provides a Business Advertising Boost
Before concluding that our grandfather Joe Sandford was always a completely proper banker and businessman, we should consider an advertisement found in the Pomona Progress Bulletin in May 1929. Somewhere along the line Joe began selling insurance as a sideline to his job as President of the Pomona Commercial and Savings Bank. In 1929, Joe’sContinue reading “Joe’s Family Provides a Business Advertising Boost”
Linked Memories: The Grass Beneath Our Feet
Following Edward’s death in 1922, great grandmother Annie continued to live at the family home at 541 East D Street. Daughter Helen remained with her, studying music with prominent musicians in the region until mid 1926, then spending two years in Vienna. Returning in 1928, Helen lived at home as she built the Pomona orchestraContinue reading “Linked Memories: The Grass Beneath Our Feet”
Linked Memories: Irrigation Day
Memories of the citrus grove at our grandparents’ home at 501 North Vine Ave in Ontario, California shed light on our ancestry. One evening during a visit in the mid 1960s a tractor came down the alleyway and proceeded to plow trenches along the length of the grove. The entire process took perhaps an hour.Continue reading “Linked Memories: Irrigation Day”
Helen’s Orchestra
After the death of Edward Sandford in October 1922, his wife, Annie, and their daughter, Helen, remained in the family home at 541 East D Street in Ontario, California. Helen, who we knew as Aunt Honey (our grand aunt), was 24 in 1922. Census and city directory entries through the 1920s list Helen initially asContinue reading “Helen’s Orchestra”
The Flight of The Southern Cross and a Memorial to the Founder of Ontario
Two of our grandfather Joe’s favorite stories were… his role in arranging the funeral and burial of George Chaffey, the founder of Ontario, California, on behalf of the Chaffey family, as well as his contributions to the George Chaffey biography, and… his contribution to organizing the first airplane flight from the United States to AustraliaContinue reading “The Flight of The Southern Cross and a Memorial to the Founder of Ontario”
Banking Through The Great Depression
Grandfather Joe Sandford was President of the Pomona Commercial and Savings Bank from 1924 until his retirement. He approached his life and work with strong ethics learned from his parents, Edward and Annie, and his in-laws, Henry and Mattie Swan. Several of his favorite stories were proudly told and retold during his Living History interviewsContinue reading “Banking Through The Great Depression”
Death of an Icon
On the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 1924 our great grandfather Henry Swan presided over a monthly directors meeting of the First National Bank of Ontario, California, where he was the bank president. The routine meeting was adjourned and Henry left for lunch. That afternoon, there was scheduled a monthly board meeting of the EuclidContinue reading “Death of an Icon”
The Pomona Solution
From 1922 to 1923 the best source of information on the Sandford and Swan families is grandfather Joe Sandford’s diary, two dozen typewritten pages in a notebook formerly used by grandmother Margaret during her studies at the University of California at Berkeley. The diary was found by cousin Robert in the crevices of Joe’s oldContinue reading “The Pomona Solution”
Bridging the Silences 