• Early Settlers: The Porter Family

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Benjamin Franklin Porter was born in Tennessee and grew up in Texas. According to biographer Samuel Armor, “He was a  plantation holder in that commonwealth [Texas], and was therefore always a man of influence.” He migrated…

  • Early Settlers: Alex Henderson (blacksmith)

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Alex Henderson was born in Scotland in 1866. When he was five years old he immigrated with his parents Peter and Margaret to Ontario, Canada. At age 19 he apprenticed to learn the blacksmith trade.  After working…

  • Early Settlers: Andrew Rorden

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Andrew Rorden was born on the Island of Fohr in the former duchy of  Schleswig-Holstein, now a part of Germany. In 1872 he immigrated to America and worked for three years for William McFadden in…

  • Charles Chapman and the Citrus Industry

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Charles C. Chapman was Fullerton’s first mayor, and he has been called “The Father of the Citrus Industry.” He was hugely influential in shaping the early direction of Fullerton. But who was he? Where did…

  • The Roots of Inequality: The Citrus Industry Prospered on the Back of Segregated Immigrant Labor

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. It’s no secret that Orange County, including Fullerton, was built on oranges. During the first half of the 20th century, the County became a major producer of citrus for both the United States and the…

  • Chinese Farm Labor and Exclusion in 19th Century California

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. “From 1882, when the first Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, until about 1930, the history of farm labor in California has revolved around the cleverly manipulated exploitation, by the large growers, of a number of…

  • Early Settlers: Charles E. Ruddock (Town Marshal and OC Sheriff)

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Charles E. Ruddock was born in New York 1864. When he was three years old, his parents moved to Wisconsin and bought a farm. In 1884, Charles married Lila L. Ruddock. They had two children: Ray and…

  • Early Settlers: Edward Atherton (Ostrich Farmer)

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Edward Atherton, farmer and owner of the Fullerton Ostrich Farm in the late 1800s and early 1900s, was born in Capetown, South Africa, in 1860.  In 1886 Atherton came to California to sell ostrich plumes, initially…

  • Early Settlers: The Benchley Family

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Edward Kellogg (or E.K.) Benchley was born 1854 in San Francisco, California. He married Emma in 1877 in Ventura. They had two sons (William and Frank) and one daughter (Helen). Helen was born in 1878,…

  • Early Settlers: The Gardiner Family

    The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Alexander Gardiner was a native of Scotland who immigrated to Tennessee at age 18. He then migrated to California in 1868 with his wife Susan, eventually settling on a ranch in what was then known…