Boyle-Workman family
Encyclopedia
The Boyle-Workman family relates to the pioneer
interconnected Boyle and Workman families that were prominent in: the history
of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles
and American Los Angeles
; the Los Angeles Basin
and San Gabriel Valley
regions; and Southern California
— from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican Alta California
and the subsequent state of California
, United States
.
,now Cumbria
County, England
to Thomas Workman (1763–1843) and Lucy Cook (1771-1830.) When he was fourteen years old, his father inherited a home and property in nearby Clifton from a childless uncle and aunt and the family relocated there. A few years later, his parents made cash bequests for their sons, with which David took one half of his allotment and left England for the United States in about 1817, settled eventually in Franklin, Missouri
, where he opened a saddlery business. In 1822, he returned to the England, took the remainder of his bequest and convinced his younger brother William Workman
(1799–1876) to join him in Missouri.
David ran a successful saddlery for many years, relocating to New Franklin when the original town was destroyed by flooding from the Missouri River
and then to Boonville. One of David's apprentices at the saddlery in Old Franklin was Christopher "Kit" Carson
, who 'ran away' to Nuevo Mexico
in 1826 and became a famed scout, trapper, and explorer. David also made many trips buying and selling general merchandise to and from Mexico and other areas. In 1850, he made a trip to the California gold fields and two years later opened a store in Sacramento, California
. After a fire destroyed it and seven-eighths of the town, David visited his brother, William, a successful cattle rancher at the Rancho La Puente
, east of Los Angeles, and was convinced to relocate there.
In 1825, David Workman married Mary Hook of Virginia, but she died in childbirth along with their child. David then married Mary's sister, Nancy (May 13, 1807–January 30, 1888). The two had three sons: Thomas H. (1832–1863), Elijah H. (1835–1906) and William H.
(1839–1918). While David was gone on long extended trips for business, Nancy raised her sons in Missouri. Upon David's return to Missouri in early 1854, however, the family prepared for the migration to California, leaving Boonville in April and arriving in northern California in the late summer, followed by travel by steamer from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where they were met by William Workman in October.
David drove cattle and sheep to the gold mines for his brother and, on one of these trips in late June or early August 1855, he was killed in Stanislaus County, California
, while seeking to retrieve a stray animal and falling down a steep cliff. His body was recovered by fellow Masons, who arranged for the shipment of his body to Stockton and then on to Los Angeles. In November 1855, David Workman was buried at his brother's private El Campo Santo Cemetery
, now part of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in City of Industry, California
, twenty miles east of Los Angeles.
David's widow, Nancy, and their sons, moved to Los Angeles
. Thomas was killed in a steamer explosion in 1863, but Elijah and William went on to successful careers as saddlers, real estate speculators, and bankers. Both served on the Los Angeles City Council during the 1860s and 1870s. William H. Workman
was Los Angeles' mayor in 1887-88, a parks commissioner in the 1890s, and treasurer from 1901 to 1907. A grandson through William, Boyle Workman
, was on the city council from 1919 to 1927 and served as president of that body. He lost the 1929 mayoral campaign, but published, in 1935, a memoir, "The City That Grew" that is still read.
was named, was born in Ireland. After his mother died, his father migrated to America, but was never heard from again. Andrew and his siblings followed to the United States hoping to find their father, but were unable to do so. Andrew eventually joined the Irish colony of San Patricio
in the department of Mexican Texas
. During the revolution of 1836, the San Patricio Battalion
was destroyed by Mexican forces and the only survivor was Boyle, because his sister had done a favor for the Mexican military commander and begged for the preservation of her brother's life.
Boyle later moved to New Orleans, where he married Elizabeth Christie, the couple having one daughter, Maria Elizabeth (1847–1933). Boyle conducted business in Texas and Mexico and, returning home from one such trip, was on a ship that sank in the Gulf of Mexico
. When it was reported that there were no survivors in the tragedy, Elizabeth Boyle took sick and died. Boyle left his daughter with relatives and, in 1851, migrated to Gold Rush-era San Francisco, where he ran a shoe store. He sent for young Maria and the two remained in the San Francisco Bay Area
for a short while, before they moved down to Los Angeles in 1858.
Boyle acquired the "Paredon Blanco" [White Bluffs] tract east of the Los Angeles River
upon arrival and maintained the successful vineyard
there, as well as running a shoe store in town. He built the first brick house in the area and maintained a comfortable existence. He also served on the Los Angeles Common [City] Council during the 1860s, but died at age 53, in 1871.
, who married Maria Elizabeth Boyle in October 1867, daughter of Andrew A. Boyle (September 29, 1818–February 9, 1871). William H. Workman subdivided portions of "Paredon Blanco" and created the residential communmity of Boyle Heights in 1875m named after his wife. A financial downturn the following year prevented the neighborhood from growing until the famed Boom of the Eighties, which occurred during William H. Workman's term as Los Angeles mayor in 1886 and 1887. Boyle Heights was a fashionable residential area through the end of the nineteenth century, became a multi-ethnic enclave from the 1920s to the 1950s, and is a predominantly Latino community today.
William H. Workman and Maria Elizabeth Boyle Workman's son, Boyle Workman
, was twice Mayor of Los Angeles, and wrote The City That Grew, a history of Los Angeles.
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
interconnected Boyle and Workman families that were prominent in: the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles
Pueblo de Los Angeles
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was the Spanish civilian pueblo founded in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American metropolis of Los Angeles....
and American Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; the Los Angeles Basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
and San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
regions; and Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
— from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
and the subsequent state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
David Workman (Pioneer)
David Workman (November 7, 1797–July 1855) was born in Temple Sowerby, WestmorlandWestmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
,now Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
County, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Thomas Workman (1763–1843) and Lucy Cook (1771-1830.) When he was fourteen years old, his father inherited a home and property in nearby Clifton from a childless uncle and aunt and the family relocated there. A few years later, his parents made cash bequests for their sons, with which David took one half of his allotment and left England for the United States in about 1817, settled eventually in Franklin, Missouri
Franklin, Missouri
Franklin is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 112 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :Franklin is located at...
, where he opened a saddlery business. In 1822, he returned to the England, took the remainder of his bequest and convinced his younger brother William Workman
Workman-Temple family
The Workman-Temple family relates to the pioneer interconnected Workman and Temple families that were prominent in: the history of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles and American Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Valley regions; and Southern California — from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican...
(1799–1876) to join him in Missouri.
David ran a successful saddlery for many years, relocating to New Franklin when the original town was destroyed by flooding from the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
and then to Boonville. One of David's apprentices at the saddlery in Old Franklin was Christopher "Kit" Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
, who 'ran away' to Nuevo Mexico
Nuevo México
-In Mexico:*Nuevo México, Chiapas*Nuevo México, Jalisco*Santa Fe de Nuevo México ; the province or kingdom of which Santa Fe was the capital....
in 1826 and became a famed scout, trapper, and explorer. David also made many trips buying and selling general merchandise to and from Mexico and other areas. In 1850, he made a trip to the California gold fields and two years later opened a store in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. After a fire destroyed it and seven-eighths of the town, David visited his brother, William, a successful cattle rancher at the Rancho La Puente
Rancho La Puente
Rancho La Puente was a ranch in the eastern San Gabriel Valley that, in its fullest extent, measured just under , and remained intact until about 1870. By modern landmarks, the ranch extended from San Gabriel River on the west to just west of the 57 Freeway on the east and from Ramona...
, east of Los Angeles, and was convinced to relocate there.
In 1825, David Workman married Mary Hook of Virginia, but she died in childbirth along with their child. David then married Mary's sister, Nancy (May 13, 1807–January 30, 1888). The two had three sons: Thomas H. (1832–1863), Elijah H. (1835–1906) and William H.
William H. Workman
William Henry Workman was an American politician, banker and businessman. He served two terms as the 18th Mayor of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
(1839–1918). While David was gone on long extended trips for business, Nancy raised her sons in Missouri. Upon David's return to Missouri in early 1854, however, the family prepared for the migration to California, leaving Boonville in April and arriving in northern California in the late summer, followed by travel by steamer from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where they were met by William Workman in October.
David drove cattle and sheep to the gold mines for his brother and, on one of these trips in late June or early August 1855, he was killed in Stanislaus County, California
Stanislaus County, California
Stanislaus County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. As the price of housing has increased in the San Francisco Bay Area, many people who work in the southern reaches of the Bay Area have opted for the longer commute and moved to Stanislaus County for the...
, while seeking to retrieve a stray animal and falling down a steep cliff. His body was recovered by fellow Masons, who arranged for the shipment of his body to Stockton and then on to Los Angeles. In November 1855, David Workman was buried at his brother's private El Campo Santo Cemetery
El Campo Santo Cemetery
El Campo Santo is a cemetery located at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, 15415 East Don Julian Road, in City of Industry, California....
, now part of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in City of Industry, California
Industry, California
Industry is an industrial suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County. Home to over 2,500 businesses and 80,000 jobs, but only 219 residents at the 2010 census - down from 777 residents as of the 2000 United States census - the city is almost entirely industrial...
, twenty miles east of Los Angeles.
David's widow, Nancy, and their sons, moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Thomas was killed in a steamer explosion in 1863, but Elijah and William went on to successful careers as saddlers, real estate speculators, and bankers. Both served on the Los Angeles City Council during the 1860s and 1870s. William H. Workman
William H. Workman
William Henry Workman was an American politician, banker and businessman. He served two terms as the 18th Mayor of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
was Los Angeles' mayor in 1887-88, a parks commissioner in the 1890s, and treasurer from 1901 to 1907. A grandson through William, Boyle Workman
Boyle Workman
Andrew Boyle Workman was a Los Angeles politician and businessman. He served as President of the Los Angeles City Council and, as such, was acting Mayor on occasion. He was the first city councilman to represent District 4 , under the new charter of 1925...
, was on the city council from 1919 to 1927 and served as president of that body. He lost the 1929 mayoral campaign, but published, in 1935, a memoir, "The City That Grew" that is still read.
Andrew A. Boyle
Andrew A. Boyle (September 29, 1818–February 9, 1871), for whom Boyle HeightsBoyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Boyle Heights is a neighborhood east of Downtown Los Angeles on the East Side of Los Angeles. For much of the twentieth century, Boyle Heights was a gateway for new immigrants. This resulted in diverse demographics, including Jewish American, Japanese American and Mexican American populations,...
was named, was born in Ireland. After his mother died, his father migrated to America, but was never heard from again. Andrew and his siblings followed to the United States hoping to find their father, but were unable to do so. Andrew eventually joined the Irish colony of San Patricio
San Patricio, New Mexico
San Patricio is a very small community in Lincoln County, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located on the Rio Ruidoso and U.S. Highway 70, between the communities of Hondo and Glencoe. It is just east of the Lincoln National Forest...
in the department of Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas is the name given by Texas history scholars to the period between 1821 and 1836, when Texas was an integral part of Mexico. The period began with Mexico's victory over Spain in its war of independence in 1821. For the first several years of its existence, Mexican Texas operated very...
. During the revolution of 1836, the San Patricio Battalion
Saint Patrick's Battalion
The Saint Patrick's Battalion , formed and led by Jon Riley, was a unit of 175 to several hundred immigrants and expatriates of European descent who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States in the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. Most of the battalion's members had...
was destroyed by Mexican forces and the only survivor was Boyle, because his sister had done a favor for the Mexican military commander and begged for the preservation of her brother's life.
Boyle later moved to New Orleans, where he married Elizabeth Christie, the couple having one daughter, Maria Elizabeth (1847–1933). Boyle conducted business in Texas and Mexico and, returning home from one such trip, was on a ship that sank in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. When it was reported that there were no survivors in the tragedy, Elizabeth Boyle took sick and died. Boyle left his daughter with relatives and, in 1851, migrated to Gold Rush-era San Francisco, where he ran a shoe store. He sent for young Maria and the two remained in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
for a short while, before they moved down to Los Angeles in 1858.
Boyle acquired the "Paredon Blanco" [White Bluffs] tract east of the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
upon arrival and maintained the successful vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
there, as well as running a shoe store in town. He built the first brick house in the area and maintained a comfortable existence. He also served on the Los Angeles Common [City] Council during the 1860s, but died at age 53, in 1871.
Next Generation
After Boyle's death in 1871, David Workman's son William H. WorkmanWilliam H. Workman
William Henry Workman was an American politician, banker and businessman. He served two terms as the 18th Mayor of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
, who married Maria Elizabeth Boyle in October 1867, daughter of Andrew A. Boyle (September 29, 1818–February 9, 1871). William H. Workman subdivided portions of "Paredon Blanco" and created the residential communmity of Boyle Heights in 1875m named after his wife. A financial downturn the following year prevented the neighborhood from growing until the famed Boom of the Eighties, which occurred during William H. Workman's term as Los Angeles mayor in 1886 and 1887. Boyle Heights was a fashionable residential area through the end of the nineteenth century, became a multi-ethnic enclave from the 1920s to the 1950s, and is a predominantly Latino community today.
William H. Workman and Maria Elizabeth Boyle Workman's son, Boyle Workman
Boyle Workman
Andrew Boyle Workman was a Los Angeles politician and businessman. He served as President of the Los Angeles City Council and, as such, was acting Mayor on occasion. He was the first city councilman to represent District 4 , under the new charter of 1925...
, was twice Mayor of Los Angeles, and wrote The City That Grew, a history of Los Angeles.
See also
- Boyle-Workman family
- William H. WorkmanWilliam H. WorkmanWilliam Henry Workman was an American politician, banker and businessman. He served two terms as the 18th Mayor of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
(January 1, 1839–February 21, 1918) - Boyle WorkmanBoyle WorkmanAndrew Boyle Workman was a Los Angeles politician and businessman. He served as President of the Los Angeles City Council and, as such, was acting Mayor on occasion. He was the first city councilman to represent District 4 , under the new charter of 1925...
(September 20, 1868–December 25, 1942)
- William H. Workman
- Workman-Temple familyWorkman-Temple familyThe Workman-Temple family relates to the pioneer interconnected Workman and Temple families that were prominent in: the history of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles and American Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Valley regions; and Southern California — from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican...
- Pliny Fisk Temple (Francisco P. Temple or F.P.T )Francisco P. TempleFrancisco P. Temple served on the first Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1852.-Biography:...
(February 13, 1822–April 27, 1880) - Josephine M. Workman–Mona DarkfeatherMona DarkfeatherMona Darkfeather was an American actress. During the silent era of motion pictures, from 1911 to 1917, she appeared in 102 movies...
(January 13, 1883–September 3, 1977)
- Pliny Fisk Temple (Francisco P. Temple or F.P.T )
- Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum
- El Campo Santo CemeteryEl Campo Santo CemeteryEl Campo Santo is a cemetery located at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, 15415 East Don Julian Road, in City of Industry, California....
- Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles
- El Campo Santo Cemetery