Ozro W. Childs
Encyclopedia
Ozro Childs was a Protestant horticulturalist
, merchant
, and banker in the 19th century in Los Angeles
, California
. He was a founding father of the University of Southern California
.
, in 1824, and received his early education there. His father was a farmer, while one of his grandfathers was a town minister. Like many young people in Vermont, he left for the West
, first for Ohio
, where he earned his living as a schoolteacher. While there, he learned the tinsmith
’s trade.
in California
, he resolved to try his luck in the gold fields. He traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and boarded a ship for Nicaragua
; he crossed the Central America
n peninsula, where he and his fellow passengers endured great hardship, because the promised ship for California did not arrive.
After some delay, he took another ship, and arrived in San Francisco in August, 1850, where he set off for the mines. However, he did not know that coastal Northern California
is very foggy in the winter and summer. The weather aggravated the asthma that would eventually kill him. So, he and a man named Hicks took a ship south, arriving at the San Pedro Bay
harbor.
, and decided to set up a tinsmith
ing and hardware store
. An existing merchant sold them his entire stock on credit. After a few years, Childs was able to buy out his partner, and eventually left the trade with $40,000 in his pocket. Not long afterward, he obtained the contract to build an extension of the Zanja Madre
, a canal
system to bring water to the fields south of the pueblo. He was paid in land in that area – all now within present day Downtown Los Angeles
- from Sixth to Ninth, and Main to Figueroa Street
.
This property was the foundation of his fortune. He built a substantial house at 10th and Main, then a half-mile from town center, and on his property took up planting. In his day, Ozro Childs was Los Angeles’s most prominent plantsman
, with a Plant nursery.
as a partner. Their most significant and long-term success was the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles, which included some of the town’s most prominent citizens as additional investors. Their conservative lending practices allowed the bank to ride out every panic and depression. The Farmers and Merchants Bank was bought by Security Pacific in 1956, and after various mergers it is now within Bank of America
.
, which opened in 1880.
Ozro Childs died at his Los Angeles Main Street home in 1890, leaving 6 living children (out of 10) and a widow who survived him by over 40 years.
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, and banker in the 19th century in 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...
, 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...
. He was a founding father of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Early years
Ozro W. Childs was born in Sutton, VermontSutton, Vermont
Sutton is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,001 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.4 square miles , of which 38.3 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
, in 1824, and received his early education there. His father was a farmer, while one of his grandfathers was a town minister. Like many young people in Vermont, he left for the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, first for Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he earned his living as a schoolteacher. While there, he learned the tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
’s trade.
Northern California
After the discovery of goldCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
in 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...
, he resolved to try his luck in the gold fields. He traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and boarded a ship for Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
; he crossed the Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n peninsula, where he and his fellow passengers endured great hardship, because the promised ship for California did not arrive.
After some delay, he took another ship, and arrived in San Francisco in August, 1850, where he set off for the mines. However, he did not know that coastal Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
is very foggy in the winter and summer. The weather aggravated the asthma that would eventually kill him. So, he and a man named Hicks took a ship south, arriving at the San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (California)
San Pedro Bay is an inlet on the Pacific Ocean coast of southern California, United States. It is the site of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the fifth-busiest port facility in the world and easily the busiest in the Western Hemisphere...
harbor.
Southern California
They walked from San Pedro into the small Pueblo de Los AngelesPueblo 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 decided to set up a tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
ing and hardware store
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
. An existing merchant sold them his entire stock on credit. After a few years, Childs was able to buy out his partner, and eventually left the trade with $40,000 in his pocket. Not long afterward, he obtained the contract to build an extension of the Zanja Madre
Zanja Madre
The Zanja Madre is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. It is referred to as an open, earthen ditch which was completed by community laborers within a month of founding the pueblo...
, a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
system to bring water to the fields south of the pueblo. He was paid in land in that area – all now within present day Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
- from Sixth to Ninth, and Main to Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
.
This property was the foundation of his fortune. He built a substantial house at 10th and Main, then a half-mile from town center, and on his property took up planting. In his day, Ozro Childs was Los Angeles’s most prominent plantsman
Plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener , nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used....
, with a Plant nursery.
Farmers and Merchants Bank
Ozro Childs also invested, largely in land and commercial enterprises, often with Isaias W. HellmanIsaias W. Hellman
Isaias Wolf Hellman was a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist, and a founding father of the University of Southern California.-Biography:...
as a partner. Their most significant and long-term success was the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles, which included some of the town’s most prominent citizens as additional investors. Their conservative lending practices allowed the bank to ride out every panic and depression. The Farmers and Merchants Bank was bought by Security Pacific in 1956, and after various mergers it is now within Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
.
University of Southern California
Ozro W. Childs was also involved in philanthropic work. When Judge Robert Maclay Widney set out to create a university in Los Angeles in the 1870s, he received assistance from donors including Childs. In 1879, Childs contributed a considerable amount of land to the founding of the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, which opened in 1880.
Ozro Childs died at his Los Angeles Main Street home in 1890, leaving 6 living children (out of 10) and a widow who survived him by over 40 years.