Ingersoll's Century History Santa Monica Bay Cities (Being Book Number Two of Ingersoll's Century Series of California Local History Annals), 1908, 1908a, 1894
[p. 140] Chapter II Laying the Foundations. 1870-1880.
[p. 142] Col. Robert S. Baker [ -1894], who thus became an important factor in the history of Santa Monica, was a descendent of an old and well-known family of Rhode Island. He came to California in 1849 and engaged in business in San Francisco, being a member of the firm of Cooke and Baker, who dealt largely in mining supplies. Later he became associated with General Beale in the cattle and sheep business in the northern part of the state and in the Tejon country. With his purchase of the San Vicente, he located to Los Angeles and in 1874 married Mrs. Arcadia Bandini de Stearns, widow of Don Abel Stearns, one of the earliest American settlers of Southern California, and daughter of Juan Bandini, one of the wealthiest and most distinguished of the early Californians. In 1878 he built the Baker block in Los Angeles, at the time the finest business block in the city. He owned through his wife, the Puente and Laguna ranchos and had other large business interests. He was most genial in character and he and his beautiful wife were noted for their lavish entertainments of guests, and they at one time and another were hosts to many distinguished people.
Colonel Baker died March 11th, 1894. His wife still survives him and is now a resident of Santa Monica, passing a beautiful old age in a modern cottage on Ocean avenue, although she is rated as one of the wealthiest woment in California and certainly none of the living daughters of California have had a more romantic or interesting history than Señora Arcadia de Baker.
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"[p. 159] Williamson Dunn Vawter [1815-1894], late merchant and banker of Santa Monica, was a pioneer settler of Southern California and a leading spirit in the material development and business life of his adopted city. He was a descendant of an old and distinguished family, his parents, William and Frances Vawter, both being natives of Virginia. He was born at Mount Glad, near Madison, Indiana, August 28th, 1815. About 1827 the family removed to Jennings county and located on a farm near the town of Vernon. The father proposed to make a farmer of his son; but the lad had no liking for that vocation and soon after the age of twelve went to live with his uncle, Colonel John Vawter, for whom he had a great affection. His first work was driving an ox team between the towns of Madison and Vernon, freighted with merchandise for his uncle's store. This work, by reason of the difficult roads and occasional danger from savages, suited the daring spirit of the boy. Later he became a clerk in the store of his uncle and then partner in the same store, in company with his cousin, Smith Vawter. Together they carried on business in the old brick building at "Vawter's Corner" in Vernon for a period of forty years.
Mr. Vawter served as postmaster of the town for a number of years. He was a leader in early temperance work and was treasurer and custodian of the Bible depository of Jennings county, a branch of the American Bible Society, [p. 161] from its organization. He always took a lively interest in municipal politics and in national affairs. He was a Whig during the life of that political party and a member of the Republican party from its birth. He voted for General William Henry Harrison and in 1888 cast his vote for General Benjamin Harrison.
In 1875 he came to California and was one of the original members of the Indiana colony which was the forerunner of the city of Pasadena. Mr. Vawter purchased a sixty-acre ranch in that colony, which is now occupied by the business portion of that city. Drawn by report of the great advantages offered by the new settlement of Santa Monica which was to become the commercial metropolis of Southern California, he with his sons located here and opened the first general store in the town, in a building on the lots on Fourth street still occupied by the Vawter residence.
As the town commenced to grow he established lumber yards and soon built a planing mill, which proved a boon to home builders. He secured a franchise in 1886 and with his sons built the first street railway, which was for some time operated at a loss. They demonstrated their faith in the future, however, by extending the line to the Soldiers' Home, a distance of about five miles, and he lived to see it a paying enterprise. Wtih his sons he organized the First National Bank of Santa Monica and opened the same in the brick building on the southeast corner of Third and Oregon, which they built in 1888.
Mr. Vawter was married, July 15th, 1834, to Mary Charlotte Tilghman Crowder of Baltimore, Maryland. She died September 22nd, 1851. Her children were Mary Ellen, May, Jane Cravens, William Smith and Edwin James. Mr. Vawter married Charlotte Augusta Knowlton in November, 1852. She was a native of Shrewsbury, Mass. She died in Santa Monica, December 27th, 1893, leaving one daughter, Emma. A son, Charles Knowlton, had died previously.
Mr. Vawter was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church in Santa Monica and was always one of its staunch supporters. He was a man of pure life-both in thought and action. He was pre-eminently just and never intentionally did any man a wrong. At the same time, he was not a man of loud or bold pretense and moved along life's journey doing the right thing at the right time: "because it was the natural outlet for energies which were attuned to those harmonies which could only accord with what was best." The memory of his noble life will linger like a restraining benediction to call us up toward a better standard of thought and action.
Mr. [W.D.] Vawter passed away at his home in Santa Monica, July 10, 1894.
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". . . [p. 163] [W.S. Vawter organized] the Santa Monica Commercial Company in 1894 . . .
" . . . He [E.J. Vawter] was the founder of the Santa Monica Commercial Company, organized to carry out real estate, banking, railroading and other transactions . . . which represents the properties left himself and four sisters by the will of their father. . .
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[p. 164] On the organization of the Commercial Bank of Santa Monica, in 1894, he [Edwin Jackson Vawter, Jr.] became cashier of the institution.
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[p. 250] Chapter VI South Santa Monica and Ocean Park
. . . and in 1894 the Baptist chapel was erected.
[p. 266] Chapter VII Public Institutions
Schools
. . . [p. 266] In 1894 a neat building was provided for the pupils resident in Santa Monica canyon.
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. . . [p. 267] The high school was opened in the Sixth street building [1891] and the first class of five members, Roy Arthur Sulliger, Florence Corle Rubicam, George G. Bundy, Hilda H. Hasse and Delia Sweetser, graduated in 1894.
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[p. 269] School Trustees of Santa Monica
1893-94: Dr. J.J. Place, R.R. Tanner, Nathan Bundy (Clerk).
1894-95: R.R. Tanner, R.P. Elliott, Nathan Bundy (Clerk).
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[p. 282] Newspapers
. . . October, 1894 when he [L.T. Fisher] sold out [the Outlook] to E.B. Woodworth. But before his final retirement he saw his long desired dream of a commercial wharf realized.
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[p. 286] [Santa Monica] City Officials.
1894.-Robert F. Jones, N.A. Roth, J.J. Carrillo, T.L. Lewis and E.J. Vawter were trustees, J.J. Carrillo being president of the board; clerk, C.S, Dales; treasurer, George Boehme; marshal, M.K. Barretto; attorney, R.R. Tanner; library trustees, H.A. Winslow, O.G. Tullis, H.S. DeVan, D.L. Bancroft, H.C. Weyse
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