Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Towner, Charles E. 1849 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 12, 2005, 10:05 pm Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) CHARLES E. TOWNER, one of the active, well known and successful pioneers of Santa Monica, is a native of Michigan, born at Homer, December 2nd, 1849. His father was John M. Towner, a native of North Adams, Berkshire County, Mass., and his mother was Emily D. Robinson, born and reared in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Towner raised a family of five children— Henry C., born at Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, N. Y., May 2nd, 1842; entered United States army in 1862 from Manhattan, Kansas, served in Trans-Mississippi Department, came to California in 1883 and is now a resident of Towner Heights. William E., born at Ballston Spa, N. Y., November 28th, 1843, entered U. S. Army in 1862, served in Trans-Mississippi Department; died in Kansas City in 1897. Mary E., born at Homer, Michigan, January 19th, 1846, died single, at Santa Monica, in 1898. H. D., born at Batavia, Kane County, Ill., August 8th, 1852, now residing in Oklahoma. Charles E. Towner, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth of the family. He was born at Homer, Michigan, December 2nd, 1849. From 1851 to 1860 the family lived at Batavia, Ill., and then came west to Kansas where they lived at Manhattan until 1878 when they removed to Colorado, locating on the Platte River at Buffalo Station—about forty miles west of Denver on the Rio Grande Railway. Here they lived until 1883 and then came to Santa Monica. Mr. Towner bought twenty acres of land of Judge Lucas which he improved and sold. Later he purchased twenty-four acres in the same vicinity at $300.00 an acre, which was regarded at that time as a fair price. In 1903 he, in company with W. A. Erwin, purchased three hundred acres of land comprising what is now known as Erwin Heights, promoted the Erwin Heights Land & Water Company, developed water in abundance, laid about twelve miles of water pipe and platted Erwin Heights. Mr. Towner also platted and piped water for the Towner Terrace Tract, of about one hundred acres, and made other substantial improvements. Mr. Towner was the first settler in this now delightful terrace country and has ever been in the lead in the matter of local improvements. This country was originally open and devoid of trees and foliage of any kind, whereas the broad avenues are all lined on either side with tall and stately shade trees, the result of Mr. Towner's personal energy and artistic thrift, which makes Towner Terrace one of the most attractive and homelike residence tracts on the coast. Of the Towner Terrace, about one-half is sold off, and a large amount of money has been expended on streets and water system. Mr. Towner has associated with him other men of large capital and experience in the development of this enterprise. The present Mrs. Towner was Mary E., a daughter of Robert Dobson, a California pioneer and resident of Towner Terrace. Mr. and Mrs. Towner have one son. Charles E. Jr. Mr. Towner has two children by a former marriage C. C. Towner, District Attorney at Abilene, Kansas, and Mrs. Daisy B. Stroup, of Santa Monica, California. General William E. Towner, the progenitor of this branch of the Towners, was born in Massachusetts in 1758. He studied for a physician and served as assistant surgeon and surgeon in Washington's army in the Revolution. He afterwards settled in North Adams, Mass., and married Lurana Chadwick, mother to Charles E. Towner's father. He was successively Justice of the Peace, physician, Brigadier General of Massachusetts Militia, and, in 1812, was appointed Major General of Massachusetts troops. He would have taken the field in 1813 but was taken sick and died at Pownall, Vermont, January 12th, 1813. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative people. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/towner143bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.6 Kb