Los Angeles County, CA, Biographies

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John Bangle

John Bangle.�There is not in Los Angeles County, perhaps a man more respected by his 
neighbors than he whose name stands at the head of this biographical notice; and no one 
has done more, in a humble way, for the improvement of the industrial resources of the 
neighborhood than be. To him the people of this valley are indebted for the vast improvement 
made in the cultivation of the English walnut.  He has sought for and obtained the early kind of 
English walnut that bears in half the time of the old kind of walnuts.  Where the old hard-shells 
are from ten to twelve years beginning to bear, the early soft-shells will bear in from five to six 
years.  On his well-improved farm may be seen all kinds of small fruits, such as blackberries, 
raspberries, strawberries, etc., and an orchard of the very best varieties of oranges.  Mr. Bangle 
came to the county a poor man, and by his industry, honesty, and economy, he, with his excellent 
wife, has made a pleasant home, on which rests the smile and blessing of Providence, and where 
all are met with a hearty welcome.  He is a native of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, was born 
November 14, 1816, and is a son of Henry and Catharine (Freizland) Bangle, both natives of North 
Carolina, and of German origin.  Mr. Bangle was married, in his native State, in February 1838, to 
Christina Barringer, by whom he had one son, Alfred, who is now residing in Texas.  After the death 
of his wife, which occurred in 1841, he married Mary A. Miller, by whom he had nine children, four 
of who are still living.  This lady died in 1859, and April 26, 1862, he again entered the ranks of the 
Benedicts, choosing this time for his bride Miss Mary L. Buchanan.  The lady is a native of La Fayette 
County, Mississippi, and the daughter of Obadiah and Eliza (Hunt) Buchanan, of Kentucky and Alabama 
respectively.  Eliza Hunt was the daughter of John Hunt, and her mother�s maiden name was Clement, a 
daughter of Zephaniah Clement, whose father was cast on an island on his way from Europe to America, 
and his tongue was split by the natives because they could not understand him.  He was a pioneer of 
Virginia, and a rich man.  The Hunts were from Scotland, and were also wealthy planters in Virginia, and 
neighbors to the Clements.  John Buchanan was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.  His wife�s maiden 
name was Jane Edwards, and her mother�s name was Sarah Smith, from Ireland.  Mr. Bangle was 
engaged in farming and also kept a store in Mississippi, near Oxford, until he came to California.  He is 
the father of twenty-six children, fifteen of whom a re living.  By his present wife he has the following: 
Eugenia A., wife of T. T. Hooper; D. V. Bangle; Mary E., wife of Richard Throop; Alonzo L., Beulah A., 
Adelbert T., Esther E., Rufus P., Eric T., and Galahorn E.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Bangle are consistent 
members of the Holiness Church at Downey.  Politically, he is a strong supporter of the Prohibition party, 
heartily endorsing by precept and example the principles which it teaches, and he favors every enterprise 
which has for its object the public good.


An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California � Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 
1889 � Page 379

Transcribed by Pat Houser, April 3, 2006