Los Angeles County, CA, Biographies

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


THOMAS ANDREW GAREY 
 
was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 7, 1830. His ancestors were German. Young 
Garey was reared in Hagerstown, Maryland, but moved to Iowa in 1847. He started 
for California in 1850, stopping about a year in New Mexico and six months at 
Tubac, Arizona, arriving at San Diego in 1852. At Albuquerque, New Mexico, 
October 27, 1850, Mr. Garey was united in marriage with Louisa J. Smith, a 
native of Massachusetts. Soon after their arrival in San Diego, they came to Los 
Angeles County, first settling at El Monte. Afterward, in 1865, Mr. Garey bought 
land on San Pedro street, Los Angeles, and engaged extensively in the citrus
nursery business, and in this enterprise he has ever since continued. The demand 
for young orange, lemon and lime trees at one period was enormous, and as Mr. 
Garey was a very enterprising and energetic man he did what he could to meet 
this demand. His sales of fruit trees, mostly citrus, one year were about 
$75,000,
and during a period of three years they were $175,000. He sent abroad for the 
best varieties, and it was he who introduced and named the Mediterranean Sweet 
orange, the Paperrine St. Michael, and also the Eureka lemon. Mr. Garey is 
acting president of the Los Angeles County Pomological Society; was overseer of 
the State Grange one term, and of the Council of the District, composed of 
sixteen subordinate granges, and Master of Los Angeles Grange. In connection 
with others, he helped to found both the towns of Pomona and Artesia, in Los 
Angeles County, and the new town of Garey in Santa Barbara County. Latterly he 
has been engaged in the nursery business in Santa Barbara County, at Garey, 
Santa Maria Valley. Mr. Garey has been one o Los Angeles County's most useful 
citizens. He certainly has done his part toward developing its material 
resources. Of their eight children, four are still living and are in Los Angeles 
County. They are A. T., W. E., Margaret A. and Albert H. A. T. Garey, the 
oldest, was born on the Puente Ranch, this county, July 14, 1854. He received 
his education in Los Angeles, and is a nurseryman by occupation. He married May 
10, 1876, Miss Belle, daughter of David and Susan (Thompson) Lewis. They have 
three children living. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were among the pioneers of Los Angeles 
County and lived at El Monte, where they engaged extensively in the cultivation 
of hops, for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Garey reside in East Los Angeles. W. E. 
Garey, the second oldest of the family, a nurseryman by profession, was born in 
San Bernardino County, March 21, 1856. He was married in Santa Monica, in 1884, 
to Miss Laura E. Carpenter, daughter of Stephen F. Carpenter. She is a native of 
Minnesota, born May 10, 1864. They have one child. Margaret A. was born in Los 
Angeles, January 7, 1864. She was married December 13, 1882, to Daniel J. Carr, 
Grand Secretary of the Grand Division of the Brotherhood of Railway Conductors. 
They have one child, Garey Carr. Albert H. is in his fourteenth year, the only 
child now at home with his parents.
 
An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California �  Chicago, The Lewis 
Publishing Company, 1889   Page 746
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler