Los Angeles County, CA, Biographies

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
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WILLIAM RICHARD ROWLAND 
 
is a native son of the Golden West. He was born on La Puente Rancho, Los Angeles 
County, November 10, 1846. He is the son of John Rowland, the pioneer, and Do�a 
Incarnacion (Martinez) de Rowland. He received his education in the public 
schools, at the private school of William Wolfskill and at the College of Santa 
Clara, where he remained three years, viz.: 1858, '59 and '60. In 1871 he was 
elected sheriff of Los Angeles County, and acceptably filled that office about 
five years. July 12, 1871, he married Do�a Manuela, daughter of Colonel Isaac 
Williams, of El Rancho del Chino, and Do�a Jesus Villanueva de Williams. To this
union three children have been born. In 1884 Mr. Rowland and Mr. Burdette 
Chandler commenced boring for oil in the hills on the southeast portion of the 
Puente Rancho. Several shallow wells were drilled, which yielded crude 
petroleum, thus demonstrating that it was an oil-bearing district. Later Mr. 
William Lacy bought out Mr. Chandler's interests, practical oil-borers were 
brought from the oil regions of Pennsylvania, the work of boring was 
systematized, and at the present time (1889) the company has eleven wells bored, 
that yield 150 barrels of oil per day. This product finds ready sale in Los 
Angeles at $2.00 per barrel, and with a demand in Southern California alone for 
an indefinite number of barrels more. Other wells are being drilled, and it is 
the desire of the owners to keep on boring until the yield reaches 1,000 barrels 
per day. They hope to build a pipe-line to the city of Los Angeles, so that the 
product of their wells can be cheaply delivered at that railroad center, from 
whence it can be distributed throughout this whole district. The stimulus of an 
abundance of cheap fuel, in a country where fuel is scarce, to manufacturing 
interests of various kinds, will be very great. Further accounts of this and 
other oil districts of the county can be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. 
Rowland is held in high estimation by all who know him intimately. His thorough 
honesty, his genial nature and his practical good sense make him deservedly 
popular among all classes. Mr. Rowland has a home in Los Angeles where his 
family resides. He also owns the old John Reed homestead on the Puente Ranch, 
where he stays much of the time, looking after his extensive landed, stock and 
oil interests.
 
An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California �  Chicago, The Lewis 
Publishing Company, 1889   Page 762
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler