Sleepy Hollow and the 1940 Federal Census

Yesterday, the 1940 federal census was released for public access (statutes mandate that the decennial censuses cannot be made available until 72 years after the enumeration) and there has plenty of press about overwhelming demand forcing a shutdown of the National Archives Web pages for the census.

Meantime, the recent post covering the 1930 count in the Sleepy Hollow area can now be compared to what took place a decade later,  Between the two was the long-running Great Depression, which led, among many other things, to a major migration to California from such places as the "Dust Bowl" states like Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and the like, which suffered from horrible drought and resulting dust storms.

As to Sleepy Hollow and its environs, there was little population change between 1930 and 1940, although most of those who lived in the community, founded in 1923, had left and newcomers established themselves.

The 1940 census also included a very different format than that of ten years earlier.  For example, all previous censuses back to 1880 had recorded the birthplaces of the parents of the enumerated person (which could be very useful in doing genealogical research,) but only the individual's place of birth is in this count.  However, an interesting addition was the recording of where persons had lived as of 1 April 1935.  This may have been a reflection of the major migrations of people during the Great Depression and it is helpful to know whether people were living in the same place or where they had been five years before.  Finally, again perhaps of the economic turbulence of the previous decade, there are fifteen columns capturing employment information beyond the usual recording of occupation.  These included how many weeks had been worked the prior year, how many hours had been worked in a given week just prior to the censuses and what a worker's 1939 income was.

Another notable aspect to the census when it came to Sleepy Hollow is that the census taker, Evelyn Banwell, in many cases, actually listed the lot and block number of many of the residents, presumably because there weren't identifiable house numbers.  On 18 April 1940, detailed on page ten of enumeration district 36-19 in the Chino township, the enumerator stopped at a farm, identified as "3/4 mile from the county line," this being the residence of Edwin Young, a 58-year old California native, his 41-year old wife Laura, originally from Wisconsin, and their three children, ages 6 to 18.  Five years previously, the Youngs had resided in Orange County, though in a rural area rather than a town or city.

The next stop was at the Workmen's Circle camp, Camp Kinder Ring, now the stables behind the Circle K at the corner of Carbon Canyon Road and Canyon  Hills Road.  There were found Russian natives Sam and Sarah Cutler, 57 and 55 years old, respectively, and both of whom having lived in Los Angeles in 1935.  Sam Cutler was paid $355 a year to be caretaker of the "children's summer camp," as expressed on the return.

The next two households were for ranches described as the "Davis-Fuller Ranch" and the "Weisel Ranch," these evidently being quite near the Workmen's Circle camp.  One or the other may have been to the north where the Oak Tree Estates subdivision is now or south of Carbon Canyon Road.  In any case, the residents were foremen Marion Hitt at the Geisel and his son Don at the Davis-Fuller.  The elder Hitt, born in Nebraska, was with his 45-year old wife and two other children, ages 19 and 17, as well as his wife's mother, 82-year old Emma Pickens.  Don lived with his 20-year old wife and year-old son.  While all the Hitts had lived in Wyoming five years before, Emma Pickens had been in Chino and would likely have been the impetus for her daughter's family to come to California.

Within what was labeled as "Sleepy Hollow Village," were twenty households encompassing a grand total of 46 persons.  Of these, only a few had been there in the last census in 1930. Among those were David Tidwell, his wife Velma and their son David, Jr.  David, Sr. operated a grocery store and filling station where Carbon Canyon Road intersects with Rosemary Lane.  Notably, Tidwell self-declared his property to be worth $20,000, eight times than anyone else in Sleepy Hollow.

Also, remaining from a decade prior was Hungarian native Margaret Marolda, age 61, whose Italian-born husband Antonio had lived with her in 1930, but died during the decade.  Notably, her residence was described as "at county boundary--Sunnybrook."  This place name will be mentioned later.  Then, there was 62-year old Dixon Cecil and his wife Fanny, who'd remained from ten years prior and were listed as living on Francis Drive.  Cecil, who had been a carpenter was, in 1940, working for a water company as a pump attendant making $360 a year.

The only other Sleepy Hollowites (?) who had a connection to the previous census were Reuben and Bertha Mead, but not because they had been there in 1930.  Instead their son and daughter-in-law, Mitford and Della, had been.  Evidently, the latter had left for San Diego and the former moved into the house, described as being on Lot 31, Block 6.  This was a property on Oak Way Lane, on the north side (or hill side) of the road, a little east from the Canyon Market.

Concerning the newer residents of the community, there was Elton Neal, a 42-year old native of Arkansas, who lived "near the county line" and was listed as "proprietor and manager of a cafe and cabin sites."  Perhaps this location was the forerunner of what is now Canyon Market.  Regardless, Neal had been at the same place in 1935. 

The next household was that of Arthur and Mabel Long, who came from Fullerton within the last several years.  Arthur, born in Ohio, worked as a automobile salesman, while his Kentucky-born wife was a housewife.

Then there was Lisle Morehous and his wife, Clara.  Morehous, 63, was from Nebraska but was working, or at least had for a third of the year, as a newspaper linotype operator.  Perhaps he was employed by the Chino Champion, which is still publishing after 125 years.  Clara, also 63, was a native of Iowa.

Following was G. Frederic Schlendering, a 74-year old German, who had come from Fullerton within the previous five years, and was a retired dry goods merchant.  His Maine-born wife, Berniece, was nearly thirty years younger.

The enumeration continued with Madison Boyer, a 77-year old Iowa who had lived elsewhere in San Bernardino County in 1935, and who was listed as a farmer (more likely a cattle rancher?)  His California-born 66-year old wife was Lottie, and the two lived on Oak Way Lane, five lots east of what is now Canyon Market, on the south side of that road and backing up to Carbon [Canyon] Creek.

Across Oak Way Lane and a couple of lots to the west of the Boyers was widow Ida Deraman, 58, who hailed from Ohio, and who had been in the same house five years earlier.  Deraman's neighbors were Reuben and Bertha Mead, mentioned above.

The next household was identified as "in house on hiway" and was that of Jesse and Mary Mull.  Notably, the 62-year old Jesse, from Illinois, was listed as an "investigator, private."  His wife, age 56, was from Maryland.  The Mulls were also in this residence in 1935.

Then, there is another widow, 60-year old Emma Ayers, who hailed from Minnesota and had move down from Madera County, up in the San Joaquin Valley north of Fresno. 

The household following was that of M. Dream (yes, Dream) Hickler, a 66-year old from Michigan, who did not have an occupation and who had been at this location in 1935.

Then, there was George Eischen,a 51-year old native of Minnesota, who came within the last five years with his 50-year old Tennessee-born wife, Gertrude, from Montebello.  He was a wholesale flower grower and, presumably, did not grow his flowers in Sleepy Hollow!

This is a page from the 1940 Federal Census in the Chino Township covering part of Sleepy Hollow as counted by Evelyn Banwell on 20 April.  In the middle of the sheet are listings for persons associated with a mineral springs resort within Sleepy Hollow, as well as the cafe owner at the La Vida Mineral Springs in Brea.  Click on the image to get a larger view in a separate window.  From the National Archives via Ancestry.com.

Census taker Banwell returned to Sleepy Hollow on 20 April and, on Rosemary Lane, the only such identified household on that road parallelling Carbon Canyon Road on the south side of the community in Block 5, was Marie Jameson, age 43, from Kansas and her two sons, Homer, 15, born in Colorado, and Allen, 13, born in Oregon.  The three had been in the same residence in 1935.

Also appearing to be on Rosemary Lane, though listed by lot and block, was widow Sophronia Closson, 73, who hailed from Maine originally and who had moved within the previous five years from Fullerton.

On Francis Drive was C. Terry Dick, 43, and his 40-year old wife, Violet.  Terry, an auto salesman like near neighbor Arthur Long, was from Kansas, while his wife, was from Nebraska.  She also had a job, namely as "masseuse, medicinal baths."

This leads to an interesting aspect to the census, which was a separate count under the heading of "Carbon Canyon Road -- Mineral Bath Establishment."  While the La Vida Mineral Springs resort, a couple of miles to the west in Brea on the Orange County side of the canyon, is well known, there appears to have been a mineral springs resort in Sleepy Hollow, as well.  In fact, some maps refer to the existence of springs on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road, along the creek and east of Canyon Market, though it is not known whether this resort was there or closer to the county line, as seen below.

In one household, number 114, is Victor Baden, 41 and his wife, Katherine, also the same age and their two sons, Vernon, 17, and Leon, 13.  The parents were from Kansas originally and their sons born in California with the family relocating from Garden Grove in the preceding half-decade.  Also in the household was Baden's 67-year old German-born mother, Katherine, who had previously lived in Orange County.  Victor's occupation was "Mineral Bath Manager."  Further listed were Galen Phipps, 32, and his 30-year old wife, Deva, both from Missouri and from where they had come after 1935 from Worth City.  He was listed as "attendant, mineral baths," while his wife was "managing housekeeper."  Then, there were two others, Ormsby Burgess, 41 from Montana and Dora Blodgett, born in Missouri and age 32.  Burgess, who was in Chicago five years before, was a masseur and Blodgett, an attendant at the baths, came from Santa Ana.

Then, there is another interesting reference to the "Sunnybrook Subdivision," which was further descrived as on an "unamed side road west of baths."  This could mean the mineral springs resort was closer to where Rosemary Lane and Hillside Drive meet Carbon Canyon Road and where the creek runs along the south side of the highway. 

In any case, there is the household of Jason Robinson, a 44-year old merchant of "second hand machinery" from Kansas, his Oklahoma-born wife, Edith, age 29, and their two children, Elizabeth, age 3, and Jason, 1, both born in California.  The family had moved from Orange within the preceding five years.  Living with the Robinsons was Horton Moore, 40, who was born in New Mexico and had lived in Wilmington, near Los Angeles Harbor, and was Robinson's business partner.

Then, listed as "at county boundary--Sunnybrook" was Margaret Marolda, mentioned earlier as one of the few residents who had been in Sleepy Hollow in 1930, and Archie and Abbie Rosenbaum.  What is surprising about the latter couple is that they had moved, after 1935, from Orange County, but, specifically, from La Vida Mineral Springs, where Archie, a 58-year old native of Russia, was the owner of the cafe there.  Within a few years, they would move back to the Florence neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they lived for years before he took over the restaurant at La Vida, but, for at least a few years, the Rosenbaums lived in Sleepy Hollow, just over the county line.

It is worth noting that there were six residents counted at "Mountain View Park," the subdivision to the east of Sleepy Hollow built around Canon Lane as it climbs the hills south of Carbon Canyon Road.  Nearby were four men living and working at the "Brown Oil Wells" off Carbon Canyon Road.  Also, off the road was a Basque family, the Chilibolosts, who may have been sheep ranchers.  Two other farming or ranching households were also counted along the road, one being specifically identified as a "stock ranch," meaning cattle or, possibly, sheep.

As for Sleepy Hollow, there were undoubtedly many cabins there that were not occupied full time and so would have been empty when the census taker came around.  Of the 46 persons who were permanent residents, there were only five children.  Many of the adults were elderly and retired and a few were widows.  Only a few had been there in 1930 and almost half arrived within the last five years, quite a few of those coming from various locales in Orange County.