moved somewhat east, where he bought and developed a good farm until 1874. Then, having read much about California and its advantages to men of thrift and energy, he sold out his holdings and crossed the continent with his family to San Francisco, thence by boat to Wilmington, where they were met by a nephew, W. H. Edwards, and located at Westminster. There were five children in the Samson Edwards family when they came to California: John H., now living in Santa Ana; William J., of Westminster; Mary Isabella, the wife of F. J. Rogers of Santa Ana; Hester Ann, who married C. E. Bowlsby and is deceased; and Nelson T., of Orange. Mr. Edwards formed a partnership with two brothers, John and Thomas Edwards, but at the end of two years they divided their interests equally. In the meantime they had started dairying with good cattle, but they had to haul their products to Los Angeles by team. They paid $18.50 an acre for their land, but to erect the necessary fences and buildings they had to order 250,000 feet of lumber shipped from the North. They raised some of the first corn ever planted in the peat lands, which yielded over 100 bushels to the acre.
His experience in those days afforded Samson Edwards the theme for many a good story. Often he had to drag cattle out of the bog holes with his team and he rode horseback over all that section of country before there were any roads and these he helped to build. He became owner of 160 acres of land, which he developed into a valuable farm with the aid of his sons John H. and William J. He leased the Smeltzer pasturage for some years, and for several years was engaged in the meat business, running the wagons all over what is now Orange County, and through some parts of Los Angeles County, for the country abounded with wild Spanish cattle, hogs and horses. Robert McFadden sold him his first seventy head of wild cattle; he caught and broke wild horses, paying from $22 to $40 a head. All teaming was done with mustangs, as a horse weighing 1,100 pounds was a curiosity. The boys lassoed wild hogs which were then very plentiful in the tules. On account of the dearth of trees thereabouts, Mr. Edwards sent to San Francisco for eucalyptus seed, planted them in beds and then transplanted them to their more permanent places. President of the Westminster Farmers' Club, Mr. Edwards, assisted by his good wife, gave liberally of his time and means for years to advance in every way the best interests of the ranchers. He was a member of the Methodist Church for thirty years, and was instrumental in the building and support of the First Methodist Church in Westminster.
Some years ago, a previous edition of the History of Orange County, in very appropriately noting the life-work of these esteemed, influential pioneers, said among other things: "Mr. Edwards and his wife endured the hardships of pioneer life and assisted by their children, made rapid strides toward success. They helped their children to get a start in the world, thus repaying them for the assistance they gave him in the early struggle in the county. He and his wife have been residents of Santa Ana for the past ten years, and it was here, November 1, 1901, that they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary and were greeted by hundreds of friends from all parts of the county. They are enjoying the fruits of their early labors, and can look back into the past upon lives well spent and to the future for the final call without fear". In the light of the foregoing, it is sad indeed to relate that on March 26, 1912, both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were killed at Santa Ana when their automobile in crossing the tracks was struck by a Pacific Electric car.
