EDWARDS, WILLIAM J. -- A resident of Orange County for more than forty-six years, William J. Edwards has contributed a large share to the development of the Westminster district, where he continues to make his home. Born in Derinda Township, Jo Daviess County, Ill., April 22, 1858, Mr. Edwards grew up there on his father's 150-acre farm, attending the schools of the neighborhood. His parents were Samson and Diana (Rogers) Edwards, of whom mention is made on another page in this history.
Coming to California in 1874, John H. and William J. Edwards rented a tract of 320 acres of land in the Westminster district, which they farmed in partnership, going in on a large scale in raising grain, potatoes and live stock. After five years the partnership was dissolved, William J. carrying on the ranching alone and meeting with great success, later renting 160 acres from his father, which he farmed for sixteen years, then bought it. He had purchased his present place of forty acres in 1881, and gave it to his three older children, but in 1914 and 1915 bought it back. He is also the owner of the original Edwards homestead of forty acres, which he purchased in 1916. He also has owned and improved three other ranches in the Westminster and Wintersburg precincts, and had 1,280 acres of land in Arizona, near Casa Grande, also property at Seal Beach. In 1914 he erected his attractive bungalow on the Santa Ana-Huntington Beach Boulevard, which he has named "The Tortoise Shell".
In 1878, William J. Edwards was married to Miss Ella Johnson of Garden Grove, born in Solano County, the daughter of Irvin and Elizabeth Johnson, who came there from Missouri. She passed away in 1891, leaving five children; Ernest William, a rancher near Bishop, Inyo County, is married and has five children; Elizabeth Lillian is the wife of Glenn L. Baker, a rancher in Tulare County, and she is the mother of six children; Harry James resides in Hemet, and has two children; Frances Henrietta is the wife of J. W. Stufflebeem, a rancher at Visalia, and they have one child; Bessie Ellen is the wife of George Harris of Lemon Cove, and she has one child by her first marriage with James Harvey. Mr. Edwards' second marriage, which occurred in 1892, united him with Miss Nettie Kelley, born in Nebraska, the daughter of John and Mary J. Kelley, both now deceased. Six children have been born to them; Eugene J. is a rancher near Wintersburg and has one child; Cecil Violet is the wife of Benjamin Craig of Phoenix, Ariz., and has two children; Sylvia Juanita is the wife of Albert G. Kettler, a rancher of Buena Park; Ben Samson, Rufus Henry and Nettie Adelaide are at home.
Of late years, Mr. Edwards has been interested in the citrus and walnut industry and he now has twenty acres devoted to orchard, his Valencia grove now being four years old. Although always a very busy man, with many business interests, he has never allowed himself to become so absorbed in business cares as to forget that a reasonable amount of recreation is a necessity in everyone's life. A number of years ago he had a wagon fitted up especially for camping trips with sleeping and cooking facilities ingeniously arranged. With his family he has taken many camping trips in this wagon, one trip several years ago being through the Yosemite Valley. Mr. Edwards has had the wagon mounted on a Ford chassis so that it is now more of service than ever, especially for long trips, and during the early part of the year 1920 he drove it on a long camping trip in the mountains. Mr. Edwards is a member of the Westminster Drainage District and of the Lima Bean Growers' Association of Smeltzer. An independent, both in religious and political matters, he has lived a consistent, upright life, following his own creed of justice and honesty in all his dealings with his fellowmen. He helped to make the division of Orange from Los Angeles County, and has lived here all those years.
