San Diego County
Biographies
WILLIAM HASLAM,
of Pleasant Valley, was born December 17, 1828, in Manchester, England. His
father, Peter Haslam, was born in England, and his mother, nee July Curry, was
born in Ireland. They had a family of six boys and two girls. Mr. Haslam was the
fourth child. In 1836, when he was eight years of age, his parents came to the
United States, and settled in the northern part of New York. He attended the
public school there, and at the age of twelve he began to do farm work, spent
one summer on a boat and continued on a farm until eighteen years of age. He
then went to learn the wagon-maker's trade, which trade he followed for six
years and then went back to farming, and for a time engaged in brick-making. In
1852 he removed to Illinois, where he remained three years, when he moved to
Iowa and bought one-fourth section of Government land. After a time he sold that
and went to Missouri and bought a farm. He remained there until 1884, when he
sold out and came to California for the benefit of his step-daughter's health,
and purchased 280 acres of railroad land and took up 160 acres of Government
land in Pleasant Valley. Here he built his residence and other buildings, and
has improved the property, and has 160 acres fenced. He is carrying on a grain
and stock farm, raising horses, mules and cattle.
He was married in 1850 to Miss Lucinda Stewart, a native of Canada. One of her
parents was Scotch and the other American. They had twelve children. She died in
Missouri, in 1868, leaving him with a large family of small children. She was a
good wife and a kind mother. The following are the names of the surviving
members of this family: W.J., the oldest, now married and living near his father
(see next paragraph); Thomas, settled in Missouri; A.J., settled near his
father; D.A., C.D. and W.S. all have homes of their own in Winchester; Lucinda
is married to Mr. McEwen, and lives at San Jacinto; Amanda is married to M.B.
Thomas, and also resides in Winchester; so that nearly all the children are
living near their father. Mr. Haslam was married in June, 1868, to Mrs.
Elizabeth McBride. Mr. Haslam is a member of the Congregational Church at
Winchester, and Mrs. Haslam is a Methodist. While in Iowa he was elected road
overseer and township assessor, and also supervisor; he also held the same
office a part of the time in Missouri, and at the present time is school
director in Winchester. Mr. Haslam is one of the pioneers of Pleasant Valley and
is a good and reliable citizen.
W.J. HASLAM, one of the wide-awake, industrious farmers of Pleasant Valley, was
raised and educated in Missouri, and for eighteen years he was engaged in that
State in farming and stock-raising. In 1885 he came to Pleasant Valley and took
from the Government a 160-acre ranch. He has built a brick house and a good
barn, has planted trees of different kinds, all doing well, and is doing
diversified farming, raising grain, hay, horses, mules and cattle. He has twenty
head of horses and mules, and thirty head of young cattle. He has a fine
two-year-old Norman-Per colt, and an enormous young jack of great value for
breeding purposes. Mr. Haslam is working hard and doing well, and his place has
the appearance of enterprise and thrift. He has also a prosperous apiary of
sixty stands of bees.
He was married January 1, 1876, to Annice Fast, from Illinois. They have eight
children, viz.: William Byron, James Russell, Winslow Grey, John Jay, Myrtle
Viola, Mable Clare, Maud Eva and Roy Chester. The first five were born in
Missouri and the others in Pleasant Valley. Mr. Haslam is a temperance man and
politically has favored the Greenback side of the question.
An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California, from the Earliest Period of Occupancy to the Present Time.... - Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. pp 105-106 Transcribed by Sue Silver