WALTER ALLEN VAN LONE

Bio-Sawyers
SURNAMES:   ALLEN, CARY, LADDICK,

A native son who is proud of his association with Santa Clara County is Walter Allen Van Lone, who was born on the old Logan ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains half way to the summit from Los Gatos, October 12, 1863. His father, William D. Van Lone, was a pioneer of California, crossing the plains in 1854 and after mining a while came to the Santa Cruz Moun­tains, where he had first come as early as 1857, and located permanently in 1859. He was married here to Miss Romelia Allen, who was born near Clay­ton, N. Y., July 25, 1836. Her father, Thomas Al­len, was born in Johnstown, N. Y., in 1807, a descend­ant of Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga, and her mother was Anstres Cary, born in Utica, N. Y., in 1811. Three of their children grew up; James J., of Los Gatos, Elizabeth died in California, and Romelia. In 1859 with her brother, James J., she crossed the plains in an ox-team train with Zenas Sikes and his wife to California. Romelia remained with Mr. and Mrs. Sikes at Alviso for a year and then she and her brother came to the Burrell ranch at the Summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains, for a year, then she was with the Hubbard family, wherethere was sickness and death, and she helped them out. In 1862 she married W. D. Van Lone and they farmed in the valley for two years and then purchased a place near Saratoga, then called Mc­Cartysville.

 In 1869 they moved to a farm near Tracy, where they were ranching until 1875, when they returned to the Santa Cruz Mountains and pur­chased a ranch on Bear Creek Road, which they im­proved to orchard and vineyard. There they resided until November 1, 1920, when the ranch was sold and they located in Los Gatos and there Mr. Van Lone passed away May 24, 1922. Their union re­sulted in the birth of six children: Walter, our sub­ject; William of Los Gatos; George of Lexington; James, deceased; Elizabeth, Mrs. Laddick of Alma; and Charles, deceased. Mrs. Van Lone's brother, James Allen, is now ninety years old; he served as postmaster at Tracy from 1906 until 1911, when he resigned and returned to Santa Clara County and makes his home with his sister in Los Gatos. Mrs. Van Lone was very helpful and capable when there was sickness in the homes of the community, waiting on the neighbors when in sickness, sorrow and need, being so well thought of for her qualities as a nurse that a physician said of her, when he came in re­sponse to a call: "You don't need me when you have Dr. Van Lone."

Walter A. Van Lone was educated in the public schools in Tracy and in the Brown district at the Summit. He followed farming, orcharding, and get­ting out tanbark until 1890, when he built a box mill on the home ranch and manufactured box shook from 1892 till 1896. In 1898 he began work as a tool dresser for a local oil company and in 1899 he was with the Golden Gate Oil Company in Moody Gulch. In July, 1901, he went to Santa Maria in the same capacity, for different oil companies, until 1904, when he returned home for a year. In 1905 he was with the Brookshire Oil Company and in 1907 became driller for them, continuing until 1916, when he re­signed and returned to the ranch and worked for a local oil company, and since November, 1920, he has also had charge of his father's estate. In 1890 Mr. Van Lone joined Ridgely Lodge No. 294 of Odd Fellows in Los Gatos and he is also a member of the Rebekahs. He was made a Mason in Hesperian Lodge No. 264 F. & A. M. at Santa Maria, and in all of these orders he is well received and popular.

 Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,  published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1126