| Notes |
- From May 13, 1964, Pasadena Star News: article written by C. Fred Shoop:
“Spent Girlhood at Rubio Ranch: Eleanor Perkins Clay Reminisces About Life at Professor Lowe’s ‘Farm””:
“You may have heard of the Rubio Ranch.
“We had the good fortune the other day to chat with a ... happy childhood memories of life thereabouts in the Gay Nineties.
“Even more interesting is the fact that she is a relative of Prof. Thaddeus S. D. Lowe, who owned the ranch at the time it was producing much of the foodstuffs with which guests at the professor’s mountain hotels were fed appetizing meals.
“She is Mrs. Eleanor Perkins Clay of 635 Hamilton Street who has spent virtually her whole life in this area and knows a lot about the history of the region.
“She was the daughter of Henry Amos Perkins, whom Professor Lowe brought out from New Hampshire to be foreman of Rubio Ranch. Perkins was the son of Amos Green Perkins, shown in the accompanying photograph with Professor Lowe. Their mothers were twin sisters and the family prominent in New Hampshire in an early day.
“Came as Babe in Arms”
“Naturally Mrs. Clay does not remember all of the early history that took place on Rancho Rubio, as she was but six months old when her parents came here in 1894.
“But she has inherited much of the tradition of those times from her parents and others. Recently she was interested enough in the old ranch--now on Rubio Canyon Road--to visit it. She found the old ranch house still standing but considerably enlarged.
“But that’s to be an Auld Lang Syne chapter in the near future, so let’s go back to Professor Lowe and Henry Amos Perkins.
“The Perkins family came out to California in 1894,” recalls Mrs. Clay. “Although I was very small at the time, I understand there were just three children in the family at the time: Ruth, Raymond and myself, age six months. Later my sister, Anna, was born on the Rubio Ranch.
“As my parents often told me in later years, we came out via the Santa Fe and in Los Angeles father purchased a horse and carriage AND a cow.
“He tied the cow onto the carriage and thus we drove to Pasadena where we were met by Thad Lowe, Jr., son of Professor Lowe. Thad guided us in another buggy to the ranch and father immediately took charge as foreman and started raising fruits and vegetables, grain and poultry for the hotels which Professor Lowe controlled.
“How long my father remained on the ranch I do not know, but as I remember, when I was about five or six, we moved into Pasadena.
“We rented a house on Washington Street, just east of Los Robles, third or fourth house east on the south side. It is still standing, set back from the street quite a ways, with many trees in the front yard.
“In Mining Business”
“Father went into the mining business, which was his real interest, and he continued in that until his passing in 1920.”
“From Pasadena we moved to South Pasadena, where my mother was active in organizing Saint James Episcopal Church. I have been told that in 1899 my parents built a home at 1310 Bank Street--at first it was 1325 Fremont St. They later sold that property to the South Pasadena School board for school purposes. Mother passed away in 1943.”
“Mrs. Clay (Eleanor Perkins) remembers attending public schools here, in South Pasadena and then Los Angeles Polytechnic High.
“She studied nursing and nursed in several doctors’ offices in Los Angeles.
“In 1913, she married Charles W. Clay. Since his death in 1927, she has continued in the nursing profession. She is a licensed vocational nurse and has been nursing in Pasadena and Altadena since 1928.
“She is a member of the Las Flores Chapter of the DAR, Pasadena Pioneers Association, Pasadena Historical Society and Saint James Episcopal Church, South Pasadena.
“Blessed with a cheery, friendly disposition, she has a rich heritage in Pasadena history and loves nursing which gives her an opportunity to be of help to others.
“Asked how long she lived at Rubio Ranch, Mrs. Clay produced a letter from Thad Lowe, Jr., which she prizes highly.
“Under date of Aug. 22, 1952, Thad wrote from Blue Jay, California:
“Answering your query., will say that the Rubio Ranch was purchased about 1891 and was bought to control access to properties upon which he was about to build Mt. Lowe Railway and several hotels.
“The ranch produced oranges, lemons, olives, vegetables and melons. Later we raised hogs there, too. Products from the ranch were consumed at the various hotels: Rubio, Echo Mountain House, the Chalet at Echo Mountain and finally Mount Lowe Tavern (Alpine).
“I remember your father was in charge of the ranch sometime during the ‘90s.
“It was said that Father Rubio, a Franciscan monk from San Gabriel Mission, at one time lived there, hence the name Rubio.
“Just how long your father had charge of the ranch I do not remember but he was there at the time I severed my connection with the Railway, which was about 1896 or early 1897.”
“She also prizes a letter from Thad’s wife, Ruth, who cared for him in the 20 some years he lived on the ranch--happiest years of his life, he told this writer once when I visited him at Blue Jay.
“Mrs. Clay is proud of her mother, as well as her father and the Lowe connections. Her mother was Eleanor Starr, whose ancestors were from Kent, England. One of them was one of the nine incorporators of Harvard University.
“As we wrote earlier, her mother was active in founding St. James Church, South Pasadena, and helped organize the first business and professional women’s groups in South Pasadena.”
Per cemetery records, at time of death lived at the Valley View Nursing Home in Boise, Idaho.
Death Certificate lists informant name and address as:
Eleanor Milberger
2520 Arthur St.
Boise, Idaho 83704
Attorney: Michael B. Howell, 200 N. 4th, #101, Boise, Idaho.
Cemetery record lists date of birth as February 8, 1894.
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Connected Bloodlines
1894 - 1989 (~ 94 years)
