Early Monrovia Structures Research

William N.

Birthdate:

Researching the life of William N. Monroe is challenging due to questionable historical documentation on his life.  While Monroe was still living, authors desiring to write about him had to interview Monroe himself or his family members. Given the high profile of in Monrovia of the Monroe family, the family stories they told may have presented William Newton in an excessively positive manner.  The family were not inconsistent in their reminiscences.  Different members either remembered events differently or not at all.  The amateur biographers did not extend their research past what family told them nor did they verify from other sources what the family reported.  To keep the family's cooperation coming, writers had to make sure they stayed on the good side of the family by writing flattering articles.  

Even William N. Monroe's own veracity is questionable.  When he was in his 80s, his daughter-in-law, Annetta Evans Monroe, requested that Monroe write an autobiography.  He handwrote at least two of them (these are in the possession of the Monrovia Historical Museum).  The drafts leave out important events and some of the events included are inconsistent or contradict each other.  The manuscripts show that even Monroe's personal accounts are suspect. From reading them, one sees signs of writing and memory issues consistent with aging.

As a result, much of the published information about Monroe—whether found in books or online—repeats unverified, biased, and potentially misleading tales. Scholars need to approach these resources with great caution.

William Newton Monroe was born to Sanderson (aka Sanders) and Catheren Monroe  (nee Monroe.  Sanders and Catherine were first cousins. Catheren's father, Felix was Sanders' brother).  Though at least one source on the Internet indicates William's parent came from Virginia, census and voter lists indicate both were born in Indiana (1) (2).  William's grandfather was born in North Carolina, moved to Kentucky with his family, married there, moved to Indiana with his wife in 1814, started a family and became a successful farmer.  All their ten children were born in Indiana.  Some time between 1850 and 1860, William's grandparents moved to Iowa along with some of their adult children and their grandchildren.  They continued farming, and William's father, Sanderson (aka Sanders) also became a successful farmer.

William N. Monroe, along with his nine siblings, worked on his father's farm.  At the age of 19, William  worked briefly as a teacher in Keokuk, Iowa, until the Civil War broke out.

Following Monroe's military career is problematic.  First of all, the military records for him omit some important dates and information.  For example, Monroe began active duty in 1861 but was discharged for an undescribed disability in March of 1863.  He appears again in a draft registration record in July of 1863.  In another record, Monroe's rank is given as a private on entering the military and a private when he left the military, while another source lists him as a lieutenant.

Family stories of Monroe's service are apocryphal and have not been documented by military sources.  Late in his life at the request of his daughter-in-law, Annetta Evans Monroe, William Monroe hand-wrote at least two sketchy autobiographies which are not complete.  A 10-page biography was written by Edithe Harbison Hathaway (deceased) in 1936, the year Monroe died.  In the biography, Hathaway states that she read her work to Monroe, he made some corrections, she revised it and presented the document to Monroe again. However, Monroe was 94 years-old at the time and died seven months after she completed the biography. Trying to process something read to him at this stage of his life produced some major errors.  For example, Hathaway's work states that both Monroe's parents were from Virginia which is incorrect; they were both born in Indiana.  Additionally, Monroe's mother's name is spelled incorrectly (3).  Unfortunately, some researchers are using online sources such as Hathaway's and the inconsitencies and errors are then perpetuated.  The information below comes only from Monroe's actual military records.

According to Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers (4), Monroe enlisted on 13 June 1861, but he was not mustered (assembled) for active duty until 3 August 1861.  From the same source, Monroe is listed as being with the 1st Cavalry, Company I and having been discharged for some disability 1 March 1863.  In a second source (5), it states that Monroe enlisted as a Private in Company D, 7th Cavalry on 13 June 1861.

Elsewhere in Roster and Record highlighting information on the 7th Cavalry, Monroe is listed as having been commissioned a First Lieutenant on 5 March 1863 (four days after being discharged with a disability) and made a line officer with Company D of the 7th Cavalry (6).

From U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles (Ancestry.com) Monroe is shown as registering for the draft on March 5, 1863 and receiving a commission as a first lieutentant with the Iowa 1st Cavalry, Company I. It states he was mustered out on 23 August 1864.  The reason given for his mustering out is that he resigned (7).

As one can see, even the military records are hard to follow.  The 1st Cavalry was involved some serious fighting while patrolling western Missouri during the period of time Monroe may have been with them (8).  Recruiting for the 7th Cavalry occurred from April to June of 1863, and the companies of that regiment were primarily used in Indian fighting (9), so Monroe could also have been involved with that.

Before William Monroe resigned from the military, he married Mary Jane Hall on 24 December 1863 in Fort Kearny, Nebraska (10).  It is very likely that Monroe was serving with the 7th Cavalry at that time as some of the companies had been posted in Omaha.  Almost a year later, Monroe applied for a military pension as an invalid (11).  There is no other information at this time explaining why he was an invalid.  There are no other documents relating to this, and there is no mention of any disability of any kind in books and newspaper articles that refer to it.

After his military service, Monroe joined his father-in-law, Milton S. Hall,  in contracting work from the railroads to lay track. He eventually went to work on his own and directed track laying in Texas and California. Because of his employment, he was able to make contacts with some very influential people such as Collis Huntington and Joseph Crocker. Additionally, Monroe became familiar with the area around Los Angeles and certainly knew of the planned railways to, from, and within the city of Los Angeles and the effects improved mobility and shipping would have on Los Angeles.  William and his family decided that an area in San Gabriel Valley, at the time owned by Elias Baldwin, would be a good spot to settle.

While he was looking for property, his friend Joseph Crocker, the powerful financiers and railroad mogul employed William Monroe to manage a hotel Crocker had invested in.  The hotel was located by the train station, and Monroe, his wife, and five children moved to Los Angeles from Texas to start a new life.

Monroe purchased 209 acres from Elias Baldwin in 1883.  Monroe's property was nestled against the San Gabriel Mountains and was an excellent spot for growing citrus, avacado and walnuts or for general farming.  According to Steve Baker (6), Monroe encouraged his brother, Campbel Otto, to bring his family to the area.  Campbell Otto (known as C.O.) bought a 30 acre parcel from Baldwin and brought his wife and daughters out in 1884.  William Monroe and his family had been living in tents until a cottage was built where they lived, along with C.O. and family, until William and Mary Jane's house (now located at 150 N. Myrtle Avenue) was built.

1. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1880; Census Place: Keokuk, Wapello, Iowa.

2. Ancestry.com, California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898 (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.Original data - Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California..Original data: Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. Ca), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com.

3. Hathaway, Edithe Harbison. “William William Newton Monroe Was Born June 4, 1841, At ...” Https://Ppolinks.Com, Self-published, ppolinks.com/monrovia/MH E 61 William Newton Monroe Biography.pdf. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

4. 1860 United States Federal Census, Keokuk, Wapello, Iowa, Page: 766; Image: 178, Sanderson Monroe,  online database with images.  Ancestry.com: (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Oct 2024: citing NARA microfilm publication M653.

5. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, National Archives, Ancestry.com (https:www ancestry.com), database with images accessed 16 Oct 2024, citing from the National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; NAI Title:   NAI Number: T288; Record Group Title: Records of the  Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773-2007; Record Group N.