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Dateline: San Leandro%Dr. Don Fields has passed on to me for review a novel written by Beatrice Vivian Casey, a granddaubhter of Dr. Godfrey Vivian who lived and practiced in Sail Leandro in the period of 2896 to 1914.The novel, “A Stranger Came to the Lucias,” was published in 1973 by Vantage Press of New York, and is based upon historical fact. Its locale is the Monterey County area around the village of Jo-lon and the Mission San Antonio. Fart of the old Mexican rancho described- was condemned by the United States Army to become a portion of Hunter Ligctt Army Training Reservation.Mrs. Casey's grandfather. Dr. Godfrey Vivian, moved to San Leandro in the late 1880's. He spoke several languages and played tire violin and took part in the cultural and community activities of San Leandro.Ur. Vivian's son. Frederick Vivian, was married at St. Uandcr’s Church by Father McEvuy in 1895. His bride also was a San Leandro girl, Sarah Williams, who had been bom at Sother Farm inmSother Farm was one of the most noted country places in Southern Alameda County.. Mr. Sother raised draft homes and cattle and ranged them in the San Leandro Creek canyons now covered by Chabot Reservoir in the 18 6 0's. Today the Sother Farm site is known as Dun-smuir House, and at an earlier era was the country estate of the I. W. HeUma$«n banking family.. Francis Williams, Mrs. Casey’s maternal grandfather, had been a seafarer and had been employed at Sother Farm during the □ril War period. Later in life he bought acreage on Dutton Avenue and raised cherries for market. In 1881 FrankWilliams and his wife helpedill the furnishing of St. Mary’s Convent, when four Dominican nuns arrived and were at first quartered in the empty fnrmer Alameda County Qiurt House, which was on the property purchased for the Convent. \Mrs. Casey’s father, Fred Vivian, was • a newspaper printer and editor. He worked at the Examiner and The Tribune and eventually went to Niles to work on the Niles Herald. In 1901 Fred Vivian founded the King City Rustler. when the town had a population of only 400.Today Mrs. Casey, along with her son. Harry Casey, own Tbn King City Rustler, the Soledad Bee and the Greenfield News, thriving weeklies in the.upper Salinas Lmg Valley.As a newswomen. who grew up in her father's print shop, has written children’s books, a definitive history of the Mission San Antonio, and now moves up (o a detailed historical novel which traces the history of the de Pasqua family from the founding of the Mission in 1769 to the outbreak of World War II in1941.It is a footnote to local his-. ton' to observe that Faxon D. Atherton, the Chi lean-American capitalist who bought up the mortgages of Don Guillermo Castro and in 1864 foreclosed on his rancho at Hayward, also used the same tactic to acquire the old Mexican Milpitas rancho at John In the same era. So some of Mrs. Casey’s story outlined in “The Stranger Came to the Lucias parallels the story of part of Southern Alameda County.Readers who like a colorfully written romance about old California and it’s Mexi-can-American old settler families will savor the over 450 pages of Mrs. Casey’s nostal-, gic playback of history.* ★ *.1 While this column has been concerned for the past few weeks with the Saga of Harry Morae. Super-Sheriff of Civil War Alameda County, we have neglected to record our pleasure at attending many business and cultural events in San Leandro.There have been two important financial institution openings in town in the past two woks — that of First National Bank branch at Bancroft and Dutton, which gave that neighborhood a new, convenient location lo do itsbanking — and that of the elegant Security Pacific National Bank facing the Plaza.Both institutions were accorded a fine old San Leandro welcoipe by the Chamber ofCommerce and public olfi-_ aals with the usual ribbon-cutting. speeches and refreshments.And then there was the fine celebration of Portuguese Immigrant Week culminating with the banquet honoring the various Portuguese Beneficial Societies and their officers. Father Joe Feirrera, Carlos Almeida, and the Steering Committee members are to be congratulated upon the enthusiasm with which eachevent of the week in San Leandro was greeted.★ * *The white go-cart filled with while and colored carnations which was used by Security Pacific as a sidfcwalk • motif during the opening J evokes some comments from community leaders in attendance. Why couldn't the City of.San Leandro or the Downtown Merchants make this type of flower-cart display a permanent feature of tire Plaza area? ;A couple of thousand carnations could be . Linted and handed out each Friday shopping afternoon or evening to women coming downtown to make weekend purchases, at a nominal cost and would really promote San Leandro as a City of Sunshine and Flowers.”VOTE FOR I
Newspaper Details
Daily Review
Hayward, California, US
Thu, Apr 04, 1974
Page 31
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 23 Oct 2018
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