Los Angeles
County
Biographies
WILLIAM READ
AND HELEN L. READ
An American by adoption, the late William Read found in the west the land of opportunity and belonged to that desirable class of citizens who make their private enterprises public assets. Before coming to California he had been a factor in Montana's development and progress, and the latter part of his life was spent at Los Angeles in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. He was born in Cambridge, England, September 26, 1844, and was a son of John and Mary Read, who were also natives of that country. The father was a prominent banker of Cambridge and on retiring from financial affairs brought his family to the United States, settling in the northwest. Both he and the mother passed away in Utah and were buried there.
William Read had the advantage of a good education, completing his studies in Queen's College, founded at Cambridge in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, the consort of Henry VI, and in 1863, when a young man of nineteen, came with his parents to America. On starting out in life for himself he located at Butte, Montana, where he acquired an interest in the Hagen (Anaconda) copper mines, of which he was a paymaster for a number of years. In 1891 he turned his attention to financial affairs and with a partner established a bank in northwestern Montana. He was elected president of the institution, which grew and prospered under his wise administration, and continued as its executive head until 1904, when he resigned. Afterward he traveled abroad with his wife, visiting many parts of the continent as well as England, and in 1908 they took up their abode in Los Angeles. Here Mr. Read lived retired until his death, which occurred January 22, 1924, when he was seventy-nine years of age, and his passing brought sorrow to all who knew him, for he was liberally endowed with those qualities which inspire strong and enduring regard. He was an astute business man of foresight and initiative and his probity was above question. He considered Los Angeles a most desirable place of residence and rejoiced in the notable progress made by the city during his residence here, which covered a period of sixteen years.
On September 3, 1891, Mr. Read was married to Miss Helen Layton, a native of Iowa and a daughter of Joseph Barton and Burnetta (Erwin) Layton. Of early colonial stock, Mrs. Read is a descendant of John Erwin, who was one of the signers of the Mecklenburg declaration of independence of England, said to have been made at Charlotte, North Carolina, by the citizens of Mecklenburg county May 20, 1775. His son, Joseph Erwin, fought under General Washington in the Revolutionary war, as did also Robert Layton, who organized a company of which he was captain, and for his gallant service received a land grant of four thousand acres in Logan county, Ohio. Mrs. Read's great-great-grandfather was driven from England by religious persecution and with three sons came to America. One son located in New York and another, Captain Robert Layton, the grandfather of Joseph Barton Layton, settled in Virginia. In both the paternal and maternal lines Mrs. Read is eligible to membership in the Society of Colonial Dames. She had three sisters: Mrs. Emma L. Jack, the widow of A. D. Jack, now deceased, a resident of Los Angeles; Mrs. Francis Webster Blackford, now deceased, of Los Angeles, whose husband, a civil and mining engineer, served as city engineer of Butte, Montana, and the engineer who constructed the railroad from Arroyo to Cerro de Pasco, capital of the department of Junin, Peru, where he built for Messrs. Hagen and McCune the largest smelter in the world; and Mrs. Aurelia B. Ferguson, the widow of John A. Ferguson, who was one of the large cattlemen of Iowa. Mrs. Read's brother-in-law, John B. Read, was one of the ablest and best loved journalists in the state of Montana and for many years was editor of Senator Lee Mantle's paper, the Inter-Mountain. Left a widow with a family of six to provide for, Mrs. Read's mother endured hardship and privation and made many sacrifices in order to rear her children properly. She managed to secure for them excellent educational advantages and her children honored her by their successful careers in various parts of the United States.
Mrs. Read taught in a high school at Butte, Montana, where she met her future husband, who was at that time engaged in the banking business and also had large copper interests. Since coming to Los Angeles, Mrs. Read has been active and prominent in her work in connection with the Ebell Club. Of this organization, which is regarded as the foremost woman's club in the world, she was president for four years, from 1924 to 1928, and during that time the new clubhouse at 4400 Wilshire boulevard was erected at a cost of one million dollars. Numbered among the show places of the city, this beautiful structure has attracted widespread notice and visitors from all over the world have pronounced the clubhouse the most perfect example of its type. Under Mrs. Read's supervision the Ebell Club was established and has since maintained a rest cottage for convalescents, the purpose of which is to give temporary shelter to unfortunate women who are in need of financial assistance. Here they are cared for and aided in securing employment, or given such help as each individual may require. The institution has well served its purpose and has become a godsend to many women, who, without its timely service, would have suffered greatly
Mrs. Read has worked untiringly for the Ebell Club and her efforts have been greatly appreciated by its members. She is a life member of the Friday Morning Club, the Women's Athletic Club and of the P. E. O. sorority. Her ability and energy have made her a valuable member of every organization with which she is identified, and her charming manner, gracious qualities and unfailing kindness have endeared Mrs. Read to all who are privilege to know her.
Since 1930 she has been chairman of the Associated Women's Committee of Los Angeles, made up of representatives from thirty-five women's organizations and is maintained with a subsidy from the Bureau of Power & Light. It ministers to unemployed young business and professional women.
Transcribed
by: Jeanne Taylor.
Source: California
of the South Vol. V,
by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 653-656,
Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles,
Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2013 Jeanne Taylor.
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