Los
Angeles County
Biographies
FRANCES A. WESTON
The
sole owner of the Weston Supply Company, the oldest saddle company in the San
Gabriel area, Frances A. Weston is the only woman in the vicinity operating
this type of business. Recently widowed,
Mrs. Weston has ten grandchildren.
Mrs.
Weston was born on October 19, 1885, near Coventry, England. When she was small her family moved to
Nuremberg, Germany, where her father, Frank S. Matthews, a bicycle
manufacturer, started the first bicycle company in that city; they returned to
England when she was ten years old. Her
mother, Elizabeth (Potter) Matthews, was born in Birmingham, England, and was
the mother of ten children, three of whom are still living. From the age of ten until she was nineteen,
Mrs. Weston lived in England and attended private schools and studied with
tutors.
In
1905 Mrs. Weston’s father went to Canada, and she came to the United States, to
New York, as a governess, working in a private home for five years. When her employer found it necessary to go to
Colorado for health reasons, Mrs. Weston accompanied her and there met Alfred
Somerset Weston to whom she was married on January 27, 1913, in Saskatchewan,
Canada.
The
Weston’s came to California in 1923, living first in Long Beach, then in Downey
engaged in the plastering business, then in Yucaipa. In 1937 they came to San Gabriel and started
the Weston Supply Company, selling dairy and ranchers’ supplies at first, and
then manufacturing saddles and selling them retail. After her husband’s death in 1957, Mrs.
Weston sold the custom manufacturing operation and retained the retail
business. In addition to saddles, her
company carries all types of riding equipment as well as western shirts and
moccasins.
Mrs.
Weston is a member of the Community Methodist Church in Temple City, and is a
member of its Wesleyan Guild. She is a
former member and past secretary of the San Gabriel Riders of the Royal Blue.
There
are four daughters in the Weston family, all of whom are graduates of Pasadena
Junior College and are now married. Mrs.
Howard J. (Frances Elizabeth) Floyd is the wife of the assistant superintendent
of the Pasadena School System. Their
three children are: Alfred, who attends
Pasadena High School; Steven, who attends Wilson Junior High School in Pasadena
and is a member of the varsity football team; and Marelyn,
who attends elementary school in Pasadena.
Mrs. Leonard (Joyce Kathleen) Propst lives in
La Puente. Her husband is an electrical
engineer, and they have two sons, Roger, who attends Mt. San Antonio Junior
College, and David, who attends high school in La Puente. Mrs. Dougal (Joan
Anita) Cameron lives in Tustin with her husband, a retired United States Marine
Corps captain who is now with Northrop Aircraft Corporation, and their three
sons: Scott, a high school student in
Tustin; Bruce, a junior high school student in Tustin; and John, who is two
years of age. Mrs. Harry (Barbara Jean)
Pollard lives in Orange. Her husband is
with North American Aircraft Company; their two sons are Eric and Stanley who
attend grammar school in Orange.
Mrs.
Weston enjoys church work and finds recreation in reading outside of business
hours. Her work in her business is very
enjoyable and she has many close friends amongst her customers of long
standing.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 564-565, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES