Saturday, June 14, 2014

New driveway and address

We finally got our new driveway finished. I did the prep work required by the county ie new culvert and base gravel down. We also had new water service installed and thanks to the water company, we got a deal on the paving.
 While trying to install the water service line across the county road the workers hit some
hard rock and it bulged up the county road pavement. Due to this, they had to come back the next day and dig up the county road to finish there job and the next day I just happened to be there when the company that the water company had hired to fix the county road for the water company showed up. I asked them if they could pave my driveway while they were fixing the county road since they were already there with their equipment and they said yes and quoted me a price i could"t refuse.(I'll add the the pics after it was paved later ( I've taken the pics, just haven't uploaded them yet.) BTW Our New Address is 6900 Beach Drive East. I'll add a pic with the address sign when I get it finished.


Thursday, June 12, 2014

More Family History- Chares S. Bean

As promised, I will continue the story of my Family's Farming History.

Charles Sumner Bean, My Great Great Grandfather was born in the 1st of December of  1865
in Iowa.

Charles S. Bean, Edna Bean, Wallace Bean and Claudia Bean Approx 1949


Charles worked as a sharecropper and moved his young family from place to place.  He and his wife raised five children who were born in Nebraska from 1888 to 1894.  In 1900 he was working as a day laborer and teamster in Omaha City, Nebraska.

Later that year Charles moved his family to Sonoma County, California.  In 1904 Charles contracted to buy 40 acres near Woodworth Station, California, from the P&S Railroad.



The Woodworth Farm cira approx 1925


In 1910 the family, including his mother-in-law, was living at Hessel Station Village in Analy Township of Sonoma County.  Charles worked as a farmer and poultryman.  They remained there in 1920.

Eventually, Charles and his sons dug a well, built two houses (the second one was much nicer and was built about 1924), a water tower, and a barn —  and the Woodworth property became their home.  By 1930 Charles owned the property free and clear and it became a fruit farm.

Charles was remembered for his Gravenstein apples, grapes, and berries.  A neighbor remembered seeing him ride in his horse-drawn buggy by their house on Petersen Road in Cotati and she would yell at him "Hello Old Charlie Bean" and he would sometimes stop and give all the kids a ride on the wagon before returning to his house.  Charles sold the property about 1943.  It is still standing and is located almost at the intersection of Blank Road and Petersen Road.


The Charles Bean Home 2012