The Gould family first moved to Ventura in 1887, when Thomas Gould (1851-1934) and Ella Elizabeth Crane Gould (1852-1945) moved their family, Ella's family, and Thomas's brother and his wife to the town. The families moved from Caldwell, New Jersey, and Thomas and Ella started a horticulture business. They developed several strains of petunias, sweet peas, corn, and lima beans, some of which were featured at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Thomas Gould, Jr., graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1908, after which he returned to Ventura and worked for his parents' seed business and later opened a law firm. His wife, Mabel Juanita Bartlett, was also an avid botanist. Gould Jr.'s son, Richard Bartlett Gould, graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics and sociology in 1934. He returned to Ventura and began planting lemons on acreage adjoining his parents' ranch. Richard and his wife, Virginia, renovated the Gould home, which is a historic property on Poli and Crimea Streets. This collection includes a wide range of materials related to Gould family history, and the activities and hobbies of various family members. Materials include clippings, photographs, newspapers, programs, printed ephemera, legal briefs, notebooks, dance cards, scrapbooks, and cookbooks. The Gould family is related to the Bartletts, Day, and Daly families through marriage, and materials related to those families may also be in the collection.

The Gould family first moved to Ventura in 1887, when Thomas Gould (1851-1934) and Ella Elizabeth Crane Gould (1852-1945) moved their family, Ella's family, and Thomas's brother and his wife to the town. Thomas Gould was born in Caldwell, New Jersey, and moved to Ventura first to find a home. Thomas and Ella married on April 23, 1880, and had two children, Olive Crane Gould (born 1881), and Thomas Crane Gould (born 1885). Ella and the children resided with the Cranes in Caldwell. Thomas purchased a quarter block at Crimea and Poli Streets, arranged to have a house built on the site, and returned to Caldwell to get the family. In October 1887, an extended family group traveled by train to Ventura. The group consisted of James and Abby Crane, Thomas and Ella Gould and their two children, and Thomas Gould's brother Joseph Paxton Gould (1846-1897), his wife Elizabeth Vreeland (1846-1924), and their daughter Rachel (1887-1967). Joe Gould shortly thereafter bought a citrus farm in Santa Paula.

3.85 Cubic Feet (3 boxes)

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org.

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org.