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Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Gould family papers
Identifier/Call Number: MVC077
Physical Description:
3.85 Cubic Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1878-1999
Abstract: 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.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior
to your visit.
Language of Material:
English
.
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.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
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.
[Identification of item], Gould family papers, (Collection MVC077), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Virginia Gould (for Richard Gould Trust); gift; 1997.
Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2021.
Our collections are processed using MPLP methods so that we can prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities
for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended
in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org
Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.
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.
Thomas and Ella turned their property into a horticulture business. They developed several strains of petunias, sweet peas,
corn, and lima beans. Ella's petunias were on display in the gardens at the Chicago World's Fair (Columbian Exhibition) in
1893, with a sign: "Grown from seed of Ventura's petunia grower, Mrs. Gould of Ventura, Calif.," thanks to a gift packet of
seeds sent by an unknown admirer to the Park Superintendent of Chicago.
Thomas Gould, Jr., graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1908. He returned to Ventura and worked for his
parents' seed business. He married Mabel Juanita Bartlett in 1911. They had two children, Richard Bartlett (born 1912) and
Margaret Barbara (born 1914). Mabel was an avid gardener and botanist. She studied botany at Stanford University, and her
gardens were based on the philosophy of Theodore Payne, a Southern California horticulturist who led the movement to perpetuate
California's native flora. Thomas worked in the seed business, farmed lima beans on his father's property, and developed the
ranch he had purchased in 1912. By 1923 he had increased his total ranch size to around 65 acres. Thomas also formed a law
partnership in December 1923 with Judge W.L. Pierce, a retired judge. They continued to practice law until after World War
II, when both retired from practice.
Richard Bartlett Gould graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics and sociology in 1934. He also returned
to Ventura and lived in the county until his death in 1991. On April 13, 1935, Richard married Louise Estelle Hudson of Watsonville,
CA. They had three children, Richard Hudson (born 1937), Jean Bartlett (born 1939), and Robert Allen (born 1942). Richard
and Louise divorced in 1956. Richard later married Virginia Kerr Hibbs on August 8, 1958. Virginia (1916-2002) had three sons,
Harry, John and James, from her previous marriage. After graduating from Stanford, Richard worked at a Standard Oil Company
gas station, and began planting lemons on acreage adjoining his parents' ranch. Throughout his farming career, he and his
father were partners. In 1949 Richard and Thomas purchased 176 acres in Camarillo along Beardsley Road. In 1953 Richard subdivided
his Foothill Rd. lemon orchard (with the exception of the house) and started to farm only the Camarillo property until selling
the property in 1977. Richard was also a prominent civic leader in the county. Virginia Kerr Gould was also a member of several
local organizations and boards. She was the founder and director of the Assistance League School in Oxnard - a school that
became a national model for the education of very young, developmentally delayed children. In 1977 Richard and Virginia moved
to the Keys in Ventura. After the death of his father, Thomas Gould, in 1981, Richard and Virginia renovated the Gould home
and lived there until their respective deaths in April 1991 and November 2002.
This collection includes a wide range of materials related to Gould family history and the activities and hobbies of various
family members. The Gould family was active in agriculture, the American Legion, and numerous other local associations. Materials
include clippings, photographs, newspapers, programs, printed ephemera, legal briefs, notebooks, dance cards, scrapbooks,
and cookbooks. The Gould family is related to the Bartlett, Day, and Daly families through marriage, and materials related
to those families may also be in the collection.
The papers are organized at the collection level.
All items in this collection are available in this
Gould family papers Inventory .
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ventura (Calif.) -- Photographs
Fraternal Organizations -- California -- Ventura County
Printed ephemera.
Scrapbooks
Photographs