Dixon Family Collection
Finding aid created by Escondido Public Library, Pioneer Room staff using RecordEXPRESS
Escondido Public Library, Pioneer Room
2022
247 South Kalmia Street
Escondido, California 92025
(760) 839-4315
pioneer.room@escondidolibrary.org
http://library.escondido.org/escondidohistory.aspx
Title: Dixon Family Collection
Dates: 1910-2022 (bulk dates 1960-1969)
Collection Number: MS 2022-003
Creator/Collector:
James Benjamin Dixon
Ethel Dixon
Benjamin Franklin Dixon
Frances Elliott
Harold Elliott
Jim Elliott
James Hanson
Jim Dixon
Loyd Woodntt
Burnet Wohlford
Pete Ting
Andrew Coil
Ginger Weinberg
David Weinberg
Irene Weinberg
Albert Young
Ronae Elaine Norman
Bill Norman
Dori Norman
Jana Norman
Dixon
McNeal
Elliott
Hanson
Wohlford
Ting
Coil
Weinberg
Young
Norman
Escondido Mutual Water Company
Time-Advocate Newspaper
Camp Beale
Norman's Wrecking
Extent: 1 scrapbook, 28 photographs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and correspondence.
Repository:
Escondido Public Library, Pioneer Room
Escondido, California 92025
Abstract: James Benjamin Dixon (1886-1978) was one of the pioneering families of Escondido, superintendent of the Escondido Mutual Water
Company, and namesake of the Dixon Dam in Escondido, California. Dixon was son of Benjamin Franklin Dixon (1844-1928) and
moved with his family from Kansas in 1890. B.F. Dixon moved his family to Escondido for citrus ranching following a freeze
that destroyed in Florida groves. J.B. Dixon grew up on his father’s ranch at the east end of the valley, 50 acres off what
is now Valley Center Road. J.B. Dixon was an avidly collected, studies, and classified bird eggs. His collection of about
5,000 eggs from breeding birds of California was donated to Palomar College in San Marcos, California. (source: Times-Advocate,
June 18, 1978)
Mrs. A.W. Coil (d. November 12, 1912) was a member of the Baptist Church of Escondido and passed away at the age of 77 at
her home on Nebraska Ave in Escondido, CA (source: Times-Advocate, November 15, 1912).
Language of Material: English
This collection is open for research.
Dixon Family Collection, Pioneer Room, Escondido Public Library
[Identification of item]. Dixon Family Collection. Collection Number: MS 2022-003. Escondido Public Library, Pioneer Room
This collection was donated to us by James Paul Hawthorne, a genealogy enthusiast from Escondido, California. During our interview,
Hawthorne told us the items belonged to his brother who passed away in 2016. The brother was an avid collector, visiting local
yard sales and scouring Craigslist and social media sites for estate sales, auctions, and yard sales. Hawthorne believes this
collection from the Dixon Family was purchased by his brother on one of these adventures. Hawthorne attempted to contact decedents
of the Dixon family to return the collection to them, but no one in the family returned his messages.
Included with the collection is a document from Hawthorne titled James Benjamin Dixon and is genealogical information on the
man and his family. This was research done by Hawthorne to attempt to contact the Dixon family.
Biography/Administrative History
The items in this collection are in stable condition. Some photographs are damaged and some images are faded on older photographs.
The original Camp Beale envelope shows signs of wear and damage, and the Camp Beale photograph has been removed from the envelope
to the Oversize folder. Loose photographs in the collection have been added to the Photographs folder. Fasteners were removed
from tax bills and replaced with archival clips.
The scrapbook has signs of water damage from an unknown source. Newsprint has caused discoloration and archival paper has
been added between the pages. The scrapbook has been photographed and loose photographs have been moved to the Photographs
folder and notated in the Table of Contents. A loose document titled “A tribute to the memory of friend Benjamin Franklin
Dixon” has been moved to the Correspondence folder. The first set of photo corners was blank and did not hold a photograph
as seen in image “MS 2022-003_Dixon Family Collection_Scrapbook_001.”
The box containing the collections donation is located in the bottom of the archival box. Note that Hawthorne added the adhesive
label “Dixon Family” to the box prior to donating the materials to the Pioneer Room.
Scope and Content of Collection
Correspondence, Ephemera, Genealogical information, Newspaper Clippings, Photographs (1928, 1936, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969),
Tax Bills (1945-1946), Scrapbook (1960-1969)
Escondido, California
Camp Beale, California
Idyllwild, California
Lake Wohlford, California
Lake Dixon, California