The Friis-Pioneer Press
Anyone with even a small collection of Orange County history books on the shelf should recognize the name of the Friis-Pioneer Press, printers and publishers of more than 35 books on the history of the county.
The press was founded in 1957 by James J. Friis (1928-2009) in partnership with his father, Anaheim historian Leo J. Friis (1901-1980). Since 1953 they had been publishing a historical magazine, first known as the Masonic Herald, then the California Herald, which became the official publication of the Native Daughters of the Golden West in 1956 and survived until1971.
When they moved into the printing and publishing business, they chose the name Pioneer Press. Only years later did they discover that there was another Pioneer Press which published radical political literature; so in 1974 the business was renamed the Friis-Pioneer Press.
Their output ran largely to local history and amateur poetry (with a few curious exceptions). Most of their books were self-published by their authors. Others were funded by organizations – notably the Orange County Historical Society.
J.J. Friis had studied printing in junior college and ran their print shop in Santa Ana until it was sold in the early 1990s. Besides books and magazines they did general commercial printing. The last book to carry the Friis-Pioneer imprint was the 2008 reprint of Karen Wilson Turnbull’s Three Arch Bay, which had been originally published by Friis-Pioneer in 1977.
This preliminary listing of books and pamphlets published or printed by Pioneer Press/Friis-Pioneer Press was compiled by my friend Mark Hall-Patton. The descriptions come from their catalogs, dust jackets, forewords, and advertisements in the California Herald. While not necessarily complete, it includes all their major titles.
1961 Herbert Allen Johnston, Dr. Herb; Memoirs of Dr. Herbert A. Johnston, M.D.
“This is the fascinating story of the career of Dr. Herbert A. Johnston, one of Southern California’s greatest surgeons, his early life in Canada, his medical school days at the University of Southern California and the establishment of his practice in Anaheim…. The preparation of these memoirs for publication has been the work of his wife, Margaret.”
1962 Leroy L. Doig, The Village of Garden Grove, 1870-1905
“The volume is a real reading treat and is filled with pictures.”
1962 Leo J. Friis, George W. Barter; Pioneer Editor
“An address delivered at the Southern California Symposium of the Conference of California Historical Societies at the Charles W. Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, 1962. The speaker describes the abilities as well as the eccentricities of George Washington Barter, who founded the Anaheim Gazette, the first newspaper established in Orange County. Barter left Anaheim to go to Los Angeles where he operated the Los Angeles Star and from there went north to Alameda County. Orange County has had some picturesque newspaper men in its time, and Barter shines forth as one of its most scintillating gentlemen of the press.”
1962 Virginia Petty Tidball, Down to Egypt and other Poems
“The volume contains five sparkling narrative poems. Each poem is illustrated with a unique scratchboard drawing…. The reader of these poems will be impressed not only by the beauty and realism, but also by the accuracy of their historic and geographical detail. A wonderful gift for the holiday season. A book the whole family will treasure.” “Sequel to ‘Walk Slowly Joseph.’ Five beautifully written, and geographically correct, narrative poems. Each exquisitely illustrated.”
1963 Don C. Meadows, The House of Bernardo Yorba
“The history loving public is greatly indebted to the author who, as a very young man, made a careful study of Yorba’s home. This structure, one of the more impressive of the early rancho homes, was razed years ago.”
1963 Lillian Zellhoeffer White, In This Our Life
“This book divides naturally into three parts. The first possesses a definite quality of earthiness brightened with an admixture of humor and poignancy. The second breaks forth into verse in a lighter vein. A real delight to those interested in California history are the six concluding poems which reflect the fastness of the Santa Ana Mountains (Orange County). Here actress Helena Modjeska once found her Shangri-La.” “Extremely graphic description of Saddleback Mountain and Bird Sanctuary, just to name a few from the fine collection….”
1964 Edwin H. Carpenter, Henry R. and Blanche C. Wagner
“Unquestionably Wagner was one of California’s greatest historians and bibliographers. His wife, Blanche, was an excellent artist. The author, of the Huntington Library staff, presents excellent biographies of these two talented people.”
1964 Virginia Petty Tidball, Cry of the Bittern
“This narrative poem with its magic imagery and vivid color, is a powerful interpretation of the profound influence of John the Baptist’s spiritual strength upon his contemporaries. Beautiful cloth binding. An ideal Christmas gift.”
1964 Imogen Klatt, Christmas Present
“Smart, deckle edged booklet of 24 pages containing fourteen beautifully written Christmas poems. A treasure for years to come.”
1965 Bernard J. Oliver, Demetrios Discovered America; Life and Work of Dr. Demetrios Stylianou, a Pioneer in Care and Treatment of the Mentally Retarded
“A biography of the life and work of Demetrios Stylianou, ‘a pioneer in the care and treatment of the mentally retarded.’ Dr. Stylianou’s boyhood on the Island of Cypress is vividly described. The scope of his professional work is ably covered. He was name the Orange County, California Outstanding Citizen of 1957. Dr. Stylianou is one of those who has pioneered in a vitally important service to mankind.” Foreword by Gov. Edmund G. Brown.
1965 Allen W. Goddard, Terry E. Stephenson
“Contains a bibliography of Stephenson’s historical writings, compiled by Beatrice E. Cooke.”
1965 Leo J. Friis, Orange County Through Four Centuries [reprinted 1982]
“Orange County, California, from Cabrillo’s voyage along the coast in 1542 through the founding of San Juan Capistrano Mission, the great rancho period, the creation of Orange County, the real estate booms, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, and to the present population explosion in 1965.” “This is the first history of Orange County, California, that has treated the county as an entity rather than as a collection of isolated communities.”
1965 Grace H. Arkley, Poems
“Grace H. Arkley was the mother of Hilda G. Reafsnyder, a longt-time resident of Garden Grove, California. Her clever poem of The Old Maid was written when the author was but eleven years of age. Also included are The Pebble, Spring Wanderlust, The Club Woman, In The Children’s Playhouse, Longings, The Mountains and eight more.”
1965 Bertha Becker, Rambles
“Delightful poems stemming from stories told children when the author was a Nanny.”
1965 Virginia Petty Tidball, Walk Slowly, Joseph
“A small paper book with [an] unusual feature, a dust jacket. Written in narrative style, the author tells of the journey of Mary and Joseph.”
1966 Leroy L. Doig, The Town of Garden Grove
“This book is the second in a series of stories concerning the Garden Grove community. The Town of Garden Grove describes the lives and activities of the people of the community during the ‘New Era’ years, 1906 to 1941. There are 240 pages of narrative plus 24 pages of illustrations and a complete index.”
1966 Bernard J. Oliver, How to be a Successful Person
“A Psychological Guide for Effective Living. Written by a practicing certified psychologist and professor of Sociology and Psychology, Chapman College, Orange, California. Extremely valuable to the general layman . . . easy to read.” “A great book that answers questions perplexing many of us.” “Despite its title this book is not of the ‘get-rich-quick’ variety. Rather, its concern is with conquering insecurity, fear, worry, self-hate and other problems which cause physical disorders, frustrations, unhappiness and emotional disturbances. The book has proved very helpful to many persons.”
1966 Inez Skrede Pierson, Tilda from Tustin, A Schoolgirl’s Journal, 1892
“Children’s Book – ‘Tilda from Tustin,’ by Inez Pierson. Diary of a young girl with setting in Tustin, California. Ages 8-12.”
1966 Clarence Arthur Spaulding, Imprisoned Splendor
“A book that answers some of the questions Life sets and challenges everyone to make more of the talents and powers latent within us.” “Twelve inspirational sermons.”
1966 Lucy Agar Marshall, Verses
1967 Leo J. Friis, The Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum and its Treasures
“Illustrated with lots of photographs. Fine index. This book graphically depicts the many treasures found in this Orange County museum.”
1967 Quill Pen Club, Rawhide and Orange Blossoms; Stories and Sketches of Early Orange County
“[The] Quill Pen Club … was founded in 1925 by the late Amy Viau, poet and short story writer, and Marah Adams, Orange County’s dean of newspaperwomen. Its purpose was to bring together women interested in creative writing, to provide a forum for reading and discussion of manuscripts.”
1967 Leo J. Friis, Christmas at St. Michaels
“Booklet designed by J.J. Friis, tells of the tender Christmas story of how St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Anaheim got its bell. The booklet is designed to serve also as a Christmas remembrance of greeting card.”
1967 Arnold O. Dominguez, José Antonio Yorba I
“The only biography of José Antonio Yorba I, Catalonian soldier with Portolá’s expedition of 1769; co-grantee of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, the only Spanish grant in Orange County. Yorba was the first alcalde in the area. He is buried at Mission San Juan Capistrano. This book was published by the Orange County Historical Society for its banquet honoring the first families of Orange County.”
1967 Dorothy J. Parkander, Poetry
“This book was designed by J.J. Friis and uses type printed only on one side of the sheet, the other side blank throughout…. All type was set by hand. Truly a collector’s item.”
1967 Merthyne Ada Killian, This is an American
“Exquisite parchment paper, soft bound edition. In these trying times, the author tells what it means to her to be an American.”
1968 Leo J. Friis, When Anaheim Was 21
“Through good fortune, a copy of Anaheim’s first business directory has been found! It was printed in 1878, just twenty-one years after the founding of the town and is believed to be the only one in existence. This directory has been faithfully reproduced in When Anaheim was 21, the latest book to be written by Leo J. Friis, well-known California historian. Using the anecdotal approach with sparkles of humor, the author describes Anaheim as it appeared in 1878 with its Chinese quarter, irrigation ditches and wineries.” “A collector’s item – 600 copies printed.”
1968 Orange County Historical Society, Orange County History Series, Volume One [reprint of 1931 edition]
“A collection of papers on Orange County history read before the Society by William McPherson, Alice Grimshaw, Dr. Charles D. Ball, Arthur J. McFadden, J.E. Pleasants, Terry E. Stephenson and others. Excellent material.”
1968 Thomas A. Edson, Tumbling and Roll Progression for Neurologically Handicapped Children [3rd edition]
“Children who have learning impairment problems or fall into the category of Neurologically Handicapped in one degree or another – Cerebral Palsy child, Epileptic child (petit mal), the withdrawn or autistic child, the hyperactive child, and those children lacking in motor coordination and balance from first to sixth grades, depending upon the degree of each pupil’s individual emotional-mental and physical growth – will find this book most helpful. Tumbling gives an outlet for a child who has emotional problems and replaces these problems with self-reliance and self-confidence.”
1969 Charles H. Dennison, Down Memory Lane
“A well-written autobiography beginning in Minneapolis and ending in Laguna Hills where the author spent his last years. When he was but three years old, the United States was only 100 years old. He lived under 20 presidents; saw the gas lights change to electric; saw the coming of the automobile and airplane; radio and television; enormous population explosion; the atomic bomb and many scientific discoveries and the beginning of the Space Age. The author was alert and active until his passing after he had celebrated his hundredth birthday.”
1969 Ethel Jacobsen, California, 1769-1969
“A fine bit of ephemera by a well-known Orange County poet who wrote this poem when the Orange County Historical Society honored the two-hundredth birthday of the golden state of California.”
1970 March Butz, Yorba Linda, Its History
“Fine history on town of Yorba Linda, Orange County, birthplace of President Richard M. Nixon. Fine selection of pictures. Index. Cloth Bound. Available at Yorba Linda District Library or from Pioneer Press.” “Interesting book tracing the history of the town from the pioneers, early business district, school story, library, incorporation, famous citizens such as Richard M. Nixon, Jessamyn West, Julia Foss Alexander Corbitt, Otto Luther and others, through A Forward Look.” [Second edition published by Taylor Publishing Co. of Covina, 1979]
1970 Gene Davis, Barrow Flight and Other Poems
“The author was a well-known geologist and a member of the Leisure World Poetry group, Seal Beach, California. ‘Alaska Autumn’ and ‘The Arctic Plain’ are both mood poems of great sensitivity. ‘Barrow Flight,’ with a similar theme, shows the poet’s skill in handling rhymed couplets.”
1970 Emma Ritter, Life of Love
1970 Coerver Family, Ancient and Modern
1970 Harriet Owens Enderle, Laguna Canyon and Other Poems
“The author has been a long time resident of the Santa Ana valley where she and her late husband Morris owned a ranch now developed into the Enderle Center. Her poem, Laguna Canyon, for which the book is named, was written after many visits to Laguna Canyon in Orange County.”
1970 Garnet Harley Tulene, Reaching Out
“Twenty-two poems of inspiration including ‘My Scriptural Insurance Policy,’ ‘His Living Presence,’ ‘Our All In All,’ ‘Let Your Light Shine,’ ‘Only One Answer’ and many other poems. Beautifully designed paper cover.”
1971 Leroy L. Doig, Newhope Days; An Adventure in Living 1903-1910
“As a boy, Dr. Doig resided at Newhope, a former Reorganized Latter Day Saints community, near Newhope and Heil Streets in Orange County. His unusually retentive memory has permitted him to recall and record details of everyday life in this period which are largely forgotten today. An excellent book of Americana as well as Californiana.”
1971 Gertrude Cable, Three Summers with Pop [2nd edition]
“The last years of the author’s father’s life were replete with visits to different areas in northern California, observations of wild life and reminiscences of the past. A delightful book.”
1971 Enid Alwell, Nobody Told Me
“Since the publication of the author’s first book, Inside Story, many readers have shared with her their feelings about themselves and their relationships. This new volume has been a help to many others. Some of the poems include A-Frame Marriage, Awareness, … and 35 other helpful poems. Many who have personal problems find help knowing others are experiencing similar ones and an author who cares for her readers.”
1971 Barry Singer, A, B, C, . . .
“A book on college education – History and definitions of liberal arts – grades, evaluation and coercion – new concepts. Priced so everyone may own a copy.” “While on the faculty of the University of California, Long Beach [sic], the author wrote this interesting book presenting his controversial views on the subject of grading.”
1971 Gertrude Cable, Mama Came to California
“Mama Came to California is a sprightly styled history of pioneer Yuba County, California. With a gold mine of anecdotal nuggets the author skillfully fashions a series of swift moving composite pictures of frontier life as her mother and other pioneers saw it. Her mother, Sarah Jane McElroy, best known as ‘Sadie’ to her relatives and friends, moves easily and naturally through a period of thirty-five eventful years commencing with the exciting Fifties. Her is a factual story of pioneer life with its bad men, its stalwart law men like Sheriff Hank McCoy, its schools, its churches, its towns, and best of all its resourceful, hard-working people who built the County.”
1972 James H. Boeck, Flight Home
1972 Mary Jane McCarthy, Poems By Aunt Sugar
1972 Margaret & Lowell Edwards, Miles Lowell Edwards … His Ancestors and Descendants
“The American Medical Association presented to Miles Lowell Edwards a Citation for Distinguished Service, declaring that ‘his inventive genius brought about the development of artificial heart valves and whose long devotion to human welfare in the science of medicine has given new life and hope to victims of heart disease throughout the world.’ Commencing with a valuable biography of Edwards, the book traces his family roots back to Charlemagne through two lines. Among his ancestors was a baron present at Runnymede when King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215 and who was one of those appointed to see that the King carried out the terms of the great charter. This book provides an excellent guide to writing genealogy.”
1972 Bowers Museum Foundation, Painters of the West
“This is the first catalogue of the Bowers Museum Foundation which was published to document an outstanding loan collection never before shown as a group. The story of the west begins in 1830 with Catlin, Bodmer, and Miller – three great delineators of that land west of the Mississippi, extending through Bierstadt, Moran, Paxson, Russell, and Remington, concluding with a later group of painters such as Frank Tenney Johnson and Maynard Dixon. Excellent examples of the Taos artists including Joseph Henry Sharp (founder), Blumenschein, Berninghaus, Black, Couse, Henderson, Higgins, Imhoff. Also the great colorists Nicolai Fechin and Leon Gaspard. The exhibig was held at the Bowers Memorial Museum from March 5 to 30, 1972.”
1972 Arturo Barb-Mingo, Poesías
“This book of poems is written in Spanish. Selections include: Mediticaciones, Acreca de la Hombria, Reflexiones, Poemas de un Hombre Negro, Poesias a Jennifer y Christopher, Negra Mia, Poca a Poca and El Alma Nuestra. The author was head of the Modern and Classical Languages Department at Chapman College in Orange, California.”
1973 Leo J. Friis, Orange Culture in Orange County
1973 M. L. Walker, The Progenitors
1973 Alfrieda Hull, From a Thief
“Some of the titles from the index are The Alchemist, A Housing Problem, Elephants are Gray, … What’s in a Thumb and Wind’s Up . . . a total of 36 poems. Miss Hull has spent many years teaching in the Orange Unified School District, with further studies at Chapman College, CSULB and USC. A delightful book.”
1973 Arthur Lee Barb, Of the Hue
“A book of poems written in English. Dr. Barb has translated several of his poems from Poesias in a section of this book entitled ‘Poems from the Spanish.’ Other titles include A Response to Nikki Giovanni’s ‘Beautiful Black Men,’ She Knows Me, Eulogy to Billie Holiday, History and Me, To Magua, To That Kind in Academia, My Love and other poems.”
1974 Maria Ledda Conservatory of Music; General Information
1974 Leroy L. Doig, Not a Shadow in the Sky; An Intimate Story of College Life at “Old Occidental,” 1911-1915
“The sub-title of this book succinctly describes its contents…. Days on the football field, membership in The Order of Mystic Apes, a college fraternity, memories of the faculty and classmates; makes for lively reading.”
1974 Leo J. Friis, David Hewes, More than the Golden Spike
“The only biography of David Hewes, a native of Massachusetts, who came to California in the Gold Rush; his early experiences as a merchant in Sacramento and his ‘earth-moving’ activities which changed much of the ‘face’ of San Francisco. Donor of the Golden Spike which marked the completion of the Transcontinental Railway in 1869. His life in southern California includes much which is pure Americana.”
1974 Florence Cox, Kiss Josey for Me! Authentic Civil War Letters
“A fascinating collection of vividly written letters sent by a Union captain to his wife during the Civil War. ‘Josey’ was their little son, Joseph, who incidentally, died only a few years ago in Glendale. This book won the University of California, Irvine award for the best history in 1974.”
1974 Patricia S. Lindsay, Perceptual Motor Programing
“An increasingly large body of research indicates that many children who have no obvious physical problems are not functioning as totally integrated individuals. Many children have difficulty in school subjects such as reading, writing and arithmetic. The activities proposed in this book are designed to enhance the various motor perceptual areas which will allow the child to respond to his experiences in an organized manner.”
1974 Leroy L. Doig, The Valley Years
“The early teaching career of Dr. Doig at Exeter and his principalship at Woodlake, intertwined with his early married years, constitute the theme of this very human book.”
1975 Wayne Dell Gibson, The Olive Mill: Orange County’s Pioneer Industry
“The chronicle of the mill is a study of Orange County’s agricultural origins, its founding, destruction, and rebirth are the subjects of this story.”
1975 Leo J. Friis, Kleinigkeiten
“This book is written in English. Kleinigkeiten is a German word meaning ‘little things.’ This book is a group of delightful southern California stories including a biography of Rudolph Boysen, creator of the Boysenberry; Glenn Martin, pioneer aviator; the trial of movie star Bebe Daniels for speeding and her sentencing to jail by the irascible Judge Cox; an account of novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz, later Nobel prize winner, learning English by going fishing; and other fascinating tales.”
1975 Leo J. Friis, Anaheim’s Cultural Heritage
“An address touching upon the cultural contributions of some Anaheim pioneers; James M. Guinn, John Frohling, Charles Van Gulpen, George Hansen, Helena Modjeska, Henryk Sienkiewicz and Hans Otto Storm.”
1976 Dixie Edwards, Anaheim … And So It Was
“An authoritative, well-illustrated history of Anaheim as revealed in the delightful conversations between Andy and Annie Anaheim, the Mother Colony’s delightful little symbols.”
1976 Leo J. Friis, John Frohling; Vintner and City Founder
“A biography of John Frohling, professional musician of San Francisco, who entered the California wine business; lived on a Los Angeles vineyard; produced wine; founded the city of Anaheim.”
1976 William X. Halloran, Slaughter of the Innocents
1976 Louise Booth, Villa Park; Then and Now
“In honor of the Bi-Centennial of the United States, this history has been written so that local residents can learn of those who have lived here and contributed to the heritage which this nation celebrates this year. Thus, the Villa Park Bi-Centennial Committee is its publisher; but the sponsorship of the book has been through the Villa Park Historical Society, founded in 1973 to preserve the lore of this city. This book, the first published for the Society, is dedicated to both the old-timers and newcomers who have pride in their history.”
1976 Ethel Pullen, Song For a River
“Prize-winning poems including Santana Wind, Deserted Orchard Above Fontana, Father Serra Passes By, Lost Paradise, Halemaumau, One Goldfinch, Mid-summer’s Even, Sea Rider and others.”
1976 Arthur Lee Barb, Composing Black
1976 Garnet Harley Tulene, Live in the Spirit
“Never Alone, Jesus Said, True Love, The Unfolding of a Rose, The Great Silent Power, Forever Spring, and Count Your Blessings are just seven of the 29 poems in this book. The author has added music and guitar chord markings for easy-to-sing songs including Put A Song In Your Heart, I’m Listening Jesus, Live for Jesus, Take It To The Lord in Prayer and three other inspirational songs.”
1976 Garnet Harley Tulene, Live in the Light
1977 Leroy L. Doig, The City of Garden Grove; the First Twenty Years 1956-1976
“This book completes a trio of three volumes covering the history of Garden Grove from its origin to the present day.”
1977 Karen Wilson Turnbull, Three Arch Bay; An Illustrated History
“A well-written, scholarly history of a delightful coastal community adjoining South Laguna. The author’s thorough research has traced the ‘Bay of the Three Little Windows’ from the time that it was occupied by Indians, through the Rancho Period, the first settlement by white pioneers, the motion picture taking episode, residential development, and municipal organization. The author has masterfully described Three Arch Bay for what it is; a private community of friend people who have learned the gracious art of living happily together.” [reprinted 2008 – the last Friis-Pioneer imprint]
1977 Harvey Pentecost, God and You
“How becoming a Christian changed the author’s life to one of joy and glorious freedom.”
1977 Virginia L. Carpenter, Placentia, A Pleasant Place
“This history is partly the story of Placentia as it appeared week by week in the Anaheim Gazette, 1870 to 1926 and the Placentia Courier, 1925 to 1935.”
1977 Arturo Barb-Mingo, Poesías [enlarged edition]
“This volume is a much enlarged version of his first book of poetry published in the Spanish language.”
1978 Kathleen Persiani, Pass Through My Valley
“After the author’s husband passed on she wrote these twenty beautiful poems. A real help to anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one. The Preface reads ‘Pass through my valley with me, and find that death is only a shadow at the entrance to life eternal.’”
1978 William X. Halloran, Death Before the Light of Day
1978 Mary Minthorn Strench, Uncle Isaac
“This booklet tells the story of Isaac Newton Miles (1842-1899) who lived in a Quaker settlement in Prune Ridge above Scotts Mills in the foothills of the Cascade mountains of Oregon where he built a log cabin. His niece, Mary Minthorn, as a small girl loved visiting her uncle Isaac and at the age of ninety has written of these visits as she remembers them.”
1979 Leo J. Friis, Historic Buildings of Pioneer Anaheim
“Informative reading for all interested in the history of Anaheim, the book moves the reader back into the past for what becomes a chronicle of a remarkable city. Individual chapters focus on the location, use, description, and ownership of significant historic buildings from pioneer Anaheim.”
1980 Leo J. Friis, Jeems Pipes of Pipesville Visits Santa Ana
“Col. Jeems Pipes of Pipesville, whose real name was Stephen C. Massett, visited Santa Ana in April of 1874 when Santa Ana was only four years old. He well describes the town of Santa Ana, the Spurgeon mercantile store (with an excellent itemization of products sold in a pioneer store), the school house, public square, Mott tract, Newport (Old Newport, later called Greenville), Gospel Swamp, Tustin City and Anaheim. Pioneers William and Granville Spurgeon, A.W. Birch, N.O. Stafford, Walter B. Tedford and James and Robert McFadden are but a few important people which Jeems Pipes tells of in this exciting account of Santa Ana.”
1980 Orange County Historical Society, Orange Countiana - Volume II
“A journal of local history. Some of the stories are Dana Point: Historic Embarcadero; Musical Memories of the 1920s; The West Was Still Wild; George Brandriff: Portrait of a Painter; Placentia Pioneers; Orange Park Acres: Cactus to Citrus and more. Authors are Don Meadows, Louise Booth, Doris Walker, George Key, Elaine Smith Baker, Viola Beilin, Peg Bowen, Harold Brewer, Rush Bumgardner, Garland Coltrane, Lynne Pierson, Ed Salter and Beverly Waid.”
1980 Leo J. Friis, At The Bar
“There are three kinds of bars – the bar of justice, a cocktail bar and a sand bar. This book is an accurate account of the first kind of bar through several legal cases occurring during the years the author was in private practice, as Chief Trial Deputy in the Orange County District Attorney’s office, and as City Attorney of Anaheim. This book, designed by J.J. Friis, is factual, easy-to-read, sometimes humorous and always enjoyable.”
1980 Violet L. Gregory, Etchings on the Sand
“This book is divided into three parts: Beach and Mountains, Valley . . . then Hills again; and New Growth. The poet resides in Santa Ana, California, and is a member of several literary and cultural organizations…. Poems include Treasuretrove, Etchings on the Sand, What Force But Love, Vast Rhythmic Tides … Tree Surgery, Hibiscus Give, Purple Grapes and many others.”
1982 Virginia L. Carpenter, The Ranchos of Don Pacifico Ontiveros
“Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros was granted Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana in 1837 by Governor Alvarado. The towns of Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea and Placentia are situated on this land. In 1856 Ontiveros purchased Rancho Tepusquet in Santa Maria and moved his family there in 1857. Through the history of one family, the author has given an exciting picture of life in the early days of the Mexican ranchos to the coming of the Americans. Also included in this volume is a fine genealogy of the Ontiveros family by Erlinda Ontiveros.”
1983 Ivana Freeman Bowman, Westminster Colony, California, 1869-1879
“Westminster Colony is representative of agricultural colony developed during the 1870s, recognized as the decade of colony founding in Southern California. Westminster Colony was part of the first land boom in Southern California. Letters from the first settler in Westminster Colony, John Youell Anderson, a Civil War veteran, are included in the book as well as an alphabetical listing of the colonists and date of arrival.”
1983 Leo J. Friis, Campo Aleman; The First Ten Years of Anaheim
“This book was designed, compiled and indexed by James J. Friis and contains a short biography of his father, Dr. Leo J. Friis. Campo Aleman (‘German Camp’) was the name Spanish-speaking neighbors gave to the colony which was to become Anaheim. This exciting book traces the development of the town, from the arrival of the first colonists by steamer in 1859, through the ten formative years. Anaheim was California’s first successful planned community.”
1984 Virginia L. Carpenter, A Child’s History of Placentia [Second, revised edition]
“The contents cover the Spanish and Mexican Days, early American days, the founding of the town of Placentia, and the town becoming a city. Since this book is primarily written for children, the author added a glossary telling what the words mean; a timeline for Placentia from 1769-1980; additional facts telling where the town is situated, the rainfall, the census, land worth and more. Biographies of founders and early settlers and some other pioneers complete the book. Children of all ages will find this book interesting and a boon to their historical knowledge of this area.”
1984 Francis Herzog Biles, Biles-Herzog Genealogy
“Fine history and genealogical charts of the Biles, Stierheim, Laughry, Myers, Herzog, Keith, Patrick, and Matthews families. The families came from Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, and France. The Keiths and Patricks came during Colonial days. The Biles and Herzogs immigrated to the United States from Germany a few years before the Civil War. The families fought in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.”
1984 Mark Hunt, The Legacy I Leave … in Civil War Letters
“Part I depicts a slice of Americana from crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel in 1843; farm life on a western New York farm in the 1850s to his life as a married man in a new life adventure on the Iowa prairie. Part II portrays the Civil War through graphic Civil War Letters. Excellent illustrations of the time. The writer of the letters was a learned man, and although his spelling wasn’t perfect, his word pictures are superb! This book is fluent, vivid and dynamic!”
1985 Ione Jones, The Trials and Trails of the Berrys
1987 Harriet Owens Enderle, The Enchanted Push-Car (or the Fairy’s Wish)
A children’s book. “The life and adventures of a little handicapped boy who overcame his disability. A moving story.”
1987 Mary Slechta, My Recollections
1987 George and Sue Crosby, Crosby’s Wedding Invitation and Gift Registry
1987 Lee Berry, Sour-Dough and the Navajos
1988 Virginia L. Carpenter, Placentia, A Pleasant Place [2nd, enlarged edition]
“An interesting account of the development of a citrus growing rural community into a thriving city. The author was formerly in charge of the California section of the Placentia Library.”
1988 Orange County Pioneer Council, Centennial Cookbook, 1889-1989; With Historical Vignettes
“Vignettes of Orange County history and favorite recipes of early Orange Countians including those of Katharine Irvine, Bee Dee Spurgeon, Eva Potts, Mrs. J.H. Rankin and others.” [2nd printing, 1989]
1990 Dolores (Diebold) Rosenhamer, History of the Rosenhamer-Oberberger Family
1991 Ethel S. Davis, Living Lessons Along the Way
1991 Frederick M. Barnes, Great New Solos [Costa Mesa: JIB Publishing]
1992 Edwin Heil, California Fulfills Manifest Destiny
1992 Frederick M. Barnes, Great New Solos [another collection - Costa Mesa: JIB Publishing]
1992 Lilian C. Redin, Candlelight and Other Poems
1993 Anaheim Historical Society, Biographical Sketches of Anaheim, Volume III
1994 Lilian C. Redin, Apron Strings and Other Things