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Posts published by “Brad Wiley”

The Kendall Family Saga, Part II

The Kendall family settlers in Anderson Valley, founders of Kendall City (soon subsequently renamed Boonville) descended from English, Scots, Irish and perhaps Spanish ancestors. Y.I. Kendall’s wife Flavilla (Fanny) Burnham Kendall was Scots-English (her first…

The Kendall Family In Mendocino County

In early January I spent a couple of fascinating hours with County Sheriff Matt Kendall and his wife Melissa at their home off of Highway 253  west of Ukiah soaking up their ancestral stories.  Both…

The Johnson Ranch (Part 2)

Gary Johnson and I met again at his mother Eva’s house’s back yard to fill in the “rest of the Johnson Ranch story.” I asked Gary about his first memories which took him to recollections…

The Johnson Ranch

Late last month, I spent an afternoon at the Johnson home in Boonville with Gary, Wanda and Gary’s mother Eva, age 89, exploring the history of the Floyd Johnson Ranch, once 4,000 acres at the…

France Meets Anderson Valley: Arnaud & Floriane Weyrich

During a three hour mid-day meal at the Bewildered Pig last month Floriane and Arnaud Weyrich told me the tale of how they migrated to our Valley, raised a family, and upon retrospect found very…

Donald Pardini Remembers Old Navarro (Part 2)

In 1942 Donald finished seventh grade at Navarro’s Laurel School, and began middle school, 7th to 9th grades, at Boonville’s Con Creek School, today the Anderson Valley Historical Society museum.  The bus ride from Navarro up to…

Donald Pardini Remembers His Navarro Childhood

One drizzly afternoon last week I sat around his dining room table with Donald Pardini and son Ernie and listened to Don’s recollections of his early childhood in post-milltown Navarro. What stories and what power…

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