| Thornhill Francis Broome | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1876 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | February 21, 1946 (Age: 67) New York, New York |
| Spouse | Caryl Russell Spoor |
| Children | Elizabeth Broome Miller, Caryl Broome Marquez, John "Jack" Spoor Broome |
Thornhill Francis Broome (1879 – February 21, 1946).
Thornhill Francis Broome was born in Chicago in 1879.[1] His father was William Richard Broome (Date Unknown - 1891) an English gentleman of leisure.[2] His mother was Lady Frances Broome, an Englishwoman whose eccentricities often kept her in the public eye.[3] In 1871, William Richard Broome purchased part of the Rancho Guadalasca Mexican land grant. Lady Frances Broome's defiance of American courts and institutions resulted in the loss of a large amount of her property, which was left to her by her late husband.[3]
Thornhill Broome married Caryl Russell Spoor in 1914.[4][5] Thornhill’s father-in-law, John A. Spoor, was a railroad and banking giant.[6] Thornhill and Caryl moved to Mississippi where they raised two daughters and a son[5][7] - John "Jack" Spoor Broome, Caryl Spoor Bagshaw Broome[8] and Elizabeth “Betty” Thornhill Broome (1920–2009).[9][10] Caryl Spoor was granted a divorce from Thornhill Broome in 1845.[11]
Thornhill Broome was the president of the Midland Warehouses, Inc., Chicago Junction Terminal Building Co., Central Steam Laundry Co., Chicago Linen Supply Co., and Milwaukee Linen Supply Co. Thornhill Francis Broome died on February 21, 1946.[1][12]
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William Richard Broome Land Ownership
William Richard Broome was the owner of the southern portion of the historic Spanish land grant, Rancho Guadalasca in Ventura County.[13] The project area was part of Rancho Guadalasca, a 30,594 acre land grant. Archival information indicates that the land grant was vacant and uncultivated when Ysabel Yorba filed for ownership of the land in 1836. Yorba was born in San Diego in 1789 and married Joseph Maitorena in 1805 at Mission San Diego. She was the daughter of Antonio Yorba from Spain. Her husband was a lieutenant stationed at the Santa Barbara Presidio, and before the couple filed for ownership of the land, Maitorena died. It wasn’t until 1861 that the land grant was officially conferred to Yorba. By 1871, over half of the acreage comprising the original rancho (23,000) was purchased by William Richard Broome, comprising the southern extent of the rancho.[14] Thornhill was made special administrator of the 22,000 acres estate near Ventura after his Mother Lady Francis Broome was removed by the court after not making an accounting of the state for eighteen years. Mrs. Broome lost much of her property because of her refusal to be amenable to the American laws.[15] Thornhill also sought an order for the sale of his Mother’s perishable property.[16] He purchased the land in 1871, and upon his death the land was transferred to William Richard Broome's wife, Lady Frances Broome.
Thornhill Francis Broome Land Ownership & Legal Battle
In 1910, Thornhill gained control of the land after a decade long legal battle with his mother. Thornhill contended that ownership of the land should be passed down and distributed amongst himself and his siblings Montague Watson Broome and Amy Lillian Broome. These appeals found their way to the Superior Courts of California where the courts had to consider a number of questions. "(1) whether the court had jurisdiction to hear and determine the cause, appellant contending in this behalf that neither the complaint nor the lis pendens adequately described the property; (2) whether the trial court erred in finding that the services rendered by plaintiff's counsel were for the common benefit of all the parties to the action; (3) whether the decree of partial distribution entered in the estate of William Francis Broome, deceased, whereunder the plaintiff and the nonappealing defendants, Montague Watson Broome and Amy Lillian Broome, claim as tenants in common an interest in the land subjected to partition can be availed of as muniment of title; and, finally, (4) whether the court erred in failing to find upon the issue that the action was prematurely instituted presented by an allegation of the answer to the effect that the partial decree of distribution of the estate of the testator to the parties to the action had not become final before the date of the filing of the complaint in the action."[17] On November 29 in 1910, Thornhill Francis Broome, filed in the estate of William Richard Broome, deceased, his petition for a partial distribution and in 1909 on on August 4, the defendant Frances Broome had jointly with the defendants Montague Watson Broome and Amy Lillian Broome, filed a petition for the partial distribution of the estate as well. The petitions of the defendant were denied because there was "no provision in the last will and testament of the said deceased for distribution to said defendants save in a manner prohibited by law." Early in 1911 Thornhill Francis, Frances, Montague, and Amy Broome resubmitted a joint stipulation and on June 30, 1911 it was ruled that the plaintiff Thornhill Francis Broome and the defendants Montague Watson Broome and Amy Lillian Broome were entitled to partial distribution of the property. Lady Frances Broome was denied access except to those properties specifically bequeathed to her in her husband's will. She would soon after claim fraud and that "relying upon the terms of said stipulation she was imposed upon and misled to the extent that she did not take or prosecute any appeal from said decree of partial distribution."[18] It was determined that there was not enough evidence which "neither singly nor collectively sufficed" to make a satisfactory case for the showing of fraud. Upon Thornhill Francis Broome's death, the land transferred ownership to his son, John Spoor Broome.
Land Background & Present Land Ownership
The northern portion of the land grant, Rancho Guadalsca, was purchased by Joseph F. Lewis in 1906. This northern portion of the land later became the site of the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. In 2004, the land was re-purposed to become the California State University, Channel Islands for which the library is called the Broome Library. The library's namesake is attributed to his son, John Spoor Broome, who donated money in 1999 to build it. The library opened in April 2004.
Thornhill Francis Broome was a business man and ranch owner in southern California, as evidenced in his ownership of the land that once belonged to his father. In addition to being a ranch owner, his business contributions are evidenced through Broome being the president of the Midland Warehouses, Inc., Chicago Junction Terminal Building Co., Central Steam Laundry Co., Chicago Linen Supply Co., and Milwaukee Linen Supply Co.
When William Richard Broome died, he gave his son, Thornhill Francis Broome, the land. Despite this fact, as previously mentioned, a legal battle occurred in which Thornhill's mother tried to gain control of the land. Thornhill had three children of his own and eventually the land was passed on to his eldest son John Spoor Broome who funded the money to build the CSU Channel Islands Library in 1999. Below is an image of Thornhill Francis Broome's eldest son, John Spoor Broome
Thornhill Broome Beach, named after the aforementioned business man, is part of Point Mugu State Park.[19] The beach is located adjacent to Point Mugu Naval Base and is in close proximity to the land once owned by Thornhill Francis Broome. This beach used to be called "La Jolla State Beach," referring to the nearby La Jolla Canyon, which retains its name. The name change took place some time in the 1980s or 1990's, probably partially to avoid confusion with La Jolla and La Jolla Shores in San Diego County. The use of the name "La Jolla State Beach" still can be found on government documents, e.g., California State Lands Commission Environmental Atlas.