The pioneer among his countrymen in the Pomona Valley, Theophile Corbeil stands a unique figure. The success he has achieved in life has been entirely the result of his own effort and application. He was born May 10, 1859, in Hautes-Alpes, France, of French parents, and was fortunate in having a father that attached importance to the benefit of a good education. He was kept in school until twenty-one years of age, then entered the French Army, and after serving for five years accepted the call for volunteers and went to Africa, where he served eight months during the uprising of the Arabs. After his return to France he was employed in the paymaster's department of the army as a messenger, and in 1885 renounced the life of a soldier and was soon after united in marriage with Rosalie Sarazin. Two years later, in 1887, he and his wife sailed for America, and arrived in Los Angeles, Cal., April 21, 1887, with but thirty-five cents in his pocket.
Undaunted by the vicissitudes of life, he and his wife worked for a time in a restaurant, and later he found employment with the Southern Pacific Railroad in road construction work, and in May, 1887, arrived in Pomona. He was in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad nine years, and in the meantime built a home in Pomona and later purchased a twenty-acre unimproved ranch near Chino which he planted to apricots, peaches, prunes and grapes. This land, for which he paid fifty-seven dollars an acre, he sold in twelve years' time for $450 per acre. This gave him his start to success and prosperity. He next bought twelve and one-half acres of unimproved land on East San Bernardino Avenue, Pomona, planted the land to Navel and Valencia oranges and installed an irrigating system. This grove produced over $10,000 worth of fruit for the season of 1918-19. His next real-estate venture was the purchase of nine acres on Kingsley and Alexander avenues. This he also planted to oranges, and the trees are now three and five years old. In 1916 Mr. Corbeil bought five acres in the Charter Oak district. The crop on this last piece of property yielded 2,000 boxes of fruit for the season of 1918. He bought five acres on Alexander, adjoining his twelve and one-half acres, in November, 1919.
Mr. and Mrs. Corbeil are the parents of four sons, Denne, Silvan, Theophile, Jr., and Fred. Silvan served seventeen months at the submarine base at San Pedro; Fred was in San Pedro four months, and at Mare Island five months, when he was discharged. They were volunteers in the United States Navy during the World War.
Mr. Corbeil is a man of superior business ability, and it is to his business perspicacity that a large share of his financial success and the competency he has amassed is due. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
History of Pomona Valley, California, with Biographical Sketches
of The Leading Men and Women of the Valley Who Have Been
Identified With Its Growth and Development from the Early Days
to the Present
Published in Los Angeles, Cal., by the Historic Record Company
1920
Transcribed by Linda Jackson 9/7/08, Pages 337-338
Los Angeles County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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