The Corsons were a farming family who came to Pasadena in 1887; their house was on Hill Avenue, but it’s presumed that their land abutted present-day Corson Street (named by 1907). Joseph Barrett Corson (1834-1908) and Flora Ann Corson (née Goodwin, 1840-1919) were both Mainers; they married there after Joseph fought in the Civil War. They then spent several years in Sheboygan, WI and Winfield, KS before moving to Pasadena. Here the Corsons and their four kids grew citrus, nuts, and berries and became pillars of the community. They were close friends with “Father” Amos G. Throop, founder of Throop University – the future Caltech – and in fact the obituary for the Corsons’ daughter Flavilla “Villa” Annis Bland (1874-1949) claimed that the college was conceived at the Corson home and that Villa was its first student. Maybe.
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