Named in 1887 on the selfsame tract, stretching between Temple Street and Beverly Boulevard, the “Rose” in Rosemont might stem from Martha Frew’s (1842-1899) maiden name: her husband John Marshall Frew (1838-1904) owned the land that became the tract. Frew, who hailed from Coshocton, OH, enlisted as a private in the Civil War in 1864 and was mustered out a year later as a major. He married fellow Ohioan Martha Rose sometime before 1870 and the couple lived on a farm in southeast Illinois before coming to Los Angeles in 1882. They were evidently well-off when they arrived, as the Major quickly snapped up a lot of land in this part of town. The couple, who had no biological children, adopted their son Stanley (1883-1942) at an unknown date. After Martha’s death, John retired to “Soldiers Home” (today’s VA Medical Center: see Veteran Avenue) and served as its postmaster for two years before his own demise.
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