Michel Clement (1820-1872) was a Frenchman who came to Los Angeles around 1850 to make wine and brandy. His vineyards took up at least 31.49 acres of present-day Boyle Heights: at least that was the acreage that his widow Jeanne (a.k.a. Jennie, c. 1817-1888) and children Victor (1856-1903) and Clementine (1859-1928) sold to developers in 1887, who then subdivided it as the Clement tract. Clement Street wasn’t on this tract, and wasn’t named until 1910, but it’s still probably in honor of the family. Details on Michel Clement’s life are scant, but Victor became a renowned mining engineer and had many adventures (he was almost executed in South Africa by the Boers) before moving to Salt Lake City, while Clementine would settle in Burbank; see Lamer Street for more on her.
Find it on the map:
