Misnamed for Jewett Allin (1854-1936), founder of Pacoima. In 1887, Allin and a team of investors (including his father-in-law Dr. Elbert Pinney and George and Roscoe Hoyt) purchased 1,000 acres of the Maclay Rancho tract and turned 120 acres of it into the town of Pacoima. (See Pacoima Court about the name.) Jewett Allin was a real estate man from Chattanooga, TN. He came to Los Angeles just one month before snapping up this land – and he left just two years later, after his Pacoima house burned to the ground. He, his wife Netta, and their three kids returned to Chattanooga while his brother John Bunyan Allin remained in Pasadena. After some years in Houma, LA and Spokane, WA, Jewett, Netta, and Jewett Jr. came back to SoCal in the 1920s and lived in Wilmington. They ultimately settled in Atlanta. P.S. If you’re wondering why “Jewett” became “Jouett”, it’s unclear. The street was likely named in 1887 under Allin’s direction. His first name was often misspelled “Jouett” in newspapers of the day, but whether others bungled it or he intentionally tweaked the spelling, I can’t say.
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