Named for Dr. Elbert Pinney (c. 1826-1914) father-in-law of Pacoima founder Jewett (a.k.a. Jouett) Allin and thus an investor in the new township. Pinney was born in Connecticut, earned his M.D. in Ohio, and set up private practice in Illinois. Around 1856, he, his wife Harriet (1830-1920), and their kids moved to the Dallas area. Slavery was then legal in Texas and the Pinneys kept five individuals as slaves, including two children. The Yankee doctor even joined the Confederate Army as a surgeon during the Civil War. After many years near Carthage, MO, the Pinneys retired to Duarte in 1886. Not content to merely grow oranges, Elbert and Harriet were big real estate speculators. They and their son Henry also built a Victorian hotel in Sierra Madre in 1887. Now called the Pinney House, it is currently a private residence. P.S. From the Life Is Complicated Department: James Pinney (1858-1934), born into slavery at the Pinneys’ Texas home, remained with them after his emancipation. He was sharing a house in Monrovia with Elbert Jr. (“Bert”) when he died; both were lifelong bachelors.
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