Dr. Elbert Pinney (c. 1826-1914) was an early investor in Pacoima and father-in-law to Pacoima founder Jewett (a.k.a. Jouett) Allin. 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 outside of Dallas. 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 just grow oranges, Elbert and Harriet were big real estate speculators and also built a 20-room hotel in Sierra Madre in 1887. Known as the Pinney House, the structure still stands. 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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