Begonias in California, Part 2: The Begoniacs

摘要

Theodosia Burr Hall (1845-1906) was the daughter of William Hall, later Chief Justice of Iowa. Judge Hall taught his daughter all the correct names of the flowers and plants they saw as he made his circuits on horseback. In spite of the great and enduring affection between father and daughter, she married William Shepherd impulsively to get away from a dreadful stepmother. The Shepherds moved to Ventura in 1876, while the town was still in its formative stages.