Lewis Eugene Grigsby (born June 22, 1867) was a real estate investor, philanthropist and world traveler. He died in Los Angeles, California on February 4, 1932, at the age of 64.California, Death Index, 1905-1939LA Times, February 6, 1932, Lewis Eugene Grigsby obituary
Early life Born in Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, Grigsby's parents were James Lewis Grigsby and Louisa C. Cravens.1870, 1880 United States Federal Census, Kentucky
Professional life L. E. Grigsby as he was known professionally was a real estate investor in California.LA Times, January 1, 1914, Property for Sale to Build Skyscraper He started a project to build the ten story Grigsby Grand Hotel on Ocean Boulevard and Locust Avenue in Long Beach, California.LA Times, April 22, 1923, Announce Building Date He was one of the first few thousand people in California to get an automobile license in 1907.California Register of Motor Vehicles 1907 He was a trustee for the city of Pomona in the California League of Municipalities in 1902.League of California Municipalities 1902 He toured beach resorts as possible investment sites.Los Angeles Herald, June 19, 1904, Business Men Visit Noted Beach Resorts Grigsby was a councilman for the fifth ward of Pomona in 1901.LA Times, April 11, 1901
Personal life Grigsby married Emma Alvina Miller (1868-1930)California Death Index 1905-1939LA Times, October 10, 1930, Emma Alvina Grigsby, obituary in 1895.1910 United States Federal Census, Los Angeles, California They had one child who died very young before 1910.1920 United States Federal Census, Los Angeles, California They lived at 1473 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California, City Directory, 1913 in an 1895 Victorian home.
Emma's parents were Ohio lithographer Ewald Miller and Louise.The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 15, 1910, Wills Filed For ProbateThe Evening World, New York, New York, June 3, 1893, Threatened Suicide Before, Flourished a Revolver Emma was previously married to Bernard Hermann Gueterbock (1847-1893)New York City, Deaths, 1892-1902 on September 27, 1877, in Hamilton, Ohio.Ohio, County Marriages, 1774-1993 Gueterbock was the editor of the New York Staats Zeitung newspaper.Akron Daily Democrat, Akron, Ohio, May 31, 2893 Gueterbock committed suicide May 1893.The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, June 2, 1893 Initially Emma was arrested and jailed along with her servant and a custom house broker without bond.The Courier-News, Bridgewater, New Jersey, May 29, 1893, An Editor's Mysterious Death She was released when the coroner ruled it a suicide.The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, June 2, 1893
Together L. E. Grigsby and his wife Emma traveled the world visiting Egypt, The Holy Land, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington D.C., White Suplhur Springs, Virginia, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio, West Baden, Indiana,LA Times, July 7, 1912, Trip Ended San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Alaska.LA Times, January 28, 1909, Mr and Mrs. Grigsby are Leaving Tonight for a Trip Around the WorldLA Times, July 9, 1913 Remaining Months Grigsby was also a philanthropist donating the then $13,500 Chimes to the Wilshire Boulevard Christian ChurchLA Times, May 21, 1927, Formal Dedication of ChimesLA Times, March 28, 1927, Twenty-Tone Chimes Given to New Church on Wilshire and Normandie. A bronze tablet was placed with the inscription "Those chimes dedicated to the glory of God" with the Grigsby name inscribed.
Grigsby was also a Saddle-Horse breeder while in Pomona. He bred "Rex Grigsby" a black stallion foaled May 30, 1899.The Register of the American Saddle-Horse Breeders Association, Volume 2, 1909 He was also a member of the Claremont Pomological Club-Citrus Growers Club in 1921The California Citrograph, History of Claremont Pomological Club-Citrus Growers, January 1922 which frequently met at their home.California Cultivator and Livestock and Dairy Journal, Volumes 14-15, 1900 Grigsby started The Kingsley Tract Water Col, Limited corporation in Pomona.The Engineering Record, Building Record and the Sanitary Engineer, Volume 42, 1900
L. E. Grigsby and his wife are buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, California in a black granite pyramid mausoleum.LA Times, October 10, 1930, Emma Alvina Grigsby obituaryLA Times, February 6, 1932, Lewis Eugene Grigsby obituary
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