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History Summaries


Vaughn Aubuchon
Old Highway 99 and
the Aubuchon Family in Selma, CA


Back in 1953, when it was
Highway 99, Selma, Calif.

Now, it's 2500 Whitson St., Selma, CA 93662

This 2006 photo shows little change in 53 years.
(Until you walk in at ground level.)
I can still recognize the place,
unlike other places, that have been hammered by the changes of time.
It looks like oleander still fills the highway center divide.
Comments in red made after visiting on the ground March 07, 2006, 50 years later. What had been an oasis, has returned to desert.

"OLD H99" refers to the old Highway 99, which is now Whitson St. On the top right of the photo, W. Front Street can just be seen along the railroad tracks.

Bill's son was named Gary Aubuchon (b.1934?). He took my grandpa and I fishing for catfish, and got stuck in the thumb pretty badly - I have been unreasonably respectful of catfish stickers ever since.

Old Highway 99, Selma, CA

Google Satellite Photo and Map
"A" is the old Wilshire Service Station, run by my Grandpa Fred's brother, William Aubuchon. (empty, all glass broken out)
"B" denotes the auto garage for repairs. (frequented by the homeless)
"C" was Uncle Bill's house. (boarded up)
"D" was an orchard with every kind of fruit tree there is, it seemed. (not a single tree remains)

At night, Uncle Bill would take us into the auto garage, and dazzle us with his special rock collection. The rocks looked like regular rocks, until you turned out the light and turned on the ultraviolet light. The tungsten and other ores fluoresced in beautiful pink and green colors. A dazzling show for a young rock collector such as myself.

Aunt Elizabeth Stone, with her hoarse voice and infectious laugh. lived in a house right across Thompson Ave. where it says "Elizabeth" on the vacant field. Her husband Bill Stone was tall and quiet - smoked a pipe, and was a pipe collector. Liz, however, was quite verbal. Bill was a teacher at Fowler High School. They had a big fig tree in their back yard, with great figs. Their son Leroy Stone met an early demise (1930-1965). Bill, Elizabeth and Leroy Stone are all buried in the West Selma Cemetery on South Thompson Ave., right next to Fred and Eliza Aubuchon.



Buried in the Floral Ave. Cemetery (north cemetery) in Selma are -
William Aubuchon (86) (1910-1996) and
Mayme Aubuchon (84) (1915-1999)

"E" was great-grandma Mary Eliza Aubuchon's house (now just a junk pile). All around the house and along the driveway "F" were grape vines of every type - Muscat, Thompson Seedless, Tokay (all gone) - plus oranges, nectarines, peaches, plums, pomegranates, apricots (all gone). In August, eat what you want, it's the CENTRAL VALLEY, everything's ripe - great fun as a kid. "S" denotes the storage yard.


William Aubuchon headstone, Selma, CA


Ah, the memories. The HEAT, the trains, the agricultural smells, the crickets at night, fresh fruit everywhere. Nesbitt's Orange and Nehi Grape in the drink cooler, just below the "A" above. Ten cents for 8 ounces - the price was low, but the bottles were small. RC Cola was the best deal, because you got more.

And there was adding ice, and taking turns on the ice cream crank, on the cushiony, spongy Bermuda grass, with the sprinkler running nearby. And the crickets just starting up. And the train whistle getting closer.

Back in 1952, 1953 and 1954, when I was 8, 9, and 10 respectively, my grandfather, Frederic L. Aubuchon (II) used to take me fishing with him to Big Creek, Shaver Lake, Huntington Lake, Dinkey Creek, etc.

On the way, we would visit his mother, Mary Eliza Lajeunesse Aubuchon. She lived in Selma, CA, in the old house marked "E" in the photograph above. I remember her as very old, quite short, and very sweet. She was in her 80's. Her father and mother were Basil Lajeunesse and Mary Scott. I was told that Mary Scott's parents were burned out (killed) by Indians in Wyoming. I wonder if this earlier generation
Basil Lajeunesse from Wyoming was related? He too was killed by Indians, but in Oregon.

Who were Fred Aubuchon's (I) parents? Where were they from?

Buried in the
"West Side" Selma Cemetery located on S. Thompson Ave, are
Mary Eliza Lajeunesse and Fred Aubuchon I. They had 8 children, listed below by date of birth, along with spouse and grandchildren information.


Fred Aubuchon headstone, Selma, CA

#

Name

Age
Born
Died

** S.S. # - Interment

Longest
Place

Frederic Aubuchon

75

1862
1937


Children Listed below on left 1 - 8.

No SS#-
West Side Selma

Selma

*Eliza LaJeunesse

90

1874
1964
1

Frederic L. Aubuchon
m. to
Emma Louise Packer
E. Louise Aubuchon

69
90
1900
1902
1969
1992

Son Fredric P. Aubuchon (1921-    ) (Oregon) (son Vaughn, CA, ad. daughters Nina and Marcy)
Daughter Jeanne Pethel (1924-1978) (Clovis) (Son John, CA, Daughter Sammi Lamar, FL)
Fred Sr. worked for the Southern California Edison Co. all his life.

560-14-4501 - St. Helens
540-78-1953 - St. Helens

Los Angeles
Oregon

2

Elizabeth B Aubuchon
m. to William J Stone
Elizabeth B. Stone

67
77
1902
1901
1969
1978

Son LeRoy Stone (1930-1965),
m. to Barbara Parker , who became Barbara Stone, who became Barbara Hughes
Two kids - Debbie Stone, who became Debbie Hansche, and Richard Stone

552-18-7136 - Selma
556-22-5224 - Selma

Selma

3

Mary Aubuchon
m. to Earl (Red) Kimery
Mary Kimery

79
xx
1905
19xx
1984
19xx

Three Daughters -
Betty Kimery m. Ralph (Duke) Kuhl,
Mary Lou Kimery (deceased) and
Joy Kimery (deceased) m. Lester (Bud) Conley

xxx-xx-xxxx - ?
xxx-xx-xxxx - ?

Selma?

4

Mike A Aubuchon
m. to Ada M
xxxxx
Ada M. Aubuchon

92
90
1907
1908
1999
1998

Daughter Ellen Aubuchon m. Preston xxxxx (Fresno) - Son Richard Aubuchon, helicopter pilot in Apple Valley

564-01-3025 - ?
563-84-2766 - ?

Fresno

5

Florence Aubuchon
m. to Marion (Budge) Cutright
Florence Cutright

28
xx
1908
1909
1936
1936

Both died in an auto accident in 1936
Daughter Florence (Buddie) survived, and married Harold Barnes (San Jose, Lake Tahoe) - two daughters Karen Barnes and Sharon Barnes

Died before SS#
Died before SS#
(The first SS numbers were issued in Nov. 1936.)

Lakeport

6

William Aubuchon
m. to Mayme E Burgeson
Mayme E. Aubuchon

86
84
1910
1915
1996
1999

Son Gary W Aubuchon,
m. to Nancy Aubuchon

551-16-0095 - Selma
569-92-3355 - Selma

Selma

7

Stephen Aubuchon
m. to Beauna V. Fly Lovelace

Buena V. Aubuchon

69
87
1912
1914
1981
2002

Stephen's three step-children -
Larry Lovelace Aubuchon (1937-1984),
Ethel Lovelace (now Jackie Johnson) and
Susan Lovelace Aubuchon (1944-1967)

552-18-7135 - ?
547-20-3089 - ?

Fowler

8

Harry Aubuchon
m. to Blanche A Nelson
Blanche A. Aubuchon

77
82
1915
1915
1992
1969

3 sons - Pat Aubuchon,
Eddie Aubuchon (Shaver Lake) and
Jon Aubuchon
Harry remarried Lucille J xxxxx after Blanche passed. Harry worked for the Southern California Edison Co.

560-14-4500 - Tulare
559-28-7165 - San Fran.

Auberry
Big Creek
Visalia

*I am assuming that the headstone is correct. The death records show "Liza" and "Elizabet". Throughout this exercise, you should see what they do with "Lajeunesse". Every conceivable misspelling you can think of. When doing genealogy, one must be imaginative and flexible, or you can easily draw wrong conclusions. In one case, I even saw "Young". Close translation perhaps, but that is not what we are looking for. Expect to see anything.
** Upon death, the US government publishes the SS number of the deceased online, in the Social Security Death Index. The number then becomes very useful for genealogy purposes, and is the reason I included them here.

20

230

30

40

40

300

160

80

.
I had always thought that Frederic II told me he was born in Auberry, California. I was wrong - I was wrong about various other facts above. My dad Fred P. Aubuchon has confirmed his dad Fred L. Aubuchon was born in Washington state. He is buried at Yankton Cemetery in St. Helens, Oregon, along with his wife Louise.

MANY THANKS to Barbara Hughes, for all her corrections and additions.
The information above would not be half as good without her input - knowledge and effort.


MANY THANKS to Jackie Johnson, for all her additions. I have tried to accurately reproduce her inputs in the above table.

Other possible Aubuchon relatives in the Fresno, CA area - (anybody know?)
Amanda L Aubuchon - Fresno, CA (age 30)
Annette D Aubuchon - Auberry, Clovis, Fresno, Tollhouse, Visalia, CA (age 45)
Christopher Aubuchon - Fresno, CA
Clifford E Aubuchon - Sanger, CA
Dirk H Aubuchon - Visalia, CA (age 41)
Eddie L Aubuchon - Friant, CA (Harry's son?)
Gail R Aubuchon - Selma, CA
Heather J Aubuchon - Clovis, Fresno, CA (age 42)
James Aubuchon - Fresno, CA
Jenifer L Aubuchon - Clovis, Prather, Tollhouse, Visalia, CA (age 60)
Jessica Aubuchon - Fresno, CA
Kellie A Aubuchon - Visalia, CA
Lawrence M Aubuchon - Clovis, CA (age 45)
Leslie Aubuchon - Clovis, CA
Michael R Aubuchon - Fresno, CA (age 57)
Robert Aubuchon - Fresno, CA
Russell Aubuchon - Fresno, CA
Ryan Aubuchon - Clovis, CA

For other Aubuchons, check out
AllFolks.com, which is a portal for Intelius People Search, who recently got in hot water by selling everyone's private cell phone numbers.


Other Aubuchon Websites
There is the hardware store icon of New England, the Aubuchon Hardware chain.
You may prefer
400 Years of Aubuchon History.


.

.

.

Bill Stone, Elizabeth Stone, Debbie Stone, Selma, CA
Here is a photo of Bill Stone and Elizabeth Stone,
along with granddaughter Debbie Stone (Hansche). Thank you Debbie.
.

.

.

.





 

Frederic Aubuchon - 1953 - So. Cal. Edison Co.1953 - Yours Truly and Grampa Frederic L. Aubuchon (II).
(Does anyone recognize the site in the photo above?)
Technically, my father Fred Aubuchon is the third (III).
Fred Aubuchon the II, my Grandpa, worked for the Southern California Edison Company all his life. In Grandpa's youth, he had worked the Sierra high voltage towers. In 1926 (when he was 26), he took 16,000 volts to the shoulder. He would let me feel the hole in his shoulder, and show me his messed up index finger.
Luckily, he never did it again.

Grampa lived at
6308 Mary Ellen Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91401
and before that on Ayres Ave., Los Angeles, CA
Upon retirement, he moved to Aubuchon Dr., St. Helens, OR,
where his son Fredric P. was a developer.

I started school at 3345 Mentone Ave., Los Angeles .
I went on to live at 3559 Veteran Ave., Los Angeles,
where I attended Charnock Road Elementary School.
Later, I lived at Route 1, Box 475, St. Helens, Oregon.
Then. it was
Aubuchon Drive, St. Helens, OR.
I used to visit my uncle's ranch, in Myrtle Point, OR.

Have you tried playing with Google Maps and/ or Google Earth? What a blast! Now you can visit your old home town by simply using your computer mouse - and get a hawk's eye view.

I grew weary of electronically visiting my Palms, Los Angeles childhood haunts - nothing is recognizable - solid apartments from Sepulveda to Jasmine, from Venice to National.

But this! This is different. Fifty-two years later, and there are the same buildings I remember as a child, thanks to Google Maps plus satellite COMPOSITE view.


Downtown Selma, CA - 19541954 Business District, Second Street, Selma, CA


Second Street, Selma, CA1918, Same View, Second Street, Selma, CA


Lame Duck Motel - Selma, CALame Duck Hotel, Highway 99, Selma, CA


Westside Grammar School, Selma, CAWestside Grammar School, Selma, CA

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Vaughn's Summaries (One-pagers)
©2006, 2007, 2008 Vaughn Aubuchon
All Rights Reserved


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This Vaughn's Selma, CA early 1950's webpage was last updated on 2008-03-08.