W. S. Riley

W. S. Riley was born in Milford, Oakland County, Michigan, October 8, 1839. His father, Charles Riley, came from England, and was a hardware merchant in Milford. His mother, Sarah (Senior) Riley, was also born in England. They were the parents of eleven children, the subject of this sketch being the eighty child. He was reared and educated in his native town, and arrived in California September 5, 1861. After spending some months in Sacramento, he went to San Francisco. August 5, 1862, he left the latter place, and landed in Ventura August 6, at eight o'clock in the evening, and has been here ever since. Mr. Riley was first employed by the California Petroleum Company, J. P. Green, of Pennsylvania, being president. In 1873 he started a livery business in Ventura, beginning with a spring-wagon, carriage and four horses; and some time afterward, when he sold his business to Mr. Logue, his stock had increased to twenty horses and fifteen carriages. With Mr. E. S. Hall, he engaged in the real-estate business, making a great many sales and being very successful in this enterprise. He purchased twenty-two acres of land, four miles north of Ventura, where he built a good house and barn and planted a variety of fruit trees.

    Mr. Riley was married June 6, 1889, to Miss Janette Wakefield, who was born in Sonoma County, California, August 2, 1869. Her father, Wilson Wakefield, was born in Peoria, Illinois, March 17, 1836. Her mother, Mary (Hickman) Wakefield, was born in Indiana, October 23, 1834. They were both of Scotch-English descent.

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