Joel Webster Standlee
born: Nov 1851 in Center Point, Sevier Co., Arkansas
died: Apr 1940 in San Fernando, Los Angeles, California
buried: 3 Apr 1940 in Valhalla Cemetery, Burbank, Los Angeles Co., California.

He married:
Mary Ann Shugg on 19 Jan 1875 in Rivera, Los Angeles Co., California, 
born: 6 Apr 1856 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California
died: 14 Jan 1922 in So. Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., California;
buried: in San Gabriel Cemetery, San Gabriel, Los Angeles Co., California. 

Joel and his family appear on the following federal censuses:
1850 census, Blue Bayou Twsp, Sevier Co., Arkansas
1860 census Blue Bayou Twsp Sevier Co. Arkansas
1870 Census Los Nietos Township, Los Angeles Co., California National Archives microfilm M593 Roll 73 p. 17 Los Nietos P 581 of Enumeration District, lines 28-35 Dwelling 166 Family 171
1880 Census Los Nietos Twsp, Los Angeles, California (NOTE – the entire Los Nietos census is unreadable due to totally faded ink)
1900 Census San Jose Twsp, Pomona, Los Angeles Co., California T623 Roll 92 Vol 16 ED 129 P. 206 3rd Ward Sheet 1 line 44 Dw. 11, Fam 11
10. 1910 Census Fullerton Twsp, Orange Co., California T624 Roll 90 SD 8 ED 47 Sheet 3, line 32 Dw 59 Fam 69 on Whiting Ave., Fullerton.
1920 Census - Cannot find Joel. His wife, Mary Ann, was enumerated in the home of C, W. Decker. He was known to be in Hanford, CA, in 1923.
Joel Standlee was a farmer until the 1920's. He was in Rivera, CA at least until 1893 when his son Leland was born or possibly until 1895 when his daughter Elma Lucille was born (in Los Angeles). He must have been working as a farm hand, or working his own farm in Oxnard, CA, in 1901, for his son Leland died in Oxnard. After separation from wife Mary Ann he lived with his daughter Laura Arrowsmith in his later years. At one point in 1920-21 he was with Laura and her husband in Hanford, CA, where he worked as a farm laborer and was potato sack sewing champion at the age of 70.
November 1998 research of census records place Joel still in parent's' home in Los Nietos Twsp, LA Co., CA in 1870. While he must have been in Rivera (Los Nietos Twsp) CA in 1880 and 1890 where seven of his eight children were born between 1877 and 1893, it is impossible to prove this from the census records. The 1880 Los Nietos census is totally unreadable because of totally faded ink, and the 1890 census was destroyed by fire. In 1900 Joel and family were in Pomona (San Jose Twsp) Los Angeles Co. living in town, working as a farm laborer. In 1910 he was with his family (wife and unmarried children) in Fullerton, Orange Co., still working as a farm laborer. As yet the author has not found him in 1920 census, but he is known to have been his daughter Laura's family in Hanford, King Co. in 1923 and with her family thereafter until he died in 1940 It appears that Joel was always a farm laborer. He could possibly have owned his own farm somewhere along the way, but NMA has found no record to show that. It is interesting to note that Joel always spelled his surname Stanley for the census takers. His wife, Mary Ann, used the Standlee spelling (used by his grandfather, father, and siblings) for the 1920 census taker. Joel's brothers all became men of property and prominent in their communities, while Joel apparently drifted and remained a "hired hand." The author heard it said by family members that he and his wife separated sometime between 1910 and 1920. He was apparently in the Oxnard, CA, area in the 1900's for his son Leland died there in 1901. His grandson Glen Arrowsmith believes that he entered into a deal for some property - probably farm - near Kennett or Riverbank in Stanislas Co. where granddaughter Margaret Arrowsmith was born in 1915. Thus - land records for Ventura Co., Stanislas Co., and King Co. should be checked for any further information on the personal history of Joel.
In "Life of Mary Ann Shugg" by Mary Ann Shugg Standlee, Mary Ann stated that she was born "at the site of the old Plaza Church" (now Los Angeles Street near Olvera Street and the Union Railroad Station). She appears in the home of her parents in the 1870 Census Los Nietos Township Los Angeles Co., California National Archives microfilm M583 Roll 73 p. 18 of Los Nietos, P 562(?) of ED line 25 Dwelling 177 Family 184
"Life of Mary Ann Shugg" noted above contains considerable detail on many aspects of her life. In brief summary, she was born at the site of the old Plaza Church, Los Angeles (near now Los Angeles Street and Olvera Street) in 1856. Her father, who immigrated to Wisconsin from Cornwall, England, in the 1840’s, came to Los Angeles in 1849. He raised cattle and sheep for a while, then worked for B. D. Wilson (for whom Mt. Wilson, which overlooks the San Gabriel area, is named) for several years as segundo or foreman on Wilson's very large rancho which surrounded the San Gabriel Mission. He subsequently acquired land on the San Gabriel River (the original river channel which is now called Rio Hondo) at what is now the intersection of Anaheim-Telegraph Road and Rio Hondo. There he planted walnut and orange orchards. Thus, Mary Ann grew up in a ranching - farming environment in the early days of the Anglo-Americans' influx into and domination of the Southern California socio-economic scene. Her marriage to Joel Standlee, the farmer and son of James Standlee, patriarch of the Standlee farming families of the Rivera area, kept her in the same environment. Since her life spanned much of the early development period of the Los Angeles basin, her reminiscences in her paper, noted above, provide many interesting insights into life in this area during those times.