Southern Cali Walnut growing history?

Posting this on a whim…

I would love to find out about an ancestor of mine, and if maybe he was involved any specific varieties. Charles Sumner Sanderson was a Walnut farmer in either Whittier or Rincon area from the late 1800s up to maybe the 1940s+. He was a prominent member of the California Walnut Growers Association from its inception in 1912 to ??

I have no clue where his property was. Nor what varieties he grew. But any information would be amazing to find. I would be absolutely fascinated if I knew he had any involvement with new Varieties discoveries or whatever. Or if his walnut groves might by some insane luck still be standing.

Edit: I actually found one online: “Golden Nugget.—The variety originated from heavy-bearing Santa Barbara trees grown on the Charles Sanderson ranch at Whittier. J. A. Cover introduced the variety to central California, propagating and testing it on his ranches at Modesto. The variety is not extensively planted.” … I wonder if anyone has one of these?

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Father|Norris Sanderson (1832-1867)
Mother|Adelia Jane Jones (1831-1889)
Spouse|Alice Estelle Hinman (1860-1947)

Birth|18 Dec 1857 Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, USA
Marriage|14 Mar 1882 Santa Clara, California, USA
Residence|1 Apr 1940 Whittier, Los Angeles, California, USA
Death|8 Nov 1951 Beaumont, Riverside, California, USA

I found a picture of his wife but can’t link it from here. He had 6 sons and 2 daughters. It looks like most of the family is buried in the Los Angeles area.

The only reference I was able to find about walnuts is the one you have already found. My search was not very thorough so there is probably more if due diligence is done.

Here is his gravestone:

SoCal native here. I attended Taft Elementary School in Orange (many years ago!). Supposedly, the school is named for Mr. Taft, was a loquat breeder, and the entire area now occupied by the school was his orchard. If anyone knows more I would love to hear.