Perry was a strapping 18-pound boy at birth on Christmas day 1863. In June 1882, Perry was jailed on a charge of assault and attempted robbery committed with his brother, Michael. Papers giving the outcome of the trial could not be found. Michael reportedly escaped. Perry lived and worked as a farm hand in western Ohio until, at age 25, he ventured west to California. He lived in a tent while working on a barley threshing crew in San Dimas. He married Katie Overholtzer Lewellan in 1889. They moved into a small house on Rowland Avenue in Covina where they reared four children. Perry was a pioneer orange grower in the valley. He became prominent throughout Southern California for his talent in locating water. Known as dowsing or water witching, he used a forked stick to locate water or oil. He practiced this talent for 50 years as an expert locater. He died four years before his wife, Katie, who is buried in an adjoining grave.
Perry was a strapping 18-pound boy at birth on Christmas day 1863. In June 1882, Perry was jailed on a charge of assault and attempted robbery committed with his brother, Michael. Papers giving the outcome of the trial could not be found. Michael reportedly escaped. Perry lived and worked as a farm hand in western Ohio until, at age 25, he ventured west to California. He lived in a tent while working on a barley threshing crew in San Dimas. He married Katie Overholtzer Lewellan in 1889. They moved into a small house on Rowland Avenue in Covina where they reared four children. Perry was a pioneer orange grower in the valley. He became prominent throughout Southern California for his talent in locating water. Known as dowsing or water witching, he used a forked stick to locate water or oil. He practiced this talent for 50 years as an expert locater. He died four years before his wife, Katie, who is buried in an adjoining grave.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
