A CAGenWeb Project 

Sonoma County Genealogy

Forestville

  • Genealogy
  • About The Town
  • People & Other Entities
  • Maps
  • Photos
  • Citations
Table of Contents

Forestville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. It was settled during the late 1860s and was originally spelled Forrestville after one of its founders. The spelling long ago became standardized with one "r". The population was 3,293 at the 2010 census, an increase of nearly 1,000 since the 2000 census. By 1900, the community was known for attracting writers and artists and had a bohemian reputation. The small town has a limited number of businesses. Forestville is located in central Sonoma County, about 60 miles (97 km) north of San Francisco. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14 km2), all of it land. Near Forestville is the confluence of the Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek with the Russian River. South of Forestville are found the endangered Pitkin Marsh lily and White sedge. To the north are the Russian River, Steelhead Beach Park, and Mount Jackson; to the west are the Redwood forests; and to the East and South are many rolling hills on which are planted wine grape vineyards and apple orchards. [1]



Genealogy


Gedcom Index for Forestville, CA. . . . Link

Surnames: McFarling, Pitkin


GenealogyOnline:  About the Town Forestville . . . Link

Surnames: Baginsky, Brown, Gunnink, Leviness, Mathis, Paup, Strohn, Walsh


LDS genealogy.com: Forestville . . . Link


Roadside Thoughts: Forestville California . . . Link


Sonoma County Genealogical Society . . . Link


The web site "The Cockrill Family of Sonoma County" [Link] has a wonderful collection of local genealogy including the following with ties to this town: William Stewart/Stewart William Faudre, Martha S Fowder, William Aaron Cockrill




About The Town

Forestville's unofficial motto is "Forestville, The Good Life." This phrase appears on license plate holders sold at the local hardware store. The major road through town is Front Street for the length of the town, a distance of about three blocks, between Covey Road and Mirabel Road. It has been made part of Highway 116. The "downtown" blocks were first developed during the 1870s and 1880s. A fire destroyed many of the older structures, and existing buildings date mostly to the early 20th century. According to Sonoma State University professor Jonah Raskin, Forestville "was a gathering place for bohemians and writers and artists, circa 1900."  [1]


Today businesses in the town consist of one gas station, one bar, one hardware store, two grocery stores, two convenience markets, a pharmacy, several churches, a number of restaurants, a post office, an assortment of small businesses, a fire station operated by a volunteer fire department, a volunteer-run Youth Park, and three ATMs. The annual Forestville Youth Park Parade is held each June as a fund-raising event. It is associated with two days of music, bingo, and carnival rides in the Youth Park. Food and handicrafts booths are staffed by local vendors and non-profit organizations. A number of bed and breakfast inns and wineries have been developed along the Russian River and to the east.   [1]


Forestville
Forrestville is situated twelve miles northwest of Santa Rosa, on the border of the timber country, in what is known as Green Valley. It was part of the El Molino Rancho land grant. The Guerneville branch of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad passes within one and a half miles of the town. It was first settled in 1870 by A. J. Forrester, from whom it took it's name. In 1872, John Oliver was appointed first postmaster of the town. The following year the post office was moved to Mirabel, where the train delivered the mail. By 1877 the town had a school taught by John Scott, two churches, a general store kept by J. C. Bonsall, a blacksmith shop kept by Oliver & Harbine, one hotel, one saloon, one butcher-shop, and one wagon-maker. . . . [Archived Website. Link]



American Towns: Forestville . . . Link


"Depression? What’s a Depression?" [Article] . . . . Link


Forestville & Graton [Home / Explore Sonoma County] . . . Link


Forestville Chamber of Commerce: History . . . Link


Forestville History [Video] . . . Link


Forestville Today [Niche] (has a map of location) . . . Link


Forestville Planning Association: Town History . . . Link


Forestville Wikipedia Page . . . Link


Historical Society . . . Link


Russian River Travelor:  The Forestville Website . . . Link


Santa Rosa HS: Forestville . . . Link


Sonoma County Life Opens Up: Forestville. . . Link


West County Quake Memoirs 1906 (p. 13-14) [Article SCHS] . . . Link


WikiVoyage: Forestville . . . Link



Check Sonoma Historian (SCHS) for articles about the towns. . . .  Link


The Great Forestville Reunion . . . 




People & Other Entities


Andrew Jackson Forrester . . . Link . . . Article [p. 9]

Though the town was later named for a Mr. Forrester, its wooded surroundings make the name quite appropriate. In 1867, the town was named Forestville after Andrew Jackson Forrester, a saloon owner. It was set apart from other settlements by having the first powered sawmill in California and the Faudré Chair factory, the largest manufacturing plant in Sonoma County of that era.


Andy Anderson . . . 


Bob Aldridge . . . Link


Burke’s Canoe Trips . . . Link


Clark’s Forestville Meat Delivery Wagon . . . Link

Clark’s Forestville Meat Delivery Wagon, circa 1915. William Clark is on the right. The market was located underneath their house on north side of Front Street between First Street and Covey Road.


Edward R. and Sarah E. Evans . . . Link

The family of Edward R. and Sarah E. Evans first moved to Forestville in 1893 after homesteading in Nebraska and living in everything from a “dugout” to a sod house and finally a frame house. The first place they lived in Forestville was what was called the “Case Place”.


Electric Hotel, circa 1913 . . . Link . . . Article [p. 4] 

The Electric Hotel, circa 1913, was located across Railroad Avenue from the railway station at corner of First Street. It was moved intact from its original site where Carr’s Drive-In is now. Russel’s Stage, which transported passengers as far as Guerneville, is parked in front.


Faudré Chair factory (see also Rustic-Chair Factory). . . Link

The Faudré Chair factory, the largest manufacturing plant in Sonoma County of that era. Collectors still seek out the factory’s rawhide-bottom chairs.


Forestville Church of Christ, History . . . Link


Forestville School [1899-1934, 1935- ] . . . Link

Forestville School, built in 1899 and burned to the ground in 1934. It was rebuilt by residents of the town within one year by the newly formed Forestville Contractors Association, based on the ideals of Roosevelt’s New Deal, circa 1911.


Hick’s Gas Station . . . Link

Hick’s Gas Station, looking west, circa 1935. The site and building is now the Forestville Club.


Horstmann’s Electric Supply Shop . . . Link

Horstmann’s Electric Supply Shop, circa 1950. This building has been a series of great restaurants, most recently Canneti Roadhouse Italiana.


Stores in Downtown Circa 1900 . . . Picture of Stores 

Bill Clark’s butcher shop,  Charles C. Oliver’s livery stable,  Dr. Fred Newton’s office,  Jack Alten’s Gilt Edge Saloon,  John Egbert Jewett’s drug store,  LD Yeager’s barbershop,  Tom Silk’s grocery store 


Stores in Downtown Circa 1900 . . . Picture of Stores

Analy Savings Bank,  Dinucci Hall,  Hick’s Garage,  I.O.O.P. Hall,  LD Yeager’s barbershop,  Rochedale Store,  Silks-Son & Co variety store


Juan Bautista Rogers Cooper . . . Link

General Vallejo sent his son-in-law, J.B.R. Cooper to settle the area and serve as a buffer against the Russians, who had settle Fort Ross. In 1883, Captain Cooper received a Spanish land grant and built California’s first commercial power saw mill in Forestville.


Mondo Dagnello . . . Link


Ron Davis Interview [Audio] . . . Link

Ron Davis was interviewed in 2010 by Forestville videographer Patricia Brunelle. Ron chats about his family, having first come to the area in the 1800s.


Rustic-Chair Factory [John Hamlett] . . . Link

The chief industry in Forestville is the Rustic-Chair Factory now owned and run by John Hamlett. There is quite a little history connected with this enterprise, which will not be out of place here. Over twenty-five years ago Major Isaac Sullivan, in Green valley, made the first rustic chairs, and sold them at five dollars apiece; they are still in use, and are doing good service. The factory for the manufacture of these chairs as a specialty, was started by S. Faudre on Russian river, three miles from Forrestville. He continued the business for five or six years, selling chairs from two to three dollars apiece. He then moved the factory to Forrestville, where it has been for the past ten years. Faudre made at Forrestville about thirty thousand chairs, and sold out to S. P. Nowlin, who ran it at a lively rate for six years, making and selling during that time over sixty-five thousand chairs. He then sold to the present proprietor, Mr. Hamlett, who is making and selling about twelve thousand chairs a year.


Silk Family (Shelk or Selk)  . . . Link

Silk & Son was a combination mercantile and a bank. It’s not clear if “Silk & Son” was a joint venture between my Great-Grandfather and the half-brother, or the Half Brother and his son. My dad seems to think it was the latter case. My dad said that my Great-grandfather established “Silk & Son” because he gave my Grandfather the ranch.


Speer Family in Forestville . . . Link  [Henry Silk, 


Steelhead Beach Regional Park . . . Link


Mr. T. S. Grider of Forestville . . . Link


William Aaron Cockrill [Wendtroot.com] . . . Link

The following year, 1854, he [Cockrill] was appointed Justice of Analy Township in which Sebastopol and Forestville is also located.


William Stewart/Stewart William Faudre [Wendtroot.com] . . . Link

The first manufacturing for export in the [Sonoma] county appears to have been the chairs made by Major Sullivan of Green Valley. A few years later we find them being made by S. W. Faudre on the banks of the Russian River and later the factory was moved to Forestville. The factory was operated by various owners for many years, and the chairs can be found frequently in antique shops in varying states of repair, some with their thongs seats still intact. The chair factory is an example of the craft industries that grew with the towns.



The web site "The Cockrill Family of Sonoma County" [Link] has a wonderful collection of local genealogy including the following with ties to this town: William Stewart/Stewart William Faudre, Martha S Fowder, William Aaron Cockrill



Maps


Map of Forestville [Expedia]. . . Link


Map of Forestville [MapCarta]. . . Link



Photos


Forestville, Downtown Photo, circa 1900 . . . Link


Forestville History Photo Gallery [FPA] . . . Link






Citations:


[1]   Wikipedia contributors. "Forestville, California." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Jul. 2022. Web. Viewed on 5 Oct. 2022.. . . . Link


[2]   "Historical and Descriptive Sketch Book of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino: Comprising Sketches of Their Topography, Productions, History, Scenery, and Peculiar Attractions", C.A. Menefee, 1873 . . . Link


[3]  "Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California" Robert Allan Thompson. L.H. Everts, 1877 - Sonoma County (Calif.) - 104 pages. [Bodega pp 100-101]  . . . Link


[4]   "An Illustrated History of Sonoma County, California: Containing a History of the County of Sonoma from the Earliest Period of Its Occupancy to the Present Time", Lewis Publishing, 1889  . . . Link


BOOK:  Forestville (Images of America: California) Paperback – Illustrated, June 2, 2008. by Penny Hutten (Author), Forestville Historical Society (Author) . . .  Link