Homer Lincoln Bascom (12/1866-9/4/1937) was born in Deep Creel, Clinton County, Iowa, the son of John Seaborn Bascom (8/12/1834-6/2/1911) and Phebe Aurelia Spence Bascom (1837-12/3/1873). Homer was the fourth of five children. Homer married Lillian Bell Page (10/11/1870-10/23/1965) in Newbury, Vermont on 3/10/1894. He was 27 and she was 23. Their only child John Leighton “Jack” Bascom was born seventeen months later.
Homer moved to Orange, California with his wife, son and mother-in-Law, Minerva Page (12/21/1830-6/7/1922). They were well established by 1912 when Homer purchased land and young John Leighton was involved in YMCA youth activities. They lived in Orange for nine years.
Lillian became a regular member of the C. M. P. Embroidery Club that met each Wednesday. She also became active in the W. C. T. U., the Women’s Club of Orange, the Scepter Chapter No. 163 of the Order of the Eastern Star and served as president of the First Congregational Women’s Union of her church.
She had a close relationship with her sister, Mary Bruner who had previously moved to Santa Ana and had encouraged Lillian to move to California.
The family purchased 19 acres on Holt Avenue. In August 1920, they broke ground for their home. The contractor was Justus Birtcher of Santa Ana. The cost of the structure was estimated to be $8,500. The family moved into the home where Minerva Page died at age 92.
In 1923, Homer became Vice President of the newly formed Santa Ana-Tustin Mutual Citrus Association. Homer lived in this home for 17 years and farmed the land. The family were members of the Santa Ana Congregational church for 26 years.
Homer died at age 70. After Homer’s death, Lillian continued to be active in her church and the Eastern Star. Lillian was a widow for 28 years when she died at age 95. Both are buried in Fairhaven Memorial Cemetery.
They had one child: John Leighton “Jack” Bascom (10/9/1886-1981) who was born in Iowa.
John Leighton attended Orange County Business College before going to Pomona College and the University of California-Berkley. He enlisted in the Naval reserves in February 1918 when he was 22. He went to work for the First National Bank in Santa Ana. He was then commissioned as an ensign. He had duty assigned to the secret service in Norfolk, Virginia.
After service he returned to the bank where he met his future wife, Geraldine Eubala O’Connor (3/2/1902-2/1976) where she was a clerk. John and Geraldine married on 9/23/1923. He was 27 and she was 21.
Geraldine was the daughter of Gerald P. (4/16/1880-1/29/1965) and Katherine “Kate” Maupin O’Connor from Kansas. Her parents moved to Santa Ana in 1919 and returned to Kansas in 1932.
In addition to his position as Assistant Cashier at the bank, John served as a Director of the Santa Ana Businessmen’s Association, was a member of Santa Ana American Legion Post 131, the Masonic Order, the Newport Harbor Yacht Club and the El Camino Toastmasters. He was actively involved in raising money for the Community Chest and Red Cross.
He served on the Board of the Santa Ana-Tustin Mutual Citrus Association. He was selected president of the Orange County Chapter of the American Institute of Banking.
He was a Tustin Union High School Board Trustee from 1944 to 1960 and was a charter member of the Tustin Lions Club. He served as director of the Associated Farmers of Orange County Inc. and was a member of the Tustin Farm Bureau.
At some point John left the bank and became a real estate agent working for John Siegel, a Tustin broker and developer. He would have been about 58 at the time.
Both participated in several productions and served as Directors for Santa Ana Community Players. The couple also were long-time members of the First Congregational Church where both served on several committees and as officers.
Geraldine was an active member of the Ebell Society and served as vice president of the Tustin PTA. She was also a member of the Orange Women’s Club, the Tustin Book Review Club and Santa Ana Chapter GJ PEO where she served as president.
She participated in YWCA and 4-H committees, was a Red Cross Volunteer, and a member of the Home Section of the Farm Bureau.
When her daughter went to College, Geraldine became involved in the Orange County Council of the Women’s Campus Club of Pomona.
They lived in Santa Ana. Prior to 1940, they moved to his parents’ home at 14331 S. Holt with his mother, Lillian. A few years later Lillian moved to San Diego County to live with a cousin but returned to live with her daughter until she died.
In 1954, John and Lillian Bascom got County approval to subdivide his property into 63 lots measuring 63’ by 123’ The family would remain in the house.
Geraldine passed away at age 74 at Hillhaven Convalescent Hospital, in 1976, the same year they sold the house. Contributions were requested for the ALS Foundation.
It is unknown where John spent his remaining years until his death five years later. John passed away when he was 86. They are buried in Fairhaven Memorial Park. No obituary was found for John.
The Bascom’s had two children:
David Leighton Bascom (3/8/1929-6/12/1947) as a youth played the piano and attended YMCA summer camp every summer. He was president of the Tustin Hi-Y Club and a member of the DeMolay. He was an honor student at Tustin High School where he graduated in 1947. Tragically, he drowned in the surf off Table Rock in South Laguna one week after his high school graduation.
Nancy Bascom (9/23/1931-6/15/2016) participated in many piano recitals, was involved in the Tustin Livewires 4-H Club, and was a member of Girls Ebell. Her interests ranged from raising chickens and pigs to making her own clothes, winning prizes at the Pomona Fair.
Nancy married Donald G Crosby of Long Beach on 6/21/1953 at the Bascom home. Nancy graduated from Tustin High School in 1949 and “Cum Laude” from Pomona College. Donald, also a graduate of Pomona College, was working on his doctorate as a research organic chemist at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. They lived in West Virginia for some time then he became a professor at the University of California-Davis where they lived for the next 55 years.
Created 1/24/2025
Researched by Vicki Gray, Gregg and Pam Bunch
