Charles R. Paine was born at Barnstable on Cape Cod, Mass., September 9, 1839. His parents were John and Lucy Paine. In his early youth Charles went to Maine and worked on the farm of his uncle who was a Quaker. After some schooling in the district schools of the day, he entered Vassalboro Academy, of which Albert K. Smiley was the principal. At the invitation of Mr. Smiley, Paine went with him as a teacher of elementary Latin to the Friends’ New England yearly meeting Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island and remained there for two years. He completed his preparation for college while in Rhode Island and entered the second year course at Amherst. He continued to teach winters during his college course and graduated in 1866, with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He then went to Dayton, Ohio and taught in a commercial college. He then became a principal of the city schools in Muncie, Indiana, and then superintendent of schools in Delaware County. Later he was the principal of the Ward School and then of the High School in Columbus, Ohio.
On June 30, 1868, he married Mary E. Craig, daughter of Dr. William Craig, in Muncie, Indiana. They had five daughters and three sons. In 1870, having found teaching too confining work Paine decided to try fruit raising and came to California along with his father-in-law, Dr. Craig. The drove from Los Angeles and took up 80 acres of barren land, on the lower plains of Riverside, then called “New Town.” Soon afterward, Mr. Paine opened a private school in San Bernardino, called “Paines Academy.” He was made principal of the city school in 1876 and served as principal and country superintendent through 1876-77.
In 1877, George W. Beattie, the county supervisors made the eastern part of Mission into a new school district which Superintendent Paine named Lugonia, after the wine brand of his father-in-law and also the Lugo family name of the original owner of the San Bernardino land grant. That same year the Paines moved to Crafton where his in-laws lived.
Paine was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Crafton Water Company, and the Redlands Orange Growers Association since their formation. He took an active part in the formation of the Redlands, Crafton and Lugonia High School District and was president of the first board of directors.
[Source: Platz, B.G., Biographical Sketch of Charles R. Paine, and Brown and Boyd, History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, 1922; Illustrated History of Southern California; Ingersoll’s Centry Annals of San Bernardio Co., and Nelson, L.E., Only One Redlands.]
