Harrye Forbes
Harrye Rebecca Piper Forbes (nee Smith; May 6, 1861 – September 18, 1951), also known as Mrs. A. S. C. Forbes, was an American historical preservationist, journalist, and author, best known for her efforts to preserve and promote California's El Camino Real and the old Spanish missions which it connected. She was for many years director of the Historical Society of Southern California. Early life Harrye Rebecca Piper Smith was born near Everett, Pennsylvania, one of at least nine children of William Piper Smith (1827–1900) and Rachel Lavinia (Kay) Smith (1831–1921). The family moved to the area of Wichita, Kansas, in the 1870s. She graduated from the Wichita Episcopal College and attended the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London. In 1886 she married English-American businessman Armitage S. C. Forbes (1857–1928) in Wichita. After marriage, the couple moved to Tacoma, Washington, where her husband became owner of Pacific Soda Works. They later relocated to London, where they lived for four years, traveling in France and Spain and collecting art and artifacts. While in Europe she wrote letters to American newspapers. Upon returning to the United States the Forbeses took up residence in Southern California. Career Forbes was a writer on