Kilby, Benjamin W.

Born in Coalinga, California, in 1887, Benjamin W. Kilby was the son of real estate operator William J. Kilby. After gaining early business experience as a clerk in Burrel for pioneer merchant Fred F. Eaton, Kilby eventually became a managing partner in the firm of Eaton & Kilby, operating “The Helm Store,” a leading general merchandise establishment in the town of Helm along the Hanford and Summit Lake Railway.

In December 1914, Kilby was appointed postmaster of Helm, managing the local civil service post office alongside his duties as public weighmaster and commercial store operator. Married to Pearl White, with whom he had two daughters, Muriel and Beatrice, Kilby was a member of the Masonic fraternity in Kerman and actively championed regional development initiatives, including the Pine Flat water conservation project in Fresno County.