A FEW MORE NAMES
CAMPBELL- William Campbell was born in Kentucky in 1793, and was a veteran of the War of 1812. He brought his family
across the plains in 1846. With his two sons, David and Benjamin, he started a sawmill above Saratoga on the creek. Campbell
made a fortune by turning his redwoods into lumber at $300.00 a square foot. He also invented and built the first grain threshing
machine and separator in California.
Benjamin, his son, secured a U.S. patent (after 18 years of litigation) on 160 acres originally taken as squatters rights. That
covered the present Campbell city area, and in 1855 he surveyed and subdivided the town. In the deeds for lots sold there was a
proviso that the land would be forfeited to the original owner if liquor was ever sold thereon. It is lucky for those who like to sip wine at the
Pruneyard that this is not the rule today.
CANOAS CREEK- This creek supplied water to San Jose 1797 to 1850. It ran from Rancho Teresa into The Guadlupe River. On account of the floods, it was diverted from what is now The Willow Glen area in to Upper Guadlup.
CASEY - As I have said many times, one of the great things about this site is the people I meet. If you are tracing the Casey, or Chaisson families, I suggest that you look > here.
CASTRO- Mariano Castro was born in San Francisco in 1874 and served in the Spanish army. He was made Alcalde of the San Jose Pueblo. The family's home was on the corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara streets. One of the familys farms was a tract of 250 acres, near the present
Mountain View-Sunnyvale border. It became a shipping point for the Southern Pacific Railroad called Castro Station.
CHABOYA- Marcus Chaboya was born in Spain and came to this country before the padres and helped to establish the Mission San Jose in 1797. Marcus' son, Antonio owned Rancho Yerba Buena, a tract of land covering 24,342 acres in the Evergreen District. Ramon, Antonios' son, received 144 acres but in 1881 retained only 39 acres on Quimby Road.
CHASSION - As I have said many times, one of the great things about this site is the people I meet. If you are tracing the Casey, or Chaisson families, I suggest that you look > here.
CLAYTON- James A Clayton was born in England 1831 and came to this country with his parents in 1839. In 1850 he walked from Wisconsin to California. He tried mining, was one of the earliest professional photographers, pioneer Realtor and was a founder of First National Bank of San Jose, which is now Bank of the West.
COE- Henry Willard Coe Sr. was born in New Hampshire in 1820. He operated a cotton manufacturing plant in New York. In 1847 he set out for California, and in 1848 worked a gold mine in Amador County. In 1858 he returned to New York and married an old sweetheart, Hannah Smith, who had waited for him for 19 years. Both were well off financially, so they decided to come west, selecting San Jose as their home. He purchased 150 acres in The Willows (Willow Glen). Coe built a beautiful residence, and was the first to plant fruit trees and hops in that section, both producing large and profitable crops for export. He was first to grow tobacco in that area and first to produce silk for manufacture. The silk American flag that he presented to Congress is in the Smithsonian Institute. Coe was also first to originate the process of using sulfur to bleach dried fruit, a method universally adopted. He finally sold the Willows estate for $750.00 an acre and retired to the San Felipe Valley.
COE- Henry W. Coe Jr. was born on Coe Avenue in The Willows in 1860. His father had purchased 500 acres of Rancho Los Huecos (The Hollows) and with his brother Charles, engaged in stock raising, adding several thousand acres to the ranch, including the famous Pine Ridge Country. The Henry W. Coe State Park embraces 13,000 acres of this family's estate including old buildings of the 1860's on the original Coe Ranch.
COFFIN- David W. Coffin was born in Maine in 1814. With 32 other young men, he purchased a bark (small boat), loading it with material to build a steamer. After a six months trip around Cape Horn, reached San Francisco in 1850. Built a river steamer and sold it profitably. Coffin settled on 160 acres of government land in North West Santa Clara. For many years, his estate was on Coffin Road, now Corvin Drive.
COLOMBET- Clemente Colmbet was born in France in 1817 and arrived at Montery in 1844. He was a tanner by trade and had a store in San Jose in 1849. In 1851 he moved to 4,500 acres near Mission San Jose
CORY- Dr. Benjamin Cory was a native of Ohio, and was the first physician in San Jose. He became one of the first "Horse-and-Buggy" physicians, as he often rode long distances to see patients. He was involved in all forms of local politics and a popular saying of the day was, "More good government comes from Doctor Corey's office than from the Legislature or City Hall".
Since posting the above I was contacted by Beth Ahrens-Kley, who is Doctor Cory's Great Grand Daughter. She provided this additional information. The Cory family, not very many know, stems originally from the Westfields NJ. Dr. Ben Cory's father James Manning Cory had had a restless spirit himself and left NJ to go to Ohio ....all three of his boys also were adventurous and spirited, Dr Benjamin and brothers James and Andy (Andrew Jackson Cory) all ended up in Ca. James made money by discovering the Esmerelda mine and started the first winery near Fresno, and Andy was the first director of the Santa Clara county hospital and was county coroner. Dr. Ben Corys wife Sarah Braly came over by wagon train across the plains the same year as B. Cory.
COTTLE- Royal Cottle Sr. was born in Missouri in 1810 and by 1852 had made his way to San Jose. He bought 140 acres in The Willows (Willow Glen) for $15.00 an acre. His son, Frank and brother Ira were also prominent orchardists.
COYKENDALL- J.B. Coykendall was born in New York in 1828 and paid $100.00 for his overland fare to California, but walked all the way driving an ox team and fighting Indians. He was severely crippled in the Klamath Mines and returned East. He returned here in 1874 and formed A&C Ham Company, the first pork packing plant in the county. (The plant was destroyed by fire in 1903.) He became an important dried fruit packer and bought 70 acres East of Cupertino.
COUTTS- Peter Coutts was known as "The Mysterious Frenchman". His real name was Paulin Caperon and he was a wealthy newspaper publisher who was banished during The Franco-Prussian War. He fled to California in 1847 and settled on The Matedero Road, establishing a 1400 acre stock farm West of El Camino Real opposite Mayfield. He built an elaborate "cottage" modeled after the Petit Trianon of Versailles landscaped with gardens, lakes, islands, bridges and an elaborate water supply, that was until recently, marked by the "Frenchman's Tower" to be seen on Page Mill Road. He also maintained a race track for his thoroughbred horse ranch. His actions were as mysterious as those of Sarah Winchester but he and his family were mostly friendly with neighbors. With all of his political troubles resolved, he suddenly returned to Paris in 1880 and built a splendid townhouse and castle. He died in 1890 and this local property was sold to Governor Stanford and is now part of the University.
CRAFT- Benjamin Craft was born in New York in 1819 and in 1851 he came to California via The Nicaragua Route. Penniless, he came to The Valley on foot from San Francisco. He then went to work in grain fields and then to Sierra Mines. In 1851 he returned to The Valley and bought 116 acres on Stevens Creek Road, near Wolfe Road. Today The Vallco Fashion Park sits on some of his estate.
CROSSMAN- This gentleman bears the distinction of being responsible for the City of Sunnyvale. He talked Martin Murphy in to selling him 200 acres along the train tracks for a settlement. The rest, as they say, "is history". His good business sense has been recognized by the city with a plaque on Murphy Avenue.
CUPERTINO SEA CAPTAINS- Did you ever wonder why from 1880 to 1888 a whole bunch of retired mariners choose to populate this western section of The Valley? Ralph Rambo offers an answer in his book, and it follows mine. I belive that they knew a good thing when they saw it. The climate was good, land was cheap, and the area was booming, but most important, it allowed them to be near people they
knew and liked.) They all bought 40 acres or more, planted grapes and built wineries. Perhaps one came, saw, beckoned and others followed. Even today we have areas harboring retired Army and Navy officers. But why vineyards? Fruit-growing was not then firmly established and viniculture tempting. All built sturdy homes reminiscent of the Eastern Seabord, all were prominently successful. To name a few, on Stelling Road, Captain Aaron Wood and Captain
John C. Merithew near Bubb Road. The latter's neighbor was Captain John P. Crosley whose ship transported munitions for the Union Army during The Civil War. Along Homestead Raod area, Captains Blake, Ross, Porter, Harriman and Gibson. Captain Dunbar lived on Prospect Raod in the Seamen's Haven.
CURTNER- Henry Curtner was born in 1831 in Indiana. He arrived in California with $20.00 in his pocket. He worked for farm wages until he was able to buy land in Centerville. He quickly started his way to status of an honored millionaire, a vast land owner and one of The Valley's greatest philanthropists. In 1868 he moved operations to Warm Springs where he purchased 8,000 acres to later be sold in small farms or divided amongst his children. He was a real live "rags to riches" story.
DAWSON- Another real live "rags to riches" story. Doctor James M. Dawson was born in Ohio in 1809 and he and his wife moved to this area. In 1871 they canned their first fruits
for market. They used a cooking range in a 12" x 16" shed in the backyard of their home on The Alameda. First season's pack was 350 cases of fruit and tomatoes. Next year they moved their "cannery" to 16th and Julian streets
in an orchard and the pack was doubled. During the third year, firm became J.M. Dawson & Co. at Fifth and Julian with a pack of 8,000 cases. In a year or two it became The San Jose Fruit Packing Company with 25,000 cases. Of course,
this was all before we decided that we wanted to be a "modern" city.
DALE- William Dale was born in 1834 in Missouri. He and his father, Edward Dale, came to this area in 1850. They settled on 180 acres near Mountain View with acreage in other parts of The Valley. The Americana Apartments and the abandoned Emporium at State Route 85 and El Camino Real are situated on the old home site.
DIVINE- Davis Divine was a justice of the peace when San Jose was founded in 1850. He later founded the "Pacific and Atlantic Railroad Company" which was later reorganized as the "San Francisco and San Jose Railroad". He owned large tracts of real estate in The Valley.
Some of the resources used to put this page together
© 1997 to 2009 by John D. Casey Jr.