ZENAS LINCOLN COY

Sacramento County

Biographies

ZENAS LINCOLN COY

ZENAS LINCOLN COY, a prominent agriculturist of Brighton Township, was born in New Brunswick, on the St. John River, near the city of Fredericton, August 25, 1834. Mr. Coy’s ancestors settled in Maine and Massachusetts before the Revolution. His father, William T., was a native of the same place, a shoemaker in his early days, a farmer the most of his life, and died in 1858. His mother, nee Fannie Lincoln, was born in the city of Fredericton in 1811, and is still a resident on the old homestead. In their family were three daughters and four sons: Sarah Catharine, married and living in New Brunswick; Zenas L., the subject; Edward Bradford, living in Massachusetts; Adeline Adelia, who died young; William Frederick, living in Boston, Massachusetts; Frances, residing in Nova Scotia when last heard from; and John Henry, living still on the old homestead. Zenas was with his parents until the fall of 1868, engaged in farming and lumbering,—the latter principally during the winter. In 1854 he married Miss Sarah Catharine Eastabrooks, also a native of New Brunswick, and a member of a large family on the St. Johns River; her ancestry were Americans. October 27, 1858, Mr. Coy left New York city, via the Panama route, for California, arriving November 27, precisely one month afterward. While spending a week in San Francisco an earthquake occurred, which was the occasion of his emigrating in a direction from the center of that great seismic movement, and he accordingly came to Sacramento and looked for work. His first job was four days’ work as a carpenter, at the corner of Sixth and K streets, at $4 a day. Next he was engaged on the freight depot, now superseded, of the railroad company on the wharf; then he was employed on the railroad bridge, and trestle work in the San Joaquin valley, below Stockton, and was present there when the last spike was driven. He next rented a ranch, now occupied by Mr. Buell, between his present residence and Elk Grove, and then Bright’s ranch, in Yolo County, a year; then one year near his present place; next the Twelve-Mile ranch two miles east, where he lived most of the time for fifteen years, and finally, in 1886, he settled upon his present homestead of 184 acres, which he had purchased in 1875. All the fine improvements now witnessed here he has made himself. The residence was built in 1882, at a cost of $2,500, when lumber was cheap. The products of his ranch are principally the small grains. His land, as well as other tracts in its vicinity, has risen from $10 to $40 an acre in value within the last fifteen years. Mr. Coy has two children living: William Arthur, born November 12, 1874, and Nellie Frances, in October, 1876. He has always been a Republican in his political views, has been a member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry for the last fifteen years, and is also connected with the orders of Odd Fellows and Red Men,—in all these relations holding his membership in Sacramento lodges.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 698-699. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.