Santa Clara County
Biographies
JONATHAN COYKENDALL
J. COYKENDALL. During the year that the Roosevelt family
crossed the ocean from Holland to New York the founder of the Coykendall family in America left his native Holland and
established his home in New Jersey. There J. B. Coykendall
was born and reared, a member of a large family, one of the eldest of whom fell
on the battle field during the Revolutionary war. He was among the youngest of
the children and as a boy learned the blacksmith’s trade, which he followed in
New York state. In 1835, accompanied by his family, he left his eastern home,
proceeded by flat boat to Cincinnati, thence by steamer to Peoria, Ill., and
from there crossed the country to Canton, Fulton county, Ill., where he arrived
with only thirty-five cents in his possession. Fortunately, he secured immediate
employment at his trade. A year later he bought a farm near Canton and while
improving it also built and conducted a shop in town. During early years he was
a believer in Democratic principles, but after the organization of the
Republican party he voted its ticket both in local and national elections. At
the time of his death, which occurred in Fulton county, he had reached the age
of eighty-five years. When a young man in New York he had married
Miss Rhoda Roberts, who was born in Connecticut and died in Illinois.
Her father, James Roberts, was the seventh son of a Welsh nobleman and
founded the family in America by his settlement in Connecticut. From there he
removed to New York and died in Utica.
In the family of J. B.
and Rhoda Coykendall there were eight children, five
of whom attained mature years. One son, J. R., now residing in Oklahoma,
was a captain in the Seventh Illinois Cavalry during the Civil war. Another
son, H. G., also served as a captain in the war, his company being attached
to the Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry; after his retirement from the army he
settled in the north and is now living in St. Paul, Minn., of which city he is
an influential citizen and successful railroad man. In the capacity of
superintendent he has been connected with the construction of every railroad
across the continent. The oldest of the sons and daughters was J. Coykendall, of San Jose, who was born at Albion, Orleans
county, N. Y., April 22, 1828. When his parents removed to Illinois
he was a child of seven years. In addition to attending the public schools he
had the advantage of a course of study in Knox College. At the age of fifteen
years he was apprenticed to the saddler’s trade and on starting out for himself
opened a harness and saddlery shop in Farmington,
Ill.
Having decided to come
to California, in 1852 Mr. Coykendall sold his
shop in Farmington and joined a party bound for California. Although he paid
$100 for his passage, his accommodations were not the best, for he walked all
of the way, driving an ox team. After a tedious trip of six months, following
the old trail through South Pass, the expedition arrived at the mines near Hangtown, where he gained his first experience in placer
mining. From there he went to the Klamath mines, where he and his partner spent
two years among the Indians. These red men, fortunately, were armed only with bows
and arrows, having neither knives nor guns, so no great uneasiness was felt on
account of their proximity. By his experience in crossing plains he had learned
much concerning the Indians and had fought in several encounters with them, one
skirmish being on the Platte river, another in the Wind River mountains and the
last engagement on the Humboldt, none of these, however, proving disastrous to
the white men.
While engaged in
mining in the Salmon river region Mr. Coykendall
suffered an unfortunate accident that prostrated him for seven months and left
him crippled for life. While working in a mine a heavy bank of earth fell upon
him. His partner dug him out and found a leg broken in two places, and a foot
and ankle smashed. The nearest physician was sixty-five miles away and the snow
was too deep to permit of travel. There being no relief available, his partner
set the broken limb as best he could, but the unskillful operation retarded his
recovery and added to his suffering. Somewhat discouraged by this calamity, in
the fall of 1855, as soon as able to travel, he returned to Illinois via
Panama. For fifteen years afterward he engaged in the general mercantile business
in Farmington. During all of this time he never forgot California and, though
not desiring to return to the mines, he remembered the pleasing aspects of the
western country, its possibilities of soil and climate, and its inducements to
settlers of progressive spirit. In 1874 he again sold out his interests in
Farmington and came to the coast, but this time did not have the harsh task of
walking the entire distance, for the mountains and desert had been girdled by
the railroad. Immediately after his arrival in the state he settled in San
Jose, and established one of the first pork packing plants in this region.
Under the title of the A. C. Ham Co. the business was conducted on
the corner of Third and San Fernando streets until September, 1903, when it was
closed out.
During 1895 Mr. Coykendall embarked in the fruit packing business, with
which he was identified up to the time of his death. In the packing house
shipments are prepared for the markets of the east and of Europe, and from two
to five cars of French prunes are shipped per day, principally to France and
England. On the west side there is an orchard of seventy acres, some of whose
trees he and his sons set out. The entire tract is in prunes. In connection
with it there is a drying establishment where the prunes are dried for the
markets. A pumping plant and wells add to the value and desirability of the
property. Personally Mr. Coykendall was a genial
and companionable man; in business, he was enterprising and progressive. From
the formation of the Republican party he was in sympathy with its principles,
and while living in Farmington he was several times elected mayor on the
regular party ticket, but with that exception he has declined office. During
his residence in Illinois he was made a Mason in Magnolia and for twelve years
was master of Farmington Lodge, but was later identified with Friendship Lodge
No. 210, F. & A. M., of San Jose. By virtue of his
residence in the west during the ’50s he holds membership in the Santa Clara
County Pioneer Association. While in Farmington he married Miss Watie Fry, who was born and reared in that city; her
mother was a sister of the United States consul, Mr. Burlingame, who
negotiated the Japanese treaty. Mr. Coykendall
passed away February 8, 1904. Two sons and two daughters were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Coykendall, namely: Frank, who is a
partner in the fruit-packing business and manages the packing house; Mrs. Clara Willis,
of San Jose; Horatio, also a partner, whose special work is the superintending
of the ranch; and Mrs. Myrtle Avery, who resides at the old home.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
05 January 2015.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 327-328. The Chapman Publishing
Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Marie Hassard.