Santa
Clara County
Biographies
JOHN CRANNEY
Although first a resident of
California in 1863, it was many years later when Mr. Cranney
took up his permanent residence in Santa Clara county, and his twenty-four
years spent as a citizen of the Evergreen district have gained for him not only
a place of prominence among the substantial men of this section, but have also
endeared him to his neighbors and acquaintances, his straightforward methods
and his integrity of their winning their respect. Of Irish-Canadian ancestry,
Mr. Cranney was born in the province of Ontario, now
Toronto, Dominion of Canada, January 15, 1838, and he is the third child in a
family of nine born to John and Elizabeth (Trainer) Cranney,
the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Canada. The father, when a boy, accompanied his parents to the new world and they
located on a farm in Ontario, Canada. It was there that both parents died. Of
the nine children born to them, six were sons and three daughters.
The scholastic training of Mr. Cranney, obtained in the common schools of Ontario, was
necessarily very limited, and during his youth and early manhood he assisted his
father in farm pursuits. It was not until 1863 that he left home to make his
own fortune, and during that year he went to New York and took passage for
California, going by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Arriving on the Pacific
slope he spent the first three months of his residence there in the Ione
valley, in Amador county. He then went to the mining
district and at Virginia City, Nev., he followed
mining pursuits for a time, but subsequently became foreman for the Bonanza
Mining Company of that city, and remained there until 1880. During that year he
returned to California and invested his savings in real estate, purchasing one
hundred acres of choice land at Evergreen, in Santa Clara county.
This land is well located on the Aborn and King roads
and here for many years Mr. Cranney has been quite
successful in his farming operations, raising hay, grain, etc. He also has a
family orchard containing a variety of the choicest fruits. In 1892 he built
the fine modern cottage now standing on his place, and beautiful and well-kept
grounds surround it, making it a charming and ideal place for a home.
The marriage of Mr. Cranney took place in Virginia City, Nev., and Miss
Elizabeth Pierce was the lady of his choice. Mrs. Cranney
was born at Camp Seco, in Calaveras county, Cal., and her father, George Pierce, was a native of
Ohio. He crossed the plains to the far west in 1849, and for a time worked at
his trade as blacksmith in Stockton, afterward removing to Calaveras county and
later to Santa Clara county. He located in the latter county about 1864,
purchasing land in the Willow district and upon this place he farmed during the
remainder of his active years. He died in San Jose in 1895, at the advanced age
of eighty-four years. Mr. and Mrs. Cranney have one
son, William S., born at Pathro and he resides at the
home place. In his political views Mr. Cranney favors
the policy of the Democratic party and his deep
interest in educational affairs is shown by his thirteen years’ service as a
member of the local school board.
Transcribed By: Cecelia M. Setty.
Source: History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast
Counties, California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Page 916. The Chapman Publishing
Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Cecelia M. Setty.