Santa
Clara County
Biographies
ANSON WILLIAM ELLIOTT
On Moorpark avenue, two and a half miles south
of San Jose, may be seen the well-arranged and carefully managed ranch owned
and occupied by Mr. Elliott. Upon coming to California in 1868 he first located
in Riovista, (sic) Solano county,
where he carried on farming operations on rented land. In the intervening
years, however, he had carefully laid aside sufficient means to enable him to
purchase twenty acres of land upon coming to Santa Clara county in 1886, which
he set out to the various fruits, making a specialty, however, of prunes. In
the course of time he has been enabled to increase his holdings and now has
thirty acres included in his ranch, twenty-eight acres being in fruit trees,
the remaining two acres being used entirely for drying fruit.
The first member of the Elliott
family to come to America was George Elliot, the father of A. W. Elliott. He
was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and during the
war between England and France was connected with the English navy. In his
later life he left his native land, and coming to America, took up farming in
Nova Scotia, where he died. Nova Scotia was the birthplace of the lady who
afterward became his wife, Miss Susanna Bezanson, who
was descended from French ancestry. Her death occurred in Portland, Me. Of the fourteen children born into the
Elliott home Anson William was the seventh in order of birth. He was born in
Nova Scotia March 23, 1840, and was given limited school advantages in the
common schools in the region of his Canadian home. He worked side by side with
his father on the paternal farm, sharing in the cares and duties of its
management until he came across the continent in 1868, since which time the
experience there gained has been put to good account in cultivating California
soil. As has been previously mentioned, upon coming to the state he located in
Solano county, but in 1886 came to Santa Clara county,
where he has surrounded himself and family with all the comforts of rural life.
As a demonstration of his satisfaction with life in California, and with this
section in particular, he has erected a commodious residence in San Jose, where
is dispensed a cordial hospitality.
The first marriage of Mr. Elliott
occurred in Riovista, (sic) Cal., and united him with
Lucy S. Hatch, a native of New York state. Their only
living child is Mrs. Mary C. Parsons, who was born in Riovista,
(sic) Cal., and now resides in San Francisco. The present Mrs. Elliott was
formerly Miss Orella Hensley, a native of California.
Two children grace the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, Ruth T. and George B., and
the family attend the Baptist Church. Mr. Elliott is a Democrat in political
sentiment, and fraternally he is a Mason.
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., Pages 1219-1220. The
Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Cecelia M. Setty.