Santa Clara County
Biographies
SILAS GRABLE
Silas Grable was born in Doniphan county, Kans., March 31, 1862. He first became identified with Santa Clara county in 1897, making a visit to this section at that time. Having some idle capital he saw a fine chance for investment and being favorably impressed with both the climate and the country, he purchased seventeen and one-half acres of land on the Story road, six miles east of San Jose. The year following he removed here and planted orchards, having four hundred fine prune trees and a large number of apricot trees. In addition to his home place Mr. Grable has another fruit and grain ranch of fifteen and a half acres at Mountain View, Cal., one-half of which is in orchards and the other half in grain. His personal supervision is given to the care of both places and he is recognized as a successful fruit grower.
In tracing the ancestry of Mr. Grable it is noted that his father, Jason, was an Ohioan by birth. He wedded Miss Hulda Miller, who was born in Pennsylvania. In 1848 Mr. Grable went to Missouri, locating for a few years on a farm in Platte county, but in 1851 he went still farther west to Doniphan county, Kans., where he followed similar pursuits for fourteen years. In 1865 he found a more favorable location near Fort Scott in Neosho county and there he carried on farming for seventeen years. In 1882 he removed to the Pacific coast country, settling at Ilwaco, Wash, where he lived in retirement. This change of climate came too late, however, and he died the following year. His widow still survives him, a resident of Ilwaco, and many of their children are also living. Their family consisted of eight sons and eight daughters, which included three pairs of twins.
The boyhood days of Mr. Grable were spent after the usual custom of farmers’ boys, going to school and outside of school hours assisting in farm work. His attention was thus occupied until the winter of 1881-82, and at that time he went to Pottawattamie county, Iowa, and engaged in farm pursuits, remaining there for several years. In 1884 he joined his mother at Ilwaco, Wash., and engaged in salmon fishing, which he followed until 1897, discontinuing it at that time to visit in California, which resulted in his permanent removal to the Santa Clara valley. By his marriage in Astoria, Ore., Mr. Grable united his fortunes with those of Miss Ellen Mason, who was born in Adams county, Ind., June 16, 1861, a daughter of John Mason, formerly of Cumberland county, England. Mr. Mason left his native land in 1848 for a home in the United States, locating in Adams county, Ind. In 1872 he removed to Jay county, where he is still engaged in farm pursuits at the advanced age of sixty-eight years. Three children brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Grable, Silas G., James Guy and Gladys Margarite. Politically Mr. Grable is a Republican and in fraternal affairs is identified with the Woodmen of the World.
Transcribed
by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 1155-1156. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Joyce Rugeroni.