Santa
Clara County
Biographies
JOHN
AUGUSTUS HARRINGTON
JOHN AUGUSTUS HARRINGTON. As an example of that class of citizens who
are valuable to their community in more ways than one, and who united a
broadness and liberality of mind that make them popular and influential, mention
should be made of John Augustus Harrington, a citizen of Santa Clara county,
Cal., who has a wide circle of friends in and about his home in the vicinity of
Mayfield, where he located as early as 1873.
At that time he purchased sixty-five acres of land two miles south of
Mayfield, which he planted to orchards, and upon this place the intervening
years of his life have been spent, actively engaged in raising assorted
fruits. Of late years, however, he has
been selling off his land in small lots, preparatory to retiring from active
business, and at the present time he owns but twenty-nine acres of his original
purchase.
Born July 20, 1834, in
Newfoundland, Mr. Harrington is one of four children, two sons and two
daughters, born to Timothy and Mary (McCarty) Harrington. His father, a native of Ireland, went to
Newfoundland at an early day and located at St. John’s. He was a mechanic and machinist by trade. In 1845, the family moved to Boston, and here
for a number of years he followed his trade.
Both he and his wife died in that city.
Being now the only surviving member of
the family, Mr. Harrington was educated in the common schools of the city
of Boston, and after leaving school he became apprenticed to learn the trade of
an engineer, which he thoroughly mastered.
He followed this trade up to his fortieth year, and at one time was a
marine engineer on the Great Lakes. In
1858 he went to Arkansas and from there he crossed overland to California in
the usual way, behind ox teams. The
party of which he was a member stopped a while at Pike’s Peak, but decided to
push on to California, locating for about four months at Bidwell’s Bar. It was in 1861 that Mr. Harrington went
to Sacramento and secured work as an engineer.
The following year he located in San Francisco, and for several years
thereafter he was engaged in putting up and repairing stoves for a hardware
firm of that city. Being economical, he
had saved considerable money, and upon looking about for a suitable location
for a permanent home away from the large cities, he was attracted by the
favorable outlook in the Santa Clara valley, and purchasing the place upon
which he still lives he discontinued engineering and devoted his time to farm
pursuits.
While residing in San Francisco he
wedded Miss Delia Keenen, formerly of Ireland, and of their union one son
was born, John Francis Harrington, who was educated in Santa Clara county. He was an
engineer, and operated a threshing machine at the age of nineteen years. He was a remarkably bright and talented young
man, with a bright future. He died at
the very threshold of young manhood, November 20, 1891, aged twenty-four
years and eleven months. The family are devout Catholics.
The political view of Mr. Harrington coincide with those of the Democratic
party, of which he is a stanch[sic] supporter. His social relations are of the pleasantest
nature and both he and his wife are highly esteemed.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Page 600. The Chapman Publishing
Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Donna Toole.