San Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES HUDSON SMYTH.
JAMES HUDSON SMYTH, of Cedar
Grove, deceased. The subject of this sketch was a native of Ireland, born in
County Antrim, February 9, 1822, son of Samuel and Mary (Adams) Smyth. The
mother died in 1865, aged eighty-five, and the father was over seventy at his
death, some years before. They gave their children excellent education one of
their sons, Samuel, becoming a Presbyterian minister. He was pastor at
Draperstown, in his native land, for forty years, from the age of twenty-two
until his death.
James Hudson Smyth, the subject of this
sketch, came to America about 1842. He was in Texas five or six years, and
served in the Mexican war some nine months. In 1849 he came to California, and
after a brief trial of mining went to teaming. In 1850 he bought the ranch
where his family still reside, eight miles east of Stockton, increased before
his death to 1,000 acres, besides a ranch of 730 acres near Peters. He was the
pioneer farmer in this section. In 1859 he returned to Ireland and was there
married, early in 1860, to Miss Caroline Maud Smyth, born in the north of
Ireland of English descent, November 27, 1835, daughter of John and Mary
(Loughlin) Smyth, of the same name, but not near of kin. They came direct to
Stockton, and Mr. Smyth built the home which his family still occupies at Cedar
Grove. There was an old house on the place that had been brought around Cape
Horn. From 1860 onward Mr. Smyth devoted his time to farming and the care of
his family as it grew around him. Being a Democrat in politics, and somewhat
given to self-sacrifice, he lead the forlorn hope of that party for Assembly,
when there was no prospect of being elected.
Mr. Smyth died of heart disease, April 19,
1885, leaving six living children. One child, Gracie Isabel, had died in 1870,
aged four years, and another, Samuel Edgar, had been accidentally killed by his
father’s plow, November 1, 1884.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 274-275. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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