San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CORNELIUS SWAIN
When Cornelius Swain passed away at
his Stockton residence, March 26, 1904, San Joaquin County lost a venerable and
progressive citizen and a pioneer of 1853.
Having come to the county among the early settlers, he at once became
identified with the best interests of this section of the state; and throughout
his career he gave constant evidence not only of his individual success, but of
a broad-spirited citizenship which meant the welfare of all people and
institutions with which he came in contact.
He was a man of irreproachable character, earnest in the serious affairs
of life, kind and helpful in the family circle, and recognized for his honesty
and sterling integrity in all his relations with mankind. For many years, in fact throughout the
greater part of his active career, he engaged in the various departments of
farming on his ranch located about six miles from Stockton on Cherokee Lane,
where he had been one of the early settlers in 1853. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he was born
February 17, 1826, being a son of John and Mary (Armes)
Swain, natives of North Carolina and Pennsylvania, respectively. In 1830 the family migrated to Franklin
County, Illinois, where he lived until the age of eighteen, when he returned
and lived a number of years in Tennessee.
In 1850 he moved to Jackson County, Missouri, which was his home until
his removal to California.
While a resident of Jackson County,
Missouri, on March 4, 1851, he was married to Miss Juliza
C. Davis, born January 1, 1829, a daughter of Anderson and Hannah N. (Head)
Davis. Her father, a native of North
Carolina, resided for some years in Kentucky before his removal to Jackson
County, Missouri. Her mother, who was born
in Virginia, went with her parents to Jackson County in the very early days of
that part of the state. Her paternal
grandfather, John Davis, had served as a soldier in the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Swain were the parents of six
children: John A.; Joseph H.; Mary;
Charles, deceased; George; and Jesse; all born on the home ranch in San Joaquin
County, with the exception of John A., who was born before they left Missouri.
On April 28, 1853, Mr. Swain, with
his wife and one son, left his Missouri home, and with ox teams drove over the
broad western prairies to California, being just five months on the journey,
arriving on September 28, 1853. They
camped first on the spot where the El Dorado Brewery now stands. Later in the same year they located on the ranch
on Cherokee Lane, about six miles from Stockton, which has ever since been
known as the Swain ranch, and on which Mr. Swain made his long and prosperous
record as an agriculturist. His ranch
was covered with a thick growth of brush, which he cleared. He fenced and farmed the property, planted a
family orchard, and engaged in raising fine horses and mules. This was the family home for forty-two years,
until 1895, when he and his wife removed to Stockton and made their home at the
pleasant place at 2 East Flora Street, where they both remained until they
passed away, Mr. Swain in 1904 and his wife in 1908.
In the early days Mr. Swain had a
contract to cut and bale 200 tons of wild oats and hay for G. Joseph, who
engaged in teaming with mules to the mines.
The hay was cut with a hand scythe and baled by hand, and Mr. Swain received
fifty dollars per ton for it. Mr. Swain
was well known in Masonic circles, being affiliated with Morning Star Lodge No.
68 and Chapter, at Stockton. He was
popular and held in high esteem throughout the county, and had once been a
candidate for the office of county treasurer.
Mr. Swain was one of the organizers and for many years served as trustee
of the Davis school district, the schoolhouse being located on a part of his
ranch. He was one of the promoters of
the Farmer’s Union, and served as director of the San Joaquin Valley Bank. He and some of his friends were the first to
build a good gravel road out of Stockton, and for years it was a toll road.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
528. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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