History of Santa Clara - page 1692
C. C. CHURCHILL
Master Blacksmith of Watsonville
SURNAMES: SPALDING, ALLEN, GORHAM, BROWN, DEXTER, DOSE
Some exceptionally interesting pioneer associations are recalled in the
story of C. C. Churchill, the rancher of Gish Road, near San Jose, and
his good wife, whose family were study frontier people. He was
born in Lamoille County, Vt., on May 27, 1848, the son of Norman and
Eliza M. (Spalding) Churchill, and descended from an old line Vermont
Family. among whom may be numbered Winston Churchill, the wellknown
author now again a resident of the Green Mountain State. Our
subject's father was a farmer who had mechanical talent; he put up all
of his own buildings, and often erected structures for his neighbors,
as well. C. C. Churchill enjoyed the advantages of both the
grammar and the high school educational course, being the only son,
when his brother, Lyman N., died, and growing up, he took charge of his
father's ranch and ran it, and he also learned the blacksmith trade.
Coming out to California he settled at Watsonville as a master
blacksmith; and for thirty years he served the public thereabouts as a
clever and dependable smith might be expected to do in a growing
community.
At Lafayette, in Contra Costa county, on February 21, 1880, Mr.
Churchill was married to Miss A. Ellen Gorham, a native of Lafayette,
and the daughter of Medford and Melissa Ann (Allen) Gorham. Her
father was a rancher who came to California in 1851 from Mineral Point,
Wis., and her mother came across the plans to California Pike County,
Mo, in 1846, the stepdaughter of Elam Brown, a member of the first
California legislature that met on December 14, 1849., under Governor
Burnett There were four children in the Gorham family, the first-born
being O. A. Gorham, of Oakland, and the next in the order of
birth, J. E. Gorham of San Miguel Henry M. Gorham was the
youngest, and the next after Ellen.
In 1904 Mr. and Mrs. Churchill left Watsonville and purchased a ranch
of sixteen acres on the Gish Road, near the San Jose-Alviso Road, where
he built a home, set out berries, and established a dairy. Two
children have grown to maturity. Josephine married C. Dexter;
Arthur married Emma F. Dose, and they have five children, Stanley,
Kenneth, Raymond, Lillian and Clifford. Mr. Churchill is a
Republican, has passed all the chairs of the subordinate lodge of Odd
fellows, and is a member of the San Jose Encampment of that order.
Transcribed by Carolyn Feroben, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California,
published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1692
SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES
SANTA CLARA COUNTY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY