CONARD HART
Bio-Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: COPPAS, FUNK,
Conard Hart, one of the old settlers of Santa Clara County, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Berks County, February 22, 1825, his parents being John and Anna (Coppas) Hart, both of whom were native Pennsylvanians. When Conard was in his fifth year his parents removed to Pickaway County, Ohio, and there he was reared and learned the tailor’s trade, seven miles east of Circleville. In 1843 the family removed to Jay County, Indiana, and there the parents lived until their death. One year after their removal there, however, Conard went back to Ohio, where he worked at his trade three years, then removed to Logansport, Indiana, where he acquired property and pursued his trade. In 1853 he started by team for California, crossed the Wabash at Attica, then through Bloomington, Illinois, crossing the Mississippi at Fort Madison, Iowa, and the Missouri at St. Joseph. Accompanying him were two other wagons with their occupants, also from Logansport. They took the route by Sublette’s cut-off, and arrived at Grizzly Flat, California, July 11, after a trip of seventy-two days. After about a month, he started on his travels, going in succession to Sacramento, Nichols, Foster’s Bar on Yuba River, Napa Valley, thence to Portland, Oregon (that place being then a mere hamlet), from there up the Willamette River as far as Eugene City, and on the first of September, 1853, he started for San Jose.
On his arrival, he went to work on the very tract of land where he now resides, and seven years later had accumulated enough money to buy and pay for it. This tract consists of forty-seven and one-half acres, hardly three-fourths of a mile from the city limits of San Jose. When he came here it was wild land without even a fence, but it is now one of the most productive places in the county. From thirty acres he cut about 100 tons of hay. He has nearly twelve acres in fruit, planted in 1885, and all showing splendid progress. There are about 900 French prunes, 200 apricots, and 300 yellow egg plums. These trees are said by competent judges to be as fine as any in the State. Mr. Hart raises about fifty tons of beets on five acres, and ten tons of carrots. From some of his old apple-trees he has picked twenty-two boxes per tree, and from a single Winter Nelis pear-tree, twelve to fifteen boxes. The present residence was built in 1860. Mr. Hart was married in that year to Mrs. Margaret A. Funk, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Hart died in December, 1879, and left one child.
Mr. Hart is,
politically, a stanch Republican.
Pen Pictures From The
Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated.
- Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888.
Pg. 352
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
Proofread by Betty Vickroy
SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHY PROJECT