Born in Monroe county, New York, November 17, 1839, and received his
education in Rochester. In the year 1856 he located in Floyd
county, Iowa, and there raised a crop of tobacco, but it being of
sickly growth, he decided to make a like attempt in California. In 1858
he crossed the plains to this State and after proscecuting a rigourous
search for suitable soil in 1859 fixed upon Gilroy as the place
wherein to essay the trial. After experimenting for sometime, in
1862 he erected a factory two miles west from Gilroy, but in 1865
it was unfortunately destoryed by fire. Mr. Culp next, in in
1869, built another factory in the city of Gilroy on the corner of
Church and Rosanna streets; this he sold in 1871, and moved to its
present location, a portion of his grounds being situated in Santa
Clara county, the buildings, however, being in San Benito county, near
San Felipe. Too much credit cannot be accorded to the subject of
our sketch for the persistency with which he was grappled with the many
obstructions allied to the business of tobacco culture in detail; his
fields are laid out with every regard to the protection of plants; and
his surroundings are a credit alike to his enterprise and
acument. To him is the honor of establishing this one more proof
of the marvelous adapability of California soil for almost any kind of
class or cultivation. Mr. Culp married in 1865, Jennie E. Duncan,
a native of Iowa, by whom he has had five sons; James J, born
March 15, 1867; George E., born December 2, 1869; Cornelius A., born
November 5, 1871; Charles H., born April 15, 1874; Richard D. born
August 22, 1879.
History of Santa Clara County, California San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co., 1881
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SANTA CLARA COUNTY HISTORY- The Valley of Heart's Delight
July 20, 2005