JOHN J. BERGIN
Bio- Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: PRICE, WALKINSHAW,
was born in New York city, February 14, 1845. His parents, Richard and Catharine Bergin, were both natives of Ireland. Richard Bergin left Ireland when he was a young man, and went to Liverpool, England, where he engaged in business for a few years, and along in the '30s came to the United States and located in New York. He was a business man of that city, and made it his home until his death, in 1884. His widow is still residing there. She was the mother of thirteen children, of whom only three sons lived to be grown. John J. Bergin was raised and educated in New York, where he lived with his parents until he entered the government service, in June, 1863. He enlisted in the thirty days' service in the gallant Sixty-ninth New York State Militia. After his time expired he again enlisted in the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery and served through the campaigns of his regiment until the close of the war, and was mustered out of service in October, 1865. He was with Grant in the Army of the Potomac from the time he left Brandy Station to the surrender at Appomattox. After his discharge Mr. Bergin returned to New York, where he remained until he came to California in 1871. He sailed from New York by way of Panama and arrived at San Francisco. He was married, in January, 1876, to Mrs. Francisca Price, whose maiden name was Walkinshaw. The ranch which belongs to Mrs. Bergin has 312 acres, of which seventy acres is in vineyard six years old. There is also twenty acres in orchard of various kinds of fruit of the same age. The remainder of the land is all under cultivation. In the year 1887 the vines bore about 250 tons of grapes, while the present yield will be nearly double.
The orchard is in good bearing condition, and consists principally of apricots, French prunes and Bartlett pears. The place is beautifully situated in the foot-hills about two and a half miles south of Mountain View. The grounds are very ornamental and beautifully laid out, there being on the place twenty-five orange trees, which were bearing a heavy crop when they were injured by the frost last winter.
Mr. and Mrs.
Bergin have two children, a son and daughter. Mrs. Bergin was born in Mexico.
Her mother was a Mexican lady, and her father, Robert Walkinshaw, was a
Scotchman. She was a small child when her parents came to this country and has
seen a great deal of early life in California. Her father, Robert Walkinshaw,
was a mining expert and was sent from Scotland to Mexico to examine mines in
that locality, and from there came to California in 1846 to examine the New
Almaden mines, and up to 1850 served as Superintendent of the mines. He bought a
farm about two miles west of the Almaden mines, where he lived nine years. He
then bought a large tract of land called the Ynigo farm, which was owned by an
Indian by that name. The Indian afterward made his home with Mr. Walkinshaw,
until he died, at the age of 110 years (*). Mr. Walkinshaw returned to Scotland,
where he died in 1858 (*). The farm was afterward sold, and Mrs. Bergin bought her
present place in 1872.
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. 646-647
*TRANSCRIBERS NOTES-----
-Rambo states in his publication, Adventure Valley, that
Ynigo born 1760 died in 1864. He was granted Rancho Posolmi (1695
acres), by Governor Micheltoreno in 1844.
LN HN FN LAST NAME FIRST NAME AGE SEX RACE OCCUP. REAL VAL. PERS VAL. BIRTHPLACE FOREIGN BIRTH MONTH MONTH ATT. CAN'T CAN'T DEAF M-21yrs VOTE-RETURN TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES
FATHER MOTHER BORN MARR. SCHOOL READ WRITE DENIED
========================================================================================================================================================================================
1 7 7 Price Samuel 45 M W Agent for Estate 75,000 5,000 Chile X X
2 7 7 Price Fancisca 26 F W Keeping House California X
3 7 7 Walkinshaw Robert 18 M W At Home California X
4 7 7 Walkinshaw Guadalupe 16 M W At Home California X
5 7 7 Canetro Grace 20 F W At Home California
6 7 7 Canetro Jannet 60 F W California
7 7 7 Canetro John 12 M W California
8 7 7 Rodrigues Julian 26 M W House Servant Mexico X X
9 7 7 Comancho Ramona 30 F W House Servant Mexico X X
10 7 7 Murphy Betsey 30 F W Housekeeper Ireland X X
11 7 7 Ah Chin 25 M C Washman China X X