JOHN KARR
Alviso Township
Bio- Alley, Bowen
SURNAMES:
John Karr was born in County Longford, Ireland,
October 22, 1837. When four months old he was brought to the
United States by his parents and lived in New York until he was
fourteen years of age whenhe started for California March 17, 1852, in
the steamer Pioneer, through the strits of Magellan. This
vessel was run ashore to save the lives of passengers and crew in Saint
Simeon bay on the coast of Clifonria, the passenges and crew
being taken off by the steamships Sea Bird and Orleans
which brough them into San Francisco harbor august 21, 1852. Mr.
Karr went first to the mines in Sonora, thence to Angel's camp and in
October came to the Santa Clara valley. Here he was
differently employed for the best part of two yeas, when he once more
launced out to the mines and finally broughtup on the White river, Kern
county. Remaining in this locality but a brief period he came to
Alviso where he obtained, int he first instance, employment in the
mill, and afterwards entered the store of R. Carr. He next made a
six months; trip to the Eastern States; came back to Alviso for one
year, then went for eighteen months to the mines in the State of
Nevada, and ultimately returned to Alviso and was engaged as foreman in
the warehouses of one of which he now has charge. This
enterprising gentleman besides owning the only store in the village, is
a Justice of the Peace and School Trustee. Married, at San Jose,
October 9, 1859, Margaret Borden, and has one child, John M. , born May
20, 1862.