PETER JOHNSON
LOS GATOS
Bio-Pen Pictures
SURANAMES: ESPERON, HAYS
son of John P. and Margaret (Esperon) Johnson, was born in Burrenholm, Denmark, March 31, 1842. Peter lived with his parents till seventeen years old, when, in 1859, he came to New York. There, and in New Jersey, he remained two years, and in 1861 came to California by way of Panama. He at once rented a piece of land near San Francisco, and carried on farming, raising potatoes, mostly for the San Francisco market ; was there two years, when he came to Los Gatos and located. After coming here he followed teaming, hauling lumber from the mountains to San Jose. In the spring of 1869 he went to Redwood City, where he remained until the fall of that year. Had a big contract there for hauling lumber for Fremont & Co., who turned out 2,700,000 feet of lumber that year. He hauled this lumber from their mills to Redwood City, from which place it was shipped by rail to San Jose. Mr. Johnson has followed this business for a great many years, and still continues it. At one time, on one job he had eleven five-horse teams.
Mr. Johnson was married, October 21, 1869, to Annie M. Hays, a native of New York city. Her father died when she was a small child, and she came to California when nine years old, with her aunt, her mother having preceded her a short time. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have four sons and four daughters.
About 1874 Mr. Johnson purchased his present place, at that time containing 130 acres. A part of this has been sold in ten-acre tracts. When he bought the land there were no improvements on it. Has now about forty acres, which are under cultivation. In the fall of 1887 he cut up thirty-six acres into town lots which are adjoining Los Gatos. Has twenty-five acres, containing about 3,000 trees of various kinds, and ten acres in vines. The trees are six and the vines four years old, and just coming into good bearing.
Mr. Johnson votes the Democratic ticket, and often takes a great interest in political matters. On the ninth of April, 1888, he was elected a Town Trustee of Los Gatos. He is one of the stock-holders in the Los Gatos Fruit Packing Company, also in the Los Gatos Gas Company, and in the Los Gatos Wine Company, besides having a little stock in the Los Gatos Mail Publishing Company.
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. 660-661
SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHY PROJECT