Contra Costa County CA Archives Biographies.....Gray, Martin L. 1839 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 27, 2005, 2:04 am

Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882)

MARTIN L. GRAY.—The son of Joseph F. and Maria (Cunningham) Gray, was born in
Sedgwick, Hancock county, Maine, April 28, 1839, where he resided for the first
thirteen years of his life. At this period he was engaged coasting in Summer,
and in Winter attending school. At fourteen, engaged in the Grand Bank cod
fishery in Summer, and attending school again in Winter. Sailed out of Castine,
Maine, for three consecutive Summers. After arriving home in the Fall of 1855,
from a voyage of five months, commenced teaching school in November, and taught
until April. He then shipped on board of the schooner Carrie A. Pitman, of
Marblehead, Massachusetts, Captain Henry Turner, Master, of Bucksport, Maine,
for Grand Banks. He made one trip with Captain Turner, and on his return to
Marblehead was given a recommendation to the owner, Henry F. Pitman, to have
charge of the vessel. He was Master of her seven Summers, each Winter teaching
school. During the Winter of 1863 and 1864, he made up his mind to come to
California. On May 20, 1864, in Bangor, Maine, he was married to Mary A.
Emerson, a school-mate of his; and June 20th they both started for California
from New York upon the steamer Northern Light, to Aspinwall, from Panama to San
Francisco upon the Constitution, arriving there July 24, 1864; stopped at the
International Hotel two days, and obtained employment of Fred Larkin upon a farm
in the vicinity of the town of Sonoma, but at the end of a month returned to San
Francisco. On August 20th, he came to Contra Costa county, and for three years
and a half worked on the farm of A. H. Houston. He was then one year in the
employ of Sylvanus Hough; for another twelve months he was engaged with Elam
Brown at Lafayette, from whom on November 1, 1869, he rented twelve hundred and
fifty acres of land and started a dairying business, which he has since
continuously followed. July 11, 1871, his wife died, by whom there were born two
children—Maria L., and Lyndon E. October, 1872, in San Francisco, married Lucy
O. Emerson, who died July 20, 1873, by whom was born one child, who died July
29, 1873. May 20,1874, Lyndon E.; also Maria L., September 13, 1874, died. He is
at present occupying three hundred and twenty acres of the above-named farm, and
conducting a dairy of forty cows. Mr. Gray owns twelve acres of land in Vernon
Park, near Temescal, and also several lots in the Bay View Homestead in Alameda
county.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.

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