Contra Costa-San Diego County CA Archives Biographies.....Johnston, John 1811 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 27, 2005, 4:11 am Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882) JOHN JOHNSTON.—This well-known and prosperous farmer of Tassajara valley is a native of Scotland, born in November 1811. When twenty years of age he emigrated to Toronto, Canada, and followed the trade of stone mason, which he had mastered in his native country. In 1834 he crossed to the United States, and to the State of Mississippi, where he remained until March 9, 1849, when he started via Texas, for Mazatlan, and from the latter place sailed for the Golden State, arriving in San Francisco July 9, 1849. He immediately proceeded to the mines and embarked in mining for a short time, then turned his attention to stock-raising in San Diego county; in this he continued for three years, and in May, 1855, located on the place now owned by Mr. Finley, and there conducted a stock farm. Mr. Johnston has purchased land from time to time, and in 1873 bought his present valuable homestead of fifteen hundred and sixty acres of well-improved and highly-cultivated land; he also owns some fourteen hundred acres of hill land, which is used for pasturing, and is now engaged in general farming and stock raising, dealing more especially in blooded stock, having made two importations of Clydesdale horses from Scotland. Mr. Johnston is upwards of seventy-one years of age, but in the full vigor of health, physically and mentally. 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. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/johnston51nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 2.7 Kb