John HENRY (1835 – 1865) was Alex’s 3rd Great Grandfather; one of 16 in this generation of the Miller line.

John Henry was born about June 1835 in Ireland. John married Hannah LARKIN.  John and Hannah arrived in San Joaquin, California in 1854.  John died 23 Dec 1865 in Linden, California.

Hannah Larkin was born in 1829 in Ireland.  Hannah was recorded as living in San Joaquin County, 51,  widowed and head of household in the 1880 census.  It must have been very difficult to raise five daughters on your own as a single mom in a new country in 1865. Agnes was 18 in the same census.

Children of John and Hannah

John Henry is a common name, but for romance sake, here are a couple of possibilties

St Andrew Parish, Dublin
Baptism of JOHN GERARD HENRY 1835
Father GEORGE HENRY
Mother ELLEN

St Andrew Parish, Dublin
Baptism of JOHN HENRY 1834
Father NICHLAS HENRY
Mother ALICIA

The 1860 census showing John 24, Hannah 26, Ellen 2, and Margaret 1, living with the John Fagin family near Foremans Ranch (later Peters halfway between Linden and Farmington)  in Douglass Township in San Joaquin County. Within Douglass Township lie the towns of Peters, Linden and Farmington. The Fagins were about the same age as the Henrys:  John (27) Kate (17) and Michael (20),  Lawerence Larkin age 23 (Hannah’s brother?) was living there too as a farm laborer.

The village of Linden of about 400 population is situated on what was known in the early days as the Mokelumne Hill road twelve to thirteen miles from Stockton in a northeasterly direction, and two miles south of the Calaveras river.   Originally this point was known as the Fifteen-Mile House, and then as Foreman’s ranch up to August, 1862, when it was laid out by Mr. Foreman and given its present name by J. Wasley.  In the spring of 1849, when water covered nearly all the country around, two brothers named William D. (a doctor) and John Trebilcock, who were freighting to  the mines, noticed the highest point of land in the valley on this route, and, soon afterward locating here, opened a public house, which was at first merely a rough board shanty.  It was named the Fifteen-Mile House, on account of its distance by road at that time from Stockton.  In the summer of 1851 they put up a better building, and afterward made additions.  Subsequently these brothers sold the house to C. C. Rynerson,  who married their cousin, Mary Wasley, and who was afterward sheriff of this county.  The latter sold to Foreman & Beritzhoff, and it was long known as the Foreman ranch.

After Mr. Rynerson, the second settler, came John Haines, Samuel Foreman and A. C. Beritzhoff, the last two being the later proprietors of the tavern just mentioned.

The Moore school-house was the first built in the township, Linden being a part of the district: it was on Charles Hayden’s ranch.  In August, 1858, the Jefferson school district was formed, taking in the present village sites, and that year the first school-house was built.  In 1862 the name of Linden was given to the district.  In 1864 the old school-house was burned down, and since then several new ones have been erected.

A 1878/79 business directory of Douglass Township, San Joaquin, California shows Mrs. Hannah Henry as a farmer with 160 acres in Linden.  According to the directory, Hannah arrived in San Joaquin and California in 1854.

1880 Census  Douglas Township, San Joaquin, California – Hannah Henry 51, Maggie Henry 21, Delia Henry 20, Agnes Henry 18, Kitty Henry 15   Ellen either died or got married by 1880.

Agnes and Kathryn Henry

Kitty was living in San Diego during the early 1900’s when the little family returned after selling the apple orchard and fleeing the intrusive in-laws. She was married to an older man named Fowler. There is a picture of her with Agnes as young women on my mother’s family history wall. In their family Agnes (my great grandmother) was the smart one and Kitty was the pretty one.

Kathryn and Agnes Henry - 1885 Fresno, Calif ages 20 and 22

Sources:

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/Census/household_record.asp?HOUSEHOLD_CODE=1880US_4405361&HOUSEHOLD_SUB=1&frompage=99

“HENRY–In Linden, San Joaquin county, Dec 23d, John HENRY, aged 30 years and 6 months.” Source: San Francisco Daily Examiner, 28 Dec 1865.

http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/ef51d41129584