San Diego County
Biographies
W. A. DORRIS
is a native of Sumner County, Tennessee, born December 25,
1836. His father, Josiah Dorris, was born in Robinson County, Tennessee, May 8,
1808. He was a farmer, and his death occurred in 1881. Mrs. Dorris' mother, nee
Martha Bridgwaters, was also a native of Robinson County, Tennessee, and was
married to Mr.
Dorris in 1828. Their family consisted of twelve children, ten of whom are still
living. Mr. Dorris remained at home until twenty years of age, enjoying
the advantages of the public schools of his town. He removed to Williamson
County, Illinois, in 1858, where he engaged to work on a farm. He remained here
one year, until April 5, 1859, when he came to California for his health, and
has not been sick a day since. In crossing the plains there were 100 in the
company, and they were six months and ten days in going from Williamson County,
Illinois, to Sonoma County, California. The journey was attended with much
danger, as the Indians were very troublesome and aggressive, and they had many
narrow escapes. At Goose Creek, ten days before they reached there, the Indians
had killed and scalped a party of eight. On arrival there they found where the
unfortunate victims had been buried by the United States soldiers. Their wagons
had been piled and burned, and ten mules lay dead on the plains. He first
settled at Petaluma, Sonoma County, where he carried on the dairy business, and
followed this business in several counties in the State until he finally went to
Monterey County, took up a Government tract of land and bought other adjoining
land to the amount 505 acres. He then engaged in farming and stock-raising, and
still owns this ranch. From there, in 1884, he came to San Diego, and engaged in
the hotel business, and bought the lots on the corner of Third and F streets,
where he built the new Carlton Hotel, and with the able assistance of Mrs.
Dorris he is now keeping this nice, centrally located house. Mrs. Dorris is a
most accomplished and agreeable landlady. She was the widow of Mr. Charles
Morgan, of Cleveland, Ohio, and was united in marriage to Mr. Dorris in 1868.
She is the mother of nine children,—four by her first husband and five since her
union with Mr. Dorris. Three of the last named are still living, and were all
born in Monterey County. Their names are: Nellie, Charles and Jennie. Mr. Dorris
enlisted December 14, 1864, in Company E, Second Regiment California Volunteers.
Their service was mostly in Arizona, among the Apache Indians, and he
participated in many skirmishes with them. He was mustered out in May, 1866. He
is an Odd Fellow and a member of the G. A. R., belonging to Heintzelman Post,
No. 33, of San Diego.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 147
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
HON. JAMES McCOY.
The pioneer residents of San Diego were a marked body of men. Many of them are living here to-day, and the positions they occupy among their fellows denote that they possess qualifications that would make them leaders in any community. They were generally self-made men, who, by reason of their native force of character, succeeded in surmounting obstacles before which less heroic material would have been overwhelmed. These were the men who, when San Diego's future greatness was in embryo, sprang to the front, and with their push and determination started the young city on its progress toward commercial supremacy. One of the foremost among this class is the subject of this sketch.
James McCoy was born in County Antrim, Ireland, August 12, 1821. He lived with his parents and worked on a farm for the first twenty years of his life. Then he began to yearn for that land of liberty beyond the sea, and in the summer of 1842 he took passage in the ship Alexander, for the United States, landing at Baltimore on the ninth of July. Here he found employment in a market garden, and afterward in a distillery. In these occupations he remained seven years. In 1849 he enlisted in the regular army, in Captain Magruder's Battery, which was under orders for the Pacific Coast. They sailed from Baltimore, January 27, 1850, and landed in San Francisco on the tenth of August. They remained in that city about ten days, and then sailed down the coast for San Diego, which was to be their station. There was at that time considerable trouble with the Indians, and McCoy was sent, as a non commissioned officer, with twelve men to San Luis Rey mission, about forty miles from San Diego. He remained at this post for two years and a half, and during that time his small force was often called upon to aid the settlers from Indian attacks. After leaving San Luis Rey he was sent with fourteen men to Jacumba, a station for keeping express horses and for mail carriers on the road to Yuma. He remained there for about eleven months, until, his term of enlistment having expired, he was honorably discharged from the service. While at Jacumba he was often threatened by the Indians, and for better security he built a small fort. Here he was at one time attacked by a band of five hundred Indians, but his party were all picked men and trained to Indian fighting, and they succeeded in beating off their assailants. He then went with a surveying party on the Colorado Desert to lay out townships. He was engaged in this business for two months and a half, and then was employed in the Government service driving teams between San Diego and Fort Yuma. He continued at this work for a little over two years, and then entered the employ of the San Antonio and San Diego Mail Line. He had charge of the mail between San Diego and Yuma, and afterward between Yuma and Tucson. This was quite a hazardous service, and he had many narrow escapes from the Indians, besides suffering untold hardships in crossing the desert through which his route lay. In his trips from Yuma to Tucson he made some very rapid time. He once rode the distance of three hundred miles in three days and eleven hours, and changed mules only twice. The man who rode with him, S. A. Ames, now lives at Riverside. In the latter part of 1859, while carrying the mail, he was elected Assessor of San Diego County, and in 1861 he was elected Sheriff. He was re-elected five times, and remained in the office until he was elected to the State Senate, in 1871, when he resigned. In 1859, while Assessor, he became interested in raising sheep, and continued in that business until 1868. Mr. McCoy prides himself that he has raised the best flock of sheep in San Diego County. In 1867 he bought the San Bernardo, a four-league ranch, for $4,000, and still owns a part of it. It is situated about thirty miles from San Diego. Mr. McCoy served one term of four years in the Senate, his term expiring in 1875. While in the Senate he used his best efforts to arrange for offering subsidies to induce the building of a railroad to San Diego. It was mainly through his efforts that the right of way was granted to the Texas Pacific. He also succeeded in having a bill passed authorizing the city to issue bonds to buy the San Diego and Gila Company—an old organization formed in early days. This company had succeeded in having two leagues of land granted them by the Legislature for the purpose of building their road. The bonds of the city were issued for the purpose of buying up the rights of this old company, as well as for purchasing the right of way for the Texas Pacific.
Mr. McCoy was one of the organizers and directors of the Commercial Bank of San Diego, and is now a director of the Consolidated Bank. He was also one of the organizers and a director in the San Diego Savings Bank. He was one of the organizers of the Commercial Bank of Los Angeles, since reorganized and now known as the First National Bank, in which he is a stockholder. He has been a city trustee for fourteen years. There has been no public movement looking to the advancement of San Diego that has not had Mr. McCoy's active countenance and assistance. He owns considerable city property, and 1,920 acres of the San Bernardo Ranch, adjoining Escondido. He resides in Old San Diego, where he has a fine residence, erected-eighteen years ago. Mr. McCoy was married in Old San Diego, May 17, 1868, to Miss Winifred Kearney. They have no children.
SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 147-149
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler