Santa Clara County Biographies


This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


JOHN J. BERGIN 
 
was born in New York city, February 14, 1845. His parents, Richard and Catharine 
Bergin, were both natives of Ireland. Richard Bergin left Ireland when he was a 
young man, and went to Liverpool, England, where he engaged in business for a 
few years, and along in the '30s came to the United States and located in New 
York. He was a business man of that city, and made it his home until his death, 
in 1884. His widow is still residing there. She was the mother of thirteen 
children, of whom only three sons lived to be grown. John J. Bergin was raised 
and educated in New York, where he lived with his parents until he entered the 
government service, in June, 1863. He enlisted in the thirty days' service in 
the gallant Sixty-ninth New York State Militia. After his time expired he again 
enlisted in the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery and served through the campaigns 
of his regiment until the close of the war, and was mustered out of service in 
October, 1865. He was with Grant in the Army of the Potomac from the time he 
left Brandy Station to the surrender at Appomattox. After his discharge Mr. 
Bergin returned to New York, where he remained until he came to California in 
1871. He sailed from New York by way of Panama and arrived at San Francisco. He 
was married, in January, 1876, to Mrs. Francisca Price, whose maiden name was 
Walkinshaw. The ranch which belongs to Mrs. Bergin has 312 acres, of which 
seventy acres is in vineyard six years old. There is also twenty acres in 
orchard of various kinds of fruit of the same age. The remainder of the land is 
all under cultivation. In the year 1887 the vines bore about 250 tons of grapes, 
while the present yield will be nearly double.
        The orchard is in good bearing condition, and consists principally of 
apricots, French prunes and Bartlett pears. The place is beautifully situated in 
the foot-hills about two and a half miles south of Mountain View. The grounds 
are very ornamental and beautifully laid out, there being on the place 
twenty-five orange trees, which were bearing a heavy crop when they were injured 
by the frost last winter.
        Mr. and Mrs. Bergin have two children, a son and daughter. Mrs. Bergin 
was born in Mexico. Her mother was a Mexican lady, and her father, Robert 
Walkinshaw, was a Scotchman. She was a small child when her parents came to this 
country and has seen a great deal of early life in California. Her father, 
Robert Walkinshaw, was a mining expert and was sent from Scotland to Mexico to 
examine mines in that locality, and from there came to California in 1846 to 
examine the New Almaden mines, and up to 1850 served as Superintendent of the 
mines. He bought a farm about two miles west of the Almaden mines, where he 
lived nine years. He then bought a large tract of land called the Ynigo farm, 
which was owned by an Indian by that name. The Indian afterward made his home 
with Mr. Walkinshaw, until he died, at the age of 110 years. Mr. Walkinshaw 
returned to Scotland, where he died in 1858. The farm was afterward sold, and 
Mrs. Bergin bought her present place in 1872.
 
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. 646-647