Lake County Biographies

John COBB

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


(deceased) 
Was born in Henry County, Kentucky, May 19, 1814. His father was a farmer. When 
John was but a child, his father moved to Indiana where they remained for six 
years, when they returned to Kentucky. When John was sixteen years of age, they 
returned to Indiana and his father resided in Jefferson County for five years, 
and then moved to Arkansas, where he died. 
In 1832, John went to Vigo County, Indiana, on the Wabssh River where he 
followed keel-boating, carrying freight to all the towns on the river. 
In October, on one of his trips, he laid up for the night at the foot of Coffee 
Island, eight miles below the Grand Rapids and two miles below Mount Carmel. 
About eight o'clock, he noticed quite a commotion taking place with the stars; 
they all seemed to be falling towards the earth; they seemed to inccrease 
thicker and faster until almost midnight, when all of them seemed to part in the 
center above, falling towards earth in all directions. They resembled many balls 
of fire, each leaving a brilliant light behind it; one would not get out of 
sight til another would be coming on the same line. The whole firmament seemed 
to be in a blaze of fire; it was the most beautiful sight he ever saw in his 
life. The stas seemed to gradually decrease in motion until about four o'clock 
in the morning, when all was quiet and every star was in its proper place. He 
then proceeded down the river into the Ohio, and down that stream to Paducah, at 
the mouth of the Tennessee River; he then went up the Tennessee with the 
keel-boat to Florence in Tennessee; then he returned to Indiana - to the Grand 
Forks, on the Wabash River. There he put in a crop of corn, sold it out, and 
went to Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana where he got a team and went back 
to Madison in Jefferson County after his mother, two sisters and brother and 
moved to Iowa Territory. They stopped at a place called Bloomington, which had 
one house in it, owned by John Vanater, the proprietor of the place. It soon 
grew up, however, to be quite a village and place of trade. It is located on the 
banks of the upper Mississippi River, thirty miles below Rock Island and sixty 
miles above Burlington. The name has since been changed to Muscatine City, 
Muscatine County. He then resided in that place where he followed farming and 
trading, for three years. In 1839, he took his mother on a visit to her mother, 
who resided in Madison, Indiana, in April of that year. 
From there he returned to Iowa; staying there until fall, and started for Texas; 
got as far as Arkansas and was taken sick with the white swelling, which left 
him a cripple for life. He gave up the trip to Texas and returned again to Iowa 
in the spring of 1841, and remained there until 1843. 
He then went to Quincy, Illinois. He married to Miss Jane Ann Leypold, April 18, 
1844, who was a native of Ohio. Their first child, a son, was born February 18, 
1845, and died August 15, 1845. Their next, a daughter, was born January 13, 
1847. He lost his wife January 12, 1848 and his daughter died January 16, 1848. 
On August 17, 1848 he was married to his second wife, Miss Esther E. Deming, who 
is istill living. She is a native of Ohio, and the mother of six children, whose 
names are as follows: John R. (Rufus), George O., Joseph D. (Deming), Mary H. O. 
, William T., and Hester E. The first one, John R. was born September 22, 1849, 
and the sixth one, Hester E., was born July 8, 1858. 
In the spring of 1850, he started across the plains with an ox-team en route for 
California, bringing his family, consisting then of wife and one child with him. 
They reached Salt Lake, August 17, 1850, but owing to the delicate health of 
Mrs. Cobb, they remained there until the spring of 1851, when they crossed the 
mountains, and arrived at Ringold (Ringgold), near Placerville, California, on 
July 1st of that year. He then engaged in mining for about three weeks, when he 
bought into a grocery store and kept boarding-house, which business he followed 
until September. 
He then sold out and moved to Napa Valley, Napa County and rented a place of 
John S. Stark, about four miles below Calistoga Springs, which he farmed one 
year. He sold his crop and went to Oregon in September 1852 and spent one year 
there, and returned to Napa County in August 1853. He then rented a place of 
John Tucker and Peter Teal for farming purposes. In October of the same year, he 
went north of Napa Valley, towards Clear Lake, and took up a place in what is 
now known as Cobb Valley, which took its name after him, he being the first 
settler there. He then moved his family there in November 1853; a wild 
wilderness of a place, inhabited by various kinds of wild game and animals; elk, 
deer, bears, panthers, wolves, wild cats and foxes. 
In 1854, he was solicited to run for the office of County Assessor, and was 
elected. He assessed Napa County in 1855. He lived about five years in Cobb 
Valley, then sold out and moved to Napa Valley again; bought a tract of land in 
the said valley of M. D. Ritchie, and remained on it about eighteen months, and 
sold it out. He then moved out to Calyomi Valley and settled near where 
Middletown is now. He then farmed and raised stock on that place about three 
years. 
About that time, Lake County was segregated from Napa County. He was then put in 
charge of the Calyomi and Guenoc grants, and moved to the Stone House. He was 
put in charge of the grants by Robert Waterman. He farmed that ranch two years, 
and leased out the farms on the grant to the settlers. He then moved to Sonoma 
County; remained there two years educating his children, and then returned to 
Lake County with his family to his place that he had previously entered, 
containing five hundred and twenty acres. He resided on this far about four 
years, improving it; then moved to Healdsburg (Sonoma County); resided there 
about eighteen months, completing the education of his children. 
He then returned with this family to Lake County, to his farm, where he has 
resided ever since. By referring to the dates, it will be found that Mr. Cobb is 
about the first white settler, or the oldest settler, now in Lake County.

From "History of Napa and Lake Counties" 1881