Ventura County Biographies

N. T. Cody

Submitted by Sandy Neder

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

  
N. T. Cody was born in Onondaga County, New York, September 12, 1826. His 
parents were both natives of Edinburgh, Scotland, and came to America as early 
as 1820, settled in Cicero and built the first frame house in that town. Their 
name, Mr. Cody thinks, originated in the north of Ireland; if so, he is of 
Scotch-Irish descent. He has only one son.
    Mr. Cody was educated in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated at the Willoughby 
College of Medicine, after which he engaged in the drug business in Zanesville, 
Ohio. From there he went to Cleveland and from there to Europe. He afterward 
made a second trip to Europe. He spent a portion of his time in Toledo, Ohio, 
and was also engaged in the drug business in Waukegan, Illinois, three years. In 
1850 he came to California, first worked in the mines and had a trading station 
near Hangtown; next went to Mariposa County, and also had a trading station on 
the Merced River, being at that place during the severe winter of 1852-'83. From 
there he went to Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne County, and opened a drug store, and was 
in business there until 1864, when he went to Washington Territory. He remained 
at the latter place a year and a half, and was in the drug business nearly all 
the time from 1856 to 1890. He came to Ventura May 18, 1881, and bought his 
present store of Mrs. Simms, a sister of Judge Williams. Mr. Cody has erected 
the building in which his store is located, and is doing a nice business. He is 
also agent for Wells-Fargo & Company, having received his appointment as express 
agent on St. Patrick's day in the morning, and his wife took the telegraph 
office in July, 1882.
    Mr. Cody's first wife, who was the mother of his son, was nee Susan Adams, 
of Providence, Rhode Island. Her father was a merchant in that city. The son, N. 
T. Cody, was born in Waukegan, Illinois, and three weeks later his mother died. 
Young Cody is now traveling in Europe, and writes home that the more he sees of 
Europe the more he loves America. In 1872 the subject of this sketch 3was united 
in marriage to his present wife.
    In many respects Mr. Cody is a remarkable man. Has never run for any office, 
nor has he ever joined any society. He does strictly a cash business; owes no 
many anything, either in his business or out of it. He is averse to lawsuits, 
and would rather lose a sum of money than bring suit in order to get payment. He 
is, withal, a jovial man, and non loves fun better than he. He both gives and 
takes a joke freely, and if there is any fun going he is sure to know of it and 
have a share in the same.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES OF SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS 
OBISPO, AND VENTURA, CALIF. by Ida Addis Storke, 1891, p 547