San Diego County Biographies
 
JOHN  R. SCRANTON

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


a son of New England, one of the early pioneers of California and a citizen of 
San Diego, was born at Guilford, Connecticut, in July, 1823, and was one of a 
family of eight children, himself and sister now only surviving, his sister 
still living at North Guilford, Connecticut, Mr. Scranton was early apprenticed 
to a carpenter, serving a term of four and a half years, and thereafter worked 
at his trade until 1851, when he went to New York city. His attention was early 
turned to California, and in 1853 he made the trip, by way of Panama and the 
Isthmus, arriving safely in San Francisco without accident or special incident. 
Soon after arrival he went to Nevada and Colorado, and there did a large 
business in contract building until 1858, when he was "enthused " by the Fraser 
river gold excitement, and started for that field, but stopped at Portland, 
Oregon, where he took several contracts in building. The following ten years 
were passed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming, in building and mining and 
a general speculative business, visiting the leading cities and mining districts 
and taking up whatever offered the best returns. In the fall of 1869 he came to 
San Diego and started a general building and contracting business, doing quite 
well for a number of years, part of the time with a partner, the firm being 
Scranton & Boyd. In 1873 he gave up contracting and entered the saloon business 
with J. P. Stowe, but only for a short time, business being very quiet. Then he 
followed and investigated business propositions for about two years, resulting 
only in chaff, but in 1875 went to Santa Monica and resumed his trade, doing a 
prosperous business for about two years. Then he went to Wyoming on a railroad 
contract and followed his trade at Leadville, Denver, Kansas City and through 
New Mexico, doing a good general business.  Returning to San Diego in July, 
1882, he did a general speculative business in the liquor traffic, whaling 
enterprises, etc., without material profit. Has been a man of broad experience 
and diversified gifts, having passed through all the stages of prosperity and 
adversity, and though sixty-one years of age is still in the hey-day of life.
 
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.-  385