OBITUARY ---------------CAPT. GEORGE WATKINS
Times and Gazette
November 23, 1878
Capt. George Watkins departed this life last Wednesday morning in San Francisco whether he had gone to receive medical assistance. In his death, the community loses another of the old pioneers who came to this coast in the earliest day and have since been busy in developing the county. He came to San Francisco in 1851 as master of a ship.
His crew deserted him to go to the mines, a thing of frequent occurrence in those exciting times, and he decided to remain here himself and sent his ship home with another man.
He remained in San Francisco until the next year when he came to this place. Here was then only a rude landing and he built the first frame erected on the present site of the town on the west side of Main Street first north of School Lane. His family were with him at the time and they remained in this vicinity about four years, when they moved to Pomponio Creek, then a perfect wild. He remained there but a short time and purchased and moved onto the farm known as the Watkins place on San Gregorio Creek where he continued to reside until the time of his death. The place fell into his hands when wholly wild land and he and his sons have made it a productive farm and pleasant home.
Captain Watkins was a native of Liverpool. He commenced following the sea when he was ten years old and continued in that business until he landed in California at the age of thirty-nine. He was first mate of a ship when sixteen years of age and captain at nineteen. When sailing he had a very eventful life and his coming to this new country to carve a home in a wilderness may properly be regarded as the most eventful portion of his life.
He was a man of strictest integrity and highly respectable family who are worthy citizens among us left to fill the vacancy caused by his death.
He had been sick two years with dropsy. He underwent a surgical operation last Monday, and appeared to be doing well that day, but towards Tuesday morning, he began to show evidence of an unfavorable turn in his illness and from that time sank rapidly until he breathed his last at five o’clock on Wednesday morning at the age of sixty-six. His funeral took place at the Congregational Church in Redwood City and his remains were interred in Union Cemetery. In his death we have a worthy example of a man who has acted well his part on the stage of life, who has moved among his fellows with honor until, he arrived at the ripe age set as the limit of life, he goes down to the grave with gray hairs and is laid away with the respect and regard of all his survivors.
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