John Howell Sears (1823–1907) was an early pioneer of Searsville and

La Honda La Honda (Spanish for "The Sling") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 979 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between the Santa Clara Valley an ...

, two cities in

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City is the county seat, and the third most populated city following Daly ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He directly influenced the development of these cities.

History

Born February 3, 1823 in Sullivan County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was living in Wayne County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

before arriving in San Francisco on August 1, 1850 by ship as a gold prospector during the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

. He traveled directly to the gold mines on initial arrival to the area and around Northern California to various mine locations before settling down. By 1854 Sears lands in a lumber town later to be named Searsville, during the early days before the city was developed. He built his Sears hotel on Sand Hill Road near the entrance of the city and because of his postal contract, he may have had directly influenced the naming of the town. Once the lumber industry had slowed down in Searsville, in 1862 he bought 400 acres of land in La Honda area and built the Old Store at La Honda and a hotel nearby. He had bought the Sausman Store in Old La Honda which had been the former center of town and he was responsible for moving the center of the town center to its current location. By 1880 Sears hires a blacksmith for the town, this blacksmith shop was owned by Sears later becomes Sear's grocery store and then "Apple Jack's Inn" which is a saloon currently in operation. He was married to Nancy A. Mayhew (1829–1891) who preceded him in death and together they had three children; William, Ida and Anna. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1907 at the age of 84 in La Honda and was buried in Union Cemetery in Redwood City, California with his family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, John Howell 1823 births 1907 deaths People from San Mateo County, California People from Sullivan County, New York San Mateo County, California People of the California Gold Rush Deaths from pneumonia in California