Dan McCoy has lived on his fine farming estate situated eight miles north of Stockton on cherokee lane since the year 1866, for the long period of nearly forty years, and during this time he has gained the high esteem of his fellow citizens and also taken a foremost position among the prosperous and capable agriculturists and vineyardists of the locality.

Mr. McCoy was born in Ross county, Ohio, November 10, 1833, being a son of John and Rachel (Shumaker) McCoy, his father also a native of Ohio, and the paternal ancestors were Scotch-Irish. At the age of three years he was taken by his parents from his native state and county to Henry county, Iowa, where he was reared to manhood. In those days and in that locality the public schools were very poorly equipped and conducted, and he consequently had few of the advantages which are now affered to the youth of the land. He is therefore a self-educated man, one who has made his own way from an early age, and by actual contact with the strenuous side of ife has fitted himself for success.

In 1852, when a young man of nineteen years, he set out from his Iowa home and made the long trip across the plains to Oregon, where he spent about two years, part of which time he engaged in gold mining. In 1854 he came down to California, and for the following twelve years his home was in Tuolumne county, although his active operations called him into various parts of the west. He did freighting for a time, and from 1858 until 1862 was in the lumber business as a member of the firm of Bourland, McCoy and Company at Columbia, Tuolumne county. From 1862 until 1866 he once more engaged in freighting, hauling lumber and quartz between virginia City and Washoe, Nevada, although throughout this time his family had their home in Columbia. In 1866 he moved to San Joaquin county and settled on the ranch which has ever since been occupied and owned by him. He found this place in a very primitive condition, but by untiring labor and skilful management he has improved it to one of the model ranches of the county. His estate comprises about one hundred and thirty-nine acres. He has made viticulture an important department of his enterprise, and about thirty acres are devoted to growing the grape, the rest of the land being given over to general farming purposes.

Mr. McCoy was married at Columbia, this state, July 24, 1862, to Miss Adelia Dayton, who was born in Washtenow county, Michigan, May 26, 1843, being a daughter of Ransom and Prescilla N. (Maples) Dayton. In 1854, she accompanied her parents out to California, the family home being established at Columbia, in Tuolumne county, where she grew up and lived until her marriage. Her childhood journey to this state was made across the plains, and her parents left illinois in 1853, halting for the winter at Salt Lake City, and thence reaching this state in the following year. Mr. and Mrs. McCoy are the parents of six children: Mary E., wife of Cyrus Sprague, of Mariposa, California; Martha A., wife of Joseph Taylor, in San Joaquin county; Alice O., at home; Roland H., proprietor of the Sunol livery stable at Stockton; Lewis R., who is well known in San Joaquin county as the efficient superintendent of the Woodbridge Irrigating Canal, having his home at Woodbridge; and Rosa B., who is proprietor of the well known La Mode millinery establishment at 112 East Main street in Stockton. It will be seen from this that the childten are all possessed of business ability, and have made honorable places for themselves in society. Mr. McCoy is a Republican in politics. Fraternally he is affiliated with Charity Lodge No. 6, I. O. O. F., at Stockton, and also with Stockton Lodge No. 23, A. O. U. W.

Source: History of the New California Its Resources and People, Volume II

The Lewis Publishing Company - 1905
Edited by Leigh H. Irvine