James Ashworth was a Pioneer from Kentucky, by way of Missouri and the lower Mormon Trail. James and his brother D.C. ended up in Mariposa, California, mining for gold.
After the stop in the Mariposa gold mines, James took his proceeds to San Jose and in 1854 purchased 160 acres of farmland on the East Side of Coyote Creek, across the road from Judge Archer (the future Father-in-Law of Mr. Kelly – of Kelly Park). The creek crossing was known as Ashworth Crossing. The name of the road at this time was Archer Street for Judge Archer.
D.C. Ashworth, settled in Mariposa County. His descendants’ history includes the employment as teamsters for the Wawona-Yosemite Stage. Continue to Friends for website information.
1861 Ashworth’s Son John married John Tully’s Sister, Rose Ann. John Tully (Tully Road) donated the land for the County Fairgrounds. Tully also had a eucalyptus grove. The remnants exist all over the East Side, especially along the creeks.
In 1864, Ashworth built a 2 Story Farm House, the Ashworth (-Remillard) Home which still stands.
1876 Thompson and West Historical Atlas show both Archer and Story Rd.
1878 Directory of San Jose list Ashworth as a Farmer, residence 1st house north side of the street at Ashworth Crossing at Coyote Creek. This was in East San Jose. (The road on the west side of the Creek was named Keyes.)
Most of the Ashworth Family is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery.
In the fall of 1891, Remillard purchased the Ashworth farm of 160 acres, located on the east bank of Coyote Creek at the end of Keyes Street, San Jose. The price was $54,000. This transaction was recorded in a ledger found on the Property in 2009.