Ford, Charles

Charles Ford (1824-1890), born in New Jersey, came to California in 1849, and to the Pajaro Valley in 1852. His biography in Harrison is reproduced on his Find-a-Grave page. Ford is mentioned often in Elliott and Guinn, but without a biography. After an abortive try at potato farming, Ford moved into Watsonville, where he partnered with Lucius Sanborn as Ford & Sanborn to establish a retail business. That eventually became the family-owned Ford's department store that remained a Watsonville and Santa Cruz anchor store until after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Charles' older brother John (b.1820) also came to Watsonville, where he died in 1863. Note that a different John Ford has a biography in Elliott.