Hecox family
From Santa Cruz County history wiki
Adna A. Hecox (1806-1883) was a native of Michigan who came overland to Santa Cruz in the 1840s, and was one of the last local alcaldes before California statehood. He became the first keeper of the Point Santa Cruz lighthouse in 1869. A fairly lengthy biography is included in Elliott (p.18-22), and he is mentioned numerous times in Rowland.
After his death, the lighthouse-keeper position passed to his youngest daughter Laura (1854-1919), who tended the big oil lamp faithfully for the next 33 years. Laura Hecox was also an avid amateur naturalist, and her collections formed the basis for today's Santa Cruz Natural History Museum. An older daughter, Mathilda (1847-1931), married Otis Longley (SWC4 Chapter Four, entry (19), page 92).
