Hames, John

John Hames was a New York-born immigrant who came to Monterey in 1843 after a stint in South America, and moved to Soquel in 1847. Hames and John Daubenbiss were contracted by Michael and Martina Castro Lodge to build a sawmill at Rancho Soquel, on Soquel Creek. John built a house in the Pleasant Valley area, and today's Hames Road was named for him. Brother Benjamin (1823-1866) followed John to the area, establishing a tannery in partnership with another Ben - Ben Porter - in what is now Porter Gulch - just to the west of Cabrillo College.

Hames married Drusilla Shadden, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Shadden. Hames also came to California in 1843, so he may have also been traveling in that wagon train, and met Drusilla during the journey.

• Another bio: Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California (1893), page 395.