Trafton family
From Santa Cruz County history wiki
Revision as of 00:48, 18 January 2024 by Carey (talk | contribs) (Created page with "500px The first of the '''Trafton family''' to arrive in Santa Cruz County was George A. Trafton ([https://www.findagrave.com/memo...")
The first of the Trafton family to arrive in Santa Cruz County was George A. Trafton (1834-1927), born in Canada, who came to California in 1851 and to Watsonville in 1858, shortly after his marriage to Melissa Matthis in the Sacramento Valley. George established a general store, and served in "civic affairs"
Son William Abraham Trafton (1864-1931) served as Watsonville mayor. "The Trafton brothers" are profiled in Harrison, p.281.
Son Howard Trafton (1871-1925) was elected County Sheriff in 1902, and still held that position in 1925, when he was killed in a gun battle while trying to evict a squatter.
- Geoffrey Dunn, "Death In the Afternoon", Santa Cruz Style, Spring-2019, p.60-63, republished online at SCPL Local History Articles
A daughter named Ida moved to southern California. The other four family members are buried in Watsonville's Pioneer Cemetery.