Family Ties in California
What is the origin of the name "Shinn"? Were they Chinese?
This is one of the most asked questions on tours. And it depends on who you ask. [Here are some answers...]
The name comes from Europe. Exactly where will need some tracing.
Reference 1 "This unusual and interesting name is a medieval English occupational surname for a 'skinner', someone who stripped the hide from animals, to be tanned for leather. 'Skinner' is the more familiar form of this surname, deriving from the Middle English 'skin', meaning hide or pelt, from the Old Norse 'skinn'.
Reference 2 "The ancient roots of the Shinn family are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Shinn comes from when the family lived near a crevice, chasm, or canyon. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word chine, that comes from the Old English word "cinu," meaning fissure, or chasm. The surname meant "dweller by the ravine."
"Spelling variations of this family name include: Ching, Chinn, Chine, Chynne, Shin, Shinn, Attechine and many more."
James and Lucy Shinn were married in Ohio. They moved from Ohio to Tennessee and then finally to Round Rock, Texas in 1852. Charles Howard Shinn was born here in 1852 and Annie Holbrook Shinn was born in 1856.
Two of Lucy's siblings already lived in California. Lucy's brother, Dr. Joseph Clark, lived in San Francisco. Her sister, Jane Clark Sanford, lived in Oakland.
Round Rock home
Dr. Clark and partners bought land from William Sim on the ex-Mission lands between Centerville and Vallejo's Mills along Alameda Creek.
James and Lucy came to California to manage the ranch in 1856. Their first California home was Sim's cottage which was located along Alameda Creek on a former Ohlone site, according to Charles. Alameda Creek was rich in wildlife, good water, and fertile soil.
From Horace Higley's map of Alameda County, the very first map of our county in 1857. The Shinn Property was located between the G and the T of "Washington."
What was it like in 1856? The Gold Rush started seven years earlier in 1949. California was a new state, just six years old (1850). Alameda County was created in 1853. Vallejo's second flour mill was built in 1856 just up the creek. Sim's cottage was built on an old Ohlone site. There were still grizzly bears here.. There was no railroad until 1869. Transportation was by water from the landings along the bay and on by travel on the primitive roads.
The Shinn Family in Niles
Lucy and James Shinn had seven children, but only three survived to lead an active adult life. Ellen Mary and Edwin died as infants in 1848 in Ohio. Ten-year-old Lucy Ellen died in 1873 in Niles. Annie Holbrook Shinn died after a long illness in Niles at the age of 21 in 1878.
Disease and illness were ever present in these early days for everyone.
The three families - Shinn, Clark, and Sanford - were closely connected. Education was very important to the extended families. The Shinn children attended elementary and high school in Oakland and lived with the Sanford family at times. During the summers the cousins came "up" to Niles to live on the ranch.
Charles Howard Shinn attended UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins. He was a teacher, writer, horticulturalist, rancher, inspector of the University of California Experiment stations, and finally the first forest ranger of the Sierra National Forest. He knew his trees.
Milicent Washburn Shinn was a graduate of UC Berkeley, a teacher, an editor of the literary magazine, the Overland Monthly, and the first woman to receive a PhD from UC Berkeley. Milicent was added to "Where Women Made History" in 2022
Joseph Clark Shinn attended UC Berkeley. He took over the management of the Shinn operations from his father. He was involved in the community and served on the Alameda County Water District for years.
