Tracing the Family Tree:
Three Local Residents Explore Their Genealogy
Written By Jordan Rosenfeld
Many of the toils and travails of our ancestors remain a mystery. You might know your grandparents’ history, or have a general
sense of the larger origins of your people, but deeper truths, lineages and even individuals are often lost to time. Three local
genealogy buffs, two from Morgan Hill and one from Gilroy, have taken their curiosity to new depths. They’ve delved into the
farthest reaches of their ancestry, turning up connections to historical figures, family scandals, and the early roots of this lovely
local region, and shared their stories with us.
Perrin Larton: What’s in a Name?
Perrin Larton, a longtime Morgan Hill resident who works
in the field of stem cell research, is the only bearer of a first
name that is historically a family last name and middle name.
“My great-great-great grandfather had seven children and his
last name was Perrin. The daughters all named one of their
children Perrin as a middle name,” she said. Curiosity about
her name led her to explore her genealogy.
Her interest was further stoked by her close connection
growing up with her great-great uncle, Albert Perrin Craig.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Craig owned prune and walnut acreage in Morgan Hill’s
Paradise Valley. He told her stories of his life, including how
he had to take a horse and buggy to work in San Jose, and his
memories of the 1906 earthquake. “He was already out in his
orchard and heard a noise, so he started running toward the
house and all of a sudden, he said, ‘The ground reached up
and tripped me.’ He fell face forward and as he looked up he
saw the roots of his trees come up and go back down,”
she recounted.
JULY/AUGUST 2017
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