C. M. Silva & Son

Biography

Charles M. Silva (1823-1894) was a native of Richmond County, New York who moved to California in 1849. A resident of Newastle, California from 1864 to 1894, Silva first planted several fruit trees and strawberry vines there in 1868. He was one of the first to discover the adaptability of Newcastle's soil for growing fruit trees and plants and became one of the pioneers of the fruit and nursery business in Placer County. Silva and his son, Edward, operated a nursery, C.M. Silva & Son, in Newcastle.

In 1870, the Silvas had about ten acres under cultivation, and although their fruit trees had not matured, they received approximately nine hundred dollars per acre each year from different kinds of berries. They marketed five tons of strawberries in 1870, averaging twenty cents per pound. They shipped thirty thousand dollars worth of fruit in 1874 and the business had doubled annually for the preceeding four years. In 1875, they had thirty acres planted in fruit trees and strawberries.

Charles Silva had three children: Edward Burton Silva (February 16, 1854-April 24, 1952), Jennie Culver (July 17, 1858-April 27, 1941) and Elizabeth Oldham (September 7, 1860-June 14, 1948). He passed away on November 7, 1894.

Sources:

Gittings, Samuel Evans. The foundations of Placer County horticulture, 1850-1900. Auburn, CA: Placer County Historical Society, 1996.

Lardner, William Branson. History of Placer and Nevada counties, California: with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present. Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Company, 1924.

Obituary of Charles M. Silva. Placer Republican, November 9, 1894.

From the guide to the C. M. Silva & Son Correspondence, 1874-1886, (University of California, Davis. General Library. Department of Special Collections.)