United Kingdom
Artist: Camila Rocha-Roque
Our Immigration Story
The Hyde Family Came from England, United Kingdom
Jonathan Hyde was our first Hyde ancestor to arrive in America. 385 years later, the Harold Hyde family calls the Pajaro Valley our home in California. This is our story. . .
Jonathan, 1626-1711, was born in Kent, England, southeast of London. In 1639, at age 13, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean with his brother to settle in the Boston area of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in British Colonial America. He became a farmer and fathered 23 children with 2 wives.
The territory of Maine, then a part of Massachusetts, encouraged settlement in 1818. Jonathan’s direct descendent, Lucius Hyde, 1791-1856, homesteaded in Monson, Maine. He worked in the lumber industry and ran a mill. Lucius’ son, Henry White Hyde, moved his own family to Fort Fairfield, Maine, on the Canadian border. He was a farmer and ran a small merchandise store.
The Hydes’ family life changed dramatically when Henry White Hyde died at age 43, leaving his widow, Fidelia, and five children. Fidelia wrapped up the family business and in 1874 moved her family on the transcontinental railroad to California. She ran a boarding house for university students in Berkeley.
Henry Alton (H.A.) Hyde, 1871-1949, was Fidelia’s youngest child, just 3 years old, at the time he came to California. After he finished 8th grade, he left home to earn money. He started in the Santa Cruz mountains lumber industry. As a young man, he learned many wood-related tasks, including felling and hauling trees, making small boxes, and trimming wood frames and decorative pieces. About 1895, he moved his wife and young family to Rodriguez Street in Watsonville.
H.A. Hyde loved trees and plants, and he had a beautiful garden in his backyard. He established his horticulture business at the end of Main Street about 1910. It was called H.A. Hyde Nursery and thrived for 50 years. H.A. developed commercial flowers, provided landscape plantings to major sites such as Hearst Castle (San Simeon), and sold strawberry plants and fruit trees to local farmers. H.A. became involved in many local civic and community endeavors, He served on the local school board for 27 years. H.A. Hyde’s impact on the community was recognized after his death when H.A. Hyde Elementary School on Alta Vista Ave. opened in 1953.
H.A. Hyde’s grandson, Harold (Hal) Anthony Hyde, 1923-2020, was born in Watsonville and lived here much of his life. He joined Ford’s Department Store in downtown Watsonville in the 1950s and became involved in many civic and community activities throughout the county. Hal raised his family in the Pajaro Valley. Hal’s passion was higher public education for all. He was elected to the inaugural Cabrillo College Board of Trustees. Later he became the first Vice-Chancellor of Business and Finance at University of California at Santa Cruz.
While our family immigration story has concentrated on those born with the Hyde name, we could not have thrived without the support and partnership of the female members who got us to the beautiful Pajaro Valley in California, such as Fidelia Hoyt Hyde, Bertha Anthony Hyde, Enriqueta Palmer Hyde, Fern Kilburn Hyde, and Persis (Perky) Horner Hyde.
Marilyn Hyde
March 2025
The Sandidge Family: A Journey to a New Life
In the early 18th century, the Sandidge family embarked on a voyage that would shape their future for generations to come. Leaving behind the rolling hills and stone villages of England, they set sail for the American colonies, driven by a dream of new opportunities and the promise of land and freedom.
Among them was David Sandidge, a determined young man with an unyielding spirit. The journey across the Atlantic was treacherous—rough seas, illness, and uncertainty filled the days aboard the crowded ship. But the Sandidges, like many immigrant families of their time, held firm to their faith and the belief that a better life awaited them in the New World.
Upon arrival in Virginia, they were met with a land rich in potential but fraught with challenges. The Sandidges, accustomed to the struggles of survival, toiled to build homes, clear fields, and establish a life among fellow settlers. Over time, they became part of the fabric of early American society, with their descendants spreading westward in search of new frontiers.
Generations later, the Sandidge name could be found in Kentucky, Missouri, and beyond, with family members playing roles in agriculture, commerce, and even military service. Each chapter of their journey was marked by resilience, the pursuit of opportunity, and an unwavering commitment to forging a future in their adopted homeland.
As the years passed, the Sandidge family expanded westward, playing a role in the nation’s growth. By the 19th century, one of their most notable descendants, John Dow Sandidge of Marshall, Missouri, emerged as a prominent figure. Born in the early 1800s, John Dow Sandidge settled in Saline County, Missouri, where he became a respected landowner, businessman, and civic leader.
Marshall, Missouri, was a growing frontier town, and John Dow Sandidge played an integral role in its development. He was known for his contributions to the local economy, particularly in agriculture and trade, helping to establish the area as a thriving community. His leadership and vision reflected the pioneering spirit of the Sandidge lineage—one defined by resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to building a better future.
Through his work, John Dow Sandidge cemented the family’s legacy in Missouri, where his descendants would continue to shape the region for generations. John Dow Sandidge’s legacy carried forward through his descendants, including Dow Bevier Sandidge, who also became a well-regarded figure in Missouri. Named after General John Bevier, Dow Bevier Sandidge upheld the family tradition of leadership and service, making notable contributions to his community. He migrated to southern California with his oldest brother, Charles Thomas Sandidge, in the 1930s. D. B. “Bud” Sandidge worked briefly in Hollywood as a double for the actor Robert Montgomery. Later he went to work for Fridgedaire and won a national sales contest. His name became synonymous with integrity and hard work, further cementing the Sandidge family’s influence in Missouri and beyond.
Bud Sandidge married Grace Louise Williams in 1947. They raised three sons, John, Ron, and Tom. Sleepy John Sandidge has gained fame as a radio personality on KZSC, KUSP, KPIG, and KKUP. Ron is a retired public educator who began teaching in Los Angeles before moving to Santa Cruz County where he has worked for 45 years in the Pájaro Valley Unified School District as a bilingual teacher and administrator. Tom lives in the Antelope Valley and is retired from the communications systems business.
Today, the legacy of the Sandidge family remains a testament to the immigrant experience—a story of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring hope that defines the American dream.
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Current and Former residents of Watsonville that share this cultural heritage:
- Addison
- Allhouse
- Bass
- Baylor
- Bennet
- Bottrell
- Ceooni
- Chavez Rodriguez
- Clement
- Crandon
- Crawford
- Gallagher
- Garcia-Cruz
- Geyer
- Gipe
- Harden
- Hudson
- Hurst
- Hyde
- Keating
- Loos
- MacDonald/falek
- Marlan/Lippi
- Meyer
- Miller
- Mizuno
- Morris
- Nahnsen
- Porter
- Quezada
- Reese
- Renison
- Rubio
- Sandidge
- Scott-Behrends
- Stabile
- Theriot
- Thompson Rond
- Watson
- Webster
- Willy
- Zepeda
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