James K. Pipkin, Oldest Resident dies at 104
Redwood City Tribune
Thursday Feb. 8, 1973

James K. Pipkin of Redwood City, San Mateo County's oldest resident, died
yesterday at the University Branch Convalescent Hospital in Menlo Park.
He would have been 105 on March 30.

In the past two weeks he had suffered from pneumonia, heart attack and a
stroke.

Pipkin's death leaves Clem Campbell of 1074 Del Norte Ave, Menlo Park,
as San Mateo County's oldest resident. Campbell observed his 104th birthday
last Sept. 21.

Pipkin was born in 1868 in Prairie County, Ark and rode west in an emigrant
train of 80 ox-drawn wagons, organized by his grandfather.

His home in Redwood City was at 1124 Junipero Ave, until he entered the
convalescent home about three years ago. His third wife, Nettie A. Pipkin, 
whom he married in 1942, died last October.

Pipkin's family joined the Mormon Church in 1876 in Arkansas. One day, he
recalled in an interview, the Mormons were baptizing him and others by the
White River when "a mob came down and started throwing rocks and they broke
up the baptizing."

"They had to finish off the baptizing for me in Sunset, Ariz." where the
family later settled.

Pipkin, who was eight years old when his grandfather organized an emigrant
train and headed west, rode all the way because shorly after the train 
left he got caught in a wagon wheel and severly injured a hip.

"Most everbody else in the train walked to save the oxen's strength," he
related. The trip took about three months.

They didn't have too much trouble on the trip although it was during the
same year General Custer was killed and "some of the folks were scared 
of Indians."

After five years in Arizona the family moved to New Mexico.

"I did everything - worked cattle, in coal mines, sawmills, raised stock
and harvested grain and hay."

When he came to Redwood City, there were only one or two houses in the 
hills and there was only one other house on Junipero Avenue, according
to his account. Horse-drawn wagons used to rumble through the community
and there were water troughs downtown.

Pipkin had five children by his first wife and four by his second.

Surviving are five sons, Robert E. Pipkin of Redwood City, who at 73 is
the oldest of the sons living; Earl of Mesa, Ariz.; Levi of San Francisco,
Louis of Burlingame and Joseph of Washington state; two daughters, Mrs.
Amelia Earl of Redwood City and Mrs. Josephine Lowman of Oregon; six
grandchildren and "numerous" great-grand-children.

Mormon services are pending at Crippen & Flynn Chapel, 400 Woodside Road,
Redwood City.