San Joaquin-Statewide County CA Archives History - Books .....San Joaquin County 1891 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 2, 2005, 4:44 am Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY. Captain Charles M. Weber, the father of Stockton, the county-seat, and practically of San Joaquin County, was born in the Netherlands in 1814, came to America in 1836, and in 1841 to California, with the Bartleson party, stopping first at Dr. Marsh's, neaa the east base of Mt. Diablo. During the ensuing winter he was an assistant of Captain Sutter at the fort, where he, with an eye to the future, cultivated friendly relations with Jose Jesus (pronounced hozay hasoos), the celebrated chief of the Siyakumna tribe, in this region. Seeing also that California would probably soon fall into the possession of the United States, he began in his calculations to cast his anchor in that direction. In the spring he settled at San Jose, in mercantile business, in partnership with Guillermo (William) Gulnac, a Mexican citizen. Not yet being naturalized himself, and desiring a tract of land, he persuaded Gulnac to obtain for him a grant, in his, Gulnac's, name. This grant was of about 44,000 acres of land, in the heart of what is now San Joaqnin County, called Rancho del Campo de Los Franceses, whereon the city of Stockton now stands. Weber, however, did not move his residence upon this land until after the close of the Mexican war, in which he took a conspicuous part, for the United States. Moving upon the grant he proceeded to lay out a town, which he at first named Tuleburg, on account of the great quantity of rank tules in the vicinity. Soon afterward he named it Stockton, because Commodore Robert F. Stockton, while meeting him at Los Angeles during the war, made great promises as to what he would do in Congress for him by way of improving the navigation of the San Joaquin River, etc., but which were never fulfilled, and Weber was sorry afterward that he had named his pet village in his honor. Another name he had reserved for it was Castoria. Weber was an exceedingly generous man, making many large donations to all the churches and schools, etc., although, especially toward the latter part of his life, his idiosyncrasies became rather conspicuous. Had he been as penurious as the average man he would have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars more than he was at the time of his death, which occurred May 4, 1881. In 1850 he married Miss Helen Murphy, a member of the celebrated Murphy party of 1844, and they had three children, namely: Hon. C. M. Weber, who resides in the Santa Clara Valley, and is managing their vast estate there; Julia H. and T. J., residing at Stockton. THE COUNTY is probably the best part of the great San Joaquin Valley, and is characteristic of that level section of the country, being but twenty to 100 feet above the sea level. The lower portions are of adobe soil, which prevails mostly in the western part of the county, while the rest is more sandy. It has always been a great grain raising section, but, like most other parts of California, it has of late years been drifting more into fruit-culture. All the fruits raised in California do well here, in streaks and spots, especially where irrigation can be had, for the county is greatly dependent upon this. Many artesian wells are in operation, and schemes are contemplated for the more thorough supply of water by canals from the mountains. The digging of artesian wells has developed the fact that there is at least a thousand feet of "mountain wash" here, and that therefore the valley has, geologically speaking, been but recently elevated above the sea. But, to the surprise of the world, natural gas is found in the county, and already Stockton and other points are abundantly supplied with this most useful product. San Joaquin County, where now live about 30,000 inhabitants, is the next south of Sacramento; is bounded on the east by Amador, Calaveras and Stanislaus, on the south by Stanislaus, and on the west by Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara. The lines of latitude 38° north and longitude 121° 20' west cross near the center of the county. Politically, this is one of the original counties of February 18, 1850. In 1860 a slice was taken off its southeastern corner and attached to Stanislaus County. For the purpose of forming a State government, General Bennett Riley, by virtue of his office as military governor, issued a proclamation in 1849, calling for a convention to frame a constitution, and dividing the Territory into districts in order that there be a fair geographical representation. The San Joaquin district comprised all the territory south of the Cosumnes River lying between the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The delegates elected were J. McH. Hollingsworth, O. M. Wozencroft, Thomas L. Vermeule, B. S. Lippincott, B. F. Moore, J. M. Jones, C. L. Peck, S. Halley, M. Fallon, B. Ogden, G. A. Pendleton, J. Ford, B. L. Morgan, Colonel Jackson and Walter Chapman,—only the first six named serving. March 2, 1850, the county organized by the election of the following officers: Benjamin Williams, Judge; S. A. Booker, District Attorney; R. P. Ashe, Sheriff; A. C. Bradford, Clerk; A. A. Mix, Recorder; B. F. Whittier, Assessor; H. W. Aldin, Treasurer; Walter Herron, Surveyor; E. L. B. Brooks, Administrator; and J. B. Clements, Coroner. Some amusing anecdotes are related with reference to the looseness with which the election was conducted. At one place a game of "seven-up" was played to decide a question in regard to counting of certain votes! The court of sessions was organized June 3, 1850, consisting of Judge Benjamin Williams, .ex-officio, and the associate justices Harrison Amyx and O. C. Emory. This court proceeded to levy a tax on all merchants, brokers, owners of hotels, etc., for the purpose of creating a county fund. These business men were thus aroused into opposition by such an unusual poll tax, and excitement grew so strong that bloodshed seemed imminent; but, taking the second thought that they could easily indemnify themselves by raising the prices of their goods they calmed down. The first court-house was completed in the spring of 1854, at a cost of $83,920, built of brick manufactured in the vicinity, and served until it was torn away in 1888 to make room for the erection of the present magnificent structure, at a cost of about $229,000, in 1890. The new jail when completed will cost about $60,000. The county hospital is a fine institution just outside the city limits east. The main building, erected about 1879, cost nearly $11,000. Two wings have since been added, at a cost of $5,000 or $6,000 each. Present number of inmates, about 175, who are kept at an average cost to the county of 42 1/2 cents per day. The first railroads in the county were the "Stockton & Copperopolis" and the Western Pacific, both built in 1869, the same year that the great trans-continental line was completed to Sacramento. The Western Pacific, afterward the Central Pacific, was the line from Sacramento through Stockton to San Jose. As usual there was a deal of underhanded work, delay and waste of funds, and even the citizens of Stockton themselves overreached when they imposed so great burdens upon the Central Pacific Company in 1869 that they lost the junction now at Lathrop. The "San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada" narrow-gauge road, running from the northwestern corner of the county to Burson in Calaveras County, was completed to the latter point in 1885. All these roads are now operated by the great Southern Pacific Company. ASSKMBLYMEN. 1849—B. F. Moore, D. P. Baldwin, E. B. Bateman, I. S. K. Ogier. J. Stewart, C. M. Creanor, R. W. Heath, W. M. Shepherd, J. C. Morehead, J. T. Stephens, J. W. Van Benschoten and John Cave. 1851—F. Yeiser and W. C. McDougall. 1852—R. P. Hammond, F. Yeiser and H. A. Crabbe. 1853—M. P. Halley, F. Yeiser and Samuel Knight. 1854—T. J. Keyes, A. C. Bradford and J. Stemmons. 1855—T. J. Keyes, and D. F. Douglass. 1856—B. G. Weir and G. W. Hunter. 1857—Thomas Jenkins and T. J. M. Aull. 1858—A. G. Stakes and G. C. Holman. 1859—G. C. Holman and Thomas Laspeyre. 1860—Thomas Laspeyre and W.L.Campbell. 1861—Thomas Laspeyre and L. R. Bradley. 1862—John Thompson and S. Myers. 1863—T. J. Keyes and S. Myers. 1863-'64—E. H. Allen and J. E. Perley. 1865—C. H. Chamberlain and W. E. Greene. 1867—L. J. Morrow and Warner Oliver. 1869—J. S. Thurston and C. G. Hubner. 1871—R. C. Sargent and F. J. Woodward. 1873—Samuel Myers and A. C. Paulsell. 1875—R. C. Sargent, John Patterson and Martin Lammers. 1877—R. C. Sargent, R. B. Thompson and Samuel Myers. 1879—W. R. Leadbetter, E. McIntosh and H. J. Corcoran. 1881—John Patterson, R. C. Sargent and C. C. Paulk. 1883—C. S. Stephens, J. W. Kerrick and Samuel L. Terry. 1885—H. J. Corcoran and F. J. Woodward. 1887—J. R. Henry and J. D. Young. 1888—R. S. Johnson and John McMullen. STOCKTON. While the city of Stockton is the offspring of the bold and enterprising Weber, its first feed for rapid growth during babyhood was traffic with the "Southern" mines, along the foot-hills east. During the first year or two after the discovery of gold it was a city of white canvas tents, doing, an immense amount of business as an entrepot. The times were fully as exciting as those at Sacramento during the same period,-a whirl of business, every fellow for himself, drinking, gambling and shooting. Before the close of 1849 it was estimated there were at least 1,000 people there, all men, doing business or gambling. Scarcely any good manners, scarcely any law, and still less execution of law. The place was and is still favored as being at the head of good navigation of the San Joaquin River, it being really at the head of a deep and wide "slough," or channel, three miles from the river proper. According to the universal law of social development, society immediately began to crystallize, refine and coagulate. A city government was formed under State law in 1850, and law and order gradually assumed the sway. THE STATE ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE AT STOCKTON is the outgrowth of a small beginning made as early as 1853. We have not space here to give a sketch of all the improvements and enlargements from time to time; but suffice it to say that at present the institution consists of several clusters of tine buildings, costing in the aggregate several hundred thousands of dollars, and situated upon a tract of 107 acres, beautifully kept, in the northeastern part of the city. The grounds indeed are a delicious retreat for those mentally afflicted, of whom over 1,500 are here. The well-known Dr. G. A. Shurtleff was for a long time the medical superintendent of this asylum, and was more than any other man the father of the same. Dr. Hiram N. Rucker has been in charge since November 1, 1888. OTHER ITEMS. Dr. Asa Clark also has long been keeping a private institution for the treatment of the insane in the southwestern part of town. The Masonic Temple at Stockton, just completed, is a beautiful model of architecture. The Agricultural Pavilion, also new, is the most beautiful in the State, and the second in size. The Agricultural Society is an equal rival of that at Sacramento. Additional Comments: Extracted from Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of Prominent Citizens of To-day. "A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents." – Macauley. CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1891. File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/sanjoaquin/history/1891/memorial/sanjoaqu29nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 12.5 Kb