Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Gibson, Robert J. 1859 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 23, 2006, 9:05 pm

Author: Tom Gregory (1913)

ROBERT J. GIBSON

    While other occupations may reward their adherents with larger financial
returns or may bestow upon their disciples greater prominence and broader
influence, none surpasses that of agriculture in its relation to the material
welfare of the entire world. To those men who are giving farm cultivation their
best energies and their keenest intelligence (and in this class none is more
intelligent than Mr. Gibson) there has come a realization of the importance of
their work, an appreciation of its value to the community of which they are a
part. He who causes two blades of grass to grow where one grew before is a
public benefactor; how much more may this be said of the man who brings a large
tract of land up to a point where the returns therefrom are doubled or trebled,
who improves a large farm or turns the first furrows in the virgin soil.

    From the standpoint of service of an agriculturist Mr. Gibson has
accomplished much for the benefit of his community in Yolo county, but he is not
one of those who aspire to public honors or official prominence. Quietly but
energetically he devotes himself to agricultural activities. Modestly but
forcibly he disclaims any praise for what he has accomplished, yet his efforts
are worthy of mention not only from their relation to his personal success, but
also from the bearing upon the general prosperity of the agricultural class of
the county. A lifelong resident of Yolo county, he was born at the old Gibson
home near Woodland October 18, 1859, and from his earliest recollections he has
been familiar with rural affairs in this locality, hence he understands the soil
thoroughly and knows the best methods to be followed in its cultivation.
Education has broadened his mind and quickened his aspirations. It was his
privilege not only to complete the studies of the public schools, but also to
attend the Hesperian College of Woodland and take a course of study in Heald's
Business College in San Francisco, where he was graduated October 4, 1881.

    Returning to the ranch of his father, William Byas Gibson, near Woodland,
upon the completion of his commercial course, Mr. Gibson in a few years took
over the management of the estate and engaged in raising mules, horses, cattle,
sheep and pure-bred hogs. The stock was shipped principally to the east and
brought excellent returns upon the investment. Afterward the young farmer
started out for himself and to such effect did he work that now he is the owner
of a ranch of one thousand acres four miles west of Woodland, besides another
valuable property comprising fifteen hundred acres situated near Capay. The
supervision of these two properties and their cultivation to alfalfa and grain
make him one of the leading grain-growers in Yolo county and his success is the
result of indefatigable efforts and shrewd intelligence. He is a stockholder of
the Yolo Bank and the First National Bank, being also a director in the latter
institution. While superintending his large holdings he makes his home at
Woodland, where at No. 618 College street he and his wife and son, William B.,
have an attractive residence furnished in a manner indicative of their
refinement and cultured tastes. Prior to their marriage in 1888 Mrs. Gibson was
Miss Eleanor Eoot; her entire life has been passed in California (having been
born at Blacks Station) and she is eligible through birth to membership with the
Native Daughters of the Golden West. Aside from his agricultural pursuits, Mr.
Gibson finds time for fraternal associations. Made a Mason in Woodland Lodge No.
156, F. & A. M., he is also a member of Woodland Chapter No. 46, E. A. M.,
Woodland Commandery No. 21, K. T., and is a member of Islam Temple, A. A. O. N.
M. S., in San Francisco.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


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