Sacramento County
Biographies
JESSE M. DERR
JESSE M. DERR--An enterprising man of exceptional experience in his field is Jesse M. Derr, of the J. M. Derr Lumber Company, of Elk Grove, one of the most valued agencies in the development of this section of favored Sacramento County. He was born at Charleston, Iowa, on January 5, 1863, the son of M.V. and Lucinda R. (Overton) Derr, who came here to live, and who finally closed their careers, with the satisfaction that they had, despite pioneer obstacles, accomplished something worth the while.
Jesse M. Derr attended the excellent rural schools of the Hawkeye State, and after finishing school work successfully, the lad took up the carpenter trade; and for three years he was with
R. E. Smith of Keokuk, as a bridge-builder. Satisfied, however, that California, with its less rigorous climate, and its still greater influx of population demanding the services of good artisans, would offer more than did his native state, Jesse came out to the Coast; and having looked at many other promising communities, he pitched his tent at Elk Grove, in 1883, and here worked as a contractor for eighteen years, during which time he erected nearly all the dwellings here.
About 1909, however, Mr. Derr discontinued contracting and established his lumber company, with office and yards, and he has since continued to carry more and more of a varied stock, not only meeting the demands of the steadily growing neighborhood, but anticipating the wants of those here and those likely to come. Unlike some dealers, Jesse Derr has not sought the highest tariff from the average run of trade; and in making his terms as reasonable as possible, he has encouraged town development, and has thus in a sense become a public benefactor.
Mr. Derr was married in Iowa to Minnie Finnerty, who died in Elk Grove in 1903. In 1906 Mr. Derr married Mrs. Daisy (Johnson) Derr, a native of Ohio, but a resident of Sacramento County from childhood, and they have one child, Jessie Mae Derr. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Encampment, and has attained all the chairs in the various branches; belongs to the Independent Order of Foresters, and for twenty-five years has been the Odd Fellow secretary here. He and his wife are both Rebekahs. He was also one of the organizers of the Elk Grove Bank.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Reed, G.
Walter, History of Sacramento County,
California With Biographical Sketches, Page 709. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA.
1923.
© 2007 Jeanne Taylor.