San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN B. ARRABIT
A very successful stock man who was
a man of affairs in the San Joaquin Valley is John B. Arrabit, a prominent
sheep grower and enterprising man. He
was born in Bayonne, Basses-Pyrenees, France, November 5, 1880, a son of Jean
and Marie (Garra) Arrabit,
also natives of that place, who are successful stockraisers and both are still
living. The father made a trip to
California in 1905 for a visit to his children, after which he returned to his
home in France. They had six
children: Anna, Mrs. Sallaberry,
resides at the old home with her parents; John B., the subject of this review;
Jacques, a sheep grower in this Valley; Etiennette is
the wife of D. Changala of Stockton; Martin is a
sheep raiser at Los Banos; and Ben a sheep raiser in Stockton.
John B. spent his boyhood in the lower
Pyrenees region where he received a good education in the public schools. From a lad he assisted his father on the farm
and in the care of their cattle and sheep.
In 1901 he responded to the military law of his country and entered the
French army, serving in the 24th Light Artillery, being stationed at
Tarbes, Haute-Pyrenees. Having served
the required time of one year he was honorably discharged and could go wherever
he liked.
Mr. Arrabit had read and heard of
the wonderful opportunities here awaiting men of brawn who were not afraid to
work so he decided to cast in his lot in the land of gold and sunshine. Leaving his home in 1902 he came to New York,
then crossed the great American continent to Stockton,
California. He immediately went to work,
having found employment with Julian Masterrena, a sheepman at Los Banos, continuing with him for a period of
four years. During this time his keen
observation and perception gave him an insight into the successful raising and
handling of sheep as done in the west, and he determined to embark in the
business on his own account. He had
saved some money and also established a good credit, and this enabled him to purchase
a band of sheep which he ranged in the vicinity of Mendota. He began with 1,000 head, which he increased
from time to time, and he soon had a band of 5,000, which is about the number
he now keeps; in summer he has a range in the Forest Reserve Park in Mono
County, while the balance of the year he ranges them on the west side from
Mendota to Coalinga and on to Bakersfield.
The last few years he has made his headquarters and residence in
Stockton.
The marriage of Mr. Arrabit occurred
in Bakersfield in 1916, when Miss Marie Saldubahere
became his bride. She was born in Aldudes, Basses-Pyrenees, France, and came to Bakersfield
when a young lady, making her home with an uncle who was an old resident of
Kern County. Mr. Arrabit is a very energetic
man and is never idle, looking after and seeing to every detail of his
business. Thus he has been able to see
his affairs grow from a small beginning to a large paying business which yields
him a competency while he is yet in the prime of life, a result of his starting
out with the idea that industry and frugality will win success when rightly
applied and practiced. He is
enterprising and public-spirited and always ready to help movements and
enterprises that have for their aim the development and building up of this
great valley in which he has such unbounded faith. He is a believer in protection as a
fundamental principle for Americans, and is therefore a strong Republican.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1410-1413. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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