San Joaquin County
Biographies
CHRISTOPHER BECKMAN
CHRISTOPHER BECKMAN, farmer
near Lodi, was born in Prussia, son of William Beckman, who was a farmer and a
soldier in the army of Napoleon, and afterward served under Blucher, and was
with the German forces at the battle of Waterloo. Christopher and his brother
Henry came to America in 1848, their father came afterward to California, but
returned to Prussia and died there. Their mother died when Christopher was only
five years old, hence his home was made with strangers until he was eighteen
years of age, when he came to America, as before stated. They went to visit an
uncle in Pennsylvania, where they remained about six months, then went to
Illinois, thence to Wisconsin, and in 1853 crossed the plains to California.
They rented land on the Calaveras river, where they remained farming for about
a year, the Christopher came and located on the ranch on which he now resides.
It contains about 400 acres of choice land, under the best of cultivation,
situated about ten miles from Stockton and two miles from Lodi. When he first
moved upon the land his house was built of logs with the ground as a floor. Later
he built one of boards with a shingle roof. Then he thought he was fixed, but,
as time advanced, we see by the improvements that he has advanced also, for he
has now one of the best of buildings, commodious and substantially built.
Mr. Beckman was married in 1864 to Miss
Mary Langhorst, a native of Prussia. They have one son living and two daughters
deceased. They both died in Germany, while there on a visit with their parents
in 1873. The subject of this sketch has been to Europe three times since residing
in California and is now content to make this his home. He is one of the oldest
settlers in this section of the country and one of the most industrious and
prosperous ranchmen; and owes his success to no one but himself.
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity
of Lodi, No. 256.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 484-485. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Genealogy Databases