San Joaquin County
Biographies
JACOB BISCHOFBERGER
JACOB BISCHOFBERGER, of
Elkhorn Township, was born November 10, 1832, in Switzerland, his parents being
Oldrich and Mary (Fruh) Bischofberger. The father was a tailor by trade, following
it exclusively in his younger days, but as his family grew up he engaged in the
farming industry. He died in 1865, at the age of sixty-one years. There were
nine children in his family, four of whom are in America, two in California.
Jacob was raised on the farm in Switzerland, and remained at home until twenty-one years of age, when in 1854 he came to America, landing in New Orleans on New Year’s day of 1854. He remained there two months, then went to Mississippi, thence to Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained a year engaged in a milk dairy. He then went to St. Louis, where he was very sick with the chills and fever. Not being able to obtain any work, he went to Illinois, remaining eight months employed on a farm; then returned to St. Louis, thence to St. Joe, where he engaged in farming on rented land. In the spring of 1857 he crossed the plains to California with ox teams, driving loose stock. The journey occupied four months. Upon his arrival he engaged in mining for three months, then engaged in farming in Sacramento County for two months. Then he tried mining again. In 1858, when the Fraser river excitement broke out, he went there, remained five months, then returned to Amador County, where he mined for three years, working under ground the entire time. In the fall of 1861 he went to Switzerland, where he remained nineteen months. He purchased a farm while there, but the longing to return to California was too strong to be resisted, so he sold out his farm, was married, and left that same day for America. He went to mining again in Amador County, where he remained until 1874. He also purchased a ranch there, which he sold afterward and purchased a small one of ten acres, which served as a home for his family while he was mining. In 1874 he gave up mining, sold his ranch and came to San Joaquin County. He rented land of Henry Beckman for two years, then purchased 160 acres, on which he remained for six years, then exchanged it for his present property of 320 acres, situated on the New Hope road, fifteen miles from Stockton and three and one-half miles from Woodbridge. He raises hay, grain and stock.
Mr. Bischofberger
was married in 1862 to Miss Anna Toni, a native of Switzerland. They have nine
children living, four boys and five girls, namely: Anna Mary Fohl, wife of William Fohl; John
J. Bischofberger, Amelia M. Jones, wife of Thomas E.
Jones; Jacob C., Anna Elizabeth, Rosetta
Belle, Frank Alrich, William Antone
and Mabel Erma.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Page 403. 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