San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MRS. MARY DOWNING BRADDOCK
A
pioneer woman of San Joaquin County, whose father first came to California in
1850 across the plains, is Mrs. Mary Downing Braddock. She was born at Fort Scott, Kansas, a
daughter of William and Martha (Butts) Downing, both natives of Tennessee, who
were raised near Missouri. William
Downing crossed the plains with pack mules and mined in Calaveras County for
two years when he returned to his home in Missouri and moved his family to Fort
Scott, Kansas, where he farmed for a year; then in 1863 he crossed the plains a
second time with ox teams via the Salt Lake route, arriving at Sacramento on
September 2, 1863; he located near Brighton, Sacramento County, where two of
his brothers lived; then removed with his family to San Joaquin County locating
on the ranch known as the McComas place on Cherokee
Lane; there he remained for two years, then removed to Santa Clara County and
located at Evergreen where he farmed for one year. He then returned to Lockeford and purchased a
quarter-section of land and engaged in farming that place for five years; then
removed to Butte County and lived near Biggs until 1895, preempting a quarter
section of government land. Nine
children were born to this pioneer couple:
Martitia, James W., Mrs. Lydia Woods and Rufus
as deceased; Mrs. Mary Braddock, our subject; John, deceased; Mrs. Ida Hersam, of Berkeley; Robert J. resides in Hanford,
California; Mrs. Lulu DeWitt of Porterville, California. The father passed away aged seventy-four, and
the mother at the age of eighty years.
On March 27, 1879, at Biggs,
California, Miss Mary Downing was united in marriage with D. W. Braddock, a
native of Ohio, and a son of Josiah C. Braddock. Mr. Braddock received his education in Ohio
and after coming to California in 1869 attended the San Francisco Normal
School. He was teaching school at Biggs
where he met and married Miss Downing.
He was county superintendent of schools of Butte County for eight years
and after removing to Stockton he was principal of the Jefferson school for ten
years; he also owned a fruit ranch near Gridley in Butte County, and in 1895
the family moved to their present home located at 427 East Lindsay Street where
they have since resided. Four children
have been born to them: Charles resides
in San Francisco; David, Grace and George all reside in Stockton. Mr. Braddock has been engaged in the real
estate business in Stockton for the past fifteen years; he and his wife are
staunch Democrats. Fraternally he is a
member of the I. O. O. F. and is a Knights Templar Mason, while Mrs. Braddock
is a member of the Ladies of the G. A. R. and the auxiliary of the California
Society of Pioneers.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
464. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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