San
Joaquin County
Biographies
LEE R. BURROW
A typical native son of California,
Lee R. Burrow was born at Murphys on August 30, 1880, a son of Thomas J. and Relefe (Dunlap) Burrow, natives of Illinois and Wisconsin,
respectively. Thomas J. Burrow was a
surveyor and lumberman, who came to California as early as 1872. There were seven children in their family, as
follows: Cecil; George, residing at
Vallejo; Thomas, living at Jackson; Maude, Mrs. Bunch of Lodi; Relefe and Lee R., twins, the former being deceased; and
Roy, deceased. The father and mother
still reside at Murphys, California.
Lee R. Burrow attended the grammar
school at Murphys, and at the age of eighteen learned the carpenter’s trade and
worked at various mining camps throughout Calaveras County. He also worked at his trade in Carson Valley,
Nevada and in Mason and Antelope Valleys, in California. He then removed to Stockton and spent
thirteen years there, part of the time working for Davis, Heller & Pearce.
Mr. Burrow’s first marriage occurred
on August 25, 1906, at San Andreas, uniting him with Miss Christina Christy, a
native of Oakdale, California, and a daughter of William Christy; and they were
the parents of one son, Randal, now residing at Stockton. His second marriage occurred in Stockton on
December 26, 1918, and united him with Mrs. Katherine (Koontz) Thisby, a daughter of that worthy pioneer couple, Henry and
Clemence Arabella (Hay)
Koontz, natives of Ohio and Illinois, respectively. Henry Koontz came from Illinois to
California, and was an early settler in the New Hope section, where he resided
until his death. Miss Katherine Koontz
was first married to Leonard Thisby, a native son of California,
born at Walnut Grove, a son of George and Rebecca Thisby,
the former a native of England who came to California in the early days and
settled at San Francisco, where his son Leonard was educated. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Thisby made their home in Sacramento, where he was
supervisor for one term for the fifth district of that county, and also served
as under-sheriff of the county with Sheriff Donnley. Mr. Thisby was a
Republican in politics. Fraternally he
was a Mason, Odd Fellow and Elk. He
passed away on December 13, 1915. To
them was born one son, William Henry Thisby, who
married Miss Beatrice Baker; and they have two children, Leonard William and
Marian Elizabeth. William Henry Thisby is the foreman on the Fred Villinger ranch at
Lodi. Mrs. Burrow received twenty acres
from her father’s estate, which she improved to Bartlett pears, and two years
ago she and her husband moved onto this place, which has since been their home. It is a full-bearing pear orchard, highly
cultivated, and has become very valuable.
It is irrigated by a ten-inch pump driven by a twenty-horsepower
motor. Mr. Burrow is energetic,
progressive and practical, and gives his undivided attention to his business
affairs, in which he is prospering.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1452. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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