San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN R. CLOW
For the past twelve years John R.
Clow has proven his worth to the community as deputy county assessor; and
meanwhile his activities along agricultural lines have aided materially in the
growth and development of the locality in which he has resided for the past
fifteen years. A native of Missouri, he
was born in Jasper County on April 25, 1860 the son of Benjamin Franklin and
Rachael (Southerland) Clow, pioneers of Indiana who removed to Missouri and
settled in Jasper County in early days, and there farmed. The father, Benjamin F. Clow, lost his life
in the Civil War when John R. was a child of two years. Some time later
mother married a Mr. Stacks, a native of Kansas and also a farmer by
occupation. The family started overland
to California by the northern route; but learning of the terrible Custer
massacre in the Black Hills, they turned back and took the southern route, the
trip consuming four months and seventeen days.
Settling on Dry Creek near Elliott, Mr. Stacks rented a place for the
first two years; then he took up 160 acres of government land, proved up on it
and then disposed of it and moved to Oregon, locating at Mitchell, Crook
County. For many years Mr. Stacks
conducted a sawmill at Mitchell; and when he disposed
of it the family removed to Watsonville, Santa Cruz County. There Mr. Stacks passed away in 1917.
John R. Clow had very little
opportunity to attend school; since he was seventeen years of age he has “hoed
his own row,” working for wages at whatever he could find to do, until he was
married. He learned the stone-carving
business, and for a number of years worked at his trade in Stockton; he worked
also in sawmills, in the mines, and hauled logs for the Pleasant Valley Lumber
Company.
The marriage of Mr. Clow occurred in
Stockton on October 17, 1881 and united him with Miss Abigail Stacks, a native
of Jasper County, Missouri, and a daughter of Willis Stacks, who removed from
Illinois to Missouri. The young people
went to live on the old Thorp ranch northeast of Clements, and farmed this
240-acre grain ranch for the next two years.
Fifteen years ago they settled in the Elliott district, where Mr. Clow
has ninety acres, twenty acres of which is in vineyard and eight acres in
almonds. Mr. and Mrs. Clow are the
parents of seven children, as follows: Etta
Melza, deceased; Cora Elva, now Mrs. Sestrem, of Watsonville; Walter Henry, a resident of
Lemoore and the father of two children, Darwin and Willette;
Homer Alfred, of Tracy, who is married and has two children, George and Vira Jane; Jessie Myrtle, Mrs. Prout
of Oakland; Georgia May, Mrs. Gray of Sacramento, and the mother of one child,
Virginia Clow; and Ida Vera, Mrs. Grimes of Galt, who has one son, Jimmie. Mr. Clow and his family are members of the
Christian Church. Politically he is a
Republican. In the capacity of deputy
county assessor, he has been conscientious and thorough in the performance of
his duty for the past twelve years; and the community is indebted to him for
his efforts in the support of measures and movements looking to the prosperity
and development of the county.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1501-1502. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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