San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES W. COLEY
A man of unusual ability and great
strength of character is James W. Coley, who has closely identified himself
with the best interests of San Joaquin County and more especially with the
Escalon section of the county for the past fifteen years. He was born near Gate City, Virginia, October
9, 1872, his parents being George W. and Virginia (Agnor-Vineyard)
Coley, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, respectively. There were seven children in the family,
James W., the subject of this sketch, being the oldest. He received his education in the public
schools and Kingsley College, a private school.
When he was eighteen years old he became associated with his father in
farming pursuits, raising splendid crops of buckwheat, corn, and also
high-grade stock.
The marriage of Mr. Coley occurred
in 1896, which united him with Miss Belle Ramey, born at Gate City, Virginia,
and they are the parents of seven children:
Roy W. enlisted in August, 1917, in Battery C at Stockton, was assigned
to the 143rd Field Artillery and trained at Camp Kearney for seven
months; then transferred to the first division of the Fifth Field Artillery and
was sent overseas, reaching France in July, 1918, and became a part of the A.
E. F., being in four major engagements and for nine months was in the Army of
Occupation at Coblentz, Germany. He received his honorable discharge in
September, 1919, and immediately joined his family. He is now a merchant in Escalon; Verne died
at the age of eighteen years; her twin sister, Ona, is now the wife of Oscar Franklin
and they have one daughter, and they reside in Escalon; Vonley
enlisted in Battery C at Stockton and was transferred to the 144th
Field artillery and sent to Camp Kearney for training. On account of being under age he was
discharged; later he re-enlisted in the Coast Artillery at San Pedro and went
overseas. On account of illness he was
sent home, but later re-enlisted at Camp Lewis in the Coast Guards and served
until the end of the war. After his
discharge he remained at home for a few weeks, then enlisted in the U. S.
Marines and has since been at Pearl Harbor, Philippine Islands; Clarence, Joy
and Grady are the younger children.
When James W. Coley located at
Escalon in 1907, the place was merely a railroad station and our subject and
his brother, John A. Coley, were the first men to build a business block in the
town; they also invested money in vacant property, which is now all built
up. Mr. Coley has also built a number of
residences and has developed two ranches in the South San Joaquin Irrigation
District; after the fire in 1917 he erected a business block on Main Street and
he also owns valuable real estate on Coley Avenue. He has always been a strong advocate of
irrigation and has given his untiring effort to the perfecting of the South San
Joaquin Irrigation District. In politics
he is a staunch Republican.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
924. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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