San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JASON HAMILTON DAVIS
An expert in horticultural matters,
through a deep study of this interesting subject and many years of practical
experience, Jason H. Davis has proved himself an authority on this subject through
the results he has attained as superintendent of the large holdings of Frank H.
Buck, comprising three ranches of nearly 1,200 acres at Acampo, San Joaquin
County. Mr. Davis was born near Elk
Grove, Sacramento County, February 13, 1871, the son of David L. and Eliza
(Murray) Davis, the former a native of Ohio, while Mrs. Davis was born in
Ireland. David L. Davis made his first
trip to California via Cape Horn on a sailing vessel, coming across the plains
the second time in the early fifties.
For a time he mined at Diamond Springs and later bought considerable
land near Elk Grove, where he farmed and raised cattle and sheep, being a
pioneer settler there. Of the children
of these early settlers the following are living: J. J. Davis of Boise, Idaho; Mrs. D. S.
Watkins of Sacramento; Mrs. C. H. Cantrell of Elk Grove; Mrs. E. A. Riley of
Arno, Sacramento County; Thomas N. and Jason H., twins, and Charles D. David L. Davis died August 20, 1900, Mrs.
Davis surviving until May 9, 1921, when she passed away at the age of
eighty-nine.
Reared on the home farm in
Sacramento County, Jason H. Davis attended the public schools there and the
Atkinson Business College at Sacramento, after which he followed farming in
that vicinity. In 1906 he entered the
employ of Buck and Cory on their ranch near Acampo and his capability soon
advanced him to the position of foreman, where he remained until he became
superintendent of the three ranches of Frank H. Buck in the Acampo district,
consisting of the old home ranch of 520 acres, Woodlake vineyard, 426 acres,
and the Keen ranch of 200 acres, devoted to orchard and vineyard. The Buck property is one of the most
productive in the district, being rich river bottom soil, and under Mr. Davis’
management it has been brought up to a high state of cultivation. He has entire supervision over all the
operations of this real estate, employing hundreds of hands during the harvest
season to take care of the crops. For
years deeply interested in horticulture, he has made an extensive study of this
subject, and keeps abreast with the latest scientific pronouncements, and this,
combined with his years of practical experience, has made him most
successful. At one time Mr. Davis was
inspector of the Lodi district under appointment by F. W. Reed, specialist in
standardization for the State of California, and his advice on matters
pertaining to horticulture is frequently sought.
At Merced, on September 29, 1895,
Mr. Davis was married to Miss Zoe Howell, a native daughter of Shasta County. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of two
children: Nelson H., the foreman on the
Acampo ranch, and Mrs. Thelma Girard of Acampo.
The old home ranch of David L. Davis near Elk Grove, Sacramento County,
still remains in the family, Mr. Davis having an interest in the property. Mr. Davis resides in his own home at 216 West
Locust Street, Lodi. A man of fine
executive ability, he stands high in the community, which he has done much to
upbuild.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1424. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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