San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES DRACE
An honored pioneer of San Joaquin
County, James Drace passed away at his home at San Jose, California, August 8,
1918. He was born at St. Joseph,
Missouri, April 14, 1834, being a son of James Drace, a pioneer farmer of
Missouri who was born after the death of his father in Philadelphia. When he was nineteen years of age he started
across the plains to California with ox teams.
He did what most of the early comers to California did, went first to
the mines seeking for gold; then he began freighting from Stockton to the mines
driving an eighteen-mule team over the rough mountain roads. He followed this occupation for seven years,
then invested his savings in 160 acres of land and built a house on it, residing
there until 1866, when he sold out and bought the home place on Mormon Slough,
near Linden, now known as the Drace ranch.
At Linden, Mr. Drace was married to
Miss Jane Potter, born July 3, 1847, a sister of Joseph Potter, a pioneer of
Linden. Five children were born to this
couple: Charles E.; Dora is the wife of
C. H. Needham, of Wesley, California; J. A. is associated with Charles E. in
extensive ranching operations and resides in Stockton; Elizabeth is deceased;
Alice M. is with the Associated Oil Company of San Jose, California. After more than thirty years residence in San
Joaquin County, James Drace rented his home place to his son J. A. Drace, and
removed to San Jose where he purchased a residence on South Fifteenth Street,
and there resided until his death. He
was preceded by his wife who died in 1916.
He was a charter member of the Scio Lodge I. O. O. F. of Linden, was a
Democrat in politics and was a member of the Methodist Church.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
844. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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