San
Joaquin County
Biographies
OLIVER H. ECCLESTON
A native-born Californian, who has
continuously remained amid scenes made familiar by association, is Oliver H.
Eccleston, a worthy representative of that pioneer family. He was born in Stockton on January 4, 1872,
the son of Ransom and Sarah E. (Samsel) Eccleston. The father, whose sketch appears elsewhere in
this work, was a young man of about twenty-four years when the wave of
excitement passed over his home locality and without loss of time he made
preparation for the journey across the plains, arriving in California during
the month of November, 1849. He engaged
in mining a short time, then took a trip to the Sandwich Islands, and upon his
return to California in the spring of 1850 he located near San Andreas,
Calaveras County, where he first became interested in the hotel business, and
in addition was the proprietor of a general store; then in 1866 he came to
Stockton and thereafter made this city his permanent home, following the hotel
business. He was married in San Andreas
to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Samsel on August 22, 1854, and of the children born to
their marriage, two are living, as follows:
Mrs. W. C. Matteson, of Stockton, and Oliver H., our subject. The father passed away in Stockton November
15, 1907, and the mother died in Stockton on July 26, 1922, aged eighty-four.
Oliver H. Eccleston began his
education in the public schools of Stockton and completed it with a business
course in the Stockton Business College.
At the age of twelve years he delivered and sold papers on the streets
of Stockton and three years later, when he was fifteen years old, he became an
apprentice to learn the printer’s trade with the Stockton Independent. He worked nights on this paper as printer’s
devil for a period of six months during which time he continued to go to school
in the afternoons. However, night work
not appealing to him, he obtained a position as pressman with Everett Ruggles,
who after a short time started an evening paper, called the Republican,
afterwards acquired by the Stockton Daily Record. His printing experience extended over a
period of three years, during which time he continued to take special courses
of study at the Stockton Business College and completed their teacher’s
preparatory course with an idea of studying medicine. However, business vocation called him and
after working at various callings from blacksmith’s helper with the H. C. Shaw
Company and Matteson-Williamson Manufacturing Company, foundry helper with the
Stockton Iron Works, warehouseman with the Standard Oil Company, laundry driver
with the Troy Laundry and as clerk and bookkeeper with the Houser and Haines
Manufacturing Company, he settled down permanently with the Holt Manufacturing
Company as bookkeeper in their accounting department. His previous shop experiences gave him a
practical insight into the requirements and workings of factory accounts which
combined with a methodical mind and natural accounting skill soon advanced him
to the position of chief accountant and office manager of The Holt
Manufacturing Company. For a number of
years he has held the position of assistant secretary and auditor of this
company and during the War rendered valuable service in taking care of the
systems of the rapidly expanding departments and business accounting. During the War he also acted as auditor and
director of accounts of the San Joaquin County War Committee and rendered
accurate account of all subscriptions of the various Liberty Loan drives and Red
Cross campaigns amounting to several millions of dollars. During these drives he supervised the
tabulating and personal records of over 60,000 names of residents and citizens
of San Joaquin County and Stockton. Mr.
Benjamin Holt, president of The Holt Manufacturing Company, employed him as his
confidential secretary and Mr. Eccleston accompanied him on his many business
trips to eastern cities, Canada and the Northwest and also to the eastern plant
of The Holt Manufacturing Company at Peoria, Illinois. Mr. Eccleston has been the secretary and
treasurer of the Benjamin Holt Corporation since its inception in 1915, this
corporation holding all the property of Benjamin Holt. The confidence of Mr. Holt in his secretary
was shown at the time of his death when he named him as one of the executors of
his will and one of the trustees of a fund set aside for old and faithful
employees. The total length of service
of Mr. Eccleston with the Holt interests has extended over a period of thirty
years.
Mr. Eccleston’s
marriage united him with Miss Kathrine Power, a
native of Ireland, born in County Waterford, but reared in Stockton, a daughter
of Dr. John Power, the pioneer veterinary surgeon of Stockton, and they are the
parents of three children: Ruth Marie,
William Power and Jack Oliver. Mr.
Eccleston is prominent in fraternal affairs, being a member of Stockton Lodge
No. 11, I. O. O. F., and Parker Encampment No. 3. During his term of service in lodge work, he
was past district deputy grand master of District No. 7, I. O. O. F., and was
also a member of Stockton Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. E. and past president of
Stockton Parlor No. 7, N. S. G. W. In
his younger days, Mr. Eccleston was a member of the National Guard of
California, Company A, serving his term of three years as private and
corporal. As an American citizen he has
always been among those who stood for law and order and for a Government by the
people and for the people.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
690-693. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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