San
Joaquin County
Biographies
HARRY T. FANNING
Years before the discovery of gold
in California made this the center of attraction for men ambitious to gain
sudden wealth; H. T. Fanning came to the state for the purpose of making his permanent
residence here. He was not only a
pioneer of the state, but was as well, one of the first residents of what is
now the city of Stockton. Mr. Fanning
was a native of Troy, New York, born in November, 1819, and was a brother of
the late Howard M. Fanning, also an early settler of Stockton. By way of Cape Horn Mr. Fanning
came to California in 1843, and at the time of the breaking out of the Mexican
War he went to the scene of the difficulty and lent his services. He was in Monterey at the time that city was
made the first capital of California, on June 3, 1843.
After the close of the war Mr.
Fanning came to San Joaquin County and engaged in the cattle business in
partnership with Captain Weber, driving his cattle from Sacramento to San Jose;
and in so doing he passed the section of country which is now the site of the
city of Stockton. After selling their
cattle they went to San Francisco and purchased lumber with which to build a
house in Stockton, two weeks being required to transport the lumber by boat to
this city. With this material they
constructed the first house ever erected in the city, this being located on the
water front near the present site of the steamboat landing. For a number of years Mr. Fanning derived a
good income from the dairy business, which he established here, and later the
produce business. This he carried on up
to within a short time before his death, which occurred in 1875.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
867-868. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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