San
Joaquin County
Biographies
HARRY CARSON FINCK
One of the most foremost
representatives of agricultural interests in San Joaquin County, Harry Carson
Finck, is an extensive rancher and stock raiser of the Tracy district, his
property being located fourteen miles southwest of Stockton on the Lincoln
Highway. He was born on his father’s
ranch about one mile west of the present home place, on Tom Paine Slough,
October 9, 1890, a son of the late Henry and Lena (Roady)
Finck, prominent and highly respected pioneers of the
county. Henry Finck was born at Hanover,
Germany, September 5, 1844, and the first fifteen years of his life were spent
in his native land. In 1859 he came to
the United States with his maternal uncle, Henry Dimmer, and located in San
Francisco where he remained until the fall of 1866 when he removed to San
Joaquin County, locating several miles west of Tracy, where he engaged in
farming and butchering. For four years
he was in partnership with the Lammer Brothers, and
then continued in the same line on his own account at what is now known as Lammersville. He
remained there until 1887, when he settled upon the ranch now occupied by our
subject. The ranch consists of 1,900
acres of valuable land. When it came
into his possession it was in its primitive condition, hardly a furrow having
been turned or an improvement made, but it is now one of the best developed
farms in the county, and nearly the entire amount of 1,900 acres has been
placed under the plow. He followed
butchering for a time as well, but during the last few years devoted his
energies entirely to raising grain and stock and to dairying. His labors were untiring, and his life of
thrift and industry in the management of his extensive ranch resulted in making
him one of the prosperous citizens of the county.
On September 30, 1875, Henry Finck
was married to Miss Lena Roady, born near Hamburg,
Germany, who came to California at the age of fourteen years. To this marriage were born nine children, six
of whom are living: Frederick H., Gesena A. R., Anna D. J., Harry Carson, our subject;
Elizabeth C. and Martin L. In politics
Mr. Finck was a Republican and fraternally was connected with the Odd Fellows
and Knights of Pythias of Tracy. For
many years he served as school trustee and aided in the progress and
development of the county. The father
and step-mother were accidentally killed on May 1, 1922, at the railroad
crossing on Park Street, Stockton, California, as they were going in their
automobile to their home on Lindsay Street.
Harry Carson Finck received his
preliminary education in the district school at Banta, then took a business
course at the Western School of Commerce, Stockton, and having grown up on his
father’s farm he became a partner with his father in 1911, farming 500 acres on
shares, which was a highly productive year; then came the flood of 1913 which
swept away everything; however, the water did not reach the mark made in the
flood of 1906-07, which was the highest in the history of the Finck family. In 1894 the Western Pacific Railroad Company
purchased a right-of-way through the Finck ranch, which is now their main line
to San Francisco; also the San Francisco Sierra Power Company have crossed
their lands with two high tension power lines, carrying power from the high
Sierras to the cities and valleys and on to the Bay district. In 1912, Mr. Finck installed a twelve-inch
pump and a fifty h. p. motor for the purpose of lifting water from the San
Joaquin River for irrigating his land.
Mr. Finck entered the service of his
country in the World War on December 22, 1917, at Camp Lewis. There he spent seven months in training,
operating a Holt tractor as a first class private. On July 4, 1918, he left New York arriving at
Liverpool eleven days later and July 20, arrived at Cherbourg, France, where he
trained until October 28 when he entered the First Army Corps as wagoner under
Col. L. E. Bennett, and on November 11 his regiment was in the engagement at
Metz, but as the armistice was signed at 11 o’clock on that day, fighting was
discontinued. He was with the army of
occupation in Germany until February 12, 1919.
On March 13, 1919, Mr. Finck’s regiment was a
part of the guard of honor to President Wilson at Brest and on March 23 set
sail for the United States, arriving at San Francisco on April 22, 1919, and on
May 5 he received his honorable discharge at the Presidio.
On February 2, 1918, while at Camp
Lewis, Mr. Finck was married to Mrs. Edna (Eickert)
Clements, a native of Red Bluff, California.
After his discharge he returned to the Finck ranch which had been
managed by his father during his absence.
In politics, Mr. Finck is a Republican and fraternally is identified
with the Knights of Pythias and is a past officer of the Tracy lodge and in 1916
was a delegate to the grand lodge; he is also a member of Tracy Parlor, N. S.
G. W.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
835. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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