San Joaquin County
Biographies
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FOSTER
B. F. FOSTER, farmer of
Elliott Township, was born in Calais, Maine, in 1842, a son of Edwin and
Abigail (Scott) Foster; the former, a native of the province of New Brunswick,
was born in January, 1807, and died in San Joaquin County, California, Friday,
April 20, 1877, at the hour of 9 P.M.; the mother was a native of Fredericktown, New
Brunswick, also deceased. Edwin Foster came to California in 1850; his family
joined him two years later and they moved to San Joaquin County, where they
kept the Benedict Ferry on the Mokelumne river. He was not long in finding his
family a good home, gave up the ferry in 1854, and homesteaded a
quarter-section of fine land in in (sic) Elliott Township, where they lived the
remainder of their lives; their children still reside in the neighborhood of
the old ranch.
B. F. Foster, the subject of this sketch,
came to California in 1853, by water, via Cape Horn, and landed in San
Francisco after a voyage of four months. He came with his parents to Mokelumne
river, where he remained until 1863, when he enlisted in the army; for three
years he was stationed in Mexico as a scout. He served all of his time under
Kit Carson. He was discharged at Fort Sumner in 1866. He then went to Calais,
Maine, to visit his relations. After several months he returned to the old
homestead, where he went to farming and has never left the place since. The
farm contains 320 acres, situated about one mile from Lockeford and seven miles
from Lodi. He is engaged in raising wheat and stock, and carries on an
extensive farming business. He owns another ranch of 180 acres in Calaveras
County.
He was married October 29, 1885, in
Stockton, California, to Miss Flora Starky, who was born in Sonoma County in
1860; both her parents are natives of Pennsylvania; they are still living and
reside in Stockton. Mr. and Mrs. Foster have one child, Clara Belle, born
September 25, 1886. Mr. Foster is Assessor of the northern part of San Joaquin
County, which office he accepted in 1888. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.,
the K. of P., Vesper, No. 94, and the G. A. R. He has held all the important
office in each.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 510-511. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Genealogy Databases