San
Joaquin County
Biographies
GEORGE MONROE FRENCH
With the development and upbuilding
of the San Joaquin Valley the French family has been identified from early
pioneer times to the present, and no man in this section of the state was more
widely known or more highly esteemed than the late George Monroe French, who
resided on a ranch three miles east of Stockton, his popularity and genuine
personal worth being attested by the fact that for over a quarter of a century
he continued in the office of supervisor for the third district of San Joaquin
County. He was born on his father’s farm
on the Mariposa Road, the family home, December 3, 1856, and his parents were
William Bradley and Sarah (McCloud) French, the former a native of Rhode
Island, and the latter of Massachusetts.
Lured by the discovery of gold, the father came to California in 1849,
making the voyage around Cape Horn.
After reaching San Francisco he engaged in mining in the southern
mines. In 1852, he returned to Massachusetts,
where he was married and in 1853 brought his bride to the Golden state, and
they crossed the Isthmus of Panama on donkeys.
When Mr. French first passed through Stockton in 1849, its population
numbered only a few persons, who were living in tents. He decided to locate here after his return
from the east, and for many years was proprietor of the old Charter Oak House,
also conducting a stage station. It was
located eight miles east of Stockton, and the country was then in a very wild
and undeveloped state, no roads or fences having been constructed, while
lawlessness held full sway. Human lives
were not accounted as of much value, and vigilance committees were organized by
the citizens, who took the law into their own hands, administering punishment
to the guilty. On his journey to the
east Mr. French had carried with him six gold slugs, valued at fifty dollars
each, and these were securely tied around his body. Wages were high in those early times, a
laborer receiving fifteen dollars per day; but all commodities were very
expensive, a pair of gumshoes costing fifteen dollars. Subsequently the father purchased land three
miles east of Stockton, and for many years he devoted his attention to farming,
becoming the owner of three horses, which was considered a large number for
that period. Of the family of Mr. and
Mrs. French, three children survive:
William A.; Mrs. Emma Strait; and Mrs. Hattie M. Jones.
George M. French acquired his
education in the primitive schools of the early days and later assisted his
father in farming, which occupation he continued to follow, and he resided on a
portion of one of the ranch owned by the father, a part of the William B. Loser
farm. In 1896, his fellow citizens
recognized his worth and ability, called him to the office of supervisor for
the third district of San Joaquin County, and he served continuously in that
capacity until his death, when Mrs. French was appointed to fill the vacancy,
the term expiring in 1924. This is a
record unequalled by any other county supervisor in the state, and indicates
his marked capacity and devotion to duty.
He was personally acquainted with all of the old residents in the county
and with all of their descendants, and his reminiscences of the early days were
both interesting and instructive. During
his early boyhood there were but fifteen houses and two stores in Stockton, and
a slough ran through the present courthouse yard. The Sister Slough ran to French Camp, which
was then the head of navigation, and from that point supplies were hauled to
the southern mines and to the mountains.
He witnessed practically the entire development and upbuilding of this
part of the state, and rejoiced in the improvement and transformation that had
been wrought with the passing years.
On September 17, 1890, Mr. French
married Miss Josie Utt, a native of California, and
four children were born of this union:
Hazel E., the wife of Stephen Gaskill and the
mother of two children; Hattie A.; George Jewett; and Janice J. Fraternally, Mr. French was a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America. He always
took an active and helpful part in public affairs, and in everything that
touched the welfare of his city he was quick to respond. He was loyal to any cause which he espoused
and faithful to every trust, and Stockton numbered him among her honored
pioneers and valued citizens. He passed
away on March 10, 1922, after a life of usefulness to his fellow citizens, and
is mourned by a wide circle of friends from all walks of life.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
605. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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