San
Joaquin County
Biographies
HENRY SIDNEY FRENCH
As field inspector of the grading,
packing and standardization of fruit shipments for the Woodbridge Fruit
Company, Henry Sidney French has demonstrated his enterprise and capability and
his expert knowledge along this line is the means of putting on the market a
better quality of fruit, thus enabling the company to command better prices and
the public to receive better fruit. He
was born at Sunol, California, November 19, 1883, a
son of Henry Lathrop and Carrie (Ballard) French, the former a native of Fayette,
Iowa, and the latter of Niles, Michigan.
Henry Lathrop French was an educator and taught in various places
throughout the east and in the early sixties came to California, and at San Jose, April 21, 1881, was married. In 1890 he
removed with his family to Corvallis, Oregon, and engaged in the orchard
business until his death at the age of fifty-two years, June 20, 1910. There were ten children in the family: Margaret resides in Portland, Oregon; Henry
Sidney, the subject of this sketch; James resides at Dallas, Oregon; Charles A.
is a graduate of the Agricultural College of the University of Oregon and at
present is a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Regular Army stationed at Honolulu;
Anna, deceased; Frank L. resides in the state of Washington; Phoebe, Mrs.
George Steffey, also resides in Washington; Ernest L.
is a contractor and builder in Lodi; Susan, Mrs. Carl Moore, resides in
Portland, Oregon; and Louis Van Roe resides in San Jose, California. The mother resides in Lodi.
Henry Sidney French began his
education in the grammar school in Corvallis, and after finishing the grade
work entered the high school, majoring in horticultural lines, then entered the agricultural school; however, before
finishing he took up display advertising, using the natural farm products to
make picture displays. In 1905 he was
awarded the blue ribbon for his display at the Lewis and Clark Exposition at
Portland, Oregon, and he has the record of six blue ribbons for seven years
running for the best county displays in that state.
On January 11, 1912, at Corvallis,
Oregon, Mr. French was married to Miss Angel Marie Jacobsen, born in Chicago
and daughter of Peter Jacobsen, a native of Denmark. Peter Jacobsen left his native country for
America and settled in Chicago, where he conducted a store for many years, then
removed to Jackson, Minnesota, where he became a farmer, also had extensive
city interests; he is now living retired at Lodi. Previous to her marriage, Mrs. French was
head fitter in a large dressmaking establishment in Chicago, and while on a
visit to her aunt, who lives in Corvallis, Oregon, met Mr. French. They are the parents of four children: Marie Carolyn, Henry Sidney, Jr., Richard Lathrop
and Robert Howard. Immediately after his
marriage Mr. French took charge of a large fruit and dairy ranch on the
Willamette River, where he remained for one year; then be became the inspector
for the Willamette Valley Fruit Growers’ Association for a period of three
years; at the same time having charge of the Marion County exhibits at the
state fairs. He was then employed by the
Government as investigator in the Bureau of Markets of the Western Department,
covering the northwest territory, which position he
held for one year; in the fall of 1918 he removed to Sacramento, California,
and became associated with the California Fruit Exchange; then he was sent to
Lodi as assistant manager for this organization. In 1919 he went into the brokerage business
and the year following became associated with J. M. Posey in the real estate
business, the firm being known as Posey, French & Company; this partnership
only lasted eight months, when Mr. French became deputy county assessor for the
Lodi district of the county. In the fall
of 1921 he was deputized as a horticultural inspector under Mr. Ladd of
Stockton; then he became field inspector for the Woodbridge Fruit Company, to
which position he devotes all his time and energy. At the same time he continues as deputy
county assessor. The family resides at
130 North Cordier Street, Lodi.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1574-1575. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Genealogy
Databases