San
Joaquin County
Biographies
WINFIELD SCOTT HARSHNER
A worthy pioneer family who came to
California in the early ‘60s is represented by Winfield Scott Harshner, who
resides on his well-improved ranch of eighty acres on the Harshner Road six miles
west of Lodi. He was born on the old
Harshner ranch three miles south of Woodbridge, California, May 8, 1880, a son
of Andrew M. and Mary Ann (Garver) Harshner, both natives of Ohio. The father, Andrew M. Harshner, was born
March 22, 1839, a son of Andrew and Mary (Murray) Harshner, natives of
Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively.
Grandfather Harshner was a farmer by occupation and lived in Ohio until
his death in 1889, at the age of eighty-six years, and Grandmother Harshner
passed away in 1878, aged seventy years.
There were eight children in the family.
The father, Andrew M. Harshner, was reared on a farm and remained at
home until he was twenty-one years old.
In 1860 he was married to Miss Mary A. Garver, born December 22, 1840, a
daughter of John and Elizabeth Garver, and four years later Mr. Harshner
crossed the plains to California, where he found employment near Sacramento
putting up hay by the month. In 1865,
Mrs. Harshner and her daughter Laura E. came by way of Panama to join Mr. Harshner. In March, 1865, he went to San Francisco and
then to San Joaquin County, where he rented land and farmed for two years. In 1867, he purchased 160 acres three miles
southwest of Woodbridge, on which he made all the improvements, making it one
of the best farms in the locality, residing there until his death, August 18,
1913, age the age of seventy-four. His
wife survived him until July 19, 1916, passing away at the age of
seventy-five. There were eight children
in the family: Ellena,
Charles A., Laura E., and Allen T., are deceased; Mary Emma, Mrs. C. D. Shaw on
the old home place, Clara B., Mrs. Fred Sprott on the
home place, Lillian E., Mrs. Joseph Maley of the
Turner district place, and Winfield Scott, of this sketch. The father was a member of Woodbridge Grange
No. 84 and politically was a Democrat, casting his first presidential vote for
Stephen A. Douglas.
Winfield Scott Harshner grew up on
the farm, receiving practical experience along agricultural lines and his
education was obtained at the Turner district school in the vicinity of the
home ranch. He was married at Stockton
in September, 1912, to Miss Katie Blohm, born at Rio
Vista, California, a daughter of Charles and Minnie Blohm. Mrs. Harshner lived in San Francisco until
1906 when her parents removed to the Turner district
of San Joaquin County, where the father engaged in farming. Mr. Harshner inherited eighty acres from his
father’s estate, fifty-five acres of which is in vineyard of Zinfandel and
Tokay grapes; in 1912 he built a modern residence and other farm buildings;
this ranch is also well irrigated from the Stockton-Mokelumne ditch. Mr. and Mrs. Harshner are the parents of two
children: Evelyn Bernice and Ellen
Dorothy. In politics Mr. Harshner is a
Democrat and fraternally is affiliated with the Native Sons of the Golden West.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
610. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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