San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MARION SAMUEL HEWITT
An enterprising rancher who resides
on a portion of the ranch where he was born is M. S. Hewitt. His ranch of 183 acres lies about fifteen
miles east of the city of Stockton and is a portion of his father’s ranch of
1,080 acres, which was farmed to grain for many years. A native son of San Joaquin County, M. S.
Hewitt was born September 18, 1892, the eldest son of William Thomas and Mary
Jane (Herron) Hewitt, both now deceased.
William Thomas Hewitt was born in Steubenville, Ohio, and was five years
old when his father, Samuel Hewitt, left Ohio for California in 1852, crossing
the plains with ox teams. Grandfather
Samuel Hewitt settled on land near Farmington, where he became an extensive
grain farmer. William Thomas Hewitt, the
father of our subject, was born January 23, 1847, and from his youth up was
engaged in farming and came to own a homestead ranch of 1,080 acres on which he
erected a fine residence of nine rooms at a cost of $4,000, and a barn
consisting half that amount. He removed
to 1219 North Hunter Street, Stockton, California, in 1906, where he resided
until he passed away in January, 1908, after which his widow continued to
reside in Stockton until her death June 2, 1920.
Three children were born to this
pioneer couple, of whom Marion Samuel, our subject, is the eldest. He began his education in the district school
in the neighborhood of his home and supplemented it with an engineering course
at the Agricultural College located at Corvallis, Oregon, from which he was
graduated in 1915 with the degree of B. S.
The following year, 1916, he located in Modesto, where he was employed
as cashier in the Grange Company. On
October 2, 1917, Mr. Hewitt enlisted in the 143rd Field Artillery, receiving
the rank of corporal, and went to France with a replacement battalion and after
his arrival in France served in Battery C., Seventh Field Artillery; he went
through three major offensives and served nine months with the occupation army
at Coblenz, Germany. On September 27,
1919, he received his honorable discharge and immediately returned to Stockton
and has since taken a very active interest in farming pursuits. He handles the subdivision of the home ranch
in a very capable manner and his present fine home place of 183 acres is a
portion of the homestead which was settled by his grandfather, Samuel Hewitt,
in the early ‘50s.
On May 30, 1922, Mr. Hewitt was
married to Miss Marguerite Menchen, a graduate of the
Lux School at San Francisco, a daughter of George and
Anna Menchen, residents of Petaluma. Mr. Hewitt is a member of the American Legion
and the local Farm Bureau. In politics
he is a Republican and his public spirited interest has been manifested in all
affairs concerning the welfare of his county and community.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
665. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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