San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MRS. CELESTA ANN HICKOK
Among the honored and esteemed
pioneer women of San Joaquin County the name of Mrs. Celesta Ann Hickok brings
to mind the days of ’49, the year her parents arrived in California and located
at Sutter’s Fort, where two days later our subject was born; thus she is the
first child born at that historic place.
Her birth occurred on July 6, 1849, and she was the eldest child of her
parents, Mrs. and Mrs. Lorenzo Twitchell, the father a native of Ohio and his
wife, formerly Irene Hopper, a native of Kentucky. Grandmother Hannah (Moore) Hopper, born in
Ireland, lived to be 110 years old. She
came to Kentucky when fifteen; was there married to William Hopper, who lived
to be 105. They were both buried at San
Juan. On the paternal side Grandfather
Joshua Twitchell lacked two months of reaching 100 years, and his wife, Ursula
(Knight) Twitchell reached 101. They
also are buried at San Juan. The party
crossed the plains in a covered wagon, drawn by a pair of cows and a yoke of
oxen and they passed the winter of ’48 and ’49 at Salt Lake City and on July 4,
1849, arrived at the south entrance of Sutter’s Fort. When the miners learned of the birth of the
little babe they were eager to see her and soon began to gather in large
numbers. Of course they wanted to
christen her, but the mother said her name was to be Celesta Ann; however, the
miners always called her “California Flower.”
In 1864 the family came to San Juan and there they made their home, both
passing away in Paso Robles.
The first marriage of Celesta Ann
Twitchell occurred at Santa Cruz when she was fifteen years old and united her
with William A. Stowell, also an early pioneer of
California, who followed teaming and blacksmithing. He then removed to the San Juan Valley, near
Hollister, and there the greater part of her life was spent and there her nine
children were born: William L. and George
D., of Fresno; Ellen, Mrs. James Rardin of Centralia,
Washington; Franklin, deceased; Seth M. and Henry, of Rocklin; Fred B., of
Stockton; Hattie, Mrs. Henry Jones, also of Rocklin. There are twenty-four grandchildren and ten
great-grandchildren, the eldest of whom is now fifteen
years old.
Subsequent to the demise of Mr.
Cowell on June 8, 1908, she was married to William Hickok, a native of
Pennsylvania, born April 13, 1846, a son of Noah and Eliza (Pratt) Hickok, both
natives of Pennsylvania. Noah Hickok
crossed the plains in 1852; four yoke of oxen hitched to a prairie schooner
hauled the supplies, a span of horses hitched to a wagon and a riding horse
completed the outfit. The span of horses
arrived in fine condition and was sold at Sacramento for $600. Mr. Hickok first settled at Cold Springs,
California, where he mined for a time; then in 1857 took up 160 acres of
Government land seven miles north of Stockton on the Lower Sacramento Road and
plied his trade of blacksmith at Woodbridge; the house where they lived is
still standing. William Hickok is one of
six children, himself and brother, Sylvender, being
the only two living today.
The former worked on ranches and
learned the blacksmith trade with his father until he was twenty-one years old,
when he set out to earn his own way following his trade in various parts of the
state. When he was fifteen years old he
worked in the grocery store of Mark Lawson and delivered groceries to every
house in Stockton. In 1903 he gave up
blacksmithing and engaged in farming and dairying at Dos Palos, later at
Turlock, and still later Paso Robles. In
1910 he purchased the Dorling ranch of thirty acres near French Camp and
brought his stock of Guernsey cattle and was successful in all that he
undertook. In 1917 he sold his ranch and
retired to pass the remainder of his days in rest and quiet and Mr. and Mrs.
Hickok now reside at Stockton, 816 East Clay Street.
In 1864 Mr. Hickok enlisted in the
Eighth California Infantry, which later became a heavy
artillery and was stationed at Fort Point, San Francisco harbor. He is a member of Hartford Post, G. A. R.,
Lodi, and Mrs. Hickok is a member of the Woman’s Relief Corps and the Ladies of
the G. A. R. Mr. Hickok is the father of
nine children by two former marriages, all of whom are living, as follows: Nellie; Howard, of Salinas; Ella, Mrs. James
O’Hare, of Palo Alto; Fred, of Salinas; Ada, Mrs. Davlin; Stella Hickok, Mrs.
Lena Griffin, Walter and Viola, all of San Francisco. In the ’49 parade held at Sacramento in May,
1922, Mr. and Mrs. Hickok occupied a prominent place and received much
attention, for they are truly pioneers.
On July 22, 1922, to enjoy a family reunion at her residence at 816 East
Clay Street, her eight children, fifteen grandchildren, and
five-great-grandchildren, and other relatives, gathered for the occasion.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
447-448. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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