San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN W. HIEB
An enterprising contractor of Lodi
whose thorough training and dependable workmanship have brought him a high
degree of success in his chosen line of work is John W. Hieb,
who for a quarter of a century has been numbered among the residents of the
Lodi district. A native of South Dakota,
born August 2, 1880, he was reared at Menno, his native place. His father, William Hieb,
born near Odessa, southern Russia, came to Lodi from South Dakota in 1897 and
bought thirty acres of raw land one mile south of Lodi and planted a vineyard,
one of the first to be operated on a commercial scale in the district. After living there a number of years and
bringing the place to a high state of development, he disposed of it and now makes
his home in Lodi, retired from active business.
He was the founder of the Salem Reformed Church and has always been
active in its affairs. The following are
his eight children: William W., a
rancher, John W., the subject of this review;
Jacob W., is a partner in the firm of Hieb
Bros., contractors; Mrs. Magdelene Kost; Mrs. Katie Youpp; Mrs. Alida Bender; Albina, deceased,
and Mrs. Pauline Walder.
John W. Hieb
was educated in the public school in Menno, South Dakota, and at the same time
from a boy assisted his father on the old homestead. He was a natural mechanic and worked as a
helper to a carpenter building residences, barns and churches. He was seventeen years of age when he arrived
in Lodi and he assisted his father in the planting of the vineyard and in its
care. He then took up carpenter work,
and first was with a bridge construction crew for the Southern Pacific
Railroad, and later he received a careful training in his trade with O. Corbin,
one of the pioneer builders of Lodi, being five years in his employ, and
holding the position of foreman for the last three years of that period. During this time he superintended the
construction of a number of fine residences, among them the homes of Frank
Beckman, Mrs. Anna Hudson, and Dr. Tennyson.
Mr. Hieb then entered business with August Marklein, and during their partnership they built the
grammar school at Franklin, St. John’s Episcopal Church at Lodi, and
practically all the business section of Victor, in addition to the Evangelical
Church there and many of the homes.
Later this firm was dissolved and Mr. Hieb
took in his brother, Jacob W. Hieb, as a partner.
Mr. Hieb
has been connected with the contracting of over 500 residences and business
blocks in and around Lodi, and for some of the homes he has drawn his own plans
and specifications. Among his work we
note the following: Seven churches in
Lodi, the Congregational Church near Victor, the Farmers & Merchants Bank
and the White Front Store at Lodi, the residences of H. J. Cooper, Dr. A. C. Boehmer, G. G. Hieb, J. G. Hieb, Max Elbert, all of Lodi and a $24,000 residence for
Louis Chapdelain one mile west of Lodi, one of the
best in the county. He just completed
the Evangelical Church, Lodi, at a cost of $25,000, and the William Spooner
residence, costing $12,000. He has had
an average of twenty-one men in his employ in recent years and his reputation
for fine work has brought him all the business he can handle. He owns a number of lots in Lodi on which he
expects to build residences later. He is
also a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank.
In 1900 Mr. Hieb
was married to Miss Caroline Hieb, a native of Menno,
South Dakota. She is the daughter of
Gottlieb and Magdelene (Metterly)
Hieb, who were also born near Odessa, Russia. They immigrated to Menno, South Dakota, where
Mr. Hieb was engaged in the mercantile business for
twenty-one years, until he disposed of it and located in San Joaquin County on
a farm near Victor, where he engaged in viticulture until he retired to Lodi
where he and his wife resided until their death. They had five children: Jacob G. resides in Oakland; Mrs. Magdalene
Handel of Lodi; Mrs. Christine Ulmer of Lodi; Mrs. Caroline Hieb
and Gottlieb, a resident of Oakland. Mr.
and Mrs. Hieb are the parents of three children: Leon, Herbert and Bernice. Mr. Hieb and family
are members of the Salem Reformed Church and he has
served as trustee for several years. For
the last twelve years he has done more building in Lodi and vicinity than any
one engaged in the building business. He
has made a study of his line and also has studied architecture, and draws the
plans for residences, churches and public buildings.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
948-951. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Genealogy
Databases