San
Joaquin County
Biographies
WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HOUSKEN
The name of William Christopher
Housken is well known throughout San Joaquin County, for here he has passed his
entire life, and here his parents lived since early California days. He was born on the present ranch at New Hope,
San Joaquin County, August 16, 1873, a son of George and Katherine (Ling)
Housken. The father was a native of
Norway, where he was born December 14, 1838; and at the age of twenty-two he
came to America and direct to California, where he was captain and owner for
many years of the schooner Reliance which plied the Sacramento River, and he
was also engaged in the Oregon lumber trade.
In 1873 he purchased 380 acres in Union township, San Joaquin County,
and later acquired a ranch of 480 acres in the same township, which he
cultivated to wheat, and his farm was well stocked with horses and cattle. In 1865, in San Francisco, he was married to
Miss Katherine Ling and they were the parents of eight children: George resides in Stockton; Frank at Tracy;
Oscar is deceased; William Christopher is the subject of this sketch; Kate,
Mrs. Fountain of Oakland; Augusta, Mrs. Von Enden,
lives in Holland; Laura, Mrs. Cogshall, resides in
Berkeley; and Josie, Mrs. Von Doran of Portland, Oregon. The mother passed away in Stockton on January
17, 1918; the father now resides in Oakland, aged eighty-five.
William Christopher Housken began
his education at the New Hope grammar school and later took a course at the
Stockton Business College, after which he became manager of the Don Ray
Company’s store at New Hope, where he remained for six years. The marriage of Mr. Housken occurred at Lodi
on December 7, 1902, which united him with Miss Sigrid Sigilkoff,
a native of New Jersey, and a daughter of Henry Sigilkoff,
a farmer who came to Walnut Grove, California, when his daughter Sigrid was
eight years old. Mrs. Housken is one of
six children: Anna, Eva, Harry, Frank,
Sigrid, is Mrs. Housken, and Arthur. Mr.
and Mrs. Housken are parents of two children, Merle and George. After working in the general merchandise
store in New Hope for six years Mr. Housken then went to Antioch where he
became a pilot of river launches and did towing on the river for three years;
he then went to Stockton and worked for two years in the Sampson Iron
Works. About this time he returned to
the old home place where he has since resided with his family, and he operates
the 270 acres where he raises alfalfa and beans, and grazes cattle.
Mr. Housken and his family live in
the house where he was born, which was built by his father many years ago, but
which has been greatly improved by additions made by Mr. Housken. He served as justice of the peace of Union
township for two years and as a member of the school board of the New Hope district, and he was active in the building of the new
school building. Having always lived in
San Joaquin County, he is deeply interested in all that pertains to her welfare
and progress, and is a typical western citizen, alert and enterprising.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1480. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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