San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN HUTCHINS
Not many among the highly honored
pioneers of San Joaquin County could boast a more enviable record, or a more
interesting history than John Hutchins, who breathed his last nearly
one-quarter of a century ago, and went to his long rest secure in the annals of
the town as one of its honored founders.
He was born in Canada, and in 1853 for six months braved the danger of a
trip across the great plains to California, and upon
his arrival here set out for the mines in Placer County. With four associates, he bought the site of
the present town of Lodi, and these five men in association founded the
place. He also induced the Southern
Pacific Railroad to build its line through the town, and then he laid out the
town and sold lots. He himself bought
seventy-seven acres running west from Sacramento Street up Lodi Avenue; and he
also bought, for $11,500, 190 acres extending west for half a mile, and then
north, between Lodi Avenue and Pine Street.
He cleared the land of scrub and live-oak, and cutting up the wood of
the trees, hauled it to Stockton for sale.
As a farmer, he raised grain for many years; and later he planted one of
the first commercial vineyards in the district.
He also planted almonds and fruit.
After awhile John Hutchins found that he had more land than could be
held by law, and so he disposed of a part of it, trading it off for a span of
horses and a wagon.
At Stockton, Mr. Hutchins was
married to Miss Anna Nevin, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who had crossed the
plains ten years later than he, and had then been able to make the journey in
three months. Five children were born to
them: Nellie M.; John, of Ripon; Edward;
Mary, now Mrs. Jahant, and Catherine, now Mrs.
Larson, of Lodi.
Edward Hutchins was born on his
father’s ranch, a part of which is now within the city limits of Lodi, on
October 30, 1872. He attended the Lodi
public schools, Woodbridge College, and St. Mary’s College, at Oakland. As a young man, he worked on his father’s
ranch; and later he was in charge of the home farm. He has since divided a part of the property,
some seventy-five acres, now within the city limits, and he has laid out the
Hutchins Oak Street Addition, and Hutchins High School Addition, with such
building restrictions as will insure the establishment and maintenance of a
very select residential district, it being the largest and most important real
estate project of its kind ever undertaken in the city of Lodi. A part of the home ranch is still in
possession of the family, and there they have a vineyard of 110 acres.
At San Francisco in 1894, Edward
Hutchins was married to Miss Ada L. Corbin, an attractive lady from West
Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchins
neglected no opportunity to further the interests of the community.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
618. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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