San Joaquin County
Biographies
THEODORE LEE
THEODORE LEE, rancher, was
born in Albany, New York, August 31, 1820. He made his home with his parents in
Albany up to the time he came to California in 1849. He left Albany March 4,
the day that Taylor was inaugurated as President of the United States, and a
few days later sailed from New York on the packet ship Helena, bound for San
Francisco, via Cape Horn. They made but two stops on the voyage, at Rio Janeiro
and Valparaiso, and landed in San Francisco after a trip of six months. They
had a very pleasant time on the whole; in passing the Horn they encountered a
severe storm and had some difficulty in weathering it. After landing in San
Francisco he went directly to the mines in Calaveras County, and followed this
pursuit for the next five years in that and El Dorado counties, meeting with
moderate success. In 1854 he quit the mines, came down to the San Joaquin
valley and purchased a ranch of 160 acres where he now lives, situated about
five miles north of Stockton. It was at that time a barren and unbroken
country. The land between his place and the Calaveras river was all swamp land,
most of which is now under good cultivation. He has since made other purchases
of land, having at the present time 234 acres, constituting one ranch, devoted
to general farming, principally wheat and stock. Mr. Lee has made four trips to
the East since his coming here, and is of the firm opinion that there is no
country on the face of the globe equal to this, and is therefore perfectly
content and willing to spend the remainder of his days here.
Mr. Lee was married September 3, 1870, to
Deborah Hall, a native of Chester County, Pennsylvania. The station of Devon,
on the Pennsylvania Railroad, is situated on her father’s farm. Both of Mr.
Lee’s parents were Pennsylvanians, and remained in their native State all their
lives.
Politically Mr. Lee is a Republican, and
for the past two years has been a member of the Republican county committee.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 588-589. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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