San
Joaquin County
Biographies
WILLIAM H. LYONS
The devotion of William H. Lyons to
the city and county of his birth has been evidenced in his actions, and he has
shown the greatest faith in the future growth and prosperity of the state. He was born in Stockton on March 22, 1864, a
son of William H. and Georgia (Allen) Lyons, the former a native of
Pennsylvania and the latter of New York.
The father came to California via the Isthmus of Panama in 1849 and the
mother crossed the plains in wagons drawn by oxen in 1852 The father first located in Grass Valley,
Nevada County, California, and as he was a lawyer by profession, practiced
there, confining his practice to land laws almost exclusively. During the years of 1850 – 54 he served as state
senator from Nevada County. The capital
of California was then located at Benicia and there he met and married his
wife, who was a teacher in the public schools of that state. They were the parents of seven children: Mrs. Virginia Lee Roberts, Mrs. Georgia Cook,
Mrs. Miriam Sterling, three sons who died while young, and William H., the
subject of this review. Settling in
Stockton in 1854, the father practiced his profession until his death in 1885. Confining his practice to land laws, he
became one of the foremost lawyers along that line; he was the land attorney
for the Southern Pacific Railroad, having charge of their vast land holdings in
the valley. He was a direct descendant
of the historic Lee family of Virginia, being a first cousin of Robert E. Lee,
the famous general. In time he became a
large land holder, reaching as high as thousands of acres. In 1860 he bought the block of land at El
Dorado and Poplar streets for $900 and on this land he erected his home, at
that time the property being outside the city limits. Here all their children were born. In politics he was a Democrat and was a
member of the Masonic order.
William H. Lyons was graduated from
the Stockton high school with the class of 1883. He then became a clerk in the county
recorder’s office where he remained for two years; then for the next five years
he was a clerk in the county clerk’s office.
In 1890 he entered the employ of the Stockton Savings Bank (now the City
Bank) as bookkeeper. His first
advancement was to the position of assistant cashier; then in 1910 he became
the cashier of that institution, which position he now occupies with ability.
In 1907 he bought seventy-five acres
of land seven miles northeast of Stockton, a part of the L. U. Shippee ranch; this he planted to walnuts, fruit and
vineyard, improving with a pumping plant and irrigation system. The purchase price of this property was $150
per acre and today, on account of the high state of development is paying 6% on
a valuation of $3,000 per acre. They
Lyons home, known as “The Oaks” derived its name from the grove of venerable
gnarled oaks which surround the modern residence; there are extensive grounds
and it is one of the handsomest country places in the county. The shrubbery borders are notable, quantities
of berry bushes being used. In a glade
just in front of the home is a long, irregular shaped pool with large stepping
stones across it, affording a unique approach to the front, and a concrete
swimming pool with springboard and other paraphernalia is a source of pleasure
to the young people in the summer months.
The marriage of Mr. Lyons united him
with Miss Ada Huggins, a former schoolmate, and a daughter of Frank Huggins, a
California pioneer of 1852; he located in Sonora, Tuolumne County, and followed
mining and was the agent for the Adams Express Company. Upon removing to Stockton he entered the
employ of the San Joaquin Valley Bank and for many years was the cashier of
that institution. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons are
the parents of two sons: Frank is
married and has three children and is farming 450 acres in San Joaquin County;
William H., Jr., is with the Kroyer Motor
Company. He attended the first officers’
training camp at the Presidio in San Francisco and was commissioned first
lieutenant of field artillery of the Ninety-first Division; later he was
transferred to the First Division and was with the army of occupation in
Germany, serving fourteen months overseas.
Fraternally Mr. Lyons is a member of the Morning Star Lodge of Masons
and the Stockton Elks. For the past
forty years, since August, 1883, he has been an active member of the N. S. G.
W. Parlor No. 7; he is also a member of the San Joaquin Society of Pioneers.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
779-780. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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