San
Joaquin County
Biographies
NEWTON WALTER MAHAFFEY
A very enterprising citizen of
Stockton who is connected with manufacturing interests that assist in the upbuilding of Stockton is Newton Walter Mahaffey, who was
born at Stanford, McLean County, Illinois, June 15,
1864. His father, Jonas L. Mahaffey,
traced his ancestry back to the Revolutionary War. Great-great-grandfather Mahaffey was a
soldier in that struggle and served as one of Washington’s body guard. A family tradition handed down tells of how
by his keen perception and quick action Mr. Mahaffey at one time saved the
General from capture by a traitorous plan.
Jonas L. Mahaffey was engaged in farming and also had a
grist and sawmill when the Civil War came on. Nevertheless he enlisted serving as a fifer
with the colors. The mother of our
subject was Christania Price, who afterwards married
Joseph T. Rees and now lives in Stockton.
Newton was her first born, being
brought up on the farm in Butler County, Iowa.
When he was eleven years of age he removed to Kansas with his mother and
step-father, where they located on a homestead in McPherson County, and there
he pioneered it, assisting in breaking the raw prairie where they improved
three different quarter sections of land.
After completing the district school he entered Lindsborg College,
continuing his studies until within three months of graduation, when he had a
serious spell of typhoid fever which prevented his graduation that year. After this he continued on the home farm
until his marriage in McPherson, March 18, 1891, when he was united with Miss
Mary Gibson, who was born at Sandy Hill, Washington County, New York, a
daughter of Daniel Joslyn and Mary Ellen (Horsley) Gibson, natives respectively
of Vermont and Montreal, Canada. The
Gibson family is an old New England family who were pioneers of Vermont, while
the Horsley family is an old and prominent English family, traced back to the
tenth century. Grandfather Horsley
emigrated from England to Montreal, where he died in middle life leaving a
widow and thirteen children, and she came to Sandy Hill, New York.
Daniel Joslyn Gibson was a mason and
builder. On the outbreak of the Civil
War he was a widower with three children, nevertheless he volunteered his
services and enlisted in Company I, 16th Regiment Heavy Artillery,
New York Volunteers, serving until the close of the war. After the war he married Miss Horsley and he
continued the building business, moving to Clyde, New York, where he resided
until he died at the age of ninety-two years.
The mother passed away at the age of eighty-two years.
Mary Gibson graduated from the
Clyde, New York, high school, after which she engaged in teaching in Wayne
County, New York. She had a sister, Mrs.
Smith Babcock, living at McPherson, Kansas, and came out on a visit and it was
there she met Newton Mahaffey and their acquaintance resulted in the marriage. Wishing to cast in their lot with the Golden
State the young couple came to California in October, 1891. Mrs. Mahaffey had an uncle, John Horsley, who
had come to California as a ‘49er and was a pioneer in Amador County, where he
built the Silver Lake Road, as well as several other early toll roads. After spending several months in Amador
County, Mr. Mahaffey came to Stockton, where he assisted in building the
electric road. In the fall of 1892 they
located at Burson, Calaveras County, and there
engaged in farming for awhile until he entered the life insurance field,
representing the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company, in which he met with excellent
success. However, in 1899 he located in
Stockton, where he engaged in contracting and for many
years has specialized in contract roof painting. Having made a study of the best ingredients
necessary to make the most desirable roof paint he has originated a formula and
is engaged in manufacturing Mahaffey’s cement roof paint, which has become
popular and in general use throughout this section of California, and he has
the largest business as roofing contractor in this county. He resides at 1346 East Market Street with
his family and this place is also the headquarters for his business.
Mr. Mahaffey has been interested in
mining for many years, owning the Hose mine in Plumas County, a quartz mine
with a five-stamp mill. He also has the
Maypole mine at Mokelumne Hill. He is also interested in the McCree Petroleum Corporation, operating at Tulsa, Oklahoma,
a successful oil company.
Mr. and Mrs. Mahaffey’s union has
been blessed with five children: Frank
and Harry are twins; the former was with the post office department in San
Francisco during the war and is now assisting Mr. Mahaffey in his business; Harry
is with the Standard Oil Company. He
enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps and served overseas during the World
War. During this time he qualified as an
expert rifleman. Ruth is a graduate of
Stockton high school and the Western Normal and was engaged in teaching in her
home city for seven years. She was very
prominent in campfire work, serving as campfire guardian and playground
director. She is now the wife of Prof.
A. W. Dowden, who served in the Medical Corps during the World War. They reside in Los Angeles, where Mr. Dowden
is physical director at the Southern Branch, University of California. Walter and William are attending Stockton
high school. Mr. Mahaffey is a member of
the Sons of Veterans, while with the same patriotic zeal his wife is a member
of Colonel Roosevelt Circle, Ladies of the G. A. R.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1519. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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