San Joaquin County
Biographies
VALENTINE MASON PEYTON
VALENTINE MASON PEYTON, a
retired merchant of Stockton, was born in Stafford County, Virginia, July 11,
1820, a son of William Washington and Lucy (Mason) Peyton. (For parentage and
ancestry see sketch of Enoch Peyton). The subject of this sketch, the first
grandchild of his grandparents on both sides, received marked attention in
every direction. His education was prompted with special interest, and he
entered Howard Academy, Virginia, at an early age. After a few years’ study he
yearned for more active work, and returned home to fill the position of clerk
in one of his father’s stores. At the age of twenty-one he began to work on his
own account, and moved to Kentucky, where he clerked one year, and then taught
country schools three years. His next change was to mercantile business in New
Orleans, with his brother William W., born in 1824, who was engaged in the hay
and grain trade in that city, and with whom he remained until the close of
1848.
In January, 1849, he left for California
on the ship Architect, from New Orleans, around Cape Horn, and arrived in San
Francisco May 27, 1849. He had brought a stock of merchandise, which he
re-shipped to Sacramento, where he opened a store on Second, between J and K
streets. The venture proved profitable, but after a year’s labor Mr. Peyton’s
health became impaired, and he went to Honolulu, leaving his business in charge
of two friends. Returning in 1851 with renewed vigor, he wound up his interests
in Sacramento, and, having established a business connection with the
bookkeeper of the house of Flint, Peabody & Co., of San Francisco, he
opened a general store in Stockton, with Mr. Spier as partner, under the style
of V. M. Peyton & Co. The new firm had been in business about a month when
they were struck by the fire of 1851. They succeeded in saving some goods, but
Mr. Spier preferred to return to clerking in San Francisco, and Mr. Peyton
formed a partnership with Preston Morris, of New Orleans, without change of
style. Mr. Morris carried on a branch store at Mokelumne Hill, while Mr. Peyton
conducted the main store in this city, the firm doing well at both points. In
1851 Mr. Peyton was elected to the city council, and in 1852 he proposed to his
nine colleagues that they should each contribute $50 as a nucleus for a school
fund, he pledging himself to collect from the citizens all that would be
required over the $500 thus secured. Mr. Peyton formulated the first ordinance
establishing the public schools of Stockton. Two schools were opened, Rev. Dr.
Canders, who had been conducting a private school, taking charge of the boys’
school, and Mrs. Woods the girls’ school. He remained in the schools seven
years as trustee, acting as secretary and treasurer of the board; and the first
brick school-house, on Center street, was built during his connection with that
body. A member of the city council five years, and its President four years, he
revised and codified its ordinances more than once during his term of office. In
1853 the steamer City of Stockton was built, at a cost of $40,000, by some
merchants of this city, including Mr. Peyton, and Mr. Peyton became the agent
of the associated merchants. On her first trip to Stockton her boiler burst in
San Pablo bay, and among other casualties Mr. Peyton was scalded from head to
foot, but had the good fortune to be thrown into the cooling waters of the bay,
and the equally good fortune of being taken aboard the steamer H. T. Clay and
brought to Stockton. Notwithstanding these favorable circumstances, his life
was despaired of for many weeks, and he was watched day and night for six
months. His case attracted widespread attention, and his final recovery in 1854
was regarded as little less than miraculous, and in May of that year he was
elected City Assessor. Meanwhile his business was duly attended to by his
partner and clerks, and was fairly prosperous for several years. In 1859 he was
elected City Collector, being also elected Street Commissioner, and by
re-elections held both positions for eight years. He took an active interest in
church building, in the establishment of the Rural Cemetery, of which he was
trustee and secretary and treasurer for seven years, and in the artesian well
bored on Court House square for city and county, was appointed to manage its
building, and acted as secretary and treasurer. In 1869 he was elected City
Clerk, and held the position two years, when he resigned to go into the
real-estate business firm of Peyton & Severy, which was continued two years.
Mr. Peyton at the same time attended to farms which he owned. About 1873, at
the request of C. H. Huffman, of Merced, he took charge, at a good salary, of
his office, the business being chiefly buying and shipping wheat to San
Francisco. In 1874 he returned to Stockton, and soon removed to San Francisco,
where he remained several years engaged in real-estate business. Retiring from
active pursuits, he returned to Stockton to spend his declining years amid the
scenes of his active and useful labors in the past.
Mr. Peyton was married on the Bethel ship
at San Francisco, by her brother-in-law, the Rev. William (“Father”) Taylor,
the pioneer Methodist seamen’s preacher, May 27, 1852, to Miss Harriet Virginia
Kimberlin, born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, July 11, 1832, a daughter of Jacob and
Harriet (Ritchie) Kimberlin, both parents having died in her youth. Miss
Kimberlin came to California in 1849 with some relatives. Mr. and Mrs. Peyton
are the parents of four boys and four girls: Mary Virginia, now Mrs. Langley, of
San Francisco; William Edgar, in railroad business in Denver; Alice Mason, now
the wife of M. G. Pritchard, of San Francisco, who has been a consul for Mexico
nine years, resident in San Francisco; they have two boys and one girl; Grace
Seamans, now the wife of W. F. McAllister, M. D., ex-quarantine officer of San
Francisco; Robert Lee and Amy Lee, twins, of whom Robert is in railroad
business in Denver, and Amy is the wife of Clarence Peyton Mallard; they have
one child, Clarence; Valentine Mason, Jr., also in railroad business in Denver,
is married to Miss Alice S. Sutherland, a native of California; Le Roy, a
graduate of a business college in Los Angeles, where the family spent the years
1887 and 1888, is at present attending the high school of this city,
preparatory to entering a law school.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 426-427. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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