San
Joaquin County
Biographies
GEORGE W. SHEPHERD
A popular public official of San
Joaquin who has made a fine record, is George W. Shepherd, chief jailer of the
county jail at Stockton, whose parents were both ‘49ers and closely identified
with Stockton’s early history. His
father, Maj. James A. Shepherd, a native of Kentucky, came across the plains in
1849, and became a large landowner both in Nevada and California, following stockraising
on an extensive scale. He was very prominent
in San Joaquin County in the early days, taking an active part in Democratic
politics. For twelve years he served as
a supervisor, passing away while in office, and was a leader in the ranks of
the Odd Fellows of Stockton. Mrs.
Shepherd was Martha Isabel before her marriage and she was born in Green
County, Missouri, March 29, 1837. She
came with her parents across the plains in 1849, traveling by ox teams by way
of Los Angeles, their destination being the mines at Don Pedro Bar, and they
were thirteen long months in making the trip.
When they reached Bonsell’s Ferry on the San
Joaquin River, with John Smith and his two sons and others they camped for
several days, and here Mrs. Shepherd made the acquaintance of her first
husband, J. Bonsell.
He had come to California via Cape Horn in 1846, and followed mining and
sheepraising in San Joaquin County. He
and Captain Doak built the first steamer and the
first sail boat ever plying the waters of the San Joaquin River and he also ran
the first ferry across the river, the toll for cattle being one dollar per
head. Returning east by water, he died
of cholera on the trip and was buried at sea, the $25,000 in gold he carried
with him never being recovered. Left a
widow when only sixteen, Mrs. Bonsell later built the
St. Charles Hotel in Stockton, the second hostelry to be erected there. It was considered a most ambitious
undertaking in those early days, the hotel being a four-story structure,
containing seventy rooms and costing $87,000, the lumber being brought around
the Horn at a cost of $28,000.
Major Shepherd and Mrs. Bonsell were married on June 27, 1853, and they made many
friends and had a wide acquaintance far and near while conducting the hotel
owned by Major Shepherd at Lathrop. One
of the brilliant social events of the day was the celebration of their silver
wedding anniversary in 1878. The
occasion was marked by a grand ball given at their hotel at Lathrop, and the
festivities were attended by many prominent people from Stockton, Sacramento and
other towns. Generous and hospitable,
this worthy couple, now both deceased, experienced all the romance and
hardships of those pioneer days. In
their later years they received a sad blow in the death of their daughter, Mrs.
Susie Bailey, who, while trying to save her father from an attack by a burglar,
was shot, passing away a year later from its effects. Their children now living are Charles H.
Shepherd, James A. Shepherd, Jr., George W. and Mrs. B. Willis.
Born on his father’s great cattle
ranch in Nevada, September 16, 1869, George W. Shepherd was reared at Lathrop,
San Joaquin County. He was educated
there and at Harmon’s private school at San Jose, and at the age of sixteen he
went to Oregon and followed the life of a cowboy. For five years he rode the range and when he
returned to Lathrop he was made city marshal of the town, although but
twenty-one years old; he also engaged in the grain and insurance business
there. In 1907 he came to Stockton and
was appointed jailer of the county jail by Sheriff Sibley, and this responsible
post he still holds under Sheriff Riecks. Under his efficient supervision the jail
quarters are kept in the best sanitary condition, a trusty on each floor taking
care of the cleaning, for which they are allowed five days off each month, a
liberal system that has been productive of excellent results.
In Oakland, 1897, Mr. Shepherd was
married to Miss Emily Williams of Seattle, and they are the parents of a
daughter, Geraldine. Widely known
throughout the county, Mr. Shepherd has many friends, who appreciate his
sterling character, the heritage of his pioneer forbears. He is a member of Stockton Lodge No. 218, B.
P. O. Elks.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
787-788. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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