San
Joaquin County
Biographies
FRANK J. STEPHENSON
Born in California during the
pioneer days, Frank J. Stephenson has been for many years one of the foremost
ranchers of San Joaquin County, now living retired on his home place three miles
west of Ripon. He was born at Douglas
Flat, California, October 30, 1860, and his education was obtained in the
public school at Murphys. His father,
Samuel Stephenson, was a native of Wisconsin, who came to California via Panama
in 1849 and was engaged in mining and prospecting; he also worked as cook at
the Yosemite House and the State Hospital at Stockton. He was married in Michigan to Harriet Allen,
who joined him in California in 1853. He
passed away in 1908 and Mrs. Stephenson died in Stockton about 1918. Frank J. Stephenson learned the butcher trade
at Jackson with Samuel Bright, which occupied him for three years; then for a
time worked at his trade in Merced. In
1879 or 1880 he came to San Joaquin County and was employed in the harvest fields
near Ripon during the harvest season. He
then went to Stockton and for three years worked for the River Express Company,
then came back to Ripon, and has since resided there.
The marriage of Mr. Stephenson
united him with Miss Flora Frederick, a native of San Joaquin County, a
daughter of John and Nancy (Underwood) Frederick, pioneers of the county, both
now deceased. Three children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson: Hattie
B. is Mrs. Joseph Barker and lives at Dudley, Kern County, California; Frank S.
is in business in Los Angeles; Irma Edna, is the wife of L. Marion Cowell and
they have one daughter, Geraldine R., and the family resides at Manteca. Since 1886 Mr. Stephenson has continuously
resided in this section of San Joaquin County and for eleven years served as
trustee of the San Joaquin School District.
He joined Stockton Lodge, No. 11, I. O. O. F., in Stockton, but for the
past twenty-five years he has been identified with Mt. Horeb Lodge, No, 58, I.
O. O. F., at Ripon. Mr. Stephenson owns
forty acres of choice irrigated land, which he improved in every way and has
farmed for many years and on which he successfully conducted a dairy. Four years ago he leased his ranch to his
son-in-law L. Marion Cowell, who farms it and runs a dairy. Mr. Stephenson has always been a progressive
citizen and is particularly enthusiastic for his own locality near Ripon,
believing in the future prosperity of this section implicitly.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1015-1016. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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