San Joaquin County
Biographies
EMMONS RODOLPHUS STOCKWELL
EMMONS RODOLPHUS STOCKWELL, a
retired merchant of Stockton, was born in Jamaica, Vermont, December13, 1814, a
son of Emmons and Belinda (Shumway) Stockwell. The father, a native of Leverett,
Massachusetts, and there married, became a farmer in Vermont, but died in Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, aged seventy-three. The mother, a native of Amherst, also died
in Fitchburg, at the age of seventy-one. Grandfather Shumway,
the son of a French operative in the Charlestown navy-yard, became a clergyman
of the Baptist Church, and was settled in Amherst and afterward moved to
Vermont. His wife, a native of Belchertown, Massachusetts, of Irish parentage,
named Gilbert, lived to the age of seventy-six. Both grandfather Shumway and his father also lived to be quite old, but
their exact ages are not on record. Grandfather Stockwell
was a Scotch emigrant who settled on a farm near Leverett,
Massachusetts, and Mrs. Emmons Stockwell had ten
children, of whom two died in infancy, and of the others one son died aged
eighty-four, another son is living in 1890 in his eighty-fourth year, and one daughter in her sixty-seventh year.
E. R. Stockwell was brought up on his father’s farm and educated in the district schools. In young manhood he went to Boston and was a clerk in a dry-goods store two years, and in business some nine years. He was there married on Thanksgiving day, November 25, 1850, to Miss Charlotte B. Littlefield, born in Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1821. Mr. Stockwell left Boston January 27, 1849, for California, by way of Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco July 23 of that year. He went to mining near Jacksonville, near Woods creek, which empties into the Tuolumne river, and worked there about one year. He then opened a miner’s supply store in Jacksonville, which he sold out after six months and set out for Boston by the Panama route. Returning with his wife by the same route he arrived in San Francisco in May, 1851, and came at once to Stockton. Here they opened a dry-goods and millinery store in July of that year and did a profitable business for nearly three years, when they returned to Boston, where they had left two children with Mrs. Stockwell’s mother. They had accumulated $22,000 and intended to remain in Boston. Mrs. Stockwell’s mother died before their arrival, and after spending a year in that city they concluded to return to this coast. They remained about one year in San Francisco, and in August, 1855, came to Stockton and Mr. Stockwell became a partner with Mr. Henry Underhill, to whom he had sold out his business two years before. In 1860 Mr. Underhill, sold out his interest to Thomas R. Moseley, son-in-law of Mr. Stockwell, who remained a partner until his death in 1887, when Mr. Stockwell wound up the business and retired, putting all of his means into real estate. He had bought in 1856 for $600 the square he still occupies on the east side of El Dorado street between Acacia and Magnolia, and had built on it, at a cost of $7,000, the twelve-room house, which is still in excellent condition, the shingles laid on in 1856 being still rain-proof in 1890.
Mrs. Stockwell died January 2, 1888, having been the mother of six children, of whom two died in infancy and four grew to maturity--Elizabeth Albina, born in Boston September 14, 1841, came to California with her parents in 1854, was married in this city May 24, 1860, to Thomas R. Moseley, and died November 29,1885, leaving two sons, Nathaniel S., who died in 1888, a lieutenant in the United States navy, and Andrew L., now of San Francisco and there married, February 20, 1889, to Miss Nellie Groves. Amos Jerome Stockwell, born in Boston July 28, 1844, enlisted in a cavalry regiment at the age of eighteen, and after the war received the position of gauger in San Francisco, where he was accidentally killed February 1, 1875, by being thrown from a carriage. Walter Woodbury Stockwell, whose sketch follows this; Frederick Shumway Stockwell, born here October 19, 1861, and here married October 24, 1883, to Miss Josie Young, a native of this city; they have one child, Ernest C., born November 11, 1885. Fred S. is a clerk with his brother Walter W. in this city.
Mr. E. R. Stockwell has been a member of the Pioneer Society since its organization in this city, and has been a Deacon of the First Baptist Church since 1857. He was married in San Francisco, December 3, 1889, to Mrs. H. M. Hendrickson, the widow of Rev. C. R. Hendrickson, formerly pastor of the First Baptist Church of Stockton.
WALTER WOODBURY STOCKWELL, the oldest living child of E. R. Stockwell, was born in Stockton January 8, 1860, and was educated in the schools of this city and at the Baptist College, Vacaville. He clerked for his father until May 24, 1888, since which time he has been in business for himself. He was married in this city, January 9, 1881, to Miss Amelia Belle Cook, a native of Stockton. Mr. Stockwell is Past President of Stockton Parlor, N. S. W. G., and has been twice representative to the Grand Parlor. He is Master of the Exchequer of Nemo Lodge, K. of P., and a member of the A. O. F. Mr. Stockwell resides in a home of his own on the square owned by his father.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 412-413. Lewis Pub. Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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