San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOSEPH P. VINET
The farming and stockraising
industries in San Joaquin County contribute a very large percentage of the
prosperity and wealth of the county, for much of the land is in the possession
of men of marked enterprise and progressive methods. Of these men mention is made of Joseph P.
Vinet, who located on his present ranch in 1897, and its appearance is
indicative of his life of usefulness and agricultural activity. He is a native son of California, born on his
father’s ranch in San Joaquin County, on October 17, 1862.
His father, Peter Vinet, was born in
Charante, France, in October, 1820, received his
education in the schools of his locality and early learned the baker’s
trade. In 1839 he emigrated from
Bordeaux, France, to Vera Cruz, Mexico, and there followed his calling, and
there found his wife, whom he married in 1845, and who was in maidenhood Miss
Refugio Aguirre, born in Mexico in 1830, a daughter of Joseph Aguirre, a
Spaniard. Upon the discovery of gold in
California in 1849, Peter Vinet came to this state and for a few years was
engaged in mining in Tuolumne County, after which he went to Sonora and opened
a bakery and sold bread as high as $1.00 a loaf; later he was in the mercantile
business at San Jose for a number of years.
In 1859 he located in Dent Township, San Joaquin County, and bought 160
acres of land, which he increased to 1,760 acres as he prospered in raising
grain, that being his chief industry, although he raised some stock. He was one of the original stockholders of
the Shell Ditch, which eventually became the South San Joaquin Irrigation
Company, and he was one of the members of the old Agricultural Society. He was of a benevolent disposition and
supported all progressive movements for the betterment of general conditions in
the county and state. He gave liberally
to all religious denominations, regardless of creed, and was a firm believer in
education and the maintenance of schools.
Mr. and Mrs. Vinet were survived by three children: Joseph P., of San Joaquin County; Anita, who
married William Lamasney and lives in Stockton; and
Marie, who became the wife of Alfred G. Baker and died at San Francisco. One son, Leopold Vinet, died at the age of
sixteen in 1869. Mrs. Peter Vinet passed
away in September, 1894, followed to the grave by her husband on December 27,
of that same year. Both were mourned by
a wide circle of devoted friends besides their immediate family. It is to such public-spirited men and women
that California owes much for laying a firm foundation for its future
prosperity.
Joseph P. Vinet received a good
schooling in the local schools and finished with a business course and also
attended the University of Santa Clara in 1880-81, after which he returned to
the home ranch and entered into a partnership with his father in the stock and
grain business. The original brand
established by his father is still used and is recognized by all stockmen as
the PV brand. Mr. Vinet owns 533 acres
of fine wheat land and eighty acres of grazing land and he raises large
quantities of wheat and barley each year.
The marriage of Joseph P. Vinet
occurred on October 24, 1887, and united him with Miss Louise Pache, who was
born in Stockton, October 8, 1861. She
is a representative of an old pioneer family, her father, Jules P. Pache, a
native of Paris, France, came to America in 1851 around the Horn, arriving in
California in the gold mining days and spent some time searching for the
precious metal, locating at French Bar, Mariposa County, after which he engaged
in the forwarding and commission business in Stockton. Some time later he
was associated with Louis Chicard in the same business, then was a bookkeeper
for I. S. Bostwick, and still later was with the Farmers Union. For twenty years he was a bookkeeper for the
Stockton Savings and Loan Association.
He was one of the dependable men of his day and could always be counted
on to do his share to promote any worthy cause.
For many years he was the representative of the French Consul for the
mountain and valley counties. He
married, in 1860, Miss Marie Elizabeth Chicard, born in Independence, Missouri,
on November 12, 1843, who came with her family to California across the plains,
arriving November 1, 1849. Mr. and Mrs. Pache
had six children: Louise, Mrs. J. P. Vinet;
Dr. George F. Pache of Angels Camp; Edmund B., of San Francisco; Philip F., a
merchant at Angels Camp; Dr. Francis C., of San Diego; and Mrs. Julie Umberger, of Angels Camp.
Mr. Pache came of a prominent family from southern France, one branch
being Royalist and the other Republican in its leaning. One member of the family was tutor to the
children of Louis XV, another a Count at the Court of Charles
XII. During the Revolution a member was
on the committee of safety and prefect of Paris, later retiring to his home in
southern France where he wrote a treatise on metaphysics.
Mrs. Vinet received a good education
at Notre Dame College at San Jose and has become the mother of four
children: Elois
R., is the wife of W. C. Lucas, has three daughters and two sons and lives in
Ione; Lucille A., married Dr. L. E. Tretheway and
died December 31, 1920, survived by one son and one daughter; Antoinette K.,
became the wife of S. D. Miller and has two boys and two girls and they reside
at Manteca; Josephine E., resides at home with her parents.
Mr. Vinet belongs to the Modern
Woodmen of America and the Knights of Columbus, and formerly was a member of
the Republican county central committee and still takes an active part in local
politics. He is a firm believer in the
good roads movements and in irrigation activities and he wields an influence
for good in a large circle of friends and acquaintances. The Vinet family belongs to St. Patrick’s
Parish at Atlanta, of which Peter Vinet was one of the pioneer supports and
organizers.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
472. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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