San
Joaquin County
Biographies
LAFE, JAMES B. & TYRELL WARD
A well-to-do rancher of the Elliott district of San Joaquin County, who has won his success
entirely through his own industry and enterprise, is Lafe
Ward. He was born a Beverly, West
Virginia, on December 9, 1868, a son of Abraham and Lucinda Ward. Grandfather Ward was a plantation owner in
Virginia, and an early settler. In 1874
the father, Abraham Ward, started across the plains by the southern route
through Texas, and arriving in California settled at Collegeville, San Joaquin
County, and there leased about 700 acres of land, which he farmed to
grain. The father passed away in 1903,
sixty-three years old, and the mother in 1921, at the age of eighty years.
For a number of years Mr. Ward
rented various ranches, among them being the Northrup ranch, now conducted by
John D. Sowles, whose sketch is found in this
volume. He spent a few years a quarter
of a mile east on the Elliott schoolhouse; and then rented the Henderson ranch,
known as section seven, consisting of 420 acres of land, on which Mr. Ward
raised grain and stock. He then
purchased 480 acres one-half mile north of the Elliott school, and also farms
forty acres belonging to his mother; besides he rents a half-section of land on
Dry Creek, making a total of over 800 acres that he successfully farms. Mr. Ward is the father of three
children: James B., Tyrell and Bessie,
residing at Sacramento. James B. and
Tyrell are in partnership with their father in running the ranches, on which
they maintain about 200 head of cattle and operate a dairy of sixty cows. Mr. Ward has made extensive improvements in
the way of modern buildings and equipment for handling his business. He has twelve head of work horses, but does
much of his plowing, harrowing, planting, etc., with a tractor.
James B. Ward, the eldest son, was
born in San Joaquin County on July 29, 1894, attended the district school, and
finished his education with a business
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1510-1511. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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