San
Joaquin County
Biographies
WIRT ELDRED WILDER
A very progressive pioneer whose
demise in 1919 caused wide-spread regret, was the late Wirt Eldred Wilder, who
was born in Martin, Allegan County, Michigan., on January 26, 1862, the son of Ebenezer
and Belinda (Eldred) Wilder, and one of a family of six children, three boys
and three girls, among whom he was fourth in order of birth. His father was a general farmer, raising
grain and stock, and Wirt grew up in a comfortable country home, while he
pursued his studies in the district school.
About 1889 he came out to California
and settled in the Acampo district, where he worked for Mr. Van Gelder until he
went into the nursery business. Later he
formed a partnership with Eli S. Ferguson, and they had one of the crack
nurseries in the country. At Acampo on
December 31, 1895, he was married to Miss Lucy Langford, the daughter of Ira J.
and Mary M. (Sweany) Langford, the former of Holland
descent, but a native of Tennessee, and the latter a native of Missouri, born
near St. Joseph. Mr. Langford came to
California in 1846, when he was fourteen years old, traveling by way of the
Isthmus; while Mrs. Langford came across the plains in the great gold-rush of ’49,
journeying in a prairie schooner drawn by an ox team, and settling with her
people near Nevada City, Placer County.
Lucy Langford was born near Hollister, in San Benito County; and when
she was four years old her father, who had gone from the mines to San Benito
County, removed again to Sacramento County.
It was there that she received her education in the district
schools. In 1886 Mr. and Mrs. Langford
retired and took up their residence in Acampo; and there Miss Langford lived
with them until she was married. She was
one of seven children, the elder being Robert C., who died on May 9, 1918; Anna
N., who became Mrs. Fitzgerald and died April 12, 1888; James S., who died in
Alaska; Maymie V., who married and is now a widow, of
Acampo; and Nellie, who is Mrs. McArthur, of the same place. Samuel Langford of Oakley, California, is the
younger brother.
Mr. Wilder, while a partner of E. S.
Ferguson, had acquired sixty acres, on ten acres of which he built the home
where his family still reside. Mr.
Ferguson also took ten acres; but the balance, or forty acres, is owned jointly
with Mr. Ferguson. Besides her ranch,
Mrs. Wilder owns property in Berkeley, a handsome heritage, some day, for her
four accomplished and promising daughters.
Mary Belinda is a teacher in the Woodbridge School; and Vivian Langford,
Nina Aileen, and Bonnie Wirt Eldred are students in the high school at Lodi.
Mr. Wilder was a Democrat. He was a member and Past Grand of the Odd
Fellows, and a member of the Rebekahs, of Woodbridge. Mrs. Wilder is a member of the same lodge of
Rebekahs, and is a Past Noble Grand. She
is a devoted member of the Methodist Church.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1060. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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