San
Joaquin County
Biographies
DAVID WILLIAMS
A retired orchardist who was rated,
in the days of interesting, progressive activity, as very successful is David
Williams, who now resides about one-half mile to the east of Acampo. He was born in Wales on January 7, 1846, and
his father was William Williams, a farmer, whose wife, Sarah, lived to be sixty
years old. They were the parents of
eight sons and two daughters. David, the
second in order of birth, partly because his help was needed at home, did not
have the best chance to attend school in his native land, so that, when he left
home and his native land, in his twentieth year to cross the ocean for the New
World, he ventured with a certain handicap.
He reached New York in the spring of 1866, and without his knowledge was
actually in the metropolis when his oldest brother, William, who was a sailor,
was also there, en route to Australia from England; and without meeting him,
David left for Wisconsin, where he arrived in April.
He had worked on farms in Wales, and
when he reached the Badger State he found no difficulty in getting
employment. He worked for the first
summer near Oshkosh, and during the following winter enjoyed the only actual
schooling which he ever had, working mornings and evenings for his board, while
attending school. In the spring of 1867,
he went to Cambrai, Wisconsin, and remained there
until October; and then he came out to the Coast, the first of his family to
come to California. He settled in
Calaveras County, and worked the following winter. In the summer of 1868 he went to Stanislaus
County, and worked near Modesto until 1872; and then he returned to Calaveras
County.
On December 14, 1872, at Sonora, Mr.
Williams was married to Margaret Roberts, an accomplished and attractive lady,
a daughter of John and Jane Roberts, and a native of the same home district in
Wales in which Mr. Williams first saw the light. He had known her before he left Wales. Her father had three brothers who came to
California about 1853, and John Roberts followed them a few years later. But his health failed him, and it was thought
best for him to return to Wales, which he did; and there he died, shortly
after. Her mother then came out to
America with five young children, and joined her brothers in California, making
her home at Douglas Flat, in Calaveras County.
Mr. Williams farmed near Vallicita, in Calaveras County, for about
seventeen years, and then sold out his holdings and moved to Tulare County; and
there, near Pixley, he bought a small ranch.
Later he bought more land until he owned 1,500 acres. During the first part of the early land-boom
he sold his ranch; but he soon bought another tract of 1,500 acres nearby, on
which he lived until 1912, when he sold out and retired, moving to Acampo,
where he bought a small home place of four acres, with a fine orchard of
apricot trees. Two children have added
to the domestic happiness of Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Sadie married the well-known attorney Hugh McNoble, of Stockton; and they have one son, Herbert. John R. is teaching in the El Dorado School
at Stockton; he is married and has two children, Margaret R. and Ruth. Mr. Williams is a Republican; fraternally, he
is a member of the Delano Lodge No. 356, I. O. O. F. The family attend the
Episcopal Church at Lodi.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1063. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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