San Joaquin County Biographies


This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm



GEORGE W. HEMPHILL.
 
        A representative of the agricultural interests of San Joaquin County, 
who is also a native son of California, is George W. Hemphill, who was born and 
reared on the old Hemphill ranch west of Lodi on the Sargent Road. His birth 
occurred April 6, 1891, and he is a son of Edward H. and Lena (Walkmeister) 
Hemphill, natives of Iowa and Switzerland, respectively. Originally the 
Hemphills came from Ireland to the United States and settled in Ohio. 
Grandfather John Hemphill was a veteran of the Civil War, and was with General 
Sherman on the famous march to the sea. Grandfather Hemphill came to California 
in 1866 in search of a milder climate than that of Iowa, and the following year 
brought his family to San Joaquin County, where he had bought 160 acres. He 
added to this until he owned 640 acres, a portion of which is still owned by 
Edward H. Hemphill, the father of our subject. Two of his daughters also own 
their portions. The mother passed away in January, 1911, while the father 
resides at the present time in Lodi. They had three children, of whom two grew 
up. George W. Hemphill is the youngest of them. He received his early education 
at the Lafayette public school, then entered the Lodi high school. After his 
school days were over he assisted his father on the home ranch. He leased the 
home place of 185 acres and for eight years ran it, doing general farming. Since 
1921 his brother, John Lester, is operating half of it and our subject is 
farming the balance.
        The marriage of Mr. Hemphill occurred on November 11, 1914, at Stockton, 
and united him with Miss Ethel Geirmann, a native of Walnut Grove. Cal., 
daughter of Charles and Amanda (Kelly) Geirmann. Her mother was born at Michigan 
Bar, Cal., and came to San Joaquin County with her father, where she was reared 
and educated in the Henderson district school. Her parents are living at 
Woodbridge, where Mr. Geirmann conducts the blacksmith shop. In politics Mr. 
Hemphill is a Republican, and fraternally he is affiliated with Woodbridge 
Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M., with the Sciots, No. 5, of Stockton, and with his 
wife is a member of Woodbridge Chapter, No. 118, O. E. S. He is also a member of 
the Knights of Pythias of Lodi. The Hemphill name is a highly honored one in 
this part of California, and its bearers have proved themselves worthy of esteem 
in every relation of life.
 
History of San Joaquin County, California � Los Angeles, Historic Record Co., 
1923
p      1549    
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.