Tulare County Biographies

William J. Higdon

Transcribed by: Craig A Hahn

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

 
     A native son of California, William J. Higdon was born in Nevada county, in 
1876. When he was even years old his parents moved to the Capay valley, in Yolo 
county, where he was educated in the public schools and acquired some knowledge 
of farming. In 1898, when he was about twenty-two years old, he followed the 
lure of the gold-seeker to Alaska, where he remained a year and a half and in 
1901 he came to Tulare county and for three years was in the livery business, 
first as proprietor of the Dexter stables then of the Grand stables, and finally 
of the City stables. After a year and a half spent in Tulare following his 
retirement from this business, he moved to the I. N. Wright ranch of two hundred 
and fifty-four acres, one hundred and seventy-four acres of which was within the 
city limits, and there engaged in farming, stock-raising and dairying, milking 
fifty to eighty cows, He owns two hundred and forty acres of other land, eighty 
acres of which is half a mile southeast and one hundred and sixty acres three 
miles southwest of his homestead. The larger tract is used for farming and 
grazing, the smaller one is rented and devoted to the production of corn and 
other grain. One hundred and sixty acres of the home ranch is in alfalfa. Mr. 
Higdon keeps an average of about two hundred and d fifty hogs and one hundred 
head of stock besides his milch cows. He is a stockholder in and a director of 
the Dairymen�s Co-operative Creamery Co., and the Rochdale Store Co. of Tulare, 
and is a stockholder in the New Power Co. He has also been secretary of the 
Tulare County Dairymen�s association since its organization. 
 
     Fraternally Mr. Higdon affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. His public spirit has led him to identify himself with many movements 
for the general benefit. On November 23, 1904, he married Miss Hattie M. Wright, 
a native of Tulare and a daughter of Isaac N. Wright, who was instrumental in 
securing the location of the city of Tulare where it has been built, and who is 
mentioned fully elsewhere in this publication. Its boundaries include the old 
home place where his daughter was born. Mr. and Mrs. Higdon have a son and a 
daughter, Alice Charlotte and Newton Elliott, who are now (1913) aged 
respectively seven and four years. Mrs. Higdon, a graduate of the State Normal 
school at San Jose was for ten years a teacher in the public school at Tulare. 
 
SOURCE:  History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical 
Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913 Pp 304, 307