Orange County Biographies

MRS. JULIA J. STEWART 

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

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

 
was born in Philadelphia in 1830, her parents being John R. and Hannah E. 
(Howell) Vodges. The former was a native of Philadelphia, a prominent lawyer and 
a trustee of Jefferson Medical College. He and General Israel Vodges were 
cousins. The mother was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1794, and died at the 
advanced age of eighty-nine years.
        Julia, the subject of this sketch, was educated in Philadelphia, and was 
a constant resident of that city until she moved to Los Angeles, California, in 
1884. She removed to Spring valley, San Diego County, that same year, and bought 
the ranch on which she now resides. It consisted of 320 acres. The property has 
a fine residence on it, and has been improved since 1870. Mrs. Stewart has made 
many improvements in the way of fine ranch buildings and running water-pipes 
over it. On the place there are 900 orange trees, 200 olive, 300 lemon, and 
nearly every other variety of fruit, all in bearing; also many ornamental shrubs 
and flowers. The ranch is one of the oldest and best known places in the valley; 
the railroad runs near it, and Spring Valley station is within half a mile of 
it. Mrs. Stewart has donated a school-house site, and a nice school-house is in 
process of erection.
        Mrs. Stewart has been twice married, first to William B. Duncan, 
grandson of General Duncan, a general of the war of 1812. They had one daughter 
by this union�Julia, born in 1855 in Philadelphia, who married George Wharton, 
had two children, and afterward died. The children, Edith and Helen, are now 
with their grandmother. In 1861 the subject of this notice was married to Rev. 
Dr. Stewart, a native of Dublin, Ireland. When quite young he was taken by his 
parents to Jamaica, West Indies. He was pastor of a church in Jamaica, Newark 
and Philadelphia. During the war he was Chaplain with Harlan's Cavalry. By this 
union there were three daughters, viz.: Mary, born in 1862, and married in 1879 
to Frederick Phillips, of Philadelphia; Hannah Vodges, born in 1865, and married 
in 1887 to her cousin, W., B. Prentice, who was born of American parents while 
abroad. He went to Washington Territory and took up 160 acres of government 
land, remained one year, then went to Los Angeles and engaged in the dry-goods 
business for himself. They make their home with Mrs. Stewart at Spring Valley. 
The other daughter, Mildred Maud, was born in 1868. Having poor health, she was 
the cause of the family coming to California. She died in Los Angeles in 1885. 
Mrs. Stewart has engaged quite heavily in San Diego property, and among the rest 
owns the Buckingham, on the corner of D and Second streets.
 
SOURCE:  An Illustrated History of Southern California:  Embracing the Counties 
of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower 
California� Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890.  p.-  896