San Joaquin County Biographies
Ref: Page 1235
Transcribed by: Linda Diane Jackson 2/3/2010
REES HARRY
A well-known Odd Fellow of many years' standing, who very faithfully did his duty in regard to the great question of temperance, was the late Rees Harry, who was born in Montgomery County, Pa., on January 27, 1822, and died at Stockton on September 30, 1884. Although he thus passed away many years ago, he is still affectionately remembered by the old-time residents of Stockton, where he made his home for sixteen years.
He was a descendant of good old Revolutionary stock, his grandfather having figured prominently in the conflict between the mother country and the Colonies, a fact in which he took considerable pride. He was educated in the public schools of his native state. He learned the trade of millwright and carpenter; and so it happened that when he arrived in Stockton in 1868, he readily found employment with the Pioneer Sash & Door Mill Co. Later, he took up building and contracting in Stockton, and followed that for a number of years with marked success. He was one of the pioneer builders of Stockton, and contributed to its material expansion.
He was twice married, and had two children born of the first union—a daughter, later Mrs. Cecilia Humphreys, and a son, Joseph M. Harry, of Stockton. His second marriage took place in Philadelphia, in 1861, when he was united to Miss Sarah Condy; and of their four sons, two are still living—Dr. Charles R. Harry, the prominent physician of Stockton, and Sydney C. Harry. For thirty years or more Rees Harry was a well-known Odd Fellow, and as an honored and influential member of the Episcopal Church in excellent standing, he worked hard to bring about saner views in regard to temperance reform. The second Mrs. Harry, before her marriage, was a teacher; and of the fifteen years in which she taught school in San Joaquin County, eleven were spent in the schools of Stockton. Californians love to honor such pioneer patriots, and there is no doubt of the position which will always be accorded Mr. and Mrs. Rees Harry, whenever the annals of San Joaquin County are written and re-written.
History of
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
With A
Biographical Review
of
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been
Identified with Its Growth and Development
from the Early Days to the Present
HISTORY BY
George H. Tinkham
HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
1923
San Joaquin County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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