One of the enterprising and active men in the Santa Clara County. who gives substantial encouragement to every plan for the promotion of the public welfare, is Louis F. Oldham, a native son and the son of a '49er, and he has aided materially in bringing about the prosperity all now enjoy. Mr. Oldham was born on Moorpark Avenue, Santa Clara County. December 17, 1856, where the County Infirmary now stands. He is the son of George W. and Isabelle (Sanor) Oldham, now deceased, the father, a native of Indiana, and the son of Thomas Oldham, the family tracing their ancestry back to John Scott, who fought under Lord Baltimore in Colonial days. The mother was a native of Ohio and a daughter ofMichael Sanor.

George W. Oldham came to California in 1849, crossing the plains with an ox-team, and first went to Placerville, where he was for a short rime in the mines. In 1850 he came to Santa Clara Valley and took up a 300-acre tract of land, where our subject was born, and engaged in farming and stockraising. He reached the ripe old age of ninety-three years, passing away in 1917, his wife having died at the age of seventy-two years. Mr. and Mrs. George Oldham were the parents of five children: Charles F., Winfield Scott, now deceased; Louis F., of this sketch; George T., and William R. Louis F. received his education in the public schools of Santa Clara County and since making his own livelihood has spent his time in ranching and raising stock. In 1878 he started out for himself and in 1880 he moved to Saratoga, where he engaged in farming, later he opened a meat market and continued in this business for some years, till he again took up farming, making a specialty of orcharding. In 1917 he purchased his present place, a ten-acre ranch, which is mostly set to prunes, and is in full bearing.

Mr. Oldham's marriage, which occurred on August 28, 1878, united him with Fannie Jepson, a native of Fond du Lac, Wis., the daughter of Benjamin and Frances (Yates) Jepson, both natives of England. Mr. Jepson came to the United States at the age of twenty-one and coming to California about the year of 1870 engaged in farming; he served in a Wisconsin regiment in the Civil War for three years and five months under General Sherman. There were three children in the Jepson family: Sarah, deceased; Charles and Fanny. Mr. and Mrs. Oldham are the parents of one child, Le Roy. They are members of Centella Methodist Episcopal Church in San Jose. Mr. Oldham is a member of the California Prune & Apricot Association.

From Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 1137