Williamson, George F.

George F. Williamson was born in Albion, Michigan, on April 23, 1849, to Philander L. Williamson and Ann F. Inwood. After a brief period in Virginia, he traveled with his parents via the Nicaragua route and landed in San Francisco, California, on January 24, 1854. Raised in Stockton, he attended local public schools before going to work in his father blacksmith shop and later on local stock ranches. While at Lathrop, he married Sarah Ann Ballard, the daughter of pioneer gold miner Simeon M. Ballard and Amy E. Dye.

In 1884, George relocated his family to Fresno County, eventually settling in the Riverdale district in 1892 to operate a successful dairy farm. Over the years, he and his wife built a modern bungalow and managed an eighty-acre ranch where they raised eight children: Simeon Edgar, Amy A., Jesse F., George Freeman, Leslie A., Ethel, Raymond C., and Gordon F. Through his aggressive agricultural management, extensive overland horse trips, and civic spirit, he earned high regard as an influential early resident. Following a long life of industrious labor, he passed away near Riverdale on July 11, 1919, and was laid to rest in Washington Cemetery.