Drawn portrait of Charles M. Weber, [s.d.]

Photograph of a drawn portrait of Charles M. Weber, [s.d.]. Weber is shown from his torso to his head and is turned to the left. He is wearing a dark jacket, dark vest, dark tie and a white shirt with an upturned collar. He has neatly combed dark hair parted at right and a stern expression on his face.; Weber was born in Germany in 1814 and died in Stockton in 1881. He came to America in 1836 and to California in 1841 with the Bidwell-Bartleson party, the first organized group of immigrants to cross the plains to California. He settled first in San Jose as a trader and miller and in 1843 obtained through his partner, William Gulnac (Weber not yet naturalized) the Campo de los Franceses rancho, buying his partner's interest in 1845. He was naturalized in 1844 and raised a company of foreign volunteers in 1845 to help the Californians against Micheltorena. He refused to join the American filibusteros in 1846, not liking the methods of Fremont, but was made captain of volunteers in the Santa Clara campaign against Sanchez. In 1847 he formed a settlement on his rancho which he named Tuleburg but later renamed Stockton. It became an important supply depot during the gold mining period.