USA > California > Fresno County > History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches 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, Volume II > Part 142
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HENRY EISNER .- An enterprising viticulturist and horticulturist, whose reputation for up-to-date methods has undoubtedly been augmented through the able cooperation of his excellent wife, is Henry Eisner, a resident of Kerman. He was born at Varnburg, Samara, Russia, on November 11, 1885, the son of Peter Eisner, a farmer who is still living at the ripe age of about sixty- one years. The good mother was Katherina Elizabeth Kinzel before her marriage, and she died in 1889. She had two children, and the older, the only one in the United States, is the subject of this sketch.
Henry was brought up on a farm and attended the public school of his locality ; and there, on September 20, 1906, he was married to Miss Marie Kath- rine Schmall, a native of Varnburg, where she was born on September 24, 1885. Her parents were Henry and Kathrina Elizabeth (Andreas) Schmall; they were farmer folk of the sturdy and respectable class; and they are still living, highly esteemed by those who know them. They had seven children, and Mrs. Eisner was the fourth oldest in the family.
On November 14, 1906, Mr. Eisner left for the United States and arrived in Fresno in February, 1907. He went to work at once in farms and vineyards, and continued in that field for five years. Then he entered the employ of the Fresno Cooperage Company and learned the cooper's trade, at which he worked for another four years.
In 1914 he bought twenty acres at Biola; and as it was raw land, he set to work vigorously to improve it. He set out Thompson seedless grapes and built the property up. Three years later, Mr. Eisner sold the ranch and bought the twenty acres he is at present proprietor of and which he is making one of the choice small properties in Vinland. He has built a fine new residence and erected 'other outbuildings so desirable on such a farm, made a large, roomy yard. Who- ever visits the ranch does not fail to admire both its natural attractions and the improved values added to it through the foresight and hard work of the owner. Mr. Eisner belongs to the California Associated Raisin Company and supports its programs vigorously.
Seven children have gladdened the home life of Mr. and Mrs. Eisner. Lizzie is the first born, and the others in order are: Peter, Henry, Herman, Rosie, El- sie and Mary. The family attend the Lutheran Church at Fresno.
In national politics Mr. Eisner is a Republican; but there is no more loyal, non-partisan supporter of good local measures designed to build up the com- munity.
OTTO P. HEMMINGSEN .- Denmark has sent some good men to Amer- ica and among those who have made good records for themselves, is Otto Hemmingsen, who came to Fresno County in 1906. He was born in Stege, Island of Moen, Denmark, in 1876, and was educated in the public schools until he was fourteen, when he was apprenticed to a butcher in the town of Nestred, where he worked at the trade for four years. March 1, 1904, marked an epoch in his life, for on that day he left for America in a White Star liner, landing in Boston but coming on to Chicago. Here he was variously em- ployed for two years, and in the fall of 1906 he came to Fresno County and was engaged at once at his trade in Fresno. He remained here until 1908 when he embarked in the business at Kearney Park, where he stayed for ten months when he sold out and went to Clovis, buying a market already estab- lished, continuing there until October 3, 1914, when he sold and located in Rolinda. Here he bought out the meat market of H. O. Bowen, improving and enlarging the business, adding a slaughterhouse and a large refrigerator plant. He has three trucks for delivery and covers a large territory. He owns ten acres of land which he devotes to grain-raising but will set to vine- yards. He is renting pasture and feeding cattle for his own butchering.
Mr. Hemmingsen was married to Miss Anna Petersen, a native of Den- mark. He is a member of the Danish Brotherhood, is a successful business man, liberal and enterprising, occupying a high place in the estimation of his neighbors.
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RUDOLPH AXT .- A rancher and vineyardist of the Barstow Colony, one of the highly cultivated districts of Fresno County, Rudolph Axt was born in Jost, Samara, Russia, October 17, 1875, and his parents have both passed away in that country ; the mother, Christine (Freis) Axt, in 1880, and the father, Gotlieb Axt, in 1909. They were the parents of six children, five of whom are now living, Rudolph being the youngest of the family and the only one in California. He was brought up on the home farm in Russia, and educa- ted in the public schools there. In 1897 he entered the Russian army, in the Twelfth Regular Infantry, and served until 1903, being stationed at Port Arthur for six years as a non-commissioned officer. In 1903 he was honorably discharged and in 1905 again entered the army, serving fourteen months in Harbin and Vladivostok.
In the year 1903, Mr. Axt was married, to Miss Anna Schleiger, born in Freidendohl, Russia, and after his honorable discharge the second time from the army, he engaged in farming in his native land. In 1907 the young couple came to America, and settled for a time in Hoisington, Kans., where Mr. Axt was employed in the roundhouse of the Missouri Pacific Railway. In 1909, they came to Fresno, and here he worked at house-moving for a year, then for eighteen months was with the Santa Fe Railway in the roundhouse.
The year 1911 saw his first venture in ranching in the new country ; he then bought twenty acres in the Barstow Colony, and set nine acres to Thompson seedless and the balance to alfalfa, which he cultivates and keeps in splendid condition. In 1917 he bought another twenty-acre ranch, improved it, and sold the property in six months' time.
Mr. and Mrs. Axt have seven children: Rudolph ; Rosie ; Annie ; Chris- tene ; Marie ; Cecelia ; and Wilhelm. The family attends the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Barstow, and Mr. Axt is a teacher in the Sunday school there. In politics he favors the Republican party, and he takes an interest in the advancement of his home district.
ERNEST SCHMITZ .- One of those who settled in Fresno County in the beginning of its advancement and with good business judgment and fore- sight elected to stay and grow in prosperity with the rapidly growing com- munity, Ernest Schmitz has been amply repaid for his early struggle, and has become identified with the progress and upbuilding of this section. Born in Nebraska City, Nebr., July 27, 1863, he later lived near David City, Butler County, on a farm, coming to California, in 1875, with his father. Peter, an older brother, and Gustav, had preceded them about four years. Mr. Ernest Schmitz located near Santa Ana, and worked on ranches and teaming. Later he followed teaming in Pasadena in its first upbuilding and development, and hauled brick for the new buildings that were being constructed at that boom period in Southern California. When the bottom fell out of it, in 1888, he and a friend starting for Seattle drove up the valley to Fresno, where Mr. Schmitz decided to locate and he has since made his home here. In debt when he arrived, he started to buy hay from the farmers and sell it in the courthouse square where the free market is now located. As his business grew he put on more teams and soon had four teams busy. Later he opened a hay and grain store on H and Fresno Streets, and carried on his growing business there for six years. During that time he had bought a city block, bounded by Fresno, Mariposa, D and E Streets. In 1906 he moved onto this block and erected warehouses and corrals, together with office buildings, and here he is still engaged in selling grain and hay, shipping to different parts of Cali- fornia by the carload.
Mr. Schmitz purchased 160 acres, nine miles south of Fresno, on Walnut Avenue, part of which was in alfalfa for three years, and later he plowed the land and planted eighty acres to vineyard, of the Thompson seed- less variety. He recently sold this holding at a good profit. He now owns two alfalfa ranches, one of fifty and one of eighty acres west of Fresno, on
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Belmont Avenue, 150 acres on the State Highway and a fig, olive and alfalfa ranch in Madera County. In former years he farmed grain on rented land, as high as 2,000 acres, on the Collins ranch, northeast of Clovis, on the San Joaquin River, and other parts of the county, running over sixty head of mules in his operations. Mr. Schmitz has also speculated in city real estate, buying two lots on Tulare Street near the Santa Fe depot for $1,700; later added two more lots to his purchase for the sum of $2,000, and in six years' time these lots were sold for $20,000, an example of the phenomenal advance in real estate in Fresno in recent years. In addition to his hay and grain business, Mr. Schmitz has been a large dealer in hogs, mules and horses. Mr. Schmitz in 1914 built his large modern residence at 207 Coast Street.
The marriage of Mr. Schmitz united him with Ada Morgan, born in Wisconsin and four children were born to them; Vera, wife of William McAllister of Fresno; Cleone, graduate of the Fresno State Normal, was a teacher, now wife of Ben Brown of Fresno; Bertha, a graduate of Fresno High School, now attending Cora Williams Institute, Berkeley; and Ernest, attending the Fresno High, all born in Fresno.
JOE PRANDINI .- A hard-working, energetic Italian who came to America a poor boy is Joe Prandini, the rancher and dairyman of Lanare, who has made more than $25,000 worth of improvements during the last ten years. He has a well-improved dairy ranch of 206 acres at the new town, has built two excellent dairy and hay barns, a brick cheese factory and a storage cellar of cement, and introduced other up-to-date appliances saving time and labor and conducing to sanitary requirements. All his land but twenty acres has been put into alfalfa. He is a good manager and has profited through personal friendship with John Cerini, the dairyman and capitalist.
Guiseppi Prandini, was born at Comero, Italy, on June 29, 1877, and in that country grew to maturity. His father, Innocent Prandini, had married Barbara Trappa, and he busied himself as a farmer and cheese maker. They had three children : Silvestro Prandini, a cavalier in Italy, is a dairy inspector, having graduated from Italian schools for milk products. Carlo came to Cali- fornia three and a half years ago, also a graduate of cheese making and other courses, and he is now a cheese maker here. The third in the order of birth was the subject of this review. He, too, attended these dairy schools and when twenty he was seized with the ambition to make his fortune in Cali- fornia, so he crossed the ocean to Canada, and from there made his way to San Francisco, landing there on December 15, 1901. He went to Mendocini County, thence to Santa Barbara, after that to Hanford, in Kings County, and then rented a farm and ran a cheese factory at Guernsey ; for seven years he was the tenant of H. C. Smith, the cheese maker, near Guernsey.
In 1908 Mr. Prandini bought 206 acres of land at Lanare, and there made all the improvements. He has also put in a steam plant, an artesian well, costing $4,200.
Mr. Prandini has lately leased his valuable ranch and cheese factory for three years to his brother Carlo and two associates, Andria Mandora and Cardiga Paolin, who have formed the firm of Carlo Prandini & Company. He also sold to the lessees about 150 head of live stock, including some seventy-five cows and the balance in hogs and horses. In Lanare Mr. Prandini built the Lanare Garage building ; the store building, the meat market build- ing and the ice-cream and confectionery store and a blacksmith shop and has put up a large tank house which stores the water supply for Lanare.
At Hanford Mr. Prandini was married to Miss Rosa Fahccini, a native of Italy, by whom he has had four children-Innocent, Peter, Teressa and Barbara. When he has completed the changes for his temporary successors, he and his good wife will return to Italy and enjoy, among old environments and with old-time friends, a well-merited vacation.
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HENRY J. ENGELMAN .- Born in Wolzgaja, on the River Volga, Sa- mara, Russia, November 29, 1878, H. J. Engelman is now a resident of Fresno County, Cal., where he has improved a ranch of forty acres in the northwestern portion of the county and has set thirty acres of his land to Thompson seedless grapes and the balance is in alfalfa. He is a son of Henry and Mary (Dabus) Engelman, the former a farmer in Russia before he came to the United States in 1903, when he landed in New York and remained there until 1915, when he came to Fresno County and is living retired. His wife died when her son and only child was but three weeks old.
Henry J. received a common-school education, grew to young manhood on a farm and on January 10, 1900, started for America, with Fresno as his final destination, in which city he arrived on March 6, that year. He was young and strong and went to work at ranching, worked in various parts of the county, then for two years in the Craycroft brickyards, and one year in Prescott's brick- yard. By 1909 he had saved up enough money to make a payment on a twenty- 'acre ranch thirteen niles northwest of Fresno, put it in alfalfa and began dairy- ing. Four years later he sold his cows, the land being too valuable for dairy purposes, and set out thirty acres to Thompsons. In the meantime he had made all the improvements for a comfortable home place, thereby setting an example for others.
Mr. Engelman was married on January 30, 1902, in Fresno, to Miss Chris- tina Horgenrader, born in the same town in Russia as her husband, and they have ten children: Henry; Rosie; Katie; Edward; Emma; Mollie; Philip; George; Harry; and Theodore, all at home and growing into useful men and women. Mr. Engelman and his family are members of the Lutheran Church in Fresno, and he has been superintendent of the Sunday School in the Barstow branch of the church. He is a member of the California Associated Raisin Com- pany, and in national politics is a Republican. He is well-liked and is an upright and honest citizen.
FRED WAGNER .- Taking his place among the energetic and capable ranchers of this section, Fred Wagner is demonstrating that the determina- tion to succeed is a large factor in the struggle of life. Born in Hussenbach, Saratof, Russia, February 16, 1879, he is a son of Jacob and Mary (Schwab) Wagner, both natives of that country and now deceased. Of their four chil- dren, three are living in California, Fred, the youngest in the family, was raised on the home farm, and educated in the public schools. When twenty- one he served in the Russian Army for five years and nine months, and saw action in the Russian-Japanese War, in Manchuria, winning three medals of honor. At the close of the war he received his honorable discharge, and on his return home decided to come to the United States.
Mr. Wagner married in Russia, February 14, 1900, before going into the army, his bride being Miss Maggie Bauer, also born there. In 1907 they sold their belongings and came to California, and in January of that year located in Fresno. Here Mr. Wagner found employment on ranches, and later moved to Sanger where he was with the Home & Bennett Lumber Company for four years. They then returned to Fresno and for eighteen months he was in the employ of the Grand Central Hotel, then in Madary's Planing Mill and also in others.
Wishing to have a ranch and home, Mr. Wagner traded his residence in Fresno for twenty acres on Shields Avenue, in Empire, thus making the first payment on the property, in 1915. He located on the ranch and built his home and set about improving his holding, setting out Thompson seedless grapes, and now has about seventeen acres in this productive vine.
Five children have come to Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, all of them born in Fresno County : Emelia : Jack; Alex; Edward, and Theodore. The family is of the Lutheran faith. Mr. Wagner is a member of the California Associated Raisin Company, and is alive to all projects for advancing the best interests of the county and its citizens.
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KARL MARINUS ESKESEN .- A loyal American by choice, and quite as patriotic as any, Karl Marinus Eskesen is highly regarded in the community where he lives. He owns and operates a twenty-acre alfalfa ranch about a mile east of Lanare, Fresno County, from which, in 1917, he sold $2,500 worth of al- falfa hay.
He was born in Denmark on May 11, 1870, the son of Eske Lauredsen, a farmer who owned and worked about forty acres. His mother, who had been Maren Jensen before her marriage, had four boys and a girl, and among them Karl was the youngest. He was educated in the public schools, brought up in the Lutheran Church, and trained on his father's farm.
After having served for six months in the Danish army, he sailed for New York where his brother Anton was engaged as a signalman on a New York rail- way. He obtained Karl a job, and for three months our subject was in the rail- way service. Then he went to work by the month for a Chenango County farmer and continued with him two years, when he moved west to Indianapolis and be- came a coachman for A. D. Pierce. After an experiment of six months, he con- cluded to go back to New York, and there he worked for a year on a farm. His next engagement was with the Remington Arms Company at Ilion, N. Y .; then he worked for a cabinet maker, and after that was in the service of the Reming- ton Typewriter Company as à foundryman.
In 1907 he came to California, and for a while settled at Visalia, where he 'worked for a year on a fruit ranch. He next entered into a partnership with an- other man, rented a dairy farm and ran it for a year. Then, going into the oil fields of Coalinga, he bought a four-horse team of draft horses and soon after went to Taft, Cal., where he teamed, and later went to Fellows and for eight months teamed for the Santa Fe.
On New Year's Day, 1913, he came to Lanare, having the year previous bought twenty acres, and ever since he has made this section his home. He has a fine piece of land yielding nine tons of alfalfa to the acre and as high as six cuttings a year.
Mr. Eskesen showed his American patriotism by buying Liberty Bonds and helping on Red Cross and United War Work.
CONRAD O. NILMEIER .- Reared and educated in Fresno County, C. O. Nilmeier exemplifies the industry and perseverance which make for suc- cess. Born in Samara, Russia, February 9, 1884, he is a son of H. P. Nilmeier, who is represented on another page of this history. Conrad O. came to Fresno with his father in 1892, and received his education in the public schools, finishing with the high school course. At the age of sixteen, in January, 1900, he entered the employ of the Southern Pacific Railway in the carshops as car-repairer. He gradually worked his way up, and was in turn car-inspector, then M. C. B. clerk, later assistant wrecking foreman, and continued with the company until 1911. That year he entered the employ of the San Joaquin Eastern Railway, owned by Stone & Webster, as joint inspector, remaining there for six months.
In 1912, Mr. Nilmeier left railroad work to engage in ranching; and on March 22nd of that year he bought his present ranch of twenty acres, located on Blythe Avenue between Church and Jensen, five miles west of Fresno, and has since devoted his time to viticulture, raising Muscat, Emperor, Malaga and wine grapes, and meeting with merited success.
The marriage of Mr. Nilmeier, which occurred in Fresno, united him with Miss Marie Scharton, also a native of Russia, who came here with her parents when eight years old and was educated in the Fresno schools. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nilmeier: Edward Oliver; Roy; and Lydia Marie. The family attends the Lutheran Church in Fresno. In national politics Mr. Nilmeier supports the Democratic party. He can be counted on for support of all projects for bettering conditions in the Valley. He is a member of the California Associated Raisin Company.
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FRED HORG .- Residing on his twenty-acre vineyard at Johnson and Olive Avenues, Fresno, is Fred Horg, who was born in Stepnoia, Samara, Russia, November 9, 1860, the son of Conrad and Margaret (Waller) Horg, farmers in that country. The father died in 1882 and the mother passed away in 1892. Fred is the second oldest of the six living children and was reared to farming. After he was married to Katie Scheidt they followed farming until 1907, when they sold out and came to California, locating in Fresno, where he was employed in packing houses, orchard and vineyards until 1918, when he purchased twenty acres, where the family now reside which he devotes to raising Muscat and Thompson seedless raisins and peaches. He has a splendid and well improved place and understands and has had con- siderable experience in horticulture and viticulture. To Mr. and Mrs. Horg have been born three children: Fred, Henry and Annie. The family being members of the Lutheran Church in Fresno. Mr. Horg believes in cooperation and is a member of the California Peach Growers, Inc., and the California Associated Raisin Company.
EUGENE TOMASETTI .- A representative of the influential Swiss and Americans is Engene Tomasetti, a dairy farmer, a mile northeast of the Burrel station, having leased the H. A. Adams place for five years. Here he lives with his wife and two children. He puts up about 200 tons of alfalfa and barley, and keeps 200 cattle, and seventy-five to 100 hogs.
Mr. Tomasetti was born at Cujnasco, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, on April 1, 1888, the son of Bob Tomasetti, who was a stone cutter, and owned a small vineyard. He died when Eugene was only fifteen, leaving a widow and six children. Rosa is now the wife of Domingo Mignola, a dairyman near Riverdale; Desolina has become Mrs. Archilli Sasselli, a dairyman on the neighboring ranch; owned by Ross Jones; Elvira resides at Modesto; Engene was the fourth in the order of birth ; Florinda is married and resides in Switzerland; and Clementina also lives there, single.
His oldest sister had preceded Eugene to America and was living at Bakersfield; and when eighteen left his home, landing at New York, on May 7, 1906, reaching San Francisco six days later. He next went to Bakersfield, and thence to San Jose, and near there he took his first job on a dairy ranch. Then he came to Rolinda and for two or three years worked on the dairy ranch there. After that he returned to San Jose and then went to Burrel.
While at San Jose, Mr. Tomasetti was married in 1913 to Miss Gropetti Ersilia after which he worked on a dairy farm near by for three years, next coming to Burrel to take the present lease.
Two children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tomasetti: Rena and Louis. Mr. Tomasetti's mother is still living in Switzerland.
PHILIP GILARDONI .- A progressive and prosperous farmer and dairyman, Philip Gilardoni lives on a 160-acre dairy farm which is a part of the Burrel estate. He operates this place in partnership with Gildo Acquis- tapace, the firm name being, Gilardino and Acquistapace. They keep and milk a herd of seventy-five high-grade Holstein cows. The family and the partner, reside on the ranch, which is well provided with up-to-date house, dairy barn and milk house. Philip Gilardoni was born in the village of Bel- lagio, in the Province of Como, in view of beautiful Lake Como, as was also his wife, in the picturesque state of Lombardi, Italy, on November 22, 1885, being the seventh child of Baptiste and Mary Angelotte Gilardoni, there being eleven children in the family in all. The parents were farmers in moderate circumstances in Italy. The father died in 1917 aged seventy-two and the mother, September 18, 1918, aged sixty-five. By taking advantage of the night schools, Philip obtained a very fair education, and at eleven went to learn the plasterer's trade, which in Italy includes stone and brick masonry, building chimneys, electrical wiring, etc. He continued at this trade until he became twenty, and then entered upon his course of three years military
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training under the Italian Government. He was assigned to the training camp at Milan, and owing to his splendid physical stature, was assigned to the "Alpine" service. At twenty-three years of age he resolved to come to America, and landed at Galveston, Texas, in December, 1908. He came straight through from Galveston to California by rail, and secured work on a dairy farm at Napa where he worked steadily for three years. He then went to San Francisco where he engaged in doing janitor work. It was while living in San Francisco, that he was married June 26. 1911, to Miss Santina Gondola, who had journeyed from her home in the same state of Italy, to join her sister, Mrs. Romilda Delfonte, at Soledad, Monterey County, Cal. Mrs. Gilardoni's father was Francisco Gondola, who was a flour miller by trade, and went to South America when she was a mere child, and was never heard from-in all probability having died there. Her mother kept the family together and brought them up at Gravadona, Italy. Mrs. Gilardoni had one brother, Basolio Gondola, who went to Buenos Ayres, S. A., when eighteen years old; he married there and became the proprietor of a woolen mill; but died their and left a widow and four children. Mrs. Gilardoni's mother's maiden name was Carolina Rainiri.
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