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 57
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W. L. Olinger worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-one, and then worked out on farms and rented land for himself until 1890, when he decided to come West. Having arrived safely, he entered the service of Capt. S. D. Hopper. The latter had a fine ranch, where there was a good opportunity to learn local methods of agriculture. He stayed with the cap- tain for five years, and then worked for his brother a year.
Until 1896 Mr. Olinger continued to work out by the month, and then he went back to Missouri, where he was to marry Miss Susie A. Davenport. She was born near Pleasant Hope, in that state, the daughter of W. A. Davenport, the pioneer. On account of the new domestic ties Mr. Olinger did not immediately return to the West, but bought fifty-two acres of Mis- souri land, where he built a house and established his home. After the death of his brother, in 1903, he came back to the Golden State and bought his ranch, closing out his Missouri farm interests, and bringing along his wife and two children, with all their personal belongings. Now he has a
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fine ranch with thirty acres planted to Thompson's seedless grapes, five acres to muscats, and two acres to alfalfa; while three acres are given up to buildings, yard and environment. Mr. Olinger is a stockholder in the Cali- fornia Associated Raisin Company.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Olinger : James Rosseau, William Bernal, and Shannon Davenport. Mr. Olinger has always been fond of music, and his youngest child, Shannon, has inherited his penchant for the art. Although only eight years old, he plays both popular and classic music with ease, and is a member of the Sunday school orchestra. Mr. and Mrs. Olinger belong to the Baptist Church in Del Rey, to which they give their hearty support, gladly participating in all worthy religious or moral endeavor to improve and brighten human lives.
FRED. ANDERSON .- Influential as one of the pioneers of the Scandi- navian Colony, Fresno County, esteemed by competitors as a progressive and successful horticulturist, and liked by everyone as a genial and winsome gentleman, Frederick Anderson, who came to Fresno County in the late seventies, was born at Gothenberg, Sweden, in 1833, and there learned the cabinet-maker's trade, in time extending his practice to carpentering. Cross- ing the ocean, he reached San Francisco and later San Jose; and there he was married to Balbina Folmer, a native of Würtenberg, Germany, who had come to the United States with her mother in the troublous year of 1848.
After his marriage, Mr. Anderson continued in San Francisco for a while and worked at his trade; but wishing to engage in farming, he became inter- ested in Fresno County, and in 1879 moved here. He purchased sixty acres in the Scandinavian Colony, and as rapidly as was possible he improved the land, soon having a fine vineyard that was much admired. Without difficulty, he sold off forty acres; and upon the remaining twenty he resided until he died in 1908, at the age of seventy-five. Mrs. Anderson, the widow, thereafter resided with her daughter, Mrs. Arthur W. Allen; and she died at Fresno in February, 1911.
Four children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Otto is a farmer at Barstow, in this county; Emma has become Mrs. M. Coppin, of the National Colony : Laura is Mrs. Albert Nelson of the Granville district ; while Ida is Mrs. Arthur W. Allen, just referred to.
JOHN C. GRAFF .- A rancher of exceptional worth is John C. Graff, the son of John H. Graff and the nephew of the late Hans Graff. His father was distinguished for scientific and thoroughly up-to-date methods in agri- culture, and his uncle was one of the most successful merchants and best- liked men in all Fresno.
The third son and fourth child in the family, Mr. Graff was born in San Francisco on February 4, 1889, and was only three years old when his parents came to Fresno County. At first they settled at Oleander, but in 1901 came to the old home place. There the lad grew up on the farm, one of six brothers and sisters ; and he still has a younger brother and a younger sister. He attended the public schools of Fowler and availed himself of such op- portunities as came his way for self-culture and advancement. At the age of fifteen he was working out for his uncle; and next he went into the United States Navy, at Mare Island, and worked in the navy yard for two years. After a while he boarded a naval auxiliary ship carrying coal, ammunition and provisions ; but at the end of seven months of that experience, he came back to the ranch. For a couple of years, beginning in 1910, he worked for wages for his father.
In 1912 Mr. Graff was married to Miss Millicent Gower, a native of Fresno County and a daughter of Edwin and Cora (Perkins) Gower, ranch- ers, who owned an attractive home three miles northeast of Fowler. One daughter, Rosamond, has blessed this union.
Emil nelson
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At the old home ranch, which for some time he rented from his father, Mr. Graff had a choice vineyard of forty acres, together with an orchard, where he devoted ten acres to peaches, seven acres to Thompson's Seedless, already in bearing, two and a half acres to young Thompsons, seven acres to sultanas, and eight acres to muscats. The balance of the property is given up to alfalfa, yards, etc. Altogether, the ranch is one of the best of its size for miles around. On April 1, 1919, the ranch was sold, and now Mr. Graff is looking for a suitable location.
Fond of social intercourse, Mr. Graff is particularly at home in the circles of the Odd Fellows, with which society he is affiliated through the lodge at Fowler. He has a keen interest in civic affairs, and takes pride in faithfully performing his duty as a citizen. Mrs. Graff actively seconds her husband in good works, and both have participated in the various efforts incidental to supporting the Government and relieving suffering during the progress of the Great War.
EMIL NELSON .- Among the enterprising sons of Sweden, who have located in California and have achieved success in their chosen line, is Emil Nelson, who not only won the reputation of being the best cement contractor in Vinland, Barstow, Empire and Kerman districts, but has demonstrated his ability as a rancher by successfully engaging in horticulture and viti- culture.
Emil Nelson was born in the old province of Skane (or Scania), near Engelholm, Sweden, on January 24, 1884, the son of Nels Anderson, a farmer and dairyman. When eighteen years of age he served the required time in the Swedish Army, being assigned to the field artillery. Following the ex- ample of so many of his fellow countrymen, as soon as his service in the army was completed, he sailed for the United States of America, locating first at Denver, Colo .; and four months later he continued his journey west- ward, arriving in Oakland, Cal., where he secured employment with Blake and Bilger, cement contractors, and learned the business of cement con- struction. In 1906, Mr. Nelson took a trip to Nome, Alaska, where he spent one summer, later returning to Oakland and resuming work with the same firm, and continuing in this employ for five years.
In 1910, Mr. Nelson began business for himself, doing all kinds of cement construction work, and so well did he execute his contracts that his patrons were more than pleased and he soon established a reputation for doing the best cement construction in this part of the county. It was but the just reward for his conscientious workmanship that he should receive the contract for the cement work at the Kerman Union High School and other schools in this section.
In 1904, when Mr. Nelson first came to California, he was urged to buy sixty acres of land at forty dollars per acre, at the opening sale in the Vin- land district, but at that time it did not appeal to him as good investment. Three years later, realizing that he had made a mistake by not purchasing in 1904, he came to Fresno and bought twenty acres at Vinland, paying seventy dollars per acre. Just after he had contracted to buy the land a party from Oregon offered to purchase it at $100 per acre. This made him eager to improve his land and also assured him that he had acted wisely in purchasing at this time. After setting out an orchard and vineyard he located on the ranch in 1914, and leased forty acres of fruit land adjoining, which he oper- ated one year in connection with his ranch.
Possessing those commendable traits of his fellow countrymen, economy and industry, Mr. Nelson saved sufficient money to be able to make loans on two tracts of twenty acres each. One of the places, being for sale, he pur- chased, and removed to it, thus doubling the size of his holdings. He in- stalled a pumping-plant with a Commercial twenty-horsepower engine, and a six-inch pump with a capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute, which furnishes ample water to irrigate his ranch. About eleven acres are devoted to peaches
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HISTORY OF FRESNO COUNTY
which include the Lovell, Muir and Elberta varieties; three acres to cling- stone peaches, and five to muscat grapes, that are nine years old, and yield on an average one and a half tons to an acre. In this locality, muscat grapes had previously been considered as a failure, until Mr. Nelson, after two years of experimenting, proved that irrigation would increase the yield from two-thirds of a ton to one and a half tons per acre. In addition to his vine- yard of muscats, he has five acres of Thompson seedless grapes and two acres of apricots, the rest of the land being devoted to raising alfalfa.
Emil Nelson is highly esteemed in his community and is commended for his progressive spirit and upright business principles. He is a member of both the California Peach Growers, Inc., and the California Associated Raisin Company. Mr. Nelson belongs to the Lutheran Church at Vinland, of which organization he is secretary of the official board.
WILLIAM ALBERTUS AKERS .- A native of Texas, William A. Akers was born near Austin, June 2, 1844, the son of Henry and Delia (Miller) Akers, natives of Kentucky. Coming to Fresno County, Cal., in 1852, he lived on Kings River, above Centerville and when he reached his majority engaged in stock-raising in that section of the county. In 1874 he married Katherine Findley, a native daughter and about that date he bought a ranch in Drumms Valley, this county, where he operated as a stockman till 1880 and then en- gaged in viticulture and horticulture at Centerville. In 1910 he purchased a ranch on Los Gatos Creek and is now engaged in cattle raising with his two sons, Wade Hampton and George Stoneman, ranging their herds over ten sections of land.
Mr. Akers is today one of the oldest settlers in the county, having resided in the county for sixty-seven years and has seen the wonderful changes and helped in its transformation from the barren plains to a most productive and intensively cultivated county. He is one of the few remaining pioneers who can tell the early trials and hardships of the noble and brave women of those early days.
JOHN W. JONES .- A hard-working, level-headed man, fortunate in the devoted assistance of his wide-awake and excellent wife, and now a successful rancher well on the way to an ample competency, is John W. Jones, the owner of two ranches on Lincoln Avenue, near Fowler. They have rebuilt their dwelling house on the home ranch, and have a neat and attractive residence, to which their only child, a noble son just honorably discharged from his country's service, came safely home from France.
Born on March 16, 1870, at Dunbarton, in Adams County, Ohio, John Jones was the son of Jasper Jones, a tenant farmer, who married Mary Gray, by whom he had four sons, our subject being the second. The father came from Tennessee and the mother from Ohio, and both parents died in the latter state. John is the only one to come to California, the other three boys having remained in Ohio. John worked around on farms from his seventeenth year; and when twenty-two he went to Peoria County, Ill., and worked there on farms. In that county too, in 1892, he married an Ohio girl, Miss Emma Cornelius, and for twelve years rented a farm there, after which he bought a small farm near by and worked it for the next three years with success.
In 1906 Mr. and Mrs. Jones took the important step and came to Cali- fornia, where Mr. Jones found work for D. S. McCollough near Fowler. At the end of a year he bought twenty acres, but soon sold the same. In 1913 he purchased his present place of twenty acres, constituting the home farm, one and a half miles north of Fowler; and in 1919 he bought the second twenty, half a mile west of the home ranch. His experience in farming, together with that of his good wife, and their combined industry and thrift, have made of the one ranch, and will be sure to make of the other, a pleas- ing and inspiring sight to all interested in up-to-date farming.
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The one living child spared to this worthy couple is Paul M. Jones, a graduate of the Fowler High School and a member of the Class of '17. He volunteered for active service in defense of his country, and enlisted at Fresno on June 2, 1918, when he was assigned to Headquarters, Company 81, Light Field Artillery. He trained at Camp Fremont and Fort Sill, and at Camp Mills on Long Island, N. Y .; and on November 2, 1918, he sailed for France on the Cunarder Aquitania, landing seven days later at Brest. From that port he reembarked on January 4, 1919, and landed at Hoboken on January 18, after which his regiment was demobilized at Camp Knox in Kentucky. There, on the 19th of February he was honorably discharged, and four days later he arrived home at Fowler.
Mr. Jones is a Republican, and as such works hard for an improved and elevated electorate; but he is broad-minded enough to put his shoulder to the wheel, when it is necessary, and work for local improvements apart from party affiliations. He and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church at Fowler, and both stand for clean living and encourage worth- while charities.
R. HANSEN .- The genial host, owner and manager of the Corbly Hotel, at Del Rey, Fresno County, Mr. R. Hansen, who has satisfactorily catered to the public at this popular hostelry during the past seven years, possesses the happy faculty of making everybody welcome, which is indeed an art. He always has a smile for the care-worn, a word of sympathy for the despondent, a comforting message for the sorrowing, a cheerful smile for all: and besides all these splendid requisites he is an efficient cook. The table at the Corbly Hotel is always supplied with the best products of the season, and the bill of fare is always temptingly prepared. The hotel has ac- commodations for seventy-five guests, while the table capacity is much greater.
Mr. Hansen is a native of Denmark, where he first saw the light of day in 1871, his parents being R. and Sine Hansen, also natives of Denmark. Their family consisted of nine children, but R. Hansen is the only member of the family living. He immigrated to the United States in 1891, arriving on December 23, and came directly to Sanger, Cal. After laboring at San- ger for some years he had by economical habits saved enough money to pay for a trip back to Denmark to visit the scenes of his childhood, where he remained five years. After his return to the United States he spent two years in the East, but of all the places he visited he found none that could compare in climate and business opportunities with Fresno County.
On March 1, 1903, R. Hansen was united in marriage with Miss Marie Jakobsen, a native of Denmark. This union has been blessed with four children : Christian, Arthur, Agnes, and Sigfred. Fraternally, Mr. Hansen is a member of the Danish Brotherhood.
J. A. SELF .- Mr. Self was born in Pope County, Mo., near Springfield, October 25, 1881. He was the oldest child in a family of eight, three girls and five boys. His parents were W. H. and Elizabeth (Olinger) Self. Al- though he received a grammar school education, while he was a mere lad he was called upon to work on his father's farm, following the plow and otherwise laying the foundation upon which he is rearing a splendid structure of success.
When twenty-one years of age, Mr. Self came to California. On January 1, 1903, he married Miss Ida M. Walker, in Polk County, Mo., and on March 7, of the same year, he arrived in Sacramento. For three years he worked for A. C. Morris, at Knight's Landing, and from there went to Humboldt County, where both he and his wife sought employment in a lumber camp. He followed ranching for a season, when he had an opportunity to learn the blacksmith trade. After following the trade for a time, however, he decided to enter the employ of Minor Brothers, at Glendale, Humboldt
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HISTORY OF FRESNO COUNTY
County, where he worked in their sawmill. Here he was soon called to fire the boilers, and became head fireman.
Mr. Self now owns a farm of thirty acres, one and a quarter miles west of Del Rey, near the prairie schoolhouse. In addition to caring for this, he has rented a farm of fifty acres from Mary B. Williams. His suc- cess is due to his untiring energy and the intelligent use of a body that seems to know no fatigue. In fact he is credited with being one of the greatest workers that ever came to Fresno County. He is a most agreeable man, and has not forgotten to cultivate his social qualities as well as his soil. His success has been won entirely by himself, for, while his father is a well- to-do farmer in Missouri, no help from him has been asked or received.
This sketch would not be considered complete by Mr. Self if it failed to give his wife the credit due her for the part she has contributed to his success. In everything she has been ready to second the efforts of her hus- band. A loving mother and a devoted wife, she has made for herself a place in social circles, and is a recognized factor in the general welfare of the com- munity.
LOUIS GEORGE SEQUEIRA .- Among the progressive and successful business men of Fresno, Louis George Sequeira has become well-known as a man of adaptability and initiative, and a willing worker for the upbuilding of Fresno and Fresno County. Born in the Azores Islands, September 27, 1865, he came to America in 1882, landing at Boston, Mass. After his arrival. he came direct to California and Fresno County. He found his first employ- ment on the William Allen ranch, in Helm Colony, and there learned the sheep business. Later he followed that business for a number of years for himself. He then worked for the Sanger Lumber Company, at Sanger, for three years.
Mr. Sequeira early became a firm believer in the future prosperity of Fresno County, and bought and developed ranches for several years, his last ranch, which he sold in 1912, being located three miles east of Caruthers, and consisted of forty acres, in vines and peaches, with some of the acreage de- voted to alfalfa. He bought and sold real estate in Fresno, and met with un- usual success in his various developing enterprises. For sixteen years Mr. Sequeira ran a grocery store here, on the corner of E and Tuolumne streets. His present business, of which he is sole owner and proprietor, is the Murray Cabinet and Show Case Company, located on E Street, between Fresno and Merced streets. He purchased this establishment February 2, 1918, and it is the largest factory of the kind between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The business is housed in a modern brick building and seven men are employed in manufacturing showcases and store fixtures to order, and a fine stock of this merchandise is carried on hand at all times. With a growing business, which he handles in an efficient and most capable manner, Mr. Sequeira has made a place for himself in the business life of Fresno. During all his years of residence here he has been a liberal and willing contributor in all projects which have for their object the advancement of his town and county. Be- sides his many interests here, he is the owner of valuable real estate in Van Nuys, Los Angeles County.
The marriage of Mr. Sequeira, February 13, 1893, at Selma, united him with Rosa Calderia, a native of Alvarado, Alameda County, Cal., and five children have been born to them, as follows: Josephine, wife of Frank Man- fredo ; Mary, employed in the Fresno office of the Santa Fe Railway ; Louis, manager of Murray Cabinet and Show Case Co .; Antone, graduate of Fresno High School and now attending law department of University of California ; and Rosie, attending the Fresno High School. Fraternally, Mr. Sequeira is a charter member and past president of the Fresno Lodge of I. D. E. S., and he also is a member of the U. P. E. C. of Fresno, and is an active member of the Merchants Association.
Louis George Sequeira Rosa George Sequeira
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HISTORY OF FRESNO COUNTY
JOHN J. WALSH .- A well known and highly respected citizen of Reedley, Cal., since 1906, John J. Walsh was one of the first to take up land in Merritt Colony. His purchase proved a wise one and his development of the place has produced satisfactory results. He planted peach trees, vines and alfalfa, and made many improvements on the place, including a fine home which he erected in 1918, of cement building blocks. He is now replac- ing the peach trees and alfalfa with figs and vines.
John J. Walsh was born in Australia on July 11, 1863. His parents migrated to the United States in 1867 and John J. received his education in the public schools of this country. He learned the trade of a harnessmaker and traveled over thirty-eight states as a journeyman. After he came to Reedley and had planted his vines and fruit trees, he very advantageously resumed his old-time business of a harnessmaker and so gained a living while his trees were growing and he so continued until his crops were large enough to depend upon. He has installed an irrigating system at the cost of over $1,800. It includes a well eighty feet deep, with a pit thirty-five feet deep, with pumping facilities for 450 gallons per minute. With the develop- ment of this section his ranch has greatly increased in value.
In 1901, John J. Walsh was united in marriage with Miss Edna Bren- ner, a native of Kansas, and they are the parents of four children: Agnes A .; John L .; Francis; and Edna T. Mr. Walsh belongs to the raisin, peach and fig growers associations. He is appraiser of the Federal Loan Association of Berkeley, for the Reedley branch.
PERCY N. WARNER .- The enterprising proprietor of the Warner Cement Works of Reedley, Cal., is P. N. Warner, born in Marion County, Iowa, September 1, 1876, the Centennial year of the independence of the United States of America.
His parents were Austin and Lavina (Scoles) Warner who, in 1891, with their three sons, migrated to California. P. N. Warner was the young- est boy of the family and was reared in his native county, and educated in the public schools up to the time of his coming to California. After his arrival in the Golden State he attended the high school of Berkeley, from which institution he was graduated in 1903. Subsequently he pursued a course in engineering in the University of California at Berkeley, which especially fitted him for the management of his present business. While living in Los Angeles and before engaging in business for himself, Mr. Warner was in the employ of the Los Angeles Railway Company, after- wards he worked for the Pacific Electric as an engineer. For eighteen months he was assistant engineer to Harry Stafford, city engineer of Los Angeles, and then served as assistant city electrician for a short time. In 1901 and 1902 he was employed in San Francisco as engineer for the Independent Light and Power Company. Wherever he was engaged he always rendered efficient service and gained the esteem of his employers. His experience in the cement business was gained while working for a cement contractor in Los Angeles and this practical knowledge has contributed to his success in Reedley.
In 1910 there was established at Reedley, Fresno County, the firm of Cary & Warner, and this concern has grown with the development of the city and surrounding country. In 1914, Mr. Warner bought out his partner and has continued alone. Mr. Warner evolved the idea of using compressed air in the manufacture of cement pipe, by watching the results of air as applied to hard rock drilling and riveting. The appliance was made to com- ply with the requirements of making pipe, and has been developed to such an extent that he now manufacturers everything in the cement pipe line. He was the first man in the United States so to use compressed air, and now the United States Department of Agriculture uses his pipe as the standard for grade of cement pipe. It is claimed that this process has brought the
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