History of Fresno County, Vol. 6 - Paul E. Vandor

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he has thirty acres of vineyard and ten acres of alfalfa, though he will put it all into vineyard and orchard. He also built a residence and suitable buildings and took up his abode in the new place in January, 1919. Mr. Rosenthal believes that the cooperation of fruit men is the only means of making a success of the raisin industry, so he is an enthusiastic member and stockholder of the California Associated Raisin Company, as well as of the California Peach Growers. Inc.

      In 1889, Mr. Rosenthal was married to Miss Mollie Esheim, and they have had eleven children, of whom six are now living: Jacob, Herman, John, Frieda, Edward V., and Norman. Soon after coming to Sanger. Mr. Rosenthal took out his first citizenship papers, and in 1906 he received his second document, which made him, to his great satisfaction and that of his patriotic and grateful family, a full-fledged citizen of the United States.

      Mr. and Mrs. Rosenthal and family are members of the Sanger Lutheran Church, and all are interested in its various activities, as also in the Red Cross and other patriotic endeavors, and are ready in every way to help support the administration in the great work of winning for the world a lasting peace. They are happy to have found such a welcome and such opportunities in Central California, and are glad to continue to take an active part in its development.

      FRANK T. JOHNSON.

      One of the native sons of California who has been very successful in having improved a fine ranch and established a good dairy, with plenty of choice alfalfa, is Frank T. Johnson, who was born near Hanford, Kings County, February 25, 1882. His father, Samuel Johnson, was born in Tennessee, and came to California across the plains. He first located at Modesto, and then moved to Kings County, where he bought land near Hanford. He next homesteaded 160 acres between Dinuba and Kingsburg, and there he planted grain and raised stock. After a while he moved back to Hanford, where he farmed until he died, in 1883. Frank was then eighteen months old. His mother was Elizabeth A. Brady of Tennessee before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were married in Tennessee, and came West as a young married couple. Now Mrs. Johnson resides in Fresno, the mother of ten children, seven of whom have grown up.

      Frank, the youngest of all, was brought up on the farm near Hanford until he was twelve years old, and then he removed to the Dinuba farm. He attended the public school, but he also learned grain farming and viticulture. He became the owner of a part of the old home, sold it and bought twenty-five acres of it, which he set out as a peach orchard and a vineyard of Sultana and Thompson seedless grapes. When he had conducted that six years, he sold once more, and in 1909 removed to Tranquility.

      The country was new, so he bought sixty acres of raw land, which he leveled and checked to alfalfa. He engaged for a while in dairying, but later he sold the dairy. He bought more land, and has made a specialty of raising hay. Now he has 125 acres, and no better could anywhere be found.

      In February, 1918, he purchased twenty acres on Marks and Church avenues, and moved there and began to cultivate vines. He also commenced to raise olives, and in both fields he made a success. He sold out in May, 1919, and moved back to his Tranquility ranch.

      At Sacramento Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Effie Maude Shutt, a native of Indiana, and three children have blessed their union. They are Dolores, Eleanor and Louis.

      THOMAS J. ALLEN.

      A close student of daily life, and a man of sound common sense, who after many years of hard work and struggle for existence, believes that the Socialist party offers the only adequate solution for industrialism, is Thomas J. Allen.

      Mr. Allen was born in Person County, N. C, on November 2, 1865, and grew up in Person County until the age of eight, when he moved with his parents to Waite and later to Durham County, where his mother died when he was but fourteen. His parents had been poor, and when the mother died, he was without a home, and had to make his living by working out on tobacco and cotton plantations in Durham and Granville Counties, suffering hardships, neglect and abuse until he became large enough to fight for his right to live. He continued to work out on cotton and tobacco plantations in North Carolina until twenty-four and then went to Collin County, Texas, where he continued to raise cotton until 1893.

      In that year he came to Hanford, Cal., arriving with hardly enough to pay for his lodging. He lost no time in finding work on ranches, and for four years followed the hard life of a farm hand.

      He then came to Fresno County and bought forty acres in the Laguna de Tache Grant, and while "baching," worked hard and improved the land. He still owns this place, together with two others, 120 acres, in all, well-improved and making three very attractive ranches in the Laguna district, and in the month of July, 1919, he added still further to his possessions by the purchase of seventy additional acres, on the Murphy Slough, some three miles north of his home place.

      In 1914 he went back to North Carolina, where he was married to Miss Minnie Sanford, a native of North Carolina, and a member of an old family in that state, well identified, as is the Allen family, with American history and the growth and development of the South. She is a daughter of Robert and Sally (Pool) Sanford, and was born and brought up in Granville County.

      After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Allen started to farm, working the ranch of Mrs. Sanford, the mother-in-law; but before the summer was half over, he gave his crop to Mrs. Sanford, and on July 20, 1904, he returned with his bride to California and resumed farming operations here. He improved that place, did well, and in 1910 bought the forty acres where he now lives; still later he bought forty acres north of Riverdale. In 1912 he built the house in which they now reside. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have had three children, and two — Walter and Zelma — are still living.

      Both Mr. and Mrs. Allen have many friends. Mr. Allen devotes most of his efforts to dairying, and is a stockholder and patron of the Riverdale Cooperative Creamery.

      ALEXANDER BORGER.

      A resident of Fresno for more than a quarter of a century, during which time he has become well-known, is Alexander Borger, proprietor of the Alex Cafe, who was born in Priwalnaja, Samara, Russia, on June 10, 1870. His father was William Borger, a grain buyer, who traveled the length of the Volga River and died in 1887. His wife, who was Mary Bier before her marriage, also died there, the mother of three sons and a daughter, of whom Alexander is the only one who came to America.

      He was brought up in the city of Priwalnaja, and sent to the public schools, where he received a good education; and when fifteen was apprenticed to learn the grocery trade at Saratov. For three years he "pegged" away in return for instruction, experience and twenty dollars a year, and then he continued to work in the same place, receiving sixty dollars the fourth year, eighty dollars the fifth, and $120 the sixth.

      On account of military oppression he came to the United States, having heard here of the greater opportunities and hoping to do better. An uncle, the Rev. Jacob Legler, was a Lutheran minister in Fresno; and so, having reached New York, he crossed the continent to Fresno, which he reached on December 30, 1891. Fie worked with the Southern Pacific builders of the Pollasky road, and in 1892 picked grapes. After that, for two years, he worked in Stack's restaurant, and then for a couple of years he was with Gambrinos.

      Next he started in the grocery business on G Street with M. Karle and continued for a year; and having sold out, he leased, with Henry Fries, a ranch on the Laguna Grant. The partners had a vineyard there, but after a year they dissolved their partnership. He was next in the employ of Ed Schwartz for four years, and was then proprietor of the Railroad House for a year.

      Having conducted a restaurant on I Street for two years, he disposed of the business and for a year was grading streets as a general contractor. Then he engaged in the grocery business with H. Bier on California and Elm avenues, and after a year sold out and was in the employ of FI. Schwartz for two years.

      In 1913 he bought the Waffle Kitchen from Charles Kline, and when he became proprietor, he named the now famous eating-place the Alex Cafe. It is located at 1042 H Street, a remodeled and thoroughly

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