Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 4 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 17

An early settler who, having made a success of one venture, that of the butchering and retail meat business, has now succeeded in another field, viticulture and dairying, is E. M. Hansen, who has improved a fine place and, with the assistance of his good wife, has come to enjoy prosperity and to command a comfortable competency. He first came to California in 1881 and within a year had fortunately found his way to Fresno County.

He was born in Lykonkloster, Slesvig, Denmark, on August 4, 1854, the son of Hans Hansen, a farmer who owned his own place, had an active and honorable part in the War of 1848-50, and who died in 1915, aged over ninety years. He had married Christene Jaocumsen, who died there over eighty-four years of age, passing away in 1912. There were seven children in the family, and five are living: Mat is in Brooklyn, N. Y.; E. M. is the subject of our review; Andrew is in West Park, Fresno County; Christen resides in Slesvig; and Mathilda lives in Nebraska.

E. M. was brought up on the old homestead, and attended the local public schools, assisting on the farm until he was nineteen or over. On account of the military oppression, he determined to come to the United States; and in 1874 he left Hamburg for New York. He located at Perth Amboy, and as an apprentice learned the butcher's trade, continuing there until December, 1880, when he came west to San Francisco, and for a while he drove on the old horse-car line in the Bay metropolis. On February 21, 1881, he came to Fresno and here found employment as a butcher. For a time he was engaged in business for himself, and ran a wagon through the country east of Fresno, to Red Banks and vicinity. When he sold out, he ran a wagon west of the town, until 1897, meantime preparing for his real future by buying twenty acres in Fresno Colony. At the end of a year, he sold out and bought another twenty which he improved to alfalfa and after two years also sold.

In 1891, Mr. Hansen bought his present place, consisting of forty acres on Jensen Avenue, ten miles west of Fresno. It was raw land, but he leveled and checked it and set it out as a vineyard; and there he has continued ever since. He set out Thompson seedless grapes, but later took up the vines and devoted the land to alfalfa. For the last eight years he has run a dairy there. He built a residence, barns, windmill and installed a gas-engine; and he became a stockholder in the Danish Creamery Association. He also joined in every raisin association movement, and is a member and a stockholder in the California Associated Raisin Company.

At Fresno, Mr. Hansen was married to Miss Christene Madsen, born at Varde, Jylland, Denmark, by whom he has had five children, three of whom grew to maturity: Harry is the butcher at Kearney Park; Martha is at home, and so is Amy. The family attends the Lutheran Church, and they adhere to the principles of the Republican party. Mr. Hansen is a member of the Danish Brotherhood of Fresno, and has been president of that excellent organization. In 1906 he made a trip to New Jersey and New York, to visit old associations, and returned better satisfied than ever with California, and more than ever confident as to its future.