Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 6 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 23

A representative of the splendid type of manhood of the Middle Western States, Richard I. Farris was born in Lincoln. Logan County, Ill.. November 23, 1876. His father. John H., was born in Kentucky, but removed to Illinois in his youth. He then went to Washington County. Iowa, where he engaged in farming for eighteen years. He first came to California in 1882, but he returned to Iowa again. In 1910 the Farris family moved to Fresno County where they engaged in the dairy business until the father's death, in 1913. He lacked eight days of reaching his eightieth year. The mother in maidenhood was Louisa Harrold; she was born in Illinois, and is still living, residing in Fresno. To them were born four children: Mary, of Fresno; Richard I.; Morton, of Fresno; and Nora, now Mrs. Nowel, of Muscatine, Iowa. The father, by a former marriage, had four children, two of whom are living.

Richard I. was raised in Illinois until his sixteenth year. He followed farming there until 1896, when he went to Iowa, immediately beginning work with his father on the farm, and continuing there until the farm was sold, after which he engaged in farming for himself. In 1903 he made his first trip to California, and in 1910, having sold out, came again and located in Fresno County, where he entered into the dairy business on his father's place. Here great improvements have been made: they have a pumping-plant with twenty-horsepower engine and seven-inch pump, and the land is also under the Herndon canal system. They have fifteen cows in the dairy, and are raising alfalfa, also.

Mr. Farris was married January 23, 1901, to Miss Stella Coppock, daughter of William and Frances (Edwards) Coppock, who were natives respectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mrs. Farris was born in Osborne County, Kans.

Her parents were farmers in Iowa, and then in Kansas for a time, but later returned to Iowa. Her father was a Civil War veteran, a member of Company D, Fourth Iowa Cavalry. He has passed on, leaving his wife and nine children. Mrs. Coppock is now a resident of Iowa. Mrs. Farris is the fourth of this large family.

To Mr. and Mrs. Farris have been born four children: Velma, Wendell, Dale and Gertrude. They are all members of the North Side Christian Church, Fresno. Mr. Farris is a member of the Board of Trustees of Roosevelt school district, and of the San Joaquin Valley Milk Producers Association. He was made a Mason in Dayton Lodge, No. 149, F. & A. M., at Wellman, Iowa, and transferred his membership to Washington Lodge, No. 26, Washington, Iowa, of which he is still a member. The Farris family occupies a high place in the life of the community.