Butte County
Biographies
HIRON HATHAWAY
HIRON HATHAWAY.—An experienced and
practical horticulturist, which line of work he has followed since a lad of
eleven years, Hiron Hathaway has made a life study of
this branch of development work in the state. A native son, he was born at
Martinez, Contra Costa County, June 3, 1875.
His father, Roswell B. Hathaway, a Forty-niner, who was born in
Michigan, crossed the plains to California and followed mining for a time, then
engaged in farming, in Contra Costa County. He later became a butcher and
stockman at Pacheco, then a tinsmith and plumber in that town. He then was
nominated for county treasurer of Contra Costa County, was elected, and moved
to Martinez, the county seat. He was reelected time and again, serving
twenty-six years in all, the last term being nominated against his will, but
was elected, and resigned two months later. He then retired from active duties
and lived to the ripe old age of eighty-five years. He married, in California,
Minnie Marasky, who was born in Germany and came to
California via Cape Horn. She is a sister of Judge Marasky,
and resides at Martinez, aged eighty-four years. Eight children were born to
this pioneer couple, six girls and two boys, six of whom are now living.
Hiron Hathaway,
the second youngest in the family, was reared at Martinez, attending the public
schools there. His eyes bothered him, however, and he left school when eleven
years old, and went to work in Dwaine Brothers’ Nurseries. His first job was
tying buds, for two years. He then learned budding and grafting when fourteen
years old, and continued in their employ five or six years. At the end of this
period he went to Marysville in charge of the J. P. Boag Nursery. Three months later, not liking the climatic
conditions there, he removed to Fresno, and for one season was in charge of the
canning department of the A. F. Tenny
Cannery. The following year Mr. Hathaway took charge of three orchards and
two vineyards for the California Canning Association for one season. On leaving
this position he entered the employ of the Fancher
Creek Nursery, owned by George C. Roeding,
and continued with this firm eight years, having charge of the packinghouse and
all experimental work, doing the budding and grafting himself. During this time
Mr. Hathaway originated the side-graft on fig trees.
After his eight years with the Fancher Nursery, Mr. Hathaway came to Butte City, Glenn
County, as manager of the California Farm Products Company, their holdings
comprising sixteen hundred acres, one thousand twenty acres being in orchards
and the balance in farm products. He started the nursery there and remained two
years in charge of the work. In 1912, Mr. Hathaway located in Chico, Butte
County, in the employ of the Chico Nursery Company, where he does budding,
grafting and packing. In all his horticultural work he has kept abreast of the
times, as he is continually working out theories of his own in his experiments,
and devotes his time largely to this phase of development work, a truly
important one in California.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
02 November 2009.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 1285-1286, Historic Record Co, Los
Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2009 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies