Butte County
Biographies
REUBEN H. MESSINGER
REUBEN H.
MESSINGER.—A popular and enterprising citizen, Reuben H. Messinger
is keenly alive to the opportunities awaiting the industrious and intelligent
man of affairs of Butte County. He was born at Plymouth,
Wayne County, Mich., in 1874, a son of John Henry Messinger,
who is mentioned in the sketch of John G. Messinger,
which appears on another page of this work.
The fifth child in a family of seven children, Reuben attended the
public school at Chico, and at the
age of twelve began working for General Bidwell, packing fruit in his
orchards. Between school days and in
vacations he learned the nursery business under the instruction of General
Bidwell and worked in his nurseries for twelve years. He then became a driver for the General and
assisted him in looking after his ranches and orchards, continuing with him
until his death; the General died while they were on a trip of inspection, up
the creek, attending to some ranch affairs.
Mr. Messinger brought the body of the General
back to his Chico mansion. After this he continued in the employ of Mrs.
Bidwell, as her coachman, until 1913, then became superintendent of the Bidwell
Ranch, looking after the large grain, stock and fruit interests, with which he had
become so familiar.
Meantime, in
1912, Mr. Messinger had started the Lindo Nursery, on Lindo Channel,
where he has thirty acres of nursery stock consisting of almonds, prunes and
peaches, which he sells to customers in the Sacramento
Valley. This nursery is equipped
with a fine well, with pumping plant for irrigating
his trees. The pump is run by
electricity, using a thirty-horsepower motor and has a capacity of seven
hundred gallons per minute, which supplies all his demands. In this business Mr. Messinger
has become well known and has worked up a paying trade in Northern
California.
Reuben H. Messinger was married in Chico to Miss
Dean Bennett, who was born at Cana, Butte
County, a
daughter of Wesley Bennett, who is mentioned on another page of this work. They have one child, Ruby. Mr. Messinger was
made a Mason in Chico Lodge, No. 111, F. &. A. M.; belongs to Chico
Chapter, No. 42, R. A. M.; Chico Commandery, No. 12
K.T.; and to Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of San Francisco. Both Mr. and Mrs. Messinger
are members of Josephine Chapter, No. 104, O. E. S. He is also a member of Chico Lodge, No. 423,
B. P. O. Elks. The family
reside in a pleasant home in Chico Vecino, on Francis
Willard Avenue.
Whatever of success has come to Mr. Messinger
has been the result of his own efforts, for he is a self-made man and has
gradually worked his own way to his present position in Butte
County.
Transcribed 5-7-08
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 930-933, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
©
2008 Marilyn
R. Pankey.
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