Butte County
Biographies
THOMAS FREDERICK STILE
THOMAS FREDERICK STILE.--The
business of a horticulturist is both pleasant and profitable, and such has been
the life occupation of Thomas F. Stile, who came to Yolo County as a lad of
seven with his mother, from his native state of New Jersey, where he was born
in the city of Dover in 1870. His father, William, was a native of England and
followed mining, settling in New Jersey, where he died in 1873. The mother, in
maidenhood Elizabeth Mitchell, was born in Wisconsin, and is now Mrs. Dodge,
residing in Cupertino, Santa Clara County, Cal. Mr. Dodge began mining in Yolo
County when he first came to California, and was located at the Reed
quicksilver mines for four years, going from there to Santa Clara County where
he settled on a fruit farm. Thomas F. received the benefit of a good public
school education and from a lad learned the business of horticulture, and the
care and treatment of trees, taking charge of the home place. He remained at
home until twenty-one years of age, continuing in his chosen occupation of
horticulture, and became foreman of the Balfour Guthrie Company’s orchards.
In August, 1899, Mr. Stile came to Chico,
Butte County, where he was employed as superintendent of the two hundred acres
of the Parrott-Grant orchards of prunes, apricots, olives and peaches, having
from forty to fifty men under him. He continued in their employ for two years
and then came to the vicinity of Webster district, taking charge of orchards.
He has had charge of the Park Henshaw place of one
hundred ninety acres for the past thirteen years, setting out the orchards on
the place. He bought thirty-five acres of the prune orchard and is
superintendent of the remainder. He also owns ten acres on Shasta Avenue, where
he built his residence and set out a prune and peach orchard. Besides his
forty-five acres, he also has charge of the one-hundred-fifteen-acre orchard of
Mrs. Henshaw. Mr. Stile was appointed a member of the
first horticultural commission in Butte County, while
Mr. L. C. Shirley was supervisor, continuing in that office
until it was changed to one horticultural commissioner, when he was appointed
deputy horticultural commissioner under Mr. Mills, having charge of inspection
of orchards in Chico and vicinity. For nearly sixteen years he has been County
Horticultural Commissioner or Deputy Horticultural Commissioner of Butte County,
being a member of the first board.
Mr. Stile was married in Oakland to Miss
Lena Carst, who was born in Eldorado
County, Cal. Two children were the result of this union: Edna, a graduate of
the Chico high school and Chico State Normal, now a teacher in Butte County,
and Walter, a student in Chico high school. Mr. Stile is a member of Chico
Lodge, No. 423, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of Great Oak
Camp, No. 136, Woodmen of the World. In politics his affiliations are
Republican.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
23 October 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
1049-1050, Historic
Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies