Santa
Clara County
Biographies
EDWIN
E. KEESLING
EDWIN E. KEESLING. The earliest recollections of Edwin E. Keesling are associated with the homestead in Santa Clara county where his parents settled during his infancy and
where he has since resided. The family
of which he is a member comes from of old Virginia stock, and was established
in Ohio in a very early day by John Keesling, a
native of Virginia and of German descent, whose wife, Melinda (Bulla) Keesling, was born in North Carolina. During the residence of the family in Preble county, Ohio, Thomas B. Keesling,
father of Edwin E., was born in May, 1824, and he accompanied his parents
to Newcastle, Ind., where he assisted in developing a tract of raw land into a
fertile farm. Reared in an abolition
home, he early espoused the cause of anti-slavery and with his father assisted
more than one slave in an effort to cross over the country into Canada. In 1848 President Taylor appointed him
postmaster of Mechanicsburg, Ind., and he held the office for eight years,
meanwhile carrying on a general store and a steam sawmill. When he was a boy people passed the home farm
frequently, for the road was on the direct route between Cincinnati and
Chicago. Many of the travelers stopped
for the night with the family and told tales of the marvelous opportunities in
the west. In this way the lad was first
interested in western countries, but it was not until 1856 that he was in a
position to seek a home beyond the lakes.
During that year he sold his interests in Indiana and moved to
Minnesota, settling on the present site of Minneapolis. On the east side of the
river stood the town of St. Anthony and to the west were a few
shanties only. Purchasing twelve acres,
he devoted the land to gardening and at the same time worked in sawmills. The land cost him $1,400, but being in the
center of Minneapolis its value increased to such an extent that he sold a part
for $35,000 and later was offered $50,000 for the balance.
Horticulture as a science had always
been fascinating to Thomas B. Keesling, but the
cold climate of Minneapolis was unfavorable for such work and he resolved to
invest in property in a country where he might engage in fruit growing. In 1872 he came to California and secured a position
in the employ of James Lick. At the
expiration of a year he purchased twenty acres for $500 an acre, the property
lying in the Willow district, on Willow street, with
the residence opposite Cherry avenue.
Later he acquired a mountain ranch of fifty acres planted in grapes and
prunes, also forty acres three miles west of his homestead, planted in fruits
of various kinds. Near his house he set
out an acre in grapes, from which he frequently secured seven tons that sold at
$15 per ton. In addition he had many
cherry and apricot trees that also bore abundantly, bringing him a large
dividend on his investment. After many
prosperous years the weight of advancing years led him to retire from the
active management of his place, the supervision of which has now devolved upon
his son, Edwin E., the subject of this narrative.
The marriage of Thomas B. Keesling was solemnized in 1848 and united him with
Miss Elizabeth Hasty, who was born in Preble county,
Ohio, and accompanied her parents to Indiana.
Her father, Thomas Hasty, was born and reared in Kentucky, and after
removing to Ohio met and married Miss Anna Raper, who
was born in Virginia and came of an old family of that state. The children of Thomas B. and Elizabeth Keesling are as follows:
Martha Ann, who married George W. Hanson, a resident of the
Willows; Francis M., who entered the express service and has been
connected with the Wells-Fargo Company; Leander B., who settled near
Glenwood, in the Santa Cruz mountains; Horace G., a fruit grower at the
Willows; Alva C., who has been engaged in the fruit industry in Santa
Clara county for many years; Oliver M., also engaged in the fruit
business; Carrie E., George C., Thomas C., Emma Edith and
Edwin E., of whom the last two named are twins.
In Minneapolis, Minn., Edwin E. Keesling was born July 20, 1873. At seven months of age he was brought to
California. His education was secured in
public schools in Santa Clara county. Becoming familiar with fruit raising in
boyhood, he has made his life work that of an orchardist, and not only manages
his father’s home place, but also has six acres of his own in connection
therewith. Eleven acres in cherries have
proved a profitable crop, as are also the fifty apple trees. A young man of energy and good judgment, he
is rapidly taking a place among the successful fruit growers of the
county. In 1903 he married Miss Mary
Ellen Neilsen, of Santa Cruz, a native of
Australia. Her father, Peter Neilsen, was of Norwegian birth, and during early manhood
made his home in Australia, coming from there to California, where he now lives
in San Jose. In active years he followed
the occupation of a hotelkeeper, but more recently has been retired. Mr. and Mrs. Keesling
make their home with his parents, occupying a beautiful residence on Willow street in the Willows.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 421-422. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Donna Toole.