San
Joaquin County
Biographies
ELIA FRANCIS FOTTRELL
Among the younger generation of
successful and enterprising agriculturists is Elia Francis Fottrell who, with
his brother, W. L. Fottrell, is engaged in farming 1,080 acres on the
Stanislaus River, five miles southeast of Escalon, to wheat and oats, using the
most modern power machinery in their work.
He was born at San Francisco, California, February 3, 1893, a son of Dr.
Michael J. and Mary (Chulovich) Fottrell,
natives of Ireland and California, respectively. Michael J. Fottrell came to California from
Ireland in young manhood, locating in San Francisco, where he began the study
of medicine at the Cooper Medical College, from which he was duly graduated. He has followed his profession for many
years, and has become a prominent and successful physician and surgeon of the
Bay City, having his offices in the Phelan Building, San Francisco. There are four sons and three daughters in
the Fottrell family.
Elia Francis Fottrell received a
good education at St. Ignatius College in San Francisco and in 1911 left school
and played tennis for a number of years.
His first notable playing was in 1907 on the courts of the California
Club in San Francisco, where he showed unusual ability; then in 1909 he made a
tour through southern California, playing at Long Beach, Pasadena and other
southern cities with great success. In
1910 he won the state championship, and became national champion runner up out
of 200 contestants at Newport in 1914, but was defeated by R. N. Williams at
the finals. In 1912 Mr. Fottrell
defeated the Canadian team for the championship of Canada. During 1913-14 he made a tour of the Orient,
his partner being William Johnstone, now ex-national
champion, and appeared in the principal cities of Japan and other
countries. Returning to America and his
home in California he came to the Fottrell ranch near Escalon, which has been
in the family for about twenty years, and he soon became so interested in his
farming that his tennis playing suffered accordingly. This ranch of 750 acres includes some rich
bottom land and also considerable timber land; 160 acres has been planted to
alfalfa and large quantities of wheat and oats are produced on the rich bottom
lands. He and his brother, W. L.
Fottrell, are closely associated in conducting this ranch and are among the
most extensive grain farmers in the district adjacent to Escalon. Both are members of the local Farm Bureau, W.
L. Fottrell serving as director for two years.
On October 4, 1921 at San Francisco
Mr. Fottrell was united in marriage with Miss Ursula Dietrich, a native of San
Luis Obispo County, a daughter of Robert Dietrich of Paso Robles. Mr. Fottrell is a prosperous rancher, for he
is energetic, progressive and practical, and is therefore meeting with well
deserved success.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1335. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Genealogy
Databases