San
Joaquin County
Biographies
AHREN F. GOETJEN
A progressive and useful citizen,
who well deserves the prominence he has attained, is Ahren F. Goetjen, member
of the board of directors of the Banta-Carbona
Irrigation District, residing three miles south of Tracy, and now engaged with
the Union Oil Company. He was born at
San Francisco on September 18, 1871, and when only six years of age lost his
father. He received a good common-school
education in the Lincoln district school in San Francisco and in 1882 came to
San Joaquin County, and spent about fourteen years in the home of the late John
Mohr, of Bethany, working on his ranch.
In 1896 he was married to Miss
Elvira Meyer, who had come to Tracy, from San Francisco in 1894, and their
union was blessed with four children.
Olga was the eldest; she died nine years old; Adolph H. is now in the
Government service in Honolulu; Metta was married in
September, 1922, to Samuel Peterman of Banta, who ranches on Mr. Goetjen’s
farm; Fred, Jr., is the youngest.
Mr. Goetjen farmed for twelve years
on the McLaughlin Grant; his house with all contents burned in 1916, on the
McLaughlin tract, and he also suffered flood, but he saved enough to buy 160
acres of choice land south of Tracy, known as the C. Brandeman
home place, concluding the purchase in 1916.
Having risen from the ordinary ranks of men through his own efforts, Mr.
Goetjen has stood for progress and has long been one of the strongest and most
active advocates of increased irrigation, and he is now one of the board of directors of the newly-organized Banta-Carbona District. He
is a Republican in politics and is serving as a trustee of the Valley School
District. He is a charter member of the
Native Sons of the Golden West, at Tracy, and as a member of the Knights of
Pythias, he is both a past officer and a past district deputy, now serving as
trustee.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1123. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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