San
Joaquin County
Biographies
EDWARD KURTZ
A worthy citizen of Lodi who has
witnessed many changes during the twenty years of his residence in the San
Joaquin Valley is Edward Kurtz, the capable and efficient buyer of the American
Fruit Growers, Inc. A native of South
Dakota, he was born in Tyndall on July 9, 1884, a son of Henry and Helena
(Unruh) Kurtz, both parents being natives of Germany. His father was a pioneer of South Dakota and
passed through many hardships and privations of the early days of that
unsettled prairie country. He was
actively connected with the development and upbuilding of the city of Tripp and
was engaged in various enterprises while residing there, at one time owning
twelve sections of land. Desiring a milder
climate, in 1901 he removed with his family to Woodbridge and purchased ten
acres planted to almonds and grapes; he added more land to his holdings until
he owned 140 acres, which he improved to vines and trees. A harnessmaker by trade, he opened a shop in
Lodi in 1906, which he successfully conducted for a number of years. He passed away on January 4, 1918, his wife
surviving him in Lodi. They were the
parents of eleven children, all of whom are living, ten of them residents of
California.
Edward was seventeen years of age
when his parents settled in Woodbridge and for a time remained with his father
on the home place, then concluded that it was time that he started for
himself. He has owned, developed and
sold a number of vineyards; he bought forty acres of the Anderson ranch north
of Lodi and sold it at a good profit, and some of his places have increased in
value 400 per cent. He now owns a
vineyard of twenty acres west of Lodi.
His intimate connection with the agricultural and viticultural interests
of the San Joaquin Valley has enabled him to gain an expert knowledge of soil
conditions and methods of cultivation.
Mr. Kurtz’s marriage united him with
Miss Marie Konig, a native of Germany, and they are members of the German
Lutheran Church of Lodi. He works for
the best interests of the commonwealth and is an enthusiastic and ardent
supporter of all measures for the advancement of his locality.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1175-1176. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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