San
Joaquin County
Biographies
GEORGE F. MATTESICH
Among the grain farmers of
pronounced success in San Joaquin County, is George F. Mattesich,
a native son of the county, who lives on his ranch three miles south of
Farmington; he also operates the 500 acre ranch owned by M. Harrold
south of Farmington, besides leasing other grain land aggregating 2,500
acres. He was born at Stockton,
California, September 21, 1881, a son of Dominic and Catherine (Connors) Mattesich, natives of Austria and Ireland,
respectively. Both parents were pioneers
of the county and were active in its advancement and development for over a
third of a century. There were three
children in the family: George F., being
the eldest; John Edward; and Lena, Mrs. Charles A. Seward, who lives in the
home place. Dominic Mattesich
passed away in May, 1901, and Mrs. Mattesich resides
on the home ranch southeast of Farmington.
George F. Mattesich attended school in the
neighborhood of his home and early in life was instructed in the grain industry
and since he was nineteen years old has had his share of the work of the home
ranch.
On December 25, 1910, at Lodi, Mr. Mattesich was married to Miss Mae Madelaine
Milloglav, a native of Stockton, and a daughter of
Peter and Laura Alice (Johnson) Milloglav, vineyardists residing two miles east of Lodi. Two children have blessed the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Mattesich, Glen and Lloyd, students in the
Wheatland school.
Dominic Mattesich had one of the first great
Holt harvesters drawn by 32 horses, in 1891 in partnership with Peter Dorland,
who was another large grain farmer. Mr. Mattesich died in 1901, and after his death the two sons,
George F. and John, continued grain farming.
Together they bought another combined harvester and this time operated
in partnership for twelve years. The two
brothers then dissolved partnership.
Mr. Mattesich
started with two eight-horse tams and accomplished extensive grain raising
until 1913, when he bought his first Holt caterpillar, paying $4,000 for it,
and since that time he has sold off his horses and now conducts his work wholly
with power machinery. He owns a half
interest in 160 acres of land five miles southeast of Collegeville which was
purchased sixteen years ago in partnership with his brother John; he also owns
a ten-acre vineyard on the eight-acre farm near Farmington where he
resides. He is an advocate of good roads
and the best of educational facilities and is considered an enterprising and
progressive citizen of his locality.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
775-776. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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