San
Joaquin County
Biographies
ROBERT F. NAGEL
A pioneer vineyardist and
horticulturist who resides on his highly improved home
place three miles east of Stockton is Robert F. Nagel. For the past thirty years Mr. Nagel has been
located on his present ranch and has overcome all the obstacles that beset the
path of the early settler in any community, and his fine vineyard and orchard
home is a demonstration of his industry.
He was born in East Prussia, Germany, December 16, 1860, a son of
Charles Nagel, born in the same province, and the mother, Augusta (Prengel) Nagel, was born in a neighboring province. Charles Nagel was a farmer in his native
province in Germany and lost his life while commanding field artillery in the
battle of Getzburg, leaving a large estate to his surviving family. Subsequently Mrs. Nagel married Frederick
Rhodes, who proved to be a good father to the orphan boys. Mrs. Nagel died in 1872 and Mr. Rhodes died
in 1876.
Robert F. Nagel completed the
grammar and gymnasium courses in Germany, then entered the Agricultural College
at Spitzengen near Konigsberg, where he spent two
years. In 1880 he was appointed
superintendent of the Gerken estate in Germany, where
he had full charge of the sheep, cattle and dairy business carried on, on this
extensive estate; however, after two years he gave up the position to seek a
home in a new world. In 1882 he left his
native country for America, and arriving in New York, he boarded the S. S Rujia, a coastwise vessel, for Weatherford, Texas, arriving
in September, 1882. For the first few
months he had a job of plowing for cotton and corn planters, which paid him
eight dollars per month. He remained in
Texas until 1885, when he started for California, arriving in Stockton
September 2, 1885.
On August 20, 1884, at Weatherford,
Texas, Mr. Nagel was married to Augusta Goodsight,
also a native of Germany, who came to Texas when a young girl; her mother, Anna
Goodsight, came four years later and now makes her
home with Mr. Nagel and she is ninety-two years of age. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Nagel: Truda
died at the age of five years; Louise died at the age of six months; Amalia, a graduate of Elmwood school, presides over her
father’s home; Anna L. is the widow of Capt. William D. Hatch, who lost his
life in the service of his country in 1918 while in France with the A. E.
F. They have one son, William. Subsequently Mrs. Hatch married Lieutenant Commander
E. M. Patch, and they have one son, Ernest Arthur, and at present are stationed
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands; Margaret, Mrs. Andrew J. Smith, has one son,
Robert. Mr. Smith is the cashier of the
First National Bank of Vallejo, California.
Mrs. Nagel passed away at the family home in 1914.
On arriving at Stockton, Mr. Nagel
stopped with his friend, Mr. Stetsinger, proprietor
of the San Joaquin Hotel, and soon after his arrival found a job with Ott & Daniels, manufacturers of chicory, where he
worked for one year; then he entered the employ of L. U. Shippee,
the owner of a large ranch near French Camp, and he soon became assistant
foreman, remaining in that position until 1890; he then became foreman for
Charles Haas on his ranch three miles east of Stockton, consisting of 240
acres, then a grain field. In 1890 Mr.
Nagel planted his first vineyard of five acres and later he purchased six and
one-quarter acres more, which he has developed to orchard and vineyard, among
the model places in the county. The
discouragements, accompanying the planting of the first vineyard, were met with
true heroism as he was forced to plant four different times. On one occasion when he set out 3,000
well-rooted vines he found within a few days that the squirrels and rabbits had
destroyed them all except fifteen vines; however, he continued to plant vines until
he succeeded in getting a fine stand. He
also has a fine orchard of almonds. In
the winter of 1922-23 Mr. Nagel, with his daughter Amalia,
made a trip to the Hawaiian Islands on a visit to his son-in-law and daughter,
Commander and Mrs. E. M. Patch, at Pearl Harbor, taking in many side trips,
among them a trip to Hilo. M. Nagel
received his U. S. citizenship papers and cast his first ballot for the Republican
Party in Stockton in 1886. For fifteen
years he served as trustee of the Elmwood school and in many other ways has
been a progressive citizen.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
759-760. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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