San
Joaquin County
Biographies
EDWARD NIES
More than a century ago George
Washington said that “Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most
honorable occupation to which man can devote his energies,” and the truth of
this saying stands today as it did then.
Farming is the basis of commercial activity and is one of the great
departments of labor without which the human race could not maintain an
existence. Edward Nies is known in San
Joaquin County as an enterprising agriculturist, making his home in Victor, but
in partnership with his brother, owns forty acres in vineyard. He is a native of McIntosh County, North
Dakota, born near Lehr on August 8, 1896, and is a son of Henry and Christina
Nies, both of whom were natives of southern Russia. About thirty-five years ago, Henry Nies left
his home in Russia for America and on arrival settled in North Dakota, where he
homesteaded a tract of land and engaged in farming for sixteen years, when he
disposed of his land holdings in North Dakota and came to California, where he
bought a ranch of eighty acres south of Victor, which he set out to vineyard
and farmed for seventeen years and then retired to Lodi, where he resides. There were ten children that grew up in the
family: John, of Lehr, North Dakota;
Barbara was the wife of Henry Frey and resided in Salem, Oregon. She and her husband died only four hours
apart, leaving six children: Andrew,
Ida, William, Allina, Walter and Eldon, who now make their home in San Joaquin
County. Katie, Mrs. Adolph Bechthold;
Jacob, Christ, Edward, Adolph, Emil, Mrs. Martha Lee, and Albert all reside in
the vicinity of Victor.
Edward Nies came to California with
his parents when seven years of age and received his education in the Alpine
district school east of Lodi and assisted his father on the home place until he
was twenty-one years old. He worked for
wages on farms in the neighborhood of his home until he and his brother Adolph
purchased the forty-acre vineyard together, which is well improved and highly
cultivated, visible evidence of their thrift and industry. This vineyard is about two miles northwest of
Lockeford on the Lockeford-Christian Colony Highway and is in full bearing; a
fine irrigation system has been installed by which they pump water direct from
the Mokelumne River. In 1922 Nies
brothers sold their ranch and purchased an orchard and vineyard one and
one-half miles south of Victor. They
also bought a store building in Victor and established a general merchandise
business. He is a stockholder in the
Victor Fruit Growers, Inc., and during the season buys and ships grapes.
Mr. Nies was married July 20, 1919,
at Lodi, to Miss Bertha C. Kammer, also a native of North Dakota, a daughter of
Phillip and Christina Kammer, engaged in farming in San Joaquin County. Mrs. Nies received her education in Franklin
district, Sacramento County. They have
one son, Lloyd Edward. Recently Mr. Nies
purchased a new modern bungalow in Victor, where they reside. He and his wife are members of the
Evangelical Church of Lodi and politically are Republicans.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1248. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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