San
Joaquin County
Biographies
GEORGE PRESZLER
Among the well-known and prosperous
viticulturists of San Joaquin Valley is George Preszler, the owner of a
valuable vineyard of eighty-seven acres about four miles east of Lodi,
undoubtedly one of the finest and most profitable vineyards in the county. He was born in South Russia not far from
Odessa, on October 4, 1868, a son of George Adam Preszler. He has no recollection of his parents, as his
mother and father both died from the cholera within two weeks of one another
when he was four years old.
His is the youngest of five
children: John and Daniel still reside
in Russia; Mrs. Katie Finck of Tripp, South Dakota;
Eva is Mrs. George Mettler of Lodi; and George, our subject. When he was seven years old he accompanied
his sister Katie to America and settled in Hutchinson County, Dakota Territory,
where he remained until he was fifteen years old; then
he worked for his brother-in-law, George Mettler, for six years until he was of
age, then started out for himself.
Most of Mr. Preszler’s
education was obtained in the “school of hard knocks,” for he was fifteen years
old when the first Government school was established in South Dakota. With the thrift and industry of his forbears,
Mr. Preszler had saved sufficient money with which to purchase a half-section
of land in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, which he farmed to grain for eleven
years when he sold out and set his face toward the Golden state, arriving on
February 15, 1901, and coming direct to San Joaquin County he purchased his
present ranch of 154 acres.
In Hutchinson County, South Dakota,
on December 12, 1889, Mr. Preszler was married to Miss Margareta Schnaidt, also a native of South Russia, a daughter of John
and Katherine Schnaidt. John Schnaidt was a
farmer and Mrs. Preszler was three years old when she was brought from Russia
to South Dakota, where her father homesteaded land. They are the parents of eight children: Edward is a vineyardist near Lodi; Emma is
Mrs. Kirschenmann of Victor; William resides at
Victor, California; Henry is on the home place; Alena;
Ida; Martha; and Lenhardt. When Mr. Preszler purchased his ranch it was
a stubble field and all the improvements on the ranch have been made by him,
including his fine residence and vineyard.
Of the original acreage, he gave his son Edward forty acres; William
thirty-seven acres; to his daughter Emma, now Mrs. Kirschenmann,
he gave a ten-acre vineyard; and his son Henry a forty-acres piece, Mr.
Preszler retaining the remainder, which is considered among the finest
vineyards in the state. In national
politics Mr. Preszler is a Republican and he and his family
are members of the Reformed Church.
He has served as a member of the Victor school board. He is a good example of what hard work;
saving and enterprise can do when persistently followed, for he is rated as one
of the wealthy vineyardists of the Lodi country.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
648. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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