San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN R. WIEDERRICH
A self-made man, trained from his
youth to work on a farm, John R. Wiederrich was born in the rural district near
the town of Tripp, South Dakota, April 20, 1897 a son of Jacob and Katherine
Wiederrich. His father was a farmer in
South Dakota and passed away shortly after the birth of the son. There were nine children in the family, of
whom only three are now living: Katie,
now Mrs. Schenhenberger, of Lodi; Bertha, Mrs. Handel, on a farm near Victor;
and John R.
John R. Wiederrich came with his
mother to California when he was five years old and attended the Harmony Grove school. After coming
to California, his mother w as married again to Mr. Fred Hieb, and resided on a
ranch northwest of the Harmony Grove schoolhouse; later she removed to Lodi,
and resides there now.
At the age of fourteen, John R.
Wiederrich set out for himself, and found employment on the ranches in the
county; and in 1918 he made his first purchase of land, which was thirty acres
about three miles east of Lodi on the corner of Kettleman Lane and the Alpine
Road, all in bearing vineyard. Later he
purchased seventeen acres near Kettleman Station, on the traction line, which
he held for two years and then sold for a good profit. He also holds a five-year lease, with an
option of purchase, on a forty-acre tract one mile south of his home place; he
has already purchased thirteen and one-half acres of this tract, the sale being
consummated very recently. Ten acres of
the forty is in orchard and the balance is in vineyard. Mr. Wiederrich improved his home place with a
fine farm house and other necessary buildings in 1918. In 1920 he organized the Crown Fruit Company,
a co-partnership, his associates being Gottfried Handel and Louis Mettler. They built a packing house at Kettleman
Station on the Central California Traction Company’s line, and are engaged in
business as growers, buyers, packers and shippers of grapes. Mr. Wiederrich has been president and manager
of the company since its organization.
He is also a stockholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Lodi.
At Lodi on June 25, 1916 Mr.
Wiederrich was united in marriage to Miss Clara Handel, a daughter of Gottfried
and Louise Handel, a native of South Dakota.
Her father passed away, and her mother later became the wife of Lot Lachenmaier of Lodi.
Mrs. Wiederrich also attended the Harmony Grove school,
east of Lodi. They are the parents of
three children: Belford, Leslie and
Viola. Mr. Wiederrich and his family are
members of the Zion Reform Church in Lodi, and he is secretary of the board of
trustees. In politics he is a
Republican.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1352-1355. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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