Tuolumne
County
Biographies
NILS KNUDSEN
The German element in our national
civilization is an important one. The
citizens who have come to America from the fatherland possess in a large
measure the power of assimilation that enables them to adopt the manners and
customs, as well as the language, of the people in the new world. They are industrious, conduct business
interests on broad principles and attain success as easily as any other
class. Mr. Knudsen is by no means an
exception to the rule. He belongs rather
to the large majority whose progressive and
intelligent industry is having an influence more and more marked on our general
prosperity as we enter upon the new century.
Mr. Knudsen was born in Germany on
the 18th of September, 1854, his parents being Nils and Anna Maria (Thygesdatter) Knudsen, both of whom were natives of
Germany. The father was a prominent businessman in his locality and was a very
highly respected citizen. In religious
faith he was a Protestant. In the family
of Mr. and Mrs. Knudsen were seven children, five of whom are living. The subject of this review is now the only
one in California. He acquired an
excellent education in his native land, including the mastery of several languages. Subsequently he traveled in different parts
of the world, thus gaining a comprehensive knowledge of men and customs in
other countries. He was also practically
trained in different lines of work and was taught to have a regard for the
opinions and feelings of others and entertain respect for those older than
himself. Thus an excellent character
foundation was laid, while his education prepared him for life’s practical and
responsible duties.
In 1877 he came to America, bringing
with him considerable capital with which his father had provided him in order
to enable him to gain a good start in the new world. He arrived in Chicago, traveled all over the
country and in 1887 took up his abode in Los Angeles, California. He was for some time in San Francisco and
Sacramento, and also resided in Amador County.
After coming to Tuolumne County he served for four years as a bookkeeper
for the Rawhide Mining Company. In 1895
he purchased a lumber business in Sonora from George W. Hale, and also became
the owner of a sawmill. He at once began to make improvements in the
plant and from the beginning of his connection with the enterprise his trade
has steadily increased in volume and importance. He engages both in the manufacture and sale
of lumber and is at the head of one of the leading industries of the
state. In his yards he keeps a large
supply of all kinds of lumber, and he also deals in grain. Among his buildings are good offices and
store rooms, and he has an extensive planing-mill supplied with all the needed
machinery for prosecuting his work in a first-class manner. There is also a well equipped blacksmith
shop, containing an apparatus in which refractory horses can be easily
shod. Sixty-two horses are utilized in
hauling the lumber from his mill and he employs fifty skilled workmen. He employs only experts and pays to them good
wages, thus commanding the best service.
His mill has a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet of lumber per day,
and, on account of the excellence of its quality, his reasonable prices and his
honorable dealings, he has secured a very liberal and constantly growing
patronage. On his grounds are also large
stables and corrals for the shelter and protection of his horses, both at the
mill and in Sonora. He is a man of excellent
business ability and executive force, and his practical knowledge of the best
methods of the manufacture of lumber enables him capably to direct the efforts
of the workmen and thus secure excellent results.
Socially Mr. Knudsen is an active
and valued member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge
chapter, council and commandery. He has
served as the senior warden in the blue lodge and junior warden in the
commandery, and has been Royal Arch captain in the chapter. In politics he is a staunch Republican, and
in 1900 was elected a member of the board of trustees of Sonora, where his
efforts toward the upbuilding and improvement of the city are very
efficient. He was married January 17,
1894, to Miss Olive Sarah Hale, a daughter of George W. Hale, the former owner
of the lumber and sawmill business of which Mr.
Knudsen is now the head. They have a
large and beautiful residence in Sonora and their home is blessed with the
presence of two little children, Hale and Anna Maria. Their home is celebrated for its charming
hospitality, which is widely extended to their many friends. They are popular people, of sterling worth,
and enjoy the warm regard of all with whom they have been brought in contact. The record of Mr. Knudsen is that of a man,
who has, by his own efforts, worked his way upward to a position of affluence,
whose life has been one of industry, perseverance and systematic and honorable
business methods; and this, together with his diligence and ability, has won
him the patronage and confidence of many.
He is now numbered among the most prominent and influential men of this
portion of the state, and his native genius, keen discernment and unfaltering
application are the stepping-stones on which he has mounted.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 500-502. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.