Tulare County Biographies

ELMER A. BATCHELDER

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


It was in Plainfield, Vt., that Elmer A. Batchelder, a prominent fruit grower, 
living two and one-half miles east of Lindsay, Tulare county, Cal., was born in 
the year 1866. He was brought up and educated in his native place, and when he 
was seventeen years old came to California and was for a year and a half a 
resident in Nevada county. Then for a year he was in the Sacramento valley, 
whence he went into Humboldt county, where he passed the succeeding twelve 
months. During this time he had been employed at ranch work and had acquired an 
intimate knowledge of California farming  in the best of all schools�the school 
of experience.
In 1887 Mr. Batchelder came to Tulare county and for a time worked rented land. 
In 1892 he homesteaded a quarter section in the district known as Round valley 
and made improvements on it�and devoted it to wheat growing till 1906, when he 
set out twenty acres of orange trees and fifteen acres of vines, including five 
acres of Valencia oranges. His orchard is so well advanced that the crop for 
1912 from the twenty acres promises to reach the 1,000 box mark. By later 
purchase he has added to his land holdings until he now has one hundred and 
forty acres.
The parents of Mr. Batchelder, natives of Vermont, both have passed away. In 
1893 he married Catharine Crook, a native daughter of California, and she has 
borne him two children: Harold, now eighteen years old, and Eunice E., now in 
her fourteenth year. They are attending school at Lindsay. Mrs. Batchelder's 
parents were early settlers in Tulare county. Mr. Batchelder has never aspired 
to public office, but because he was known to be a good roads man of advanced 
ideas he was three years ago given the oversight of the roads in his district, 
and so well has he discharged his trust that he is likely to be kept at the same 
task year after year. Public spirited in a generous degree, he is ever ready to 
respond to demands upon him for the good of the community. Fraternally he 
affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias.
 
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913, pp. 617-618