Fresno County, California Biographies

Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of 
the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with 
its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919)

History By Paul E. Vandor 
Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes 
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919
 
Notes: Missing+page1185-1186

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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


RALPH M. CONE. � In the vicinity of Reedley is located the productive 
sixty-acre ranch owned by the firm of Dexter & Cone, of which R. M. Cone 
is the resident manager. This ranch is developed to a high state of production 
and is devoted to the growing of Thompson's seedless grapes. Mr. Cone is 
thoroughly conversant with the propagation and cultivation of vines and 
has been steadily working on his own property since 1911. 

A native of Windhall, Bennington County, Vt., R. M. Cone was born on 
May 10. 1878, a son of Ira and Ida (Lathrop) Cone, both born there. There 
were six children in their family, of whom R. M. is the only one to make his 
home on the Pacific Coast. He received his education in the public schools 
of his native state, after which he worked at various tasks for some time, one 
of them being a coachman for Rear Admiral H. B. Robeson, U. S. N., in 
whose employ he remained for four years. Mr. Cone subsequently became 
connected with the Vermont Marble Company, the largest marble works in 
the world, and in time he worked his way to a foremanship, which he held 
for seven years, three years of this time being spent in the plant in Vermont 
and the balance at their branch plant in San Francisco. Tie worked very 
diligently in the interest of his company. The years following the great 
fire in San Francisco were busy ones for Mr. Cone and he had much to do 
with material reconstruction there, until he resigned to come here. 

In 1911, Mr. Cone purchased an interest in the ranch where he now 
lives and since that date has given his entire attention to improving the 
place. When he located on the ranch there were but four small pepper 
trees on the place, an old house and a lean-to stable : now he has one of 
the best developed ranches in the district, all the result of his own labor. He 
was one of the largest alfalfa raisers in this section of the county in early 
days. Five crops of alfalfa were cut each season and a ready market was 
found for the output of the ranch. In this particular part of the work Mr. 
Cone proved himself an adept, as he and his crew baled as high as eighteen 
tons per day for others. Under the able management of Mr. Cone the ranch 
is fast developing into a fine dividend-payer, the soil being very productive. 
The fifty-seven acres now given to vines are in Thompson's seedless. 

On June 27, 1912, the marriage that united R. M, Cone with Miss 
Mary A. Wetherbee, was celebrated at Eugene, Ore., and they have one 
son, Marion. Mrs. Cone is a daughter of John F. Wetherbee and was born 
in Manchester, Bennington County, Vt., on December 24, 1880. She traces 
her ancestry back to a great-grandfather, Job Dean, who was with General 
Washington at Valley Forge. After Mrs. Cone had completed the grades 
in her home school she took a course at the Burr & Burton Seminary, 
a private institution in her home town. In 1897 the Wetherbee family 
moved to Oregon, where her father engaged in the milling business. In 
that state the daughter attended the University of Oregon and later grad- 
uated from the State Normal at Monmouth. She then took up teaching and 
for one year taught in the schools in Albany. Her next location was at 
Eugene, where she remained for five years as assistant principal, and one 
year in another department. For two years thereafter she was connected 
with the Glencoe School at Portland, as an instructor, after which she 
came to California. When she took up her residence in Fresno County, 
about sixteen months after Mr. Cone had been here, she was requested 
to register her life certificate in order to be available as a teacher in any 
grade should the exigency of the case demand. Mr. and Mrs. Cone are 
highly esteemed by their many friends and a delightful hospitality is dis- 
pensed at their home. Mr. Cone is an enthusiastic member and district 
correspondent in the California Associated Raisin Company.