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 JOHN H. FUNCH.� A very interesting and worthy old-timer in Cali- fornia, the story of whose, life, with its numerous narrow escapes, runs like a veritable romance, is John H. Funch, who came to the Golden State in 1869. He was born at Bornholm, Denmark, on August 30. 1855, the son of P. G. Funch who was a sailor and a ship-carpenter by trade. In 1847 the elder Funch sailed with a Spanish ship around the Horn, and at San Fran- cisco he left the vessel and made for the interior. At Sutter's Mill he helped construct the water wheel, and so he was present at the time when John Marshall discovered gold in the mill-race. He engaged in placer mining with great success, until he acquired over $30,000; his shipmate and fellow-car- penter, Hans Munk, had as much more. The Spaniard who owned the grant returned from Mexico, had them arrested and brought to San Francisco where the court released them, deciding that one could dig gold where it was found. Hans Munk sat at a gaming-table, and staked what he had, and � unusually, perhaps � doubled his small fortune. P. G. Funch started for his old home in Denmark, once more sailing around the Horn, but it was two years more before Hans Munk returned. Arriving safely home, P. G. Funch bought a large farm, and managed it until he died. In time, his good wife. Nora Sode, also passed away in their comfortable, hard-won home, the mother of twelve children, among whom John H., now the only one in California, was the second oldest. John H. was reared in Denmark until he was fourteen years of age, dur- ing which time he attended the thorough Danish schools ; but having two uncles in San Francisco, he left his native land, a mere boy, and crossed the ocean and the great American continent. Arrived in San Francisco, he resumed his schooling, but one day in the classroom proved enough for his nerves, and so he quit and made off for Sacramento. There he commenced to work out at different jobs, but he soon went to Virginia City, Nev., where he secured five dollars a day at mining in the Comstock and Yellow Jacket mines, on an eight-hour shift. Even at ten dollars a day, the wear and tear proved too much ; he broke down and had to quit. His next work was in Washoe upon a big flume, but there he contracted rheumatism. He then went to Unionville and Hot Springs and there recovered. Taking to stage- driving, he ran the mountain stage from Unionville to Winnemucca station, thirty-five miles, receiving for his services $125 a month. But again he was afflicted with rheumatism, and he was forced to return to San Francisco and resume doctoring. Fortunately, he found a physician who was able to effect relief and he recovered, in the meantime taking a trip to Honolulu. In 1872, Mr. Funch came to the San Joaquin Valley, into what was then called Fresno, but is now Madera County. He worked on the Friedlander ranch for a year, and then helped to construct a flume to Madera. When this was completed, he engaged in farming, taking up a preemption claim near Borden ; then he bought land and raised grain. He built up a big agricul- tural enterprise, and had an extensive outfit. He bought additional land at SI. 50 an acre, until he had four sections, of 640 acres each, or 2,560 acres. The first great crop he shipped to Contra Costa, but it had no sooner arrived there than it was burned in a big warehouse fire, and he suffered a total loss. He therefore let the land go and abandoned farming. Then he came to Fresno and began to contract for leveling and ditching, along with Hank Horn. He also engaged in threshing and harvesting. He helped build the San Joaquin ditch, and took 240 acres for pay. When the Church Canal went through, it was located on his land, but the ditch did not pan out successfully, crops failed, and he lost out again. On September 25, 1891, Mr. Funch married, at Fresno, Mary Bergman, who was born at Lulao Norlan, Sweden, and then he located on his present place, beginning with twenty acres in the Parent Colony No. 2. Mrs. Funch was the daughter of Adolph and Carrie (Hjemdal) Bergman, and her father was a sea-captain, who sailed in the coasting trade and on the Mediterranean, and who went down with his ship off the coast of Spain. The bereaved wife, her mother, still resides at the old home, the mother of three devoted children, of whom Mrs. Funch is the second oldest. In September, 1881, she came to Burlington, Iowa, to an uncle, then after a stay in Illinois, moved west to Nebraska. During the boom year she reached San Diego, and on April 10, 1891, came north to Fresno. The land Mr. Funch bought was hogwallow, that had never been plowed, and he first plowed and later leveled it. He improved it as a vineyard and an orchard, and built a fine residence and the usual barns and outbuildings. Since then he bought other land adjoining. He had seventy acres, but he sold twenty, and now has fifty, five miles north of Fresno. About twenty acres are laid out as a vineyard, and eight acres as orchard, while the balance is given up to alfalfa and pasture. For a while he had a small dairy. He has a fine pumping-plant, as well as water from the Enterprise Ditch. Always keenly interested in everything that pertains to progress, Mr. Funch takes an active part in the California Associated Raisin Company. Eight children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Funch : Helga is Mrs. Wilmath, and resides at Fresno ; J. P. was in the United States Army, serving overseas in the Three Hundred Sixteenth Engineers Train, Ninety^ first Division, being in the battles of Saint Mihiel, Meuse, Argonne and Lys ; Mamie is a graduate of the Fresno State Normal, and is teaching in the Wolters school ; Allen served in the aviation and signal corps of the United States Army ; Edward and Fred are assisting in the ranch work ; and there are Frank and William. The family is noted for its neighborliness and its genuine hospitality. Mr. Funch has shown himself to be a public-spirited citizen, ever willing to serve his fellow citizens, for some years serving as school trustee in the Houghton district. In national politics, he is a Democrat, but he believes that in local affairs party lines should be disregarded, and he has done what he could to make a united community, wherein each is interested in its advancement. It may not always be easy to get Mr. Funch to talk about the stirring events connected with himself and his adventurous father, but when he does, he always has a good story to tell. One of these is the stage-robbery that occurred when he was driving the bus. He recognized the robbers as Union- ville gamblers and promptly reported them ; but political pull prevented their getting their just deserts. The gamblers then swore that they would "get" him on the next trip, and such a fate was averted only by the alertness of Mr. Benson, the Wells Fargo agent, and the post master, who started him out of town at midnight, hours in advance, so that he went through safely. Sad to relate, the driver who took his place the next day was killed on the run !