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 WILLIAM MICHAEL GLAVES.� A successful and prominent farmer of Fresno County who enjoyed an equally enviable reputation as an agricul- turist in Missouri, is William Michael Glaves, who has one of the finest farm residences in Fresno County outside of Fresno City. He was born near La Grange, Lewis County, Mo., on July 3, 1857, the son of David N. Glaves, who was born near Falmouth, Ky., in 1819. Grandfather Michael Glaves was a major in the War of 1812, and afterwards, while major at a general muster in 1823, was accidentally killed through being thrown from his horse. The Glaves family came from Virginia to Kentucky as pioneers of Scotch-Irish descent; the "father was a farmer in Kentucky and married Nancy A. Wallace, also a native of Kentucky. Grandfather Graham Wallace was of Scotch de- scent and moved from Kentucky to Missouri; the mother was a cousin of General Lew Wallace. The father moved to Lewis County, Mo., in the spring of 1857, and bought a farm there; and he died on August 16, 1888. The mother died at the old home in 1901. She had seven children, and William Michael was the fifth in the order of birth. James H. died at La Belle, Mo., on March 18, 1917; Elizabeth J. resides at La Belle; John N. is in Lewiston, Lewis County. Mo. ; Martha, now Mrs. Joseph Carman, is at the same place ; as is also Robert G. ; and D. G. Glaves is at the old home at Ewing. Reared on a farm, William attended the public schools and the Christian University of Canton, Mo., and then remained home to engage in farming. He rented land and went in for grain and stock ; and he got such a successful start that he was able to buy a farm seven miles south of Lewiston. Later he bought another farm and had cattle and hogs, and he leased still other farm lands. He became a large feeder of cattle and hogs, and shipped to St. Louis and Chicago; he also went in for raising horses and mules. When he started, he and his brother rented sixty acres of land and began to feed hogs ; he bought hogs at four cents a pound and made the weight 270; and he sold at six and a half and seven cents a pound, and was successful. The following vear they rented seventy acres, and at the end of two years bought 160 acres. They fed two loads of cattle and 130 hogs the first season and after nine years of partnership, they dissolved. In 1914, Mr. Glaves traded his home place for fort}- acres at Tranquillity and property in Fresno, Cal., and came to Kerman ; and later he traded 160 acres for eighty acres in Empire devoted to alfalfa. He engaged in stock- raising and set out forty-two and a half acres in Thompson seedless, for which he paid $14,600. He improved it, and in 1918 sold it at good profit. Mr. Glaves still owns property in Fresno. In 1918 he bought for a home his present place, twenty acres at the corner of Shields and Thompson ave- nues, and set out much of it to Thompson seedless grapes ; and he built his handsome residence in Mission style, and made it one of the finest residences in this section. At La Belle, Mo., Mr. Glaves was married to Miss Annie Rosalie John- ston, a native of Carroll County, Mo., and the daughter of Elisha Johnston, who was born in Ohio. When thirteen he came to Missouri and served in the Union Army during the Civil War; then he came to California, where he was a grain farmer near Monmouth. After fifteen years he returned to Mis- souri, and lived there about twelve years ; then he came to California and to Phoenix, Ariz., and on July 22, 1918, he died at Oakland. He married Mary J. Walker, a native of Ohio, who now resides in Stockton. In all these years he made four different trips to California and spent the winters here. Mrs. Glaves was educated in the Monmouth public schools and attended an acad- emy at Eldon. Seven children were born to this favored couple, and of these six are living, Viola Mary having died when she was four months old. The others are: Leona Gladys, who married Wilhelm Hansen on June 1, 1919, and resides in Kerman ; Doris Elizabeth, who attends the Kerman high school ; Robert Wallace ; Vera Irene ; William Michael, Jr. ; and Mildred Lucile. The family attend the Baptist Church ; and in matters of national politics, Mr. Glaves is a Socialist. He is a member of the California Associated Raisin Company and is a supporter of all public enterprises that help build up the county. He was a member of the Grange in Missouri, also of the Farmers' Alliance there.