Imperial County, CA Biographies

Transcribed by Sally Kaleta, January, 2007.

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



ROY KELLERSTRAUS
 
 
                    One of the prominent and influential citizens of Imperial 
County is Roy Kellerstraus, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Kellerstraus is the 
distributor throughout the Valley for the Sperry Flour Company and has acted in 
this capacity since 1915. Mr. Kellerstraus came to Imperial County during May, 
1913, and was born at Peoria, Illinois, February 19, 1886, a son of Richard and 
Susan (Race) Kellerstraus. The father of Mr. Kellerstraus died when the subject 
of this review was but a boy. The mother is at present residing in Peoria. Mr. 
Kellerstraus received his education in the public schools of Peoria and 
graduated from high school in 1904. He then secured employment with Block & 
Kuhl, department store owners in Peoria, where he remained for three and 
one-half years. Later Mr. Kellerstraus came to Riverside County, where he took 
charge of a twenty-acre orange ranch for his stepfather, T. W. Hill, in which 
capacity he worked for two years. For six months he was connected with a 
reclamation company in the Mojave Desert. Returning east to Peoria, Mr. 
Kellerstraus again affiliated with those of his stepfather and acted as a 
salesman in the wholesale fruit and produce business for two years. From Peoria, 
Mr. Kellerstraus came to Imperial County, and upon his arrival in the Valley 
engaged with R. R. Snow in the poultry business, acting as a buyer. During this 
period he was secretary of the Imperial Valley Bee Keepers' Association, which 
position he resigned for the purpose of establishing himself in the business of 
producing and buying for the honey market. At present Mr. Kellerstraus continues 
to carry on this undertaking, acting as the largest individual shipper of honey 
in the Valley. Politically Mr. Kellerstraus votes for the best man. He is a 
member of the Knights of Pythias, Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan, Pythian 
Sisters and Independent Order of Foresters. He was married at Calexico, February 
19, 1914, to Miss Sophie Crawford, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James K. Crawford. 
Mr. Crawford is a rancher near Calexico. As the result of this union two 
children have been born: Virginia Lee, died in infancy and is buried in 
Evergreen Cemetery; and Mary Ann, born in El Centro.
 
Source; "The History of Imperial County, California," Elms and Franks Publ. Co., 
1918, pp.484-485.