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 CONRAD NILMEIER. � A prosperous and successful rancher and raisin grower of Fresno County, Conrad Nilmeier has reached an assured position in life solely through his own efforts and industry and his business sagacity. He was born near Saratov, on the Volga River, in Russia. September 7, 1877, where his father. Philip Nilmeier, was a grain farmer and lived in that 300- year-old German Colony in Russia. Philip married Mary Folmer, also born in Russia, and they became the parents of twelve children, nine born in Russia and three in California, and four of them now living: Peter, a rancher near Locan, Fresno County ; Conrad, of this sketch ; Adam, proprietor of the Liberty Garage on G Street. Fresno; and Mary, wife of Joe Forhan, of Fresno. When Conrad was a lad of nine years he came with his parents to Cal- ifornia -direct from Russia; seven Russian families, among them the Nil- meiers, landed at Fresno in 1887, and were the first Russian families to settle in Fresno County. The father worked as hod carrier for the old contractor, Joe Spinney, and carried a hod for the masons and also the plasterers in building the Hughes Hotel. He later engaged in the livery business in Fresno, and built up and became owner of the West Side Livery and Feed Stables, using fourteen lots and extensive barns and hitching sheds. Conrad had to work out. and started his business career as a delivery boy for the Fair crockery store, on Tulare Street, owned by Paul Borchardt ; at sixteen he worked on the section for the Southern Pacific railway, continuing for two years. He attended a private night school in Fresno for six months while in his nineteenth year, and before that had only attended night schools ; his education has largely been acquired through work, business and general reading. When nineteen years old the young man began working in the livery stable for his father, and when twenty-four, after his marriage, he bought i nit the stock of horses and vehicles and rented the property, and ran the West Side Livery and Feed Stables for eight years ; lie began with twelve livery horses and quit in 1010 with sixty, while he fed and kept as many as 200 head of horses and was then running the largest livery and feed business in Fresno. While thus engaged, he looked forward to the time when he might own a ranch of his own, and in 1906 bought his present ranch; the following year he borrowed money on the property and improved it to vines and trees; comprising 160 acres, the property up to that time had been in grain field with the exception of sixty acres, which had been planted to Muscats (twenty acres). Thompson seedless, a like acreage, and the same to peaches. The balance Mr. Nilmeier has planted to raisin grapes and peaches, plums and apricots, and twelve and one-half acres to Malagas. He built a comfortable home, barns and other out-buildings necessary to the conduct of his ranch- ing operations, and has installed a pumping-plant with twenty-five horse- power engine and has laid 10,000 feet of cement pipe for irrigation purposes, making his ranch one of the most productive in the De Wolf district. In the summer of 1918 he sold eighty acres of the property to J. E. and A. M. Snook, retaining the half upon which his home and main improvements are located. Mr. Nilmeier perfected a process for bleaching and curing Thompson seed- less grapes which converts them into the quality known as the White Valen- cias, and this process he has kept up for ten years, curing 900 tons in that period. He has been very successful in his operations and helped organize and is a stockholder in the California Raisin Association, also in the peach, apricot and prune associations. The marriage of Mr. Nilmeier, on November 20, 1900, united him with Miss Emma Schwab ; her death occurred in 1908, leaving seven children ; Alexander, of Merced; Minnie; Ora ; Alice; Gertrude; Benjamin; Rosa died at four months. The second marriage of Mr. Nilmeier united him with Miss Annie Schwab, a sister of his first wife, born in Fresno, the daughter of Vin- cent Joseph and Minnie (Ziebarth) Schwab, who were married in Nebraska and came to California in 1889; they are now living retired in Fresno. By the second union there are two children: Theodore E., and Herbert P. Mr. and Mrs. Nilmeier are members of the German Lutheran Church of Fresno, and helped in the erection of the fine church building on L and Ventura streets. They are patriotic and loyal citizens of the county and aided in all the drives during the late war, as well as in other civic duties, doing their share toward the upbuilding of the community.