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 ERNEST SCHMITZ. � One of those who settled in Fresno County in the beginning of its advancement and with good business judgment and fore- sight elected to stay and grow in prosperity with the rapidly growing com- munity, Ernest Schmitz has been amply repaid for his early struggle, and has become identified with the progress and upbuilding of this section. Born in Nebraska City, Nebr., July 27, 1863, he later lived near David City, Butler County, on a farm, coming to California, in 1875, with his father. Peter, an older brother, and Gustav, had preceded them about four years. Mr. Ernest Schmitz located near Santa Ana, and worked on ranches and teaming. Later he followed teaming in Pasadena in its first upbuilding and development, and hauled brick for the new buildings that were being constructed at that boom period in Southern California. When the bottom fell out of it, in 1888, he and a friend starting for Seattle drove up the valley to Fresno, where Mr. Schmitz decided to locate and he has since made his home here. In debt when he arrived, he started to buy hay from the farmers and sell it in the courthouse square where the free market is now located. As his business grew he put on more teams and soon had four teams busy. Later he opened a hay and grain store on H and Fresno Streets, and carried on his growing business there for six years. During that time he had bought a city block, bounded by Fresno. Mariposa, D and E Streets. In 1906 he moved onto this block and erected warehouses and corrals, together with office buildings, and here he is still engaged in selling grain and hay, shipping to different pa.rts of Cali- fornia by the carload. Mr. Schmitz purchased 160 acres, nine miles south of Fresno, on Walnut Avenue, part of which was in alfalfa for three years, and later he plowed the land and planted eighty acres to vineyard, of the Thompson seed- less variety. He recently sold this holding at a good profit. He now owns two alfalfa ranches, one of fifty and one of eighty acres west of Fresno, on Belmont Avenue, 150 acres on the State Highway and a fig, olive and alfalfa ranch in Madera County. In former years he farmed grain on rented land, as high as 2,000 acres, on the Collins ranch, northeast of Clovis, on the San Joaquin River, and other parts of the county, running over sixty head of mules in his operations. Mr. Schmitz has also speculated in city real estate, buying two lots on Tulare Street near the Santa Fe depot for $1,700; later added two more lots to his purchase for the sum of $2,000, and in six years' time these lots were sold for $20,000, an example of the phenomenal advance in real estate in Fresno in recent years. In addition to his hay and grain business, Mr. Schmitz has been a large dealer in hogs, mules and horses. Mr. Schmitz in 1914 built his large modern residence at 207 Coast Street. The marriage of Mr. Schmitz united him with Ada Morgan, born in Wisconsin and four children were born to them; Vera, wife of William McAllister of Fresno; Cleone, graduate of the Fresno State Normal, was a teacher, now wife of Ben Brown of Fresno; Bertha, a graduate ot Fresno High School, now attending Cora Williams Institute, Berkeley; and Ernest, attending the Fresno High, all born in Fresno.