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


CLAYTON WESLEY TODD. � A progressive horticulturist and viti- 
culturist whose good wife is also widely known for her experience and per- 
sonality, is Clayton Wesley Todd, who came to Fresno County in the early 
nineties. He was born in Indianola, Iowa, on October 24, 1871, the son of 
William Franklin Todd, who was born in Nashville, Tenn. He removed to 
Scott, Ill., and was married to Emma Bryan, after which, in 1866, he went 
to Iowa, and farmed near Indianola. He improved some Government land 
and made his home there until he died. His wife also died there, the mother 
of eight children, two of whom are living. Charles is the second youngest 
of the family, and the only one in California. 

He was brought up on a farm in Iowa until he was eighteen years of age, 
and attended both the public schools and Simpson's College. After another 
year on the farm, he came west to California in 1891 and located in Fresno 
County where he followed grain farming and worked a large grain ranch, for 
five years, for J. E. Dickenson. He owned a ranch at the Scandinavian Colony 
and for eight years engaged in the raising of peaches and raisins. He was 
also foreman of the Balfour Guthrie ranch at Sanger and at Strathmore and 
he did the first surveying and leveling for them, and set out the first orange 
grove at Strathmore. Then he went back to the Sanger ranch and continued 
with them for fourteen years. 

While there he bought eighty acres of land at Strathmore and eighteen 
months later he sold the same at a good profit. After that, he bought land 
west of Strathmore and also sold that at a good profit. In 1916 he bought his 
present place, twenty acres on Clinton and Chittenden Avenues, which he 
devoted to Muscat vines. In November, 1918, he resigned from his position 
with Balfour Guthrie in order to give all his attention to his own business 
for besides his ranching, he is engaged in contracting, painting and white- 
washing, using a Bean power spraying machine to apply cement and cold 
water paint. 

On March 25, 1894, Mr. Todd was married at Fresno to Miss Mary 
Edna Yount, who was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of D. W. 
Yount, a farmer residing four miles out of Des Moines. He came from Indi- 
ana in 1852, when ten years old, with his parents to Iowa. He died at Nor- 
walk. Iowa. Mrs. Yount was Miss Sarah A. Egbert before her marriage, 
and she was born in Ohio. She died in Iowa, the mother of three children. A 
brother, Frank Yount, was an early settler of Fresno and noted as a bus- 
iness man. Mrs. Todd came here in 1892. She is the mother of five children. 
James L., who enlisted in the National Guard and served on the border in 
Mexico until he was honorably discharged. Again enlisting for the World 
War in the same company a few days before war was declared and becoming 
a sergeant in 159th Infantry of the Fortieth Division of the United States 
Army, and served overseas. After the armistice was signed, he returned to 
San "Francisco where he was discharged April 30, 1919. with the rank of 
sergeant. He is now in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Fresno. 
Isabelle is Mrs. Swenson, of Clovis ; Mary Alice, now Mrs. Merle Marple of 
Dinuba, and Laurence M., who is at home, are twins; and Josephine, also 
at home, attends the high school. Mrs. Todd is a member of the Chirstian 
Science Church. 

Mr. Todd served for some time on the Board of Trustees of the Sanger 
Union High School, and he is a member of the California Peach Growers, Inc., 
and a member and stockholder in the California Associated Raisin Company. 
He is now a trustee of the Greenville school district. He also belongs to 
Camp '60 of the Woodmen of the World of Fresno.