Tulare County Biographies

R. E. WILDER

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

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

 
        R. E. Wilder, manager of the Giant Oak ranch, two miles west of Exeter, 
California, was born on a farm near Parsons, Kansas, in November, 1892. His 
father, John T. Wilder, was a native of Kentucky, and his mother, whose maiden 
name was Florence Derrick, was born in Texas. In 1903 the family came to 
California and settled on a farm in Tulare county. There Mrs. Wilder died, but 
her husband is still living and is active for a man of his years.
        R. E. Wilder received a public school education and at the age of 
sixteen years went to work for an irrigation company laying pipe lines. After a 
year of this he went to the Merriman ranch as pump man and was there for two 
years. He then spent a year in a Fresno garage and at the end of that time came 
to the Giant Oak ranch. His first work here was in loading cars, of which he was 
soon placed in charge. His promotion was rapid and it was not long until he was 
made manager of the ranch, then consisting of eight hundred and seventy acres of 
fruit bearing trees. A few years later the owners, Evan R. Pinkham and Frank E. 
McKevitt, divided the ranch and since then Mr. Wilder has been identified with 
the McKevitt interests. Mr. McKevitt, a capitalist of Sacramento, owns several 
pieces of property in the valley. Besides the ranch of three hundred and twenty 
acres at Exeter (one hundred and eight-five acres of which are in grapes), he 
owns sixty acres southwest of Farmersville and six hundred and forty acres at 
Delano, all of which is under Mr. Wilder's supervision.
        Mr. Wilder is a member of the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and his 
fraternal relations are with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He married 
Miss Sophie Bohnert and they have one daughter, Selma. Mrs. Wilder was born in 
San Diego but was reared in Tulare county.
 
Source:  History of Tulare County and Kings County, California � Kathleen 
Edwards Small & J. Larry Smith, Vol. II, Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing 
Company, 1926., p. 461