Fresno County CA Archives Biographies.....Gonser, Noble Parker June 23, 1880 - May 3, 1943
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Steve Harrison raleighwood@juno.com May 16, 2011, 8:04 am

Source: History of Fresno County, California (1919)
Author: Paul E. Vandor

"N[oble] P[arker] GONSER.  One of the most progressive merchants and successful
young business men of Laton, Cal., is N. P. Gonser, the owner and manager of the
popular general merchandise store known as "Gonser's Department Store," 
located west of the Santa Fe Railway tracks, where he has been engaged in
business since the fire of July 4, 1911. N. P. Gonser is a Buckeye by birth,
born June 23, 1880, at Millersburg, Ohio, a son of the Rev. Albert Gonser, now the 
pastor of the German Reformed Church, at Mt. Carmel, Pa. His mother, who passed
away when he was sixteen years of age, was in maidenhood Susie Uhl, a descendant
of a very early family that settled in Philadelphia in 1680, on about 160 acres
of land that was granted them by William Penn. The land still belongs to the
descendants of the original owners but has been rented to the city of
Philadelphia for 100 years or more. 

Rev. Albert Gonser was married in Ohio and at the time of the birth of his son
N. P. Gonser, the subject of this review, he was a student attending the college
at Tiffin, Ohio. Later he took a course at the Theological Seminary at the same
place, which is now a branch of Heidelburg University. The Rev. Albert Gonser's
first charge was at West Salem, Ohio, and N. P. Gonser's first recollection of
his home is in connection with West Salem. Like most ministers' families the
Gonser family moved to various places so the childhood of N. P. was spent mostly
in Ohio and Pennsylvania where he received his early education which later he
supplemented by pursuing a course in the Eastman Business College, at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he finished a course in bookkeeping and related
branches. Mr. Gonser, being a very apt student, the faculty of the college
recommended him to the proprietors of the millionaires' resort, at Tuxedo Park,
N. Y., for the position of assistant bookkeeper which position he accepted and
filled for eighteen months. About this time he became obsessed with the idea of
engaging in the sheep business, and with this purpose in mind he left Tuxedo
Park for Great Falls, Mont., in 1901. Upon reaching his destination, he was
dissuaded from entering the sheep business, but was persuaded to remain and
accept the position of assistant bookkeeper with the firm of Stearn Brothers, at
Great Falls, a large department store. After eighteen months' service he left
for Bakersfield, Cal., where he made the acquaintance of the firm of Mosher & De
Caner Road Oiling Company, with whom he accepted a position, going as their
representative to Woodland, Cal., where he took charge of their work in
Stockton, Sacramento, Woodland, Marysville and Chico. At first the oil was
distributed by railway tank cars, and wagons but later was shipped by barge from
Point Richmond to points all along the Sacramento River, as far north as Colusa.
In the fall of 1905, Mr. Gonser took a review course in the Stockton Business
College, and soon thereafter became connected with the Automatic Sprinkler
Company, in the installation of sprinklers in various saw mills at Korbel,
Humboldt County, also at Stockton, Napa, and at Clovis, Fresno County, and in
San Francisco. In the latter part of 1906, Mr. Gonser accompanied his friend
Adolph Johnson, on a trip to Laton, Cal., to visit friends of Mr. Johnson.  So
favorably was he impressed by this section of the county that he decided to
remain and accepted a clerkship with T. E. and E. P. Blanchard, proprietors of a
general merchandise store at Laton, and for four and a half years efficiently
filled the position of clerk and buyer for the firm, remaining with them until
the fire of July 4, 1911. which consumed a large portion of the business
district of Laton. Following the fire he decided to purchase property and build
a store room and engage in business for himself. His capital at that time was
limited, but he possessed self-confidence and a determination to succeed. By
wise foresight Mr. Gonser chose the west side of the Santa Fe Railway for the
location of his future business, at Laton, and subsequent events have proved the
wisdom of his choice. He purchased sixteen lots and built a store on the corner
where he opened a general store and livery, where he now keeps a carefully
selected stock of groceries, hardware, crockery, dry goods, confectionery, and
also handles motor accessories, oil and gasoline. The store is especially well
located to supply the trade coming from the fertile country west of Laton,
including the Laguna. and Summit Lake districts. Mr. Gonser is a wide-awake,
enterprising, and progressive young business man, who has by strict integrity,
close attention to business and a square deal to all his patrons built up a
large and profitable business. His property and stock in the business and his
livery stable are now valued at $20,000, the greater portion of it being the
result of his business enterprise since opening his store. 

On June 23, 1908, Mr. Gonser was united in marriage with Miss Hazel Hemmer, from
Stockton, who came to Laton as bookkeeper for T. E. and E. P. Blanchard's store,
while Mr. Gonser was still in their employ. This happy union 
has been blessed with four children: Lester, Evelyn, Harold and Florence." END

Additional Comments:
Biography of Nobel Parker Gonser in Volume II on pages 2415-2416.

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