Merced County CA Archives Biographies.....Batten, Fay W. 1894 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 10, 2006, 4:34 am Author: John Outcalt (1925) FAY W. BATTEN Though comparatively a young man, Fay W. Batten has achieved very satisfactory results both in business and in farming, which have won for him the respect and confidence of the community where he has attained to positions of honor and trust. The son of Luther and Helen (Hermance) Batten, he is now the only living member of the family. A sketch of his father is given on another page in this history. Fay was born at Raymond, Nebr., on July 16, 1894 and when a babe in arms was brought to Dos Palos, Cal., and he attended the Reynolds Avenue school, then had two years in high school and one year at the College of the Pacific in San Jose. He was always associated with his father in business matters and some time before his father died he was managing the ranch. The father owned 160 acres, and this property is now owned by our subject and is devoted to alfalfa, dairying and gardening. From 1919 to 1922, Mr. Batten and Frank Allen were partners in a grocery in Dos Palos. Mr. Batten has been twice married. His first wife was Mabel E. Birkhead, born in Troy, Mo., on September 4, 1889, the daughter of Shapely and Mollie Birkhead, who brought their family to California in 1895 and settled in Tulare County. Their marriage was celebrated on June 18, 1913. They had three children born to them, only one now living, Fay Elizabeth. Mary Helen died in infancy and Luther Batten died on May 17, 1922, aged five years. The wife and mother passed away on December 21, 1918 and her loss was keenly felt by all who knew her. The second marriage of Mr. Batten, uniting him with Eleanore Sargent, took place on September 1, 1923. She is the daughter of John Emery and Elizabeth (Pitts) Sargent, natives of Ohio and California, respectively. Grandfather Pitts was an early settler in California, coming soon after the end of the Civil War. J. E. Sargent is a lumberman and has a yard at Upland, Cal., where he and his wife make their home. One sister, Mrs. Katherine Matthews, lives in San Francisco. Mrs. Batten was educated in Pomona College and taught school in Dos Palos prior to her marriage. Besides looking after his ranch interests, Mr. Batten is acting as agent for the Ford and Lincoln automobiles and the Fordson tractor. In 1922 he was elected a member of the Dos Palos Grammar School board and served as clerk. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and is non-partisan in his politics. For several years he did considerable work with the Boys' Agricultural Club and was active in the Farm Bureau. Mrs. Batten belongs to the Dos Palos Women's Improvement Club. Additional Comments: From: HISTORY OF MERCED COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH A Biographical Review 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 HISTORY BY JOHN OUTCALT ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 1925 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/merced/bios/batten669nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 3.5 Kb