Merced-San Joaquin-Stanislaus County CA Archives Biographies.....Halverson, John 1858 - ************************************************ 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 9, 2006, 12:41 am Author: John Outcalt (1925) JOHN HALVERSON The science of husbandry could find no representative more worthy than John Halverson, retired rancher of Snelling, who has met with success in the growing of grain. His history, as well as that of his forebears, is one telling of perseverance and struggle, coupled with honesty and resulting in prosperity. He was born at Boney Prairie, Wisconsin, March 30, 1858, the eldest of the five children of Oliver and Christine (Johnson) Sorenson, both natives of Norway. The grandparents were among the earliest Norwegian immigrants to Wisconsin, and they brought with them their respective families. John Halverson's maternal grandparents and his own parents were among a number of Wisconsin people who came to California in 1861 in a train of 100 wagons, and they were en route nine months. His grandparents had two five-yoke teams of fine oxen. During the early part of the journey Grandfather Johnson became ill and it was thought he could not survive the trip. His wife drove the other five-yoke team the entire way from Wisconsin. His death occurred at Stockton, Cal., soon after they arrived. John Halverson's mother, Christine Sorenson, divorced her husband and married Ole Halverson, a native of Norway, who proved to be a generous, kind-hearted stepfather and husband. He had a son by a former marriage, and thus their family was increased to six children, all of whom were reared to maturity in California. John took his step-father's name, as did all of the children. During the flood of 1861 the family lived in Stockton and were forced to vacate their home, which was made of adobe, and seek higher ground. Mr. Halverson owned and operated a claim and silver mine near Silver City during 1862 and 1863. John Halverson received a good education at Stockton, Adamsville and Paradise City, in Stanislaus County. In 1867 the family moved to Stanislaus County, where the parents died in their home at Adamsville in 1869. The countryside was open and unfenced, and only a very few years before their arrival the plains were thickly inhabited by elk and antelope. The native fiber grass was cut and harvested by the settlers for hay for several seasons, and this region was known as "the pocket country." After the death of his parents John Halverson went to live in the home of a friend of his parents at Paradise City, where for five years he was subjected to a life of torment and treacherous handling, with no privileges and the hardest kind of labor. He then entered the employ of a rancher in 1874, and drew his first wages at Adamsville; and by continuing steadily until 1881, he was able to take the responsibility of leasing land on his own account, on which he put in a crop, and with fair results during the ensuing years made his start. In 1886 he moved to Merced County, and since that year his residence has been within a four-mile circle of Snelling. He was always engaged in the growing of cereal grains and at times has operated 3500 acres, raising large crops of wheat and barley. In addition, he raised all the work stock he used, and always had some to sell each year. In 1899 he purchased 418 acres three miles northwest of Snelling, where he built his home. In 1921 he sold all but eighty acres of his ranch, but later bought back forty acres. His first investment had been in 1893, when he bought and sold forty acres, south of Merced. On his present ranch of 120 acres he has erected a group of buildings, including a fine modern residence, and here he lives with his wife, renting out a portion of his land. The ability of Mr. Halverson as a horseman may best be told by mentioning the work accomplished by him in various places. His teams were used in hauling pile timbers from Merced in the construction of the Yosemite Valley Railroad, for which he received three dollars per ton, the contract running over a period of three months; and he did his share in building the railroad from Merced Falls to Merced, which was finished in 1906. At one time he owned ninety-five head of work stock. In his operations on the West Side, in the fall of 1906, his teams were used with others by the Associated Oil Pipe Line Company, from Mendota to the Coalinga fields, and he was three months on this job. In 1896 he drove a team of eighteen animals into Hornitos, drawing three wagons loaded with machinery for the mines. Besides the regular ranch routine work, every season after harvest, until 1906, his teams were to be seen on the county roads in transporting grain to Nelson's mill at Merced Falls, or to Turlock. His brother owned and operated one of the earliest harvesters ever used in Merced County, and Mr. Halverson worked on it several seasons, later owning one of his own. His uncle, widely known at "Bale Rope" Johnson, was a pioneer teamster and, being a world-wide traveler, wrote the interesting book "Journey Around the World"; he passed away at his home in San Jose, Cal. The Modesto Herald frequently published interesting articles prepared by him. In Adamsville, on June 17, 1883, John Halverson married Miss Sarah Jane Grayston, born in Pennsylvania in 1866, the twelfth in order of birth of fourteen children born to Robert and Ellen Burt Grayston, natives of England and Scotland, respectively. This family came to California about 1868, being preceded by the father two years. Mr. Grayston was a farmer in the Adamsville and Westport districts and died aged sixty-three. His widow was accidentally killed when she was seventy-four. Mrs. Halverson received a good education at the Westport school, and prefers the great open spaces, having been reared and haying always lived on ranches. Mr. and Mrs. Halverson have seven children, six of whom are living. Henry lives in Merced; Oliver died in 1919 at Snelling, being survived by his widow and twin sons; LeRoy B., of Modesto, is a partner with his brother Charles, the firm being known as Halverson Brothers, building contractors; Mae Harder, of Modesto, has two daughters; Clara Hannos resides in Merced; Charles, of Modesto, is a building contractor; and Bessie Geary, of Snelling, has one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Halverson have twelve grandchildren, the eldest of whom is a student in the Merced Union High School. Mr. Halverson is a public-spirited citizen and a good mixer. He served as a school trustee from 1887 to 1899 in the Snelling district; and he holds membership in Willow Lodge, I. O. O. F., having belonged to this lodge for the past thirty-two years, and is also a member and Past Chief Patriarch of the Encampment. Both Mr. and Mrs. Halverson are active in the Rebekah Lodge, and have been delegates to the Grand Lodge. Mr. Halverson was District Deputy in 1923, and he holds the office of treasurer of the Rebekah and Odd Fellows Lodges, and is a member of the Veteran Odd Fellows at Fresno. 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/halverso218gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 7.7 Kb