Yolo-Santa Barbara County CA Archives Biographies.....Sanders, George W. 1867 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 10, 2005, 1:52 pm

Author: Tom Gregory

GEORGE W. SANDERS

    A goodly number of competent judges assert that in his knowledge of the
nursery business Mr. Sanders is unsurpassed by any resident of Northern
California, but that gentleman himself with accustomed modesty always disclaims
any skill beyond that possessed by many other nurserymen. Be that as it may,
certain it is that he has devoted years of laborious application to the business
and through unflagging devotion to its demands has risen to a place of
independence. It may also be stated that he is familiar with every phase of
fruit culture. Many discouragements have met his ambitious endeavors to promote
the industry in his own community and often obstacles have appeared to retard
his personal progress, but ultimately a determined will and an untiring industry
have enabled him to override hardships that would have daunted many others.

    The youthful years of Mr. Sanders were passed uneventfully at Allegan,
Mich., where he was born June 22, 1867, and where he received a public school
education. Leaving home in 1886, he came to California to make his own way in
the world and since he was a youth of nineteen he has known no home save in Yolo
county. Immediately after his arrival he found employment with a nurseryman
(having worked in a nursery from a boy in Michigan), and in this way his
attention was called to the possibilities of the business in California, which
he liked so well that he chose it for his life work. Nor has he had any reason
to regret his choice of an occupation, for he has met with gratifying success.
For five years he remained in the employ of B. F. Godfrey, who conducted a
nursery business on the Chiles ranch, and it was during that era when he laid
the foundation of his present broad and comprehensive knowledge of the industry.
During 1892-93 he had sixty acres in nursery on the land now occupied by the
state farm at Davis.

   Upon the acquisition of the title to forty-seven acres in the vicinity of
Davis, Mr. Sanders planted twenty-five acres to almond trees and embarked in
that business, besides which he managed a nursery of forty acres on the old
Cooley ranch. On the George W. Pierce ranch he planted the Fancher creek nursery
and also had twenty acres of the property devoted to nursery stock of his own,
having a contract with the company to furnish to them two hundred and fifty
thousand trees annually. It was largely through his persuasions that the company
was induced to remove here from Fresno, and their investment has been helpful to
local interests, as well as satisfactory to themselves. Mr. Sanders has fifty
acres in nursery stock on the LaRue ranch (about six hundred thousand trees) and
he has supplied smaller nurseries with stock for years, but his specialty is the
shipment in carload lots of the stock throughout California and Oregon. Great
care is taken with all consignments. No pains are spared to give satisfaction to
purchasers and few complaints are received from the recipients of the trees,
while, on the other hand, words of commendation are frequent.

    The home of Mr. Sanders is presided over by his wife, whom he married in
Santa Barbara October 15, 1907, and who was Miss Virginia Klays, a native of
Davis. She is a daughter of Frederick Klays, who came to California during young
manhood and settled in Yolo county. For some time he engaged as a bookkeeper
with Driesbach & Co., of Davis, and he also served with efficiency as justice of
the peace. Various fraternal organizations have had the benefit of the
enthusiastic co-operation of Mr. Sanders, who has been active especially with
the Knights of Pythias and serves the local lodge as past chancellor. His
identification with various degrees of Masonry enables himself and wife to
participate in the activities of the Eastern Star and they have been prominent
in its executive and philanthropic enterprises, Mrs. Sanders holding the office
of past matron in the local chapter.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO 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

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


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