Kings County
Biographies
GEORGE F. KEIFFER
was born in Virginia, June 11, 1836, son of Joseph and Phebe (Campbell) Keiffer, the former of German extraction and a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter a native of Virginia. In the family were seven children, he being the second born. Until he was six years old they lived in Virginia, and at that time moved to Missouri, where he was reared and educated, and where he remained until 1853, when he came to California.
After his arrival in this State, Mr. Keiffer worked for wages at Half Moon Day [sic] and other places, until 1863. In 1867 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Rhoads, a native of Santa Clara County, California, their nuptuals [sic] being celebrated at the home of her father, Mr. Daniel Rhoads (see his history in this book). They settled in San Mateo County, and their union was blessed with nine children, all of whom are living, namely: Sarah J., wife of Jesse Esrey, Ruth A., wife of F. March; Martin D., Mary A., wife of John Kurtz, Dora E., Hugh H., Alice C., George M. and Bertha I.
From her father, Mrs. Keiffer received a ranch of 240 acres, near Lemoore, to which they moved in 1884, and on which they built a comfortable residence, where they now reside. Mr. Keiffer is chiefly engaged in wheat raising. On one occasion he harvested from forty acres of land, twenty-three sacks of wheat to the acre, each sack weighing 145 pounds.
He is an industrious and reliable citizen, and in politics is a Democrat.
Memorial and Biographical History of the counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California
Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892 p. 699-700
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
HON. WALTER SCOTT CUNNINGHAM
was born in New Jersey, April 16, 1837. His father, William Cunningham, a native of the island of Guernsey, was married and came to the United States in 1830. He lived for a time in New Jersey, and subsequently moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his son Walter S. was reared and educated.
Young Cunningham learned the trade of iron worker, was industrious, saved his money, and afterward engaged in cola mining in Trumbull County, Ohio; later removed to Buffalo and was superintendent of the coal mines for several years. In 1862 he married Miss Martha Hoffman, a native of Ohio, and a sister of Judge Hoffman, formerly of that State, and now of Pasadena, California.
The failing of his own and his wife’s health caused him to sell out his interests in the East and come to California, which he did in 1879. A mile north of the village of Lemoore, he purchased twenty-seven acres of unimproved land, and at once began the work of building and planting. At this writing he has an attractive home and a productive fruit ranch, keeps a few Jersey cows, and does enough work to give him an appetite. Out-door exercise in this genial, sunny clime has greatly improved his health, and he feels fully satisfied with the results of his labor.
Mr. Cunningham is a man of marked ability, possesses a well-poised brain, and has the power of expressing his ideas clearly and rapidly. He formerly affiliated with the Republican party, but left it on the tariff question. He now votes with the Democrats, holding liberal and independent views. In 1890 he was run on the Democratic ticket for the State Legislature, made a strong campaign for economy and reform, and was elected by a handsome majority. In the Legislature he did his duty in an able and conscientious manner, carrying out the ideas urged in his campaign; was a strong advocate of the Australian Ballot Bill, was on the committee of Ways and Means, and also the committee on Claims.
Memorial and Biographical History of the counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California
Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892 p. 700-701
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler