Tulare County
Biographies
RICE, J. W. B.
As farmer, cattleman and orange grower, J. W. B. Rice, whose activities center in the vicinity of Lemon Cove, has become well known throughout Tulare county. He is a native of Iowa, born December 30, 1860, who lived in his native state until he was eighteen years of age. At that time he set out to make his own way in the world, and Nebraska was the scene of his earlier independent labors. He had already had some experience as game collector for Central Park in New York City. After reaching Nebraska he found employment until the fall of 1882, when he went to Minnesota and thence back to Iowa. There he was employed three years collecting game for said Central Park, among them the Whooping Crane or American Ostrich which were worth about $30 apiece. In capturing these birds he had many enjoyable and interesting experiences and some that were more unpleasant at the time than they are as reminiscences of the past. In April, 1886, he came to California, and in 1889 he married Miss Cora Marks, a native of Iowa, who bore him several children: Charles James and Mary Clementine (twins); Pearl, aged nineteen; Roy, aged seventeen; Villa Frankie, Elmo D., Inez, Emma, Alice, Fern and Robert. Villa passed away, having been drowned when eighteen months old. Those of the younger children who are of the school age are acquiring education. Mr. Rice’s father, James Nicholas Rice, a native of Indiana, and his good wife are still living in Cherokee county, Iowa. Mrs. Rice’s parents descend from German ancestors; her father is dead, but her mother survives.
A year later he came to California, Mr. Rice, who had already begun in the cattle business, bought forty acres of land. He soon homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres and acquired another one hundred and sixty acres by purchase. Securing other tracts subsequently, he came in time to own six hundred acres. He has about twenty acres of oranges but devotes much of his attention to cattle. When he came to the county, a little more than a quarter of a century ago, there was no business but cattle raising and the inhabitants were all cattle men or cattlemen’s wives and children. In the development that has intervened he has had his full part, for his is public-spiritedly devoted to all affairs of the community. Politically he is a Socialist.
Mr. Rice is the pioneer orange grower of Tulare county. He took first prize at the Citrus Fair at Fresno, before the orange business of Tulare county had started, and in 1894 exhibited some beautiful oranges at the Palace Hotel at Visalia, which were the first oranges grown from budded trees to secure a premium in Tulare county. Mr. Rice is the manager of the Marx and Rice Co., growers and shippers of oranges, pomelos, limes and lemons; also nursery stock.
SOURCE: History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913 Pp 373, 374
Transcribed by: Craig A Hahn
AKIN, JAMES M.
The Akin family is an old English one and the American branch of it was established before 1700. Still other Akins have come over from England since, and it was from pilgrims and pioneers that James M. Akin, who lives near Springville, Cal., was brought down through Successive generations to his own. He was born in the state of New York in 1850, his mother dying at his birth, and in 1852 his father came overland to California. The boy was reared as a member of the family of an uncle in his native state, attended school there and did chores on the farm until he was eighteen years old. Then he came to California, where his father had preceded him by about sixteen years. Locating in Sacramento, he remained there about one year, then came to Tulare county. His life here began in 1870 and for two years thereafter his home was in the vicinity of Visalia. In 1880 he settled on his ranch of three hundred and twenty acres three miles from Springville. Early in his career here he engaged in stock-raising, in which he made so much success that he is considered one of the substantial men of his neighborhood. The confidence reposes by his fellow townsmen in his ability and intelligence is shown in the fact that they have conferred upon him for twenty years the honor of the office of school trustee.
Farming and stock-raising have not commanded all of Mr. Akin’s attention. He and his son Claude have twelve mining claims, which will be developed soon, and the latter has copper and zinc mines near Springville. In 1911 Mr. Akin started a nursery known as Akin’s nursery, which is devoted to the raising of oranges. He makes a specialty of Washington navels, of which he has twenty thousand two-year-old budded trees. In 1913 thirty thousand more will be planted, the new industry promising to become very important to this section. It was in 1880 that Mr. Akin married Sarah Hudson, who was born in California and who bore him five children, all of whom, except the youngest, are married. Their names are Claude, Lola, Lerta, Leeta and Melva. They are native children of California. All of them were born in Tulare county, and four of them were educated at Springville, and the fifth is being educated there. Their mother died February 2, 1911, and was buried near Springville. It will be interesting to note that Mr. Akin was induced to come to California in quest of health. In order to be in the open air as much as possible he spent his first six years in the state hunting in the woods and on the plains. He relates that within a comparatively short time he and his brother-in-law killed seven bears. He has literally grown up with the country, and being a man of public spirit has done much for the general welfare. Fraternally he is a member of the Court of Honor.
SOURCE: History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913 Pp 364, 367
Transcribed by: Craig A Hahn