Moline, William O.

William O. Moline was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 7, 1864, to Oliver Moline and Hannah Peterson, who were both natives of Sweden. Raised and educated in his hometown, he assisted his father in the family grocery store on Wells Street before learning the carriage painter trade. He later spent eighteen years working as a paint maker for the Wadsworth-Holland Paint Company factory in Chicago.

In 1010, William moved to Fresno County, California, to care for his aging father in a milder climate and take charge of their fifty-acre ranch in the Vinland district along the San Joaquin River. On this well-improved property, he focused his time and efforts primarily on horticulture and stock-raising. Married in Milwaukee to Anna Lake of St. Louis, Missouri, with whom he had a daughter named Marie Elizabeth, he remained an active member of the local Lutheran Church in Fresno.