Mosesian, Moses Paul

Moses Paul Mosesian was born in Harpoot, Armenia, on June 17, 1894, before immigrating to the United States as a child to join his father, Paul Mosesian, who had settled in California after working in Boston shoe factories and attempting a journey to the Alaska gold fields. Educated in local public schools and Heald’s Business College, young Moses assumed superintendency of his father’s extensive 340-acre vineyard and ranch near Parlier in 1913. Under his management, the property flourished as a highly organized enterprise utilizing advanced machinery, extensive irrigation systems, and a large workforce to cultivate profitable grape and fruit varieties bordered by peach and Adriatic fig trees.

In 1914, Moses P. Mosesian married Miss Marie Merzoian of Fresno, with whom he raised two children, William and Lillian. Beyond managing the home ranch, he collaborated with his father in designing a major fireproof packing house and cold storage facility along the Santa Fe railroad in Fresno to protect their produce shipments to New England markets. A member of the California Associated Raisin Company and a Catholic in his religious faith, Moses established himself as a prominent figure in Fresno County viticulture while his family expanded their regional agricultural and packing operations.