Nielsen, Anton

Anton Nielsen was born in Jaaland, Denmark, on June 18, 1870, as the youngest child of Niels and Dorthe Nielsen. He immigrated to the United States and arrived in Fresno County, California, on January 6, 1890. Settling in the vicinity of Reedley, he acquired an eighty-acre property that he developed into a highly productive agricultural estate.

Anton reduced his holdings to forty acres, focusing on cultivating muscat and Thompson seedless grapes, peaches, and alfalfa. On December 16, 1902, he married Augusta Rasmussen, a fellow native of Jaaland, Denmark, with whom he had five children: Edith R., Anton M., Dorothy M., J. Verner, and Clara M. A supporter of cooperative farming, he held shares in the California Peach Growers Association and the California Associated Raisin Company while remaining an active member of the local Danish Lutheran Church.