North, Benjamin

Benjamin North was born in Quebec, Canada, on November 6, 1879, to parents who relocated him to Fresno, California, as a young child following his father’s early death. After attending Fresno public schools, he spent his young adulthood gaining diverse work experience, including five years in Eastern Canadian pulp mills where he married his wife, Eva Masters. Following various roles across Nevada and Washington with power companies and general trades, he returned to Fresno County to enter the mercantile business, eventually purchasing a general merchandise store in Clotho.

Transitioning from his early career in industrial paper-pulp mills and utility operations, Mr. North ultimately established himself as a prominent local merchant in Lone Star, Fresno County. He successfully built up and managed the sole general merchandise store in Lone Star, leveraging his extensive travels and natural aptitude for customer relations to cultivate a thriving business. Alongside his business endeavors, he raised three children, Wilmuth, Helen, and Billy, while maintaining strong ties to the Fresno community where his mother, Mary Thomas North, also resided.