Page, John

John Page was born in 1868 in Dunedin, New Zealand, to Scottish parents James Page, a stonemason and contractor, and Jane Hunter. He attended local grammar schools and the Otago High School before spending two years working in the spice department of a grocery establishment. Seeking new opportunities, he immigrated to California in 1888 via San Francisco, briefly worked on a breakwater project at the Columbia River Bar in Oregon, and then settled in Fresno to pursue viticulture. In Fresno, he served as foreman for Captain Neville’s vineyard and the Margherita Vineyard, establishing himself as a skilled viticulturist and wine-maker. Following a year and a half spent prospecting in Dawson in the Klondyke region starting in the spring of 1901, he returned to Fresno to join the California Wine Association.

After working at the Smith Mountain Winery and the Eisen Vineyard, Page was appointed superintendent of the California Wine Association’s Fresno vineyard and winery, which specialized in sweet wines such as sherry and port. On August 24, 1911, he married Mrs. May (Roland) Cooper in San Francisco, a San Jose native educated at Notre Dame Academy and the Academy of the Immaculate Heart in Hollister, and the daughter of Santa Clara Valley pioneers Patrick and Mary Fogarty. Together, they raised four children named Claire Cooper, James Hunter, Jack Roland, and Mary Jane Page, while hosting May’s mother in their household. In political matters, Page supported the Republican party while his wife backed the Democrats, with both actively participating in local civic affairs in Fresno.