Possons, William J.

William J. Possons was born at Ballston Spa, New York, on November 5, 1855, to a local farming family. After graduating from the academic high school in Auburn, he served as a shop foreman and later spent fifteen years as superintendent of the Brush Electric Works in Cleveland, Ohio. He eventually entered banking as an auditor for the Garfield Savings Bank, but severe overwork impaired his health and prompted his relocation to California in 1908. Choosing Fresno County for his retirement, he purchased an eighty-acre ranch on Belmont Avenue east of Fresno, where he built a modern home and converted the existing vines to muscat, Malaga, and Thompson seedless grapes.

On December 30, 1879, William married Mary J. Conner in Auburn, New York, where her parents, Joseph and Mathilda Conner, had settled after emigrating from Belfast, Ireland. The couple raised three children named Martha Adla, Milton Howlet, and Marion Elida. A devoted member of the Presbyterian Church and an active Republican, William passed away at his home on April 10, 1917. Following his death, his widow and son Milton successfully maintained the family vineyard while actively supporting regional agricultural organizations like the California Associated Raisin Company.