Rathmann, Theodore

Theodore Rathmann, born in Brovst, Jylland, Denmark, on February 16, 1884, was a skilled blacksmith who became a well-known businessman in Tranquillity, Fresno County. The youngest of six children born to Carl Ludvig and Johanna Marie (Petersen) Rathmann, he learned his trade through a three and one-half year apprenticeship starting at age fourteen. He immigrated to Fresno County in 1909, initially finding employment with C. M. Jacobsen at Rolinda, then Martin Hald, and later the Lauritzen Implement Company in Fresno. Seeking greater independence, he established his own blacksmith shop in Tranquillity on January 1, 1912.

Through his craftsmanship, Rathmann expanded his business and purchased a corner lot to build a large shop equipped with a gas engine and modern machinery. He grew his business to include auto repairing and the sale of farming implements. On December 20, 1913, he married Katarina Nielsen, a native of Denmark who came to California in 1902, and together they had one child named Robert. Both members of the Lutheran Church, he also joined the Dania No. 5 lodge in Fresno and became a stockholder of the First National Bank of Tranquillity.