Schneider, Henry

Henry Schneider, born in Guges, Samara, Russia, on August 21, 1888, was an enterprising viticulturist and horticulturist who built a highly productive farming career in Fresno County. He immigrated to Fresno in 1901 with his father, George Schneider, a farmer who bought a forty-acre ranch at Rolinda, while his mother, Annie Felzing, passed away in Fresno around 1913. Henry was educated in his native country and later assisted his father by working out in local vineyards to help the family establish a start. Upon reaching twenty-one years of age, he began working for himself by purchasing and improving a twenty-acre ranch at Rolinda with a vineyard, peaches, and alfalfa. He also partnered with his brother George to transform forty acres of raw land in the Barstow district into a Thompson grape vineyard before selling the property.

In 1914, Mr. Schneider sold his initial Rolinda property and purchased his present twenty-acre ranch, which he successfully developed from raw land into fifteen acres of Thompson grapes and a remaining balance of apricots. His marriage in Fresno on July 2, 1908, united him with Miss Lena Pretzer, a native of Perrin Colony and the daughter of early local settler Jack Pretzer. The couple raised three children named Lydia, John, and Harry, and the family regularly attended the Lutheran Church. As a progressive man of good judgment, he further supported the regional industry through his active membership in the California Associated Raisin Company. His diligent efforts as an independent grower contributed directly to the agricultural reputation and expansion of the Fresno community.