Soper, Mrs. Sadie Elizabeth

Mrs. Sadie Elizabeth Soper, born in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, was the daughter of Benjamin Keller and Jane Oldham. Reared in Nebraska, where she attended the public schools, she married J. C. Soper, a native of Des Moines. After farming 160 acres near Lexington, Nebraska, the couple sold their property and moved to Fresno County, California, in 1894. Mr. Soper secured employment grading lumber for the Flume Company, and together they purchased a lot in Clovis to erect a home. They also bought ten acres located one and a half miles east of Clovis to establish a vineyard.

While her husband continued his work with the Flume Company, Mrs. Soper performed much of the ranch labor herself through irrigating and cultivating the land. Her personal efforts resulted in an unusually fine property named the Ellendale Vineyard, which specialized in muscat grapes. Her achievements as a practical viticulturist earned her a membership in the California Associated Raisin Company. She raised four children, named Frederick Charles, Luella, Jane Elizabeth, and Hazel Marie. In her community, she attended the Baptist Church of Clovis, participated in its Woman’s Aid Society, and supported the Democratic party in national politics.