Venter, Otto

Otto Venter was born in St. Clair County, Missouri, on September 3, 1879, to parents William Franklin Venter and Annie Bossert. Raised on his father Missouri farm, he was the first member of his family to settle permanently in California when he arrived in Fresno County on June 9, 1899. Starting out at age twenty with meager financial means, he initially earned his living by working monthly jobs on local fruit ranches.

In 1910, Mr. Venter married Miss Ethel Beauchamp in Madera, and they raised two surviving sons, William Franklin and Richard Le Roy. Through industrious labor and saving, he purchased and improved a twenty-acre property south of Parlier before acquiring eighty acres of raw land northeast of Caruthers in 1918 to plant vines, trees, and alfalfa. Alongside his wife, he actively participated in local public movements to support the continued growth and development of his community.