The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 442
A portrait of Joseph Feser appears in this publication.

JOSEPH FESER.

Joseph Feser makes his home in Fruitvale, where he has an excellent ranch of
twenty-seven and a half acres devoted to the raising of various kinds of fruit.
He also has other property interests, including eighty acres in the Moxee valley
and valuable mine holdings in the Cascades, and in the management of his
business affairs he displays sound judgment and unfaltering enterprise. He was
born in Germany, April 24, 1864, a son of Gregor and Philippina (Bauknecht)
Feser, who came to the United States in 1881, settling at Independence, Ohio.
They resided there for three years and then removed to Glen Ullin, North Dakota.
Both Joseph Feser and his father took up homestead and preemption claims there
and resided in that section of the country until 1899, when they sold their
property in North Dakota and came to Yakima county. The father purchased ten
acres of land in Fruitvale and Joseph Feser bought one hundred and sixty acres
in the Moxee valley. He afterward disposed of that property, however, and
invested in ten acres in Fruitvale. He and his father also purchased forty acres
on Nob Hill, which later they sold. They both improved the Fruitvale ranches and
became well known in connection with the development of horticultural interests
in this section of the state. The father disposed of his property in 1912,
selling his ranch to his son Joseph, after which he removed to Oregon, where he
is now living at the ripe old age of eighty-three. His wife passed away in 1915.

Joseph Feser received thorough business training under his father's direction
and they were associated more or less closely in business affairs for many
years. At length purchasing his father's land, the son has since added thereto
until he now has twenty-seven and a half acres in Fruitvale, constituting one of
the valuable fruit ranches of the Yakima valley. The entire place is planted to
fruit and he has in his orchards splendid apple, pear, peach, plum and cherry
trees which bring forth fruit in abundance. Upon this place he has made all of
the improvements himself, having never employed a carpenter as he is a mechanic
of no mean ability. Mr. Feser also owns an eighty acre tract of land in the
Moxee valley and has heavily invested in mining projects in the Cascade
mountains. These properties are of a high order and are not only confidently
looked upon by the stockholders but deserve the encouragement of the state at
large and especially of the people of Yakima since these holdings are located
practically at their front door.

On the 28th of October, 1890, Mr. Feser was married to Miss Julia Geck, who was
born in Germany and came to the United States with her parents, the family
settling in Detroit, Michigan, in 1881 and subsequently removing to North
Dakota. Mrs. Feser passed away September 23, 1898. The children of that marriage
are as follows: Anna Julia, who was born February 7, 1892, and is the wife of
Frank Abhold, a rancher of the Yakima valley, by whom she has four children, a
son and three daughters: Margaret Katherin, who was born April 25, 1893, and is
the wife of Mr. Joseph Rochel. a rancher living on Nob Hill; Joseph John, who
was born November 24, 1894, and is at home; and Lawrence Francis, who was born
June 28, 1897, and is also at home. Mr. Feser was again married January 7, 1899,
his second union being with Margaretha Lutz, who was born at Torontal Setchany,
Austria-Hungary, March 9, 1883. They became the parents of three children but
all have passed away.

Mr. and Mrs. Feser are communicants of St. Paul's Catholic church and he is
identified with the Knights of Columbus. He concentrates his activities and
interests upon his business affairs and he is a member of the Yakima County
Horticultural Union and of the Yakima Commercial Club. Every phase of the
development and progress of fruit raising in this section is familiar to him and
he has kept in the vanguard with those who have been the leaders in the
advancement of horticultural interests in this section of the state.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.