Tulare County
Biographies
WILLIAM H. BRALY
In Missouri, in 1862, was born William H. Braly, who now makes his home at Ducor, Tulare county, Cal. When he was three months old his parents made the journey by ox-team to Oregon, and there he lived for eight years. Then coming to California he settled in Alameda county, where he grew up, finishing his studies and familiarizing himself with the details of farming. In 1886 he came to Tulare county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land that is a part of the Braly Brothers' ranch.
The father of the Braly Brothers, Shadrach Braly, was a native of Missouri, and died in 1892. Their mother, who was born in Kentucky, is living on the Braly homestead, passing her declining years amid the scenes of her active life. Her sons, W. H., S. W. and J. C. Braly, constitute the firm of Braly Brothers. Another of her sons, B. F. Braly, lives in this vicinity. Braly Brothers own twenty-two hundred and forty acres of land. While they have raised many horses and mules, they give their attention principally to grain. They have made their own way in the world by hard work and have proven their right to succeed by showing their willingness in a loyal way to contribute their full share toward the prosperity of the community. Their ranch, two and a half miles west of Ducor, is one of the show places of that part of the county. William H. Braly has served his fellow citizens as school trustee, but has never accepted any other office.
TULARE AND KINGS COUNTIES 795
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913
Pp 794
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
ELMER L. KITCHEL
In settling in a new country, the measure of one's success is not so much what one brings in as what one acquires. The man who comes with capital does not always keep it, and the man who comes empty-handed may live to fill his coffers. The citizen of Tulare county whose name is above, arrived with thirty cents cash in hand. How he has prospered it is the task of the writer here to narrate. Mr. Kitchel was born in Warren county, Iowa, May 6, 1870, a son of James and Aleysana (Webster) Kitchel, the former born in Illinois, the latter in Indiana. The family came to California in 1887 and lived at Antioch, Contra Costa county, and from there eventually came on to Tulare county.
Elmer L. Kitchel made his appearance in the county with the small sum mentioned, but he had more and something better—he had work in him, work that was for sale because he needed cash, work that was wanted because it was honest and thorough and effective. For two years after his arrival he was a wage earner, then he rented the Johnson & Levison ranch near Visalia, which embraced forty acres, devoted chiefly to fruit. After operating it three years he was able to come to the ranch which he still leases and which has come to be known as his home. It is the old Patterson ranch, northeast of Visalia, which includes ninety-five acres of cultivated land and one hundred and fifteen acres of pasture. There he has lived since 1906. When he came to the place it was badly run down. He got busy, cleaning up, cutting down sixty acres of dead fruit trees, converting the trees into four hundred and fifty-eight cords of wood. Ever since he has been improving the property, on which there are now twenty acres of flourishing prune trees which produced nine tons of dried fruit in 1911, which tested fifty-two and sold at six cents a pound. There is also a young orchard of thirteen acres of French prunes which came into bearing in 1912. In 1909 Mr. Kitchel had forty-five acres of Egyptian corn, which on threshing yielded ten hundred and seventy-five sacks, which he regarded as a very favorable showing. In 1911 he had fifteen acres of corn. Sixty acres of the ranch is devoted to alfalfa, which in 1912 yielded over eight tons to the acre for five cuttings. Ten acres of this was sown in December, 1910, forty-five in October, 1909. A feature is a dairy of twenty-five cows all young stock, and there are on the place five Percheron mares from which Mr. Kitchel raises fine draft colts. The mares weigh respectively from fourteen hundred and fifty to seventeen hundred pounds. In 1912 Mr. Kitchel became a stockholder in the Visalia Co-operative creamery, and also owns stock in a Percheron stallion.
Socially, Mr. Kitchel is an Odd Fellow, affiliating with Four Creek Lodge No. 94. In 1896 he married Minnie E. Hummel, daughter of Thomas and Florence A. (Hill) Hummel, both residents of Tulare county for the past forty years. She was born in Tulare county in that part now in Kings. Mr. and Mrs. Kitchel have four children : Ralph, George, Elmer W. and Hattie.
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913
Pp 795-796
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler