The Valley of Heart's Delight
REV. L. W. KRAHL
BIO- Pen Pictures
SURAMES: GRAY, PEPPER, KINNEY, LAWSON, ELMER, WILBUR, BRAME
Rev. L. W. Krahl, of Meridian District, owns a productive farm of twenty
acres, devoted to fruit culture, on the road leading from San Jose to
Saratoga, three miles west of the city. He made the purchase of this
property on the seventh of June, 1882, at which time about one-half of it
was set to trees, one and two years old. During the following two years,
the remainder of the farm was converted into orchard, one-half of the work
being done each year. A small house was then on the property, and to it has
been added the main building, forming the substantial residence of to-day.
Mr. Krahl is a native of Trumbull County, Ohio, where he was born November
16, 1835. He is the son of Samuel and Catherine (Gray) Krahl, who married
in 1825, and settled in the dense forests of that country during the
following year, creating a comfortable home in the wilderness. The first
barn in all that section raised without the aid of whisky was erected by
Samuel Krahl. It still stands, possibly as a monument to temperance.
Samuel Krahl was born in Georgetown, on the Ohio River, of which place his
father, who came from Far-off Germany to seek a home in the new country, was
a pioneer. He was one of the original Abolitionists, and a supporter of
James G. Birney in 1844. He was a practical Christian and a member of the
Congregational Church, and in his death, which occurred in 1879, at the age
of eighty years, the community lost an honored and respected citizen. His
widow has reached the ripe age of eighty-five years, and still lives upon
the old homestead, with her youngest son, Eli B. Her eldest son, George N.,
lives in Kansas, but intends become a resident of this county.
L. W. Krahl, the subject of this sketch, is the second son. He spent his
boyhood years on his father's homestead, receiving as good educational
advantages as the new country afforded. At the age of sixteen, he
entered
Oberlin College, passed through its classes with credit, and graduated
in
1858. He then engaged in teaching, and followed the profession
until 1861.
On the twentieth of March of that year, he was united in marriage with
Miss Nellie. S. Pepper, daughter of John and Ruth Pepper. She was
born March 20,
1838, in England, coming with her parents to Ohio (Ashtabula County)
when
fourteen years of age.
Mr. Krahl was converted in his nineteenth year, under the preaching of Rev.
J. H. Fairchild, and joined the Congregational Church. In the spring of
1862 he entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. He engaged
in preaching the gospel for sixteen years, being located in the States of
New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. When failing health necessitated a
change, he came to California. After visiting different portions of the
State, he decided upon Santa Clara County as the place which combined a
health-giving climate with a productive soil and great natural beauty. His
home, in this lovely valley, he calls the "Evergreen Place." His orchard,
of which mention has been made, is a very fine one indeed. It contains
1,415 French prunes, 24 Silver prune, 2 Hungarian prune, 502 apricot, 140
peach, 230 cherry black and white), 200 yellow egg plum, 100 Columbia plum,
10 nectarine, 10 pear, 29 apple, 7 almond, 4 English walnut, and 2 Italian
chestnut trees. It is literally true that Mr. Krahl lives "under his own
vine and fig tree," for his orchard contains also a fig tree! The thrifty
condition of the trees (so great in number and in variety) shows Mr. Krahl
to be one of the most efficient horticulturists of the district. Not only
the orchard, but also the hose and all its surroundings, evince the care and
attention bestowed upon them. In connection with the fruit interests, more
extended mention must be made of the productiveness of the orchard. We give
the estimate for 1887; 502 apricot trees yielded almost 30 tons, from which
were realized nearly $900; while 230 young cherry trees yielded $380 worth
of fruit. The crop of prunes was the lightest, 24 tons being harvested, and
sold for $960. The total yield of all fruits was 79 tons, and the total
receipts nearly $3,000. Such results cannot but be encouraging.
Mr. and Mrs. Krahl have two daughters' Blanche, now the wife of the Rev.
John B. Kinney, of Syracuse, New York, now of San Jose; and Bertha, wife of
Rev. T. H. Lawson, who is now pastor of the First Wesleyan Church of San
Jose. His niece, Miss Elleta Elmer, was adopted at the age of two years,
and is now a member of their household. She is the orphan daughter of Mr.
Krahl's sister, Mrs. Pluma Elmer, who died at Yuba City, in this State,
where her husband, Henry Elmer, made his home many years ago. Mr. Krahl has
two sisters living in this State. The eldest is a graduate of Oberlin
College, and is the wife of Judge J. L. Wilbur, of Yuba City. The other
sister, Alice, is the wife of J. S. Brame of Monterey.
Mr. Krahl is not now actively engaged in the ministry, but is ready at all
times to aid in extending the Master's Kingdom. Many opportunities for
ministerial work present themselves, and Mr. Krahl cheerfully responds to
all demands of this nature on his time. For years Mr. Krahl was a member of
the Republican party, but when prohibition was made a political issue he
joined the ranks of its supporters, and has since adhered to that party.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California,
Illustrated. - Edited by H.S. Foote. - Chicago:
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888.
p. 461, 462 Transcribed by Debbie Machado Coombs
SANTA CLARA COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES
SANTA CLARA COUNTY HISTORY