Madera County, California GenWeb - Madera Biographies: MARCHBANK

GEORGE MARCHBANK. As the efficient superintendent of the Mid Vale Land and Fruit Company, composed largely of Pennsylvania capitalists, who own one of the largest and most productive fruit ranches in Madera county, Cal., Mr. Marchbank is filling a position of prominence and has proved to be exceptionally well fitted for the place. He has twenty men tinder his supervision and in the management of this ranch he has shown excellent judgment and executive ability of a high order. The three hundred and twenty acres comprising his ranch are devoted almost wholly to fruit culture. Here one finds extensive orchards of peaches, apricots, figs, almonds and a few orange groves, besides large vineyards of raisin grapes and thirty acres of alfalfa. In the fall of 1897 Mr. Marchbank became superintendent of this ranch and the excellence the various products of the place is attained largely to his efforts, as he personally direct laborers, and employs only the best methods raising and caring for the fruits.

A descendant of Scotch parents, and he a native of Scotland, born December 23 [22 Dec 1857 in Buittle, Kirkcudbright] Mr. Marchbank was reared on the farm which belonged to his parents, George and Jessie Campbell Marchbank, both of whom spent their entire lives in Scotland; educated in his native land at the age of twenty Mr. Marchbank came to America and for three years served as deputy United States surveyor in the territory of Utah. He was afterward located for fourteen months in Minnesota and a short time in Oregon, engaged in similar work, and in 1884 he took up his residence in California. In 1886 he went to Fresno county and for a time was in the employ of the George W. Mead Company, and was subsequently raisin inspector for the Co-Operative Packing Company of Madera county. Receiving the offer to superintend, he at once assumed the duties of his present position. Aside from casting his vote in favor of Republican candidates Mr. Marchbank takes little interest in politics. Fraternally he affiliates with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has two children, Marion A. and Margaret C.

Guinn, J. M., History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the San Joaquin Valley, California, (Chicago: Chapman Publishing, 1905), page 1308.