Many of the impllement company' s customers were raisin growers, concentrating on the newly developed Thompson seedless grape and drying the fruit on trays in the field for delivery to the great Sun-Mald Raisin Growers Association. When the crops were delivered to the packing houses stretched along the railroad right-of-way, it marked the end of the season for most Fresno County farmers, and many were the Sunday festivals held at farms and ranches throughout the district. Lauritz frequently bundled his entire family into the current family car and attended these country celebrations, forming friendships and associations that endured all his life and extended to his children. As these joyful times rolled on and the business grew, three more children arrived to bring the total to six boys and three girls. Betty Alice was born in 1912, Herbert in 1914 and James in 1917. Usually a genial host, a welcome guest and convivial companion, Lauritz on occasion demonstrated a quick, though brief tamper. Once, in 1916, returning from an outing with his brood bundled into the family Jeffery, Lauritz turned his car into the family driveway on Blackstone and was struck on the driver's side by a Aord touring car operated by a laborer named sarkisian. Although no-one was injured, the damage to the shiny Lauritzen car was extensive. Leaping from his seat behind the wheel, Lauritz took a hammer from the tool box on the running board and pursued the hapless Sarkisian around a circular pansy bed in the Lauritzen front yard. It was several minutes before Anne could divest her- self of her most recent offspring and pacify her irate mate. It was at about this time that the International Harvester Company, desiring to increase sale of 1ts farm products in the great inner valley, elevated Lauritzen Implement Company to distributor status, and a huge inventory of alfalfa movers, self-dumping Takes, Flows, harrows and cultivators was placed in storage in the spacious basement for later re-shipment to various dealers north to Stockton and south to Bakersfield. A 30-foot freight elevator was added and more help hired. And with motorized equipment becoming more popular and efficient, trucks and wheel tractors were added to the lines of merchandise, and parts bins began to replace the harness racks. An noutside" sales- man was hired to contact IHC dealers in the Valley as well as call on retail customers Now the house at 243 Blackstone was bursting at the seams with children ranging ln age from 6 months to 20 years. Louise, the oldest daughter, was attending California School of Fine Arts at San Francisco and Laura, having survived a pollo attack that left her partially crippled was showing indications of fine musical talent. Walter, the oldest son, spent many hours at home and with friends similarly inclined, experimenting with rudimentary sets of a strange mechanical communication system called "wireless". But family duties claimed much of the time of the older girls, for Anne Lauritzen now had six children in various schools and three who were constantly in need of a diaper change, a nose-wipe or a smack on the buttocks for minor neighborhood transgressions. There was 11ttle yard space at the family home for the games of "migs", jacks or "pee-ween, the popular childhood games of the days. When Louise was home from school on week-ends or vacations, much of her time was spent pursuing or repairing the babies, while Laura spent much time indoors inventing games for her younger sisters and brothers, sewing on clothing, and sometimes providing somewhat dubious entertainment as she lean her scales" at the plano. Accordingly Lauritz began to appraise possibilities of another and more spacious dwelling for his regiment. He had met, become friends with and made customers of such leading growers and packers as E. Y. Foley, E. J. Bullard, Charles Bonner, Bert Vogel and others. page 4 , OCR Text: Many of the impllement company' s customers were raisin growers, concentrating on the newly developed Thompson seedless grape and drying the fruit on trays in the field for delivery to the great Sun-Mald Raisin Growers Association. When the crops were delivered to the packing houses stretched along the railroad right-of-way, it marked the end of the season for most Fresno County farmers, and many were the Sunday festivals held at farms and ranches throughout the district. Lauritz frequently bundled his entire family into the current family car and attended these country celebrations, forming friendships and associations that endured all his life and extended to his children. As these joyful times rolled on and the business grew, three more children arrived to bring the total to six boys and three girls. Betty Alice was born in 1912, Herbert in 1914 and James in 1917. Usually a genial host, a welcome guest and convivial companion, Lauritz on occasion demonstrated a quick, though brief tamper. Once, in 1916, returning from an outing with his brood bundled into the family Jeffery, Lauritz turned his car into the family driveway on Blackstone and was struck on the driver's side by a Aord touring car operated by a laborer named sarkisian. Although no-one was injured, the damage to the shiny Lauritzen car was extensive. Leaping from his seat behind the wheel, Lauritz took a hammer from the tool box on the running board and pursued the hapless Sarkisian around a circular pansy bed in the Lauritzen front yard. It was several minutes before Anne could divest her- self of her most recent offspring and pacify her irate mate. It was at about this time that the International Harvester Company, desiring to increase sale of 1ts farm products in the great inner valley, elevated Lauritzen Implement Company to distributor status, and a huge inventory of alfalfa movers, self-dumping Takes, Flows, harrows and cultivators was placed in storage in the spacious basement for later re-shipment to various dealers north to Stockton and south to Bakersfield. A 30-foot freight elevator was added and more help hired. And with motorized equipment becoming more popular and efficient, trucks and wheel tractors were added to the lines of merchandise, and parts bins began to replace the harness racks. An noutside" sales- man was hired to contact IHC dealers in the Valley as well as call on retail customers Now the house at 243 Blackstone was bursting at the seams with children ranging ln age from 6 months to 20 years. Louise, the oldest daughter, was attending California School of Fine Arts at San Francisco and Laura, having survived a pollo attack that left her partially crippled was showing indications of fine musical talent. Walter, the oldest son, spent many hours at home and with friends similarly inclined, experimenting with rudimentary sets of a strange mechanical communication system called "wireless". But family duties claimed much of the time of the older girls, for Anne Lauritzen now had six children in various schools and three who were constantly in need of a diaper change, a nose-wipe or a smack on the buttocks for minor neighborhood transgressions. There was 11ttle yard space at the family home for the games of "migs", jacks or "pee-ween, the popular childhood games of the days. When Louise was home from school on week-ends or vacations, much of her time was spent pursuing or repairing the babies, while Laura spent much time indoors inventing games for her younger sisters and brothers, sewing on clothing, and sometimes providing somewhat dubious entertainment as she lean her scales" at the plano. Accordingly Lauritz began to appraise possibilities of another and more spacious dwelling for his regiment. He had met, become friends with and made customers of such leading growers and packers as E. Y. Foley, E. J. Bullard, Charles Bonner, Bert Vogel and others. page 4 , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,E through F File names,L through M File Names,Lauritzen,LAURITZEN_005.pdf,LAURITZEN_005.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: LAURITZEN_005.PDF, LAURITZEN_005.pdf 1 Page 1