Humboldt County Biography
Edward Christen
Edward Christen was born in Andermatt, Canton Uri, Switzerland, January 6, 1860, the son of Sebastian and Josepha (Danjot) Christen, also natives of that place. The father was a shoemaker and farmer and also served for many years as the local judge. Both parents died at the old home. To them were born thirteen children, eight of whom grew up and four are still living, Edward being the youngest of all. He was educated in the public schools and remained home assisting his father on the farm until he was twenty-four years of age, with the exception of the time he spent in the army and at the military school, in which he rose to the non-commissioned rank of corporal.
In 1884 Mr. Christen came to San Francisco, Cal., and from there came soon afterward to Petrolia, Humboldt county, where he was employed in a dairy for four years. In the meantime he had saved enough money to start in the dairy business, and in partnership with his brother he leased a ranch of one thousand acres in the same vicinity. They ran a dairy of seventy cows and made a specialty of manufacturing and shipping butter. The partnership continued for three years, when Edward Christen bought his brother's interest and continued alone until 1896, when he sold out and came to Pleasant Point, near Waddington, and bought a ranch of sixty-eight acres of bottom land and established a dairy. Since then the river has cut through around him, taking away several ranches and leaving him an island of forty acres, where he has a dairy of about twenty milch cows. Mr. Christen was married in San Francisco to Miss Mary Regli, also a native of Andermatt, Switzerland. She died here in 1913, leaving twelve children, as follows: George, Josephine, Marian, Edward, Rosa, Alvetius, Agnes, John, Joseph, Anton, Clara and Bernard. Mr. Christen is a Republican in politics. He has always been interested in the cause of education and for many years served as clerk of the board of trustees of the Pleasant Point school district.
History of Humboldt County California
History by Leigh H. Irvine: Historic Record Company
Los Angeles, Ca. 1915
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham
28 April 2006
Pages 1095 - 1144
Humboldt County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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