Julian Laporte, a well known and substantial dairyman and landowner living off the Beach road in the immediate vicinity of Watsonville, has developed a good piece of property there and is regarded as one of the progressive and dependable citizens of that community. Though not an American by birth he has been a resident of this country since the days of his young manhood and is as much an American in his feelings toward the glory and well being of this country as any can be and has done his part in local development work. In addition to his holdings in the neighborhood of Watsonville Mr. Laporte also has large land holdings in the neighboring county of San Benito and has the right to feel that in coming to this country-he made a wise choice.
Mr. Laporte was born in France, September 18, 1861, and was there reared on a small farm, becoming thoroughly familiar with the details of farming on the intensive scale so essential to success in European countries where every foot of the land is compelled to give a proper account of itself and where the waste of productive land surfaces so common in this country is unknown. When nineteen years of age, in 1880, Mr. Laporte decided to come to the United States, feeling that here he would be able to find opportunities that probably would be denied him in his native land. Upon his arrival in this country he proceeded to California and at Gilroy in Santa Clara county became employed on a ranch and was thus engaged at that place until in 1884, when he bought a small place in the Hollister neighborhood in San Benito county and began operations on his own account, putting into practice the practical methods of California ranching he had learned in his Gilroy experiences. He did well there and remained at that place until in 1897, when he moved to the Watsonville neighborhood in Santa Cruz county and established his home on his present place off the Beach road, where he and his family now are very comfortably situated. Since taking up his residence here Mr. Laporte has given his chief attention to dairying. He has a fine dairy farm of one hundred and five acres and a well selected herd of about a half hundred milk cows, this herd being led by a registered Holstein bull. In addition to this dairy farm Mr. Laporte has retained his land holdings in San Benito county and now has fourteen hundred acres of grazing land there, on which he has a herd of around two hundred cattle, the operations of this range now being looked after by one of his sons.
On the 15th of June, 1887, while making his home in San Benito county, Julian Laporte was united in marriage to Miss Laura Ramonie of San Juan Bautista in that county, who has been to him a valuable helpmate in his dairying operations. They have six children, three of whom are still at home, helpful in the labors of the home place. Two of the sons of this family, Adolph and Emil Laporte, are veterans of the World war, the former having been under sailing orders for overseas service when the armistice was signed in the fall of 1918. Emil Laporte‘s service was rendered at Camp Lewis, where he was in training for field service when the war came to a close. Adolph Laporte is now giving his attention to the Laporte cattle range in San Benito county. Another son, Louis Laporte, is engaged in dairying. The daughters are: Genevieve, Adelle and Anita, the latter of whom married Carl Mill and is now living at Auburn in Placer county. Adelle Laporte married George Friermuth of Watsonville. Miss Genevieve Laporte is at home with her parents.
Source: History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California : cradle of California’s history and romance : dating from the planting of the cross of Christendom upon the shores of Monterey Bay by Fr. Junipero Serra, and those intrepid adventurers who accompanied him, down to the present day. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1925.