WILLIAM BOTSFORD, M.D.

WILLIAM BOTSFORD, M.D., whose office is at No. 3 Taylor street, San Francisco, has been a resident of California since 1876, and has been engaged in the practice of medicine for the past twenty-three years. He was born in St. John, New Brunswick, in 1843, receiving his early education in that city, and later in the Sackville Academy, Sackville, New Brunswick, where he spent three years. He commenced the study of medicine in 1862, under the preceptorship of his uncle, Dr. Le Baron Botsford, of St. John. Mr. Botsford next entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, where he graduated in 1865, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He then filled the position of Resident Physician of the Philadelphia Hospital for eighteen months, and then entered into private practice in the latter city, where he remained eight years, except two years spent in practice in New York. He then came to California and has since been continuously engaged in the practice of medicine in San Francisco, and for fourteen years in the same location. He is a member of the State and County Medical Societies.

Dr. Botsford’s family have resided in British North America since the Revolutionary war. They are an old New England family, who came to America in the year following the arrival of the Mayflower. During the Revolutionary war the family sympathized with the British crown, and after its close removed to New Brunswick. Dr. Botsford’s great-grandfather, Hon. Amos. Botsford, who removed to New Brunswick, was one of the Professors of Yale College in 1868-9. He later practiced law, and being a Loyalist was appointed by Sir Guy Carleton as agent for the Loyalists who embarked for Nova Scotia. Dr. Botsford’s father, Chipman Botsford, was a prominent lawyer and represented Ristigouche county in the New Brunswick Parliament for many years. He was one of a number of sons of Judge William Botsford, who was a Speaker of the Assembly and a Judge. One brother was Sheriff, another Warden of the penitentiary, one a Senator, now known to be the oldest official in Canada, having been sixty-two years in political work; one held a high official position at Fredericksburg, New Brunswick, one a County Judge, and one a prominent physician, with whom Dr. Botsford first studied, and who for many years had charge of the Marine Hospital at St. John, New Brunswick.

P. P. CAIN

     P. P. Cain is the senior member of the firm of Cain & Co., commission merchants, and wholesale dealers in California and Oregon fruit and produce, one of the best established fruit and produce firms of San Francisco, located for the past seven years at 206 and 208 Washington street.  The trade of the company extends from Tacoma and Seattle in the north, to Los Angeles and San Diego in the south, as well as east to Salt Lake and beyond.  The business consists of handling fruits and produce and shipping to all parts of the coast.  Agents of the company in the interior buy orchards and gather, pack and ship to this city. Large quantities never reach the company's premises, being sold and reshipped at the wharf.  The business of the past year has been exceedingly good, showing a gratifying increase over the preceding year.  In the handling of apples the company does a larger business than any other, and makes a specialty of that branch of the trade, in some cases receiving as many as 3,000 boxes in a single day.  A large part of this trade is with Oregon.  Potatoes and grain are also handled in large quantities, and the shipments of few firms in the city equal that of Cain & Co.  A large business has of late been opened up with Australia and the colonies, and the prospects are favorable for a steady increase in the dried-fruit trade, which of late years has assumed large proportions.  Recently Mr. Cain purchased the Thorn Dairy Ranch and a tract of land of William E. Wilds, located near Visalia, in Tulare county.  The Thorn tract consists of 213 acres, for which $20,000 was paid.  The twenty-seven acres purchased of  Mr. Wild sold for $3,000, and was originally a portion of the larger tract, the whole making 240 acres; the total price paid was $23,000.  There are five deep-bored wells on the land, all cased and furnishing an unlimited quantity of excellent water.  Mr. Cain bought with the ranch all of the stock, consisting of sixty-one cows, nineteen herd of stock cattle and six horses, one span weighing over 2,800 pounds.  The dairy will be operated for a few years, and in the meantime, in addition to the present orchard, it is the intention to  continue the planting of fruit trees, principally peaches, prunes, apricots and pears; its special object will be the raising of early and choice fruits for the San Francisco and other markets.

     June 25, 1891, was organized a joint-stock company known as the Cain Fruit & Nursery Company, with a capital stock of $72,000, divided into 240 shares of $300 each.  The incorporators were:  P. P. Cain, of San Francisco, president; George F. Beales, of Visalia, vice-president, and A. P. Jacobs, of San Francisco, secretary and treasurer.

     The subject of this sketch is a native of Nova Scotia, born April 12, 1846.  He received his education by attending night and day school, and was reared to farm life.  His father, James, was a native of Ireland and came to Nova Scotia about 1840.  The mother's maiden name was Johanna Hennasey, and she also was a native of Ireland.  The father died in 1876, the mother having passed away one year before.  To them were born eight children, of whom our subject was the third.  He came to the United States in 1866 and located at Boston, Massachusetts, until 1873; then he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained until 1874, when he came by rail to San Francisco.  Mr. Cain is a stone-cutter by trade, having learned the business in Massachusetts, and followed his trade previous to his emigration to California.  Soon after his arrival here he engaged in the retail fruit business, continuing in that line until 1882, when he, in company with his brother, opened up the commission business in his present quarters.  Later the brother withdrew and another partner succeeded him for a time. About two years ago the present partner, Mr. J. T. Lamb, was admitted.

     Mr. Cain springs from a long-lived and prolific race of people.

     Politically he is a Republican, although not active in political work, and belongs to no secret societies.

 

Transcribed 10-18-04  Marilyn R. Pankey

FRANK HAPPERSBERGER

Frank Happersberger, a sculptor, whose studio is at 51 Park avenue, opposite the City Hall, San Francisco, was born in Placer county, California, in 1859.  His father, Frank Happersberger, was a pioneer of this State and a native of Bavaria, Germany, who came to America in 1849, and after a few months' residence in New York was seized by the excitement following the discovery of gold and came to California.  He engaged in mining and later in mercantile pursuits up to the time of his death, in 1870.

     Our subject received his primary education in the public schools of San Francisco. His first step in his present profession was as wood-carver in the establishment of Kemp & Hoffman of this city, with whom he remained four years.  Feeling that he must have a broad foundation of general knowledge to make a marked success in his profession as a wood carver, he went to Europe and after passing the preliminary examination he entered the Royal Academy, where he studied for eight years.  At the competitive exhibits held each year at the academy Mr. Happersberger received several honorable mentions and a medal for a life-size bronze statue on an oriental figure representing an archer shooting his last arrow.  After he had been in the academy about five years he competed for the Garfield monument at the Golden Gate Park, his model being accepted by the committee out of twenty-one competing designs.  Mr. Happersberger returned to California in 1882 to perfect his arrangements for the statue.   Returning to Europe in about two and a half years he completed the statue, which he modeled in his studio, the bronze casting being made in November by Prof. Clinton Lenz.  He brought it to San Francisco in 1885, when it was unveiled in the park on July 4, before an immense crowd of people.  Mr. Happersberger immediately established his studio in San Francisco county, where he has since devoted himself to his profession, his specialty being marble and bronze.  He has furnished drawings for the Lick monument, his with those of three other drawings were selected from twenty-eight others, the models to be made from one of those drawings to be selected by the Lick trust.

 

Transcribed 10-18-04  Marilyn R. Pankey

M. CARROLL HASSETT

M. Carroll Hassett, lawyer, whose office is in Phelan Block, San Francisco, has been connected with the bar here for twenty-one years, arriving on the coast in June, 1869, from Essex and Clinton counties, New York.  A descendant of the noted Carroll family of Carrollton, Maryland, as his middle name denotes, he was born and reared on a farm in New York State, was educated at Keysville Academy in Clinton county, studied law there in the office of Hewitt & Watson, and also in that of Beckwith & Son at Plattsburg, same county, and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court at Schenectady in 1868.  Coming to the coast the next year he engaged in the practice of law in September, and has since continued therein with signal success, devoting special attention to general, civil and probate practice, but having also had a few noted criminal cases.  The latter class, however, he prefers to avoid.  He has a large probate practice, in which he has been eminently successful, as in contested will cases, etc.  Some of the noted cases with which he has been connected are those of Jane Roland vs. H. Weeks, the estate of Charles Manypenny, Tuttle vs. Finell, etc.  The last mentioned was before Judge Dwinell in 1876 and lasted six weeks.  He also managed the the case of the estate of Michael Finell, the well-known land-owner.  After his death his son-in-law produced a note for money, with four witnesses who saw Mr.. Finell sign the note and acknowledge his signature; but Mr.. Hassett proved the note a forgery and gained his suit.  Mr. Finell was a prominent contractor, and among the structures he erected was the State Capitol.  Mr. Hassett had also the noted case of Amelia Falls vs. Northern Pacific Railroad Company in 1889.  She had dislocated her hip-joint by falling over a milk can at a railroad station, and he recovered for her $7,500 damages.

     Mr. Hassett has never sought political situation, although as a Democrat he is interested in the public welfare.  He has been actively identified with various benevolent organizations, especially the Irish of early times, and is prominent in the Young Men's Institute.  In the latter he took one division, 140 members, and increased its membership in one year to 2,900.  He also formed in 1884 the State organization, with branches having a total membership of about 3,000.

     He brought his parents and sisters to the coast; the former died here and he is the only son.

 

Transcribed 10-18-04  Marilyn R. Pankey