USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California. Volume II > Part 24
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Coming to Hayward, Mr. Nicolaisen worked on various farms in this vicinity, and later rented a tract of land, which he cultivated. He bought and sold a number of farms, making a profit each time, and finally purchased fifty acres of land in the Castro valley, which he traded for other good property, and also bought seventeen acres, comprising his home farm. Here he planted a nice orchard and cultivated the land, and for many years devoted himself closely to its management, meeting with such success that eventually he was able to retire from active pursuits and is now enjoying a well earned leisure. He gave to his son Nicolai twelve acres of this tract and still owns five acres. He has made two trips to Europe, visiting his home in Denmark in 1890 and 1910.
In 1878 Mr. Nicolaisen was united in marriage to Miss Rasminnie Petersen, who died in 1884, leaving one child, Nicolai, and in 1893 Mr. Nicolaisen married Miss Anna Cathrina Jorgensen, to which union were born four children: Minnie, George, Christ and Anna. There are now nine grandchildren.
Mr. Nicolaisen is a man of excellent personal qualities, has been consistent in his life, and throughout the community he is held in the highest respect. He is numbered among the pioneers of Hayward and recalls that when he came here in
CHRISTEN NICOLAISEN
15V2
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1869 there were no fences nor trees, very few people, and practically no roads, the stage to Alvarado going by the way of Mount Eden. He has been an inter- ested spectator of the remarkable development of the county and is glad to know that he has contributed of his individual efforts to its development.
ECKERT E. SMITH
Eckert E. Smith, of the Oakland Coal Company, at 691 Twenty-seventh street, has spent his life in the Bay district and has won a well merited reputation as a progressive and wide-awake business man and public-spirited citizen. He was born in San Francisco January 9, 1894, and there secured his early education in the John Sweet school. Later the family moved to Oakland and here he at- tended the St. Francis de Sales school and St. Mary's College. On completing his education, Mr. Smith went to work as a clerk for the Luckenbach Steamship Com- pany, but later became a clerk in the office of the East Bay Water Company, in Oakland. His first identification with the coal business was when he accepted a position as clerk in the office of his uncle, J. B. Smith, of the wholesale firm of The King Coal Company, there gaining a thorough practical knowledge of the busi- ness. In 1922 Mr. Smith entered into a partnership with George Prefontaine and organized the Oakland Coal Company, which has proven a very successful enter- prise. George Prefontaine died in 1926, when a brother, Elwood Prefontaine, took over his interests. They own their own coal and wood plant and sell at retail only, having built up a large and steadily increasing trade throughout the city.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Pelletier, who was born and reared in San Francisco, and they are the parents of a son, James, now ten years of age. Mr. Smith is a member of the Knights of Columbus and he and his wife are members of the Roman Catholic church, to which they give generous sup- port. Mr. Smith exemplifies a high type of citizenship and he is held in high re- gard for his business ability and his high personal qualities.
ST. CYRIL'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
The most recently organized Roman Catholic church in Oakland is St. Cyril's, at 3114 Sixty-second avenue. This young parish has shown remarkable vigor and its accomplishments within the space of less than two years reflect creditably on the progressive and determined spirit of the parishioners. The recent rapid growth of Oakland in the vicinity of Mills College prompted the Most Rev. Archbishop Edward J. Hanna to establish the parish of St. Cyril for the convenience of the Catholic residents of that locality and on December 17, 1926, definite boundaries were officially named for the parish, of which Rev. Francis F. McCarthy was ap- pointed the first pastor. During the preliminary work of organizing the parish Father McCarthy availed himself of the invitation of Rev. P. J. Quinn to make his
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home at St. Anthony's rectory, in East Oakland. A central location was chosen for the site of the parochial buildings at Sixty-second avenue and Camden street and sufficient property was immediately pruchased for a church, rectory, school, con- vent, auditorium and school yard. The first problem was that of securing a tem- porary place for holding religious services, as there was no suitable social hall in that locality. In the emergency the Golden State Theater and Realty Company gen- erously turned over the Capitol theater, on Foothill boulevard, to the pastor gratis for Sunday mass, which was said over a portable altar on the stage, with the con- gregation assisting from the body of the church, while the choir rendered hymns from the orchestra pit. Mass was said here every Sunday morning from Janu- ary 30 to March 27, 1927.
At the end of February, Father McCarthy had taken up residence in the parish in a cottage at 3114 Sixty-second avenue, which had been purchased with the rest of the church property. With the advent of good weather in April a commo- dious tent was set up on the corner of the property to serve as a temporary church until the completion of a permanent place of worship in the fall. The tent was furnished with a wood floor, while pews and kneelers were provided sufficient to accommodate three hundred at a mass. The altar was presented to the church by the Fathers of the Redemptorist College, on Eighty-third avenue, and the pews and the statues were obtained from St. Rose's church, of San Francisco, which had just heen canonically closed.
Study was immediately given to the construction of a permanent place of wor- ship before the rigors of winter would again set in. At the request of the Most Rev. Archbishop, the decision was made to erect a combination parochial school and church, so that the generation of children growing up at the very inception of the parish might not be denied advantages of a religious education. The new build- ing, which was completed in October, 1927, at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, is a two-story, reinforced concrete structure of modified Spanish design. Originally planned to house ten classrooms, the present building is divided into four large and beautiful classrooms, a roomy social hall and the temporary church quarters. Six grades are now under the supervision of Sisters of the Dominican order from San Rafael. The seventh grade will be added in 1928 and the eighth grade the year later. Father McCarthy has labored hard and earnestly in securing these tangible results and St. Cyril's parish is in a position now to do the work for which it was established. Its pastor has shown forceful and effective strength, both as preacher and pastor, and has won a warm place in the hearts of those to whom he is ministering.
LOUIS J. SILVA
Louis J. Silva, who is rendering valuable service as chief of police at Hayward, also had a splendid war record and his entire career has been characterized by ele- ments which have earned for him the sincere respect of his fellowmen. Born at Moraga, Contra Costa county, California, on the 25th of August, 1885, he is a son of Frank and Frances (Moraga) Silva. His father was born in Pico, Azores
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islands, where he was reared to the age of eighteen years, securing his education in the public schools. He then embarked on a sailing vessel for the United States and on his arrival proceeded to Moraga, California, where he took up a tract of government land. He there followed farming for a number of years and after his marriage moved to Spring Valley, where for eight years he gave his attention to raising cattle, being the first man to deal in Hereford cattle in that locality. He then came to Hayward and bought a home at 1389 C street, which he improved, being one of the early settlers of this locality. He was afterward with the street car company. He was a man of progressive ideas, successful in business and his death occurred in 1908, at the age of fifty-eight years. His wife was the first girl born in Moraga, Contra Costa county, and was a great-granddaughter of Lieuten- ant Moraga, who founded the Presidio in San Francisco.
Louis J. Silva was reared during boyhood at Hayward and assisted his father on the home farm for a number of years. Later he was appointed night watchman at Hayward, serving in that capacity for seven years, and his faithfulness and efficiency were rewarded when, in 1927, he was appointed chief of police, in which position he has proven one of the best officers the city has ever had.
In December, 1925, Mr. Silva was united in marriage to Miss Mary Garcia, who was born in Centerville, this state, and is a daughter of August Garcia, who was an early settler of that locality. Mr. and Mrs. Silva have a son, Richard. Mr. Silva gives his political support to the republican party and is deeply interested in public affairs, particularly such as relate to the welfare of his community. He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the American Legion. In 1917 Mr. Silva enlisted for service in the World war, joining Company B, First Bat- talion, Three Hundred and Sixty-third Regiment, One Hundred and Eighty-second Brigade, Ninety-first Division, with which he saw much active service on the fight- ing line in France. He fought at Argonne, Metz, Lyss and the Meuse and he was given the Distinguished Service cross for bravery in action in the Argonne. He displays determination and perseverance in following out any definite line of action to which he gives his attention and in his present official position he is showing qualifications of the highest order. Courteous and friendly in manner, he enjoys a wide acquaintance throughout this section of the county and has a host of warm friends, who admire him for his genuine worth as a man and citizen.
THE REV. FRANCIS F. MCCARTHY
The Rev. Francis F. McCarthy, pastor of the Roman Catholic parish of St. Cyril's, at 3114 Sixty-second avenue Oakland, has been a resident of California since the days of his childhood. He was born in the pleasant hamlet of Dant, Marion county, Kentucky, and is a son of Florenz and Serena (Brunsted) Mc- Carthy, who in 1890 came to California with their family and settled at Napa, where Father McCarthy was reared. He early dedicated his life and talents to the service of the church, and after a thorough course in St. Patrick's Seminary at Menlo Park was graduated therefrom in 1909 and ordained to the priesthood. His first service was as assistant to the pastor of Sacred Heart parish in San Fran-
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cisco, and he thereafter continued in the active service of the church, being sta- tioned at Oakland when in 1920 he was appointed by Archbishop Hanna to visit the mission centering at Yountville-to take up his residence there with a view to a study of its possibilities for parochial self-sustenance and to become its first pastor if its creation into a parish was found feasible.
After months of strenuous labor the indefatigable clergyman found conditions sufficiently favorable in the community to form a substantial basis for his recom- mendation for the creation of a parish, and formal steps were then taken to that end. Generous contributors aided in the cause of raising funds for the new ecclesi- astical enterprise, a plot of ground was donated for the purpose and in May, 1921, work was begun on the erection of the church buildings-the church and the rec- tory and the installation of a water system and other essential outfittings. On Sunday morning. July 31, 1921, the new church was dedicated and placed under the patronage of the soldiers' saint, Joan of Arc, his grace, the Most Rev. Edward J. Hanna, D. D., archbishop of San Francisco, having charge of the dedicatory serv- ice in the presence of a distinguished body of the clergy and a large assemblage of the people of the community, solemn high mass being celebrated by the Rev. Francis F. McCarthy, who meanwhile had been installed as resident pastor. He served the parish faithfully and did much to further and extend its interests and its influence. Father McCarthy also had charge at Oakville and at Rutherford. It was appar- ent that Yountville should be the location of the parish home, for not only was it the largest of the three villages and the first approached, but it also was in the shadow of the Soldiers Home, from which calls from the veterans would be fre- quent. It also was imperative to erect a new church for the conduct of the new parish, the non-sectarian chapel at the Soldiers Home not being fitting to the crea- tion of the familiar devotional environment sought by Catholic worshippers. With this end in view Henry Grigsby donated to the diocese the fine plot of ground on which the handsome and substantial establishment of St. Joan of Arc now stands and in due time, and by the unselfish aid of those interested, the present church and parish buildings were erected, as related above. The church edifice cost fifteen thousand dollars and the rectory something more than seventy-five hundred dollars. An additional charge of seventeen hundred dollars was laid to the furnishing of the church and something more than fourteen hundred dollars to the furnishing of the rectory, while the water system cost about fifteen hundred dollars, this with other expenses of construction bringing the cost of the parish establishment up to more than twenty-seven thousand dollars. This was supplemented by numerous gener- ous gifts in the way of the essential furnishings of the church-altar, pews, statues and other articles being furnished by friends of the church in San Francisco as well as in the home community, so that St. Joan of Arc parish now is not only well but quite handsomely provided for, Father McCarthy very properly enter- taining a feeling of gratification that his labors have been to tangibly rewarded. In 1926 Father McCarthy built the community hall in Yountville as a social center and adjunct of the church. In the Napa Daily Register for February 13, 1924, there appeared quite an interesting and informative history of this parish, from the pen of Father McCarthy, a valuable contribution to the history of this section of Cali- fornia.
In December 1926 Father McCarthy came to Oakland and here built St. Cyril's
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church and the school. The parish is fortunate in having his services and is flourish- ing under his able supervision. The account of the work of Father McCarthy in founding this second parish may be found on another page in this history under the heading "St. Cyril's Roman Catholic Church and School."
J. H. BEGIER
The city of San Leandro is the home of a number of persons of outstanding ability and prominence in their several lines of effort, and of these none has ac- complished greater things or risen to a higher place in public esteem than has J. H. Begier, who is known throughout this section of the state as a horticulturist, his noteworthy success along this line having gained for him the title of "The Cherry King," a distinction which he has rightly earned. Born in Hamburg, Germany, on the 21st of October, 1857, he is a son of Henry and Alice Begier, both of whom were natives of Germany, though the family in the paternal line is of French origin. His father was a circus performer, but died when his son was but six years of age.
J. H. Begier, an only son, is the second in order of birth of four children. He was educated in the fine public schools of his native city and at the age of fifteen years decided to become a landscape gardener. To this end he went to work on the estate of Baron von Schwerfinger, for whom he worked for three years, after which he went to Lubeck, Germany, where he followed the same line for one year. In 1882 he set sail with his family for the United States, his destination being Tappan, Dakota territory, now North Dakota. There he took up a government homestead and a tree claim, but a year later he was compelled to abandon the place and came to California. Locating in San Francisco, he entered the employ of Sur- veyor-General Wagner, on whose farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Contra Costa county he was assigned to the work of laying out the grounds and planting the orchards. This is now known as the Orinda Park tract and is located six miles from the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. In 1885 Mr. Begier came to San Leandro, with a cash capital of two dollars, and engaged in farming on a tract of land near the bridge. Because of lack of working capital, he had a hard time and, not being able to make a living, he went back to San Francisco, where he worked about six months as a common laborer. He then got a job with Judge Nye, of San Leandro, for whom he worked as a gardener, at a wage of ten dollars a. week. His faithfulness and efficiency so pleased Judge Nye that through his in- fluence he gradually took charge of all the important orchards in the San Leandro district. He has set out almost every orchard in the district, at times employing from eighty to one hundred men and women. About this time he made the ac- quaintance and gained the friendship of A. P. Giannini, the ditsinguished banker, a friendship which still continues, and through this association was able to ship from San Leandro the first carload of rhubarb that ever went to the eastern markets from this section of the state. He also became acquainted with Mr. Giannini's step- father, Mr. Skatino, and they formed a partnership and engaged in the packing and shipping of San Leandro fruits and vegetables to the east in carload lots. From
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that time to the present Mr. Begier has conducted an extensive business as an orchardist, horticulturist and shipper, and has been much more than ordinarily suc- cessful. He has planted and cultivated hundreds of acres of land, renting and leas- ing tracts in various districts, at times cultivating as high as eight hundred acres at one time, raising fruits, rhubarb, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. He has planted a number of profitable orchards, and has specialized in raising cherries. For thirty- two years he farmed the tract now occupied by the Durant motor car works, and is now the owner of eight acres of valuable land within the city limits, besides which he has fifty acres in choice fruits. He has laid out Begier avenue and built four- teen houses on it, facing Oak street. He owns one hundred feet frontage at the corner of East Fourteenth and Ninety-ninth streets and other valuable properties. He is still extensively engaged in shipping fruits and vegetables in carload lots, and some of his products, particularly tomatoes, he sells to the Chicago Packing Company's canneries at San Leandro, to which he has delivered large quantities for many years.
Mr. Begier has been fortunate in his friendships, not only making good friends, but keeping them. Thus he became a friend of the late Colonel Hastings, a Civil war veteran and close personal friend of President Mckinley of many years stand- ing. The Colonel was a man of considerable means and formerly owned the eight- acre tract now belonging to Mr. Begier. When Mr. Mckinley was president he promised to come out to San Leandro and spend a day with his old comrade, Colonel Hastings. The latter thereupon erected a magnificent tower, four stories high, from which Mr. Mckinley might view the country around. However, Mr. Mckinley found it impossible, owing to the press of urgent state affairs, to make the trip, much to the disappointment of the Colonel, who, nevertheless, continued to be his admirer and friend. Mr. Begier had the faculty of retaining the Colonel's friendship, eccentric as he was, and before the latter's death he expressed the wish that Mr. Begier should purchase the eight-acre tract at a bargain price. The sale was consumated about six months after the Colonel's death, at the settlement of the estate. Colonel Hastings erected the tallest flagpole in this township, and had it painted red, white and blue. This Mr. Begier afterward gave to the Roosevelt high school. After acquiring the property, Mr. Begier tore down the tower, from the material of which he built an attractive and modern residence. He has made many other valuable improvements on the property and is about to build a number of other residences on the tract. He has been successful in his undertakings and is a substantial stockholder in the Bank of Italy, being a member of the board of trustees of the San Leandro branch of that bank. Though past seventy years of age, he is still strong and active, working early and late, as he always has done, for idleness is entirely foreign to his nature.
In 1878, in Hamburg, Germany, Mr. Begier was united in marriage to Miss Alice Schultze, who is still living, and to them have been born four children : Emily, who died at the age of three years; Minnie; Harry, who is engaged in the contract- ing and building business in San Leandro; and Bernard, who is in the automobile business in Oakland. Mr. Begier has membership with the Masons in San Lean- dro, the Woodmen of the Word and the Kiwanis Club. Though not a member of any church, his children have been reared in the Presbyterian faith, and he has given generously to the building fund of each of the various religious denomina-
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tions in San Leandro. He has been a constant and effective booster for San Leandro and about eighteen years ago he originated the Cherry Festival, which has been continued as an annual affair ever since, attracting people from all over the state. Luther Burbank located his demonstration gardens in San Leandro for the purposes of the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915, being attracted to this lo- cality because of the favorable soil, the excellent climate and the closeness to San Francisco, as well as because of the warm friendship which existed between him and Mr. Begier, whom he recognized as a master horticulturist and whom he frequently visited. In the best sense of the term, Mr. Begier is a self-made man, having risen from a humble beginning to his present enviable position through his persis- tent and indefatigable efforts, backed by sound judgment and strict integrity, and he has long held a warm place in the hearts of his fellow citizens, in token of which they presented him with a large and beautiful silver cup.
ST. LOUIS BERTRAND CATHOLIC CHURCH
One of the most active and prosperous religious organizations in Oakland is the Roman Catholic church of St. Louis Bertrand, at One Hundredth avenue and East Fourteenth street, Elmhurst. Though two decades cover the history of the church, it has made rapid and substantial growth and exerts a strong influ- ence for good in the community which it serves. Over the extensive territory included within the parish of St. Louis Bertrand church Rev. James Kiely was placed in charge in October, 1908. It was his task at the outset of his ministry here to provide a church and a rectory. Until this could be done, mass was cele- brated in the Odd Fellows hall in Elmhurst and in Melrose hall in Melrose. In the comparatively short space of two years the energetic pastor succeeded in com- pleting churches for both places and a suitable parochial residence was also erected on East Fourteenth street. The church of St. Louis Bertrand is a type of the Spanish renaissance and has a seating capacity of seven hundred. The property on which the church was built was donated by Mrs. Ludovina Peralta Ivey, of San Leandro, a direct descendant of the well known Louis Peralta. The church is named after the patron saint of the famous Don Louis Peralta, well known in the early days of California.
Father Kiely received his ecclesiastical training in Thurles and was ordained in 1897. The following year he arrived in California and was appointed assistant pastor at St. Patrick's church, in Oakland, where he remained four years, when he was transferred to St. Francis church in San Francisco. In 1904 he was appointed to the pastorate at Novato and in 1908 came to the newly formed parish of St. Louis Bertrand. He was succeeded here by Rev. Robert Sampson, the present pas- tor of Sacred Heart church in Oakland, during whose pastorate a splendid hall was added to the parish property. In this building, which faces East Fourteenth street, the classes in Christian doctrine are held, they being taught by the Holy Family Sisters. The hall is also a social center for the parishioners. Following Father Sampson came Rev. Michael Horan, who did effective work in maintaining the ac- tivities of the parish, and was succeeded by the late pastor, Rev. M. J. Concannon,
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