John Henry Paul Ward Beecher Sr. ^{1 2}

   FamilySearch ID: L81S-ST5.

  Burial Notes:

His ashes were scattered out to sea 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Residence: 131 E. 3rd Street, Mount Carmel, PA on 1 Apr 1908 in Mount Carmel, Northumberland, PA. ⁷

2. Census in 1910 in Tulare, Tulare, CA. ⁴ Renting at 373 King St: William J. Beecher, 33, was married for 9 years to wife Emma, 26. She had given birth to 7 children, 6 alive in 1910. Living with them: Edith, 8; Anne, 7; Willie, 6; Arthur, 5; May, 3; John, 2; and William's father, Hiram, 68, widowed. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania. No one had an occupation.

3. Residence: 814 Madison St., Watsonville, CA on 5 Jun 1917 in Watsonville, Santa Cruz, CA. ⁸

4. Census in 1920 in Castroville, Monterey, CA. ⁹ William J. Beecher, laborer in salt works, 43, was living with wife Emma, 36; William J., 16; Arthur, 14; May, 13; John L., 11; and Benjamin Franklin, 10. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania. William was renting his home, and had served in World War I.

5. Newspaper: The Californian: Beechers Arraigned, 26 Jun 1929, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹⁰ TRIO ARRAIGNED; FORMALLY CHARGED
The four men allegedly implicated in the burglarizing of the Vapor laundry, Monterey, last year, and arrested last Monday by Sheriff Carl H. Abbott and constable George Kinloch were arraigned late yesterday afternoon before Judge Ray Baugh, at Monterey. Three members of the quartette formally were charged with burglary, while the fourth, William Beecher, was released on grounds of insufficient evidence. The three who were returned to the county jail here are Art Beecher, Fred Jackson and Elmer Perry. Officers still are seeking a fifth man, John Beecher, who is said to have figured in the laundry robbery. The Vapor laundry was entered on the night of September 23, 1928, when 24 suits of clothing and an adding machine were stolen. The adding machine and several of the suits have been recovered with the arrest of the Monterey men.

6. Newspaper: Oakland Tribune: Burglars Sent To San Quentin, 24 Jul 1929, Oakland, Alameda, CA. ¹¹ Burglars Sent To San Quentin
Monterey, July 24. -- Arthur Beecher and Elmer Perry were found guilty of second degree burglary and taken to San Quentin yesterday. They were tried in connection with the burglary of a Monterey cleaning establishment last year.
John Beecher, implicated in the burglary by confession of Perry and Beecher, is being sought by the sheriff's office.
More than a score of suits, a typewriter and an adding machine were stolen from the cleaning establishment. Several weeks ago the adding machine and several suits were found at the Beecher home. Beecher and Perry were subsequently arrested by Constable George Kinlock and Sheriff Carl Abbott.

7. Newspaper: Salinas Morning Post: John Beecher Arrested, 7 Aug 1931, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹² Youth Arrested After Search Of Two Years
Sought for two years by Sheriff Carl H. Abbott on a charge of burglarizing a cleaning establishment in Monterey, John Beecher, youthful resident of Monterey, was in the county jail facing prosecution on the charge for which two of his companions already have completed terms In San Quentin. Beecher was arrested in Hanford this week with four other young men who were riding in a car stolen from Salinas July 26. The others brought back Wednesday by Deputy Sheriff D. F. McKinnon are: Ben Beecher, Harold Rice, John Cano and Fred Davidson. One of the men will be charged with theft of the car. Sheriff Abbott sent circulars to all police and sheriff offices in the state. The circular says that Beecher also is accused of shooting at a railroad policeman in San Jose about two years ago.

8. Newspaper: The Californian: John Beecher on trial, 18 May 1933, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹³ 2 Turn State Evidence In Arson Trial
Disclose Asserted Plot To Raze Seaside Store For $3100 Insurance
An apparent race among the defendants to turn state's evidence today heaped new fuel on the heated trial here of four Seaside men charged with arson. The trial, entering Its third day, arose from the ashes of the old Glougie grocery store in Seaside, razed by fire on March 20. The building and its contents were insured for $3400. Fred Jackson, on trial with A V. Glougie, store owner; M. W. Brown and John Beecher, surprised defense attorneys this morning when he admitted he knew all about the plot to burn down the store on March 17, the second attempt at firing the structure. On that night, he testified under the baleful glares of the other defendants, Beecher invited him to fill up a sack with groceries while he (Beecher) saturated the premises with gasoline and oil. That fire failed, he went on, because all the windows and doors were tightly closed, stopping ventilation. Some time later, he went on, Beecher offered him $500 to take the rap on the arson charges, but he refused. The courtroom sensation precipitated by the witnesses, followed closely on the heels of similar disclosures made by John Buelna, one of the first arrested In the case. Charges against him were dismissed weeks ago when he assertedly confessed the plot and agreed to turn state's evidence. Buelna testified that in the county jail he overheard Beecher tell Glougie that if Glougie was going to be stuck, he (Beecher) would take the blame. George Baldwin, another state witness, testified that Glougie hinted to him of knowledge of the arson plot, concluding with the statement, "Oh, I like to let the cat out of the bag." The trial is expected to continue throughout the week.

9. Newspaper: Santa Cruz Evening News: Brother Trio Arrested in S. C. Thefts, 28 Mar 1938, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. ¹⁴ Brother Trio Arrested in S. C. Thefts

At least nine burglary jobs in Santa Cruz county and the looting of some 80 homes near San Jose were believed cleared up with the arrest Saturday in Gilroy and San Francisco of three brothers, Benjamin, John and Arthur Beecher, ranging in age from 27 to 32 years.
The three, all WPA workers, who are charged with having carried on wholesale burglaries over the weekends, are suspected of nine jobs in the Green Valley region near Watsonville where a systematic looting of homes was carried on. The brothers are also suspected of having stolen some $5000 worth of copper wire at Gilroy recently, discovery of wire-cutters and other tools at their San Francisco hideout strengthening the belief.
All three of the Beechers have criminal records, it was disclosed by Sheriff George W. Lyle of San Jose, and all, at one time or another, have used aliases.
John Beecher has been taken into custody 13 times in the last 11 years on charges ranging from vagrancy and petty theft to burglary and arson, and has served several county jail terms.
In 1929, Arthur Beecher was sentenced to 1 to 15 years in San Quentin following his conviction on second degree burglary charges. After serving 14 months of this sentence, he was paroled and 14 months later was discharged from parole.
Ten times Benjamin Beecher ran afoul of the law in the last 11 years on charges of burglary, petty theft, robbery, grand theft and vagrancy. He has served several county jail terms ranging up to 100 days.

10. Newspaper: Salinas Morning Post: Beecher Boys Arrested, 2 Apr 1938, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹⁵ Officers Uncover Former Crime Career
(photos of Ben and John Beecher)
With the arrest of "those bad Beecher boys," former Seaside residents and asserted "pillowslip" burglars, by San Francisco and San Jose authorities early this week, deputy sheriffs at the county jail disclosed here Friday that two of the three brothers had local crime records. The three brothers, Arthur, John and Ben, are held in San Jose as the asserted thieves who burglarized more than 75 homes in five counties, looting them of an estimated $20,000 in furnishings, money, clothing and jewelry, and stole thousands of feet of copper wire from power and telephone lines in the Moss Landing and Springfield districts in Monterey county. Arthur, who does not have a local record, was arrested in San Francisco. John and Ben were arrested in Gilroy after allegedly "casing" several residences in San Jose preparatory to looting them.
Crime Record
Their local crime records follow: John Beecher, 30, was first arrested in this county August 8, 1927, as a vagrant. He was released October 5. He and Ben were arrested together on charges of burglary and grand theft August 5, 1931. Ben was released August 18 and John was released October 14 after officers failed to secure enough evidence to hold them for trial. Again, March 30, 1933, John was arrested with others on a charge of arson following the burning of a building on the Monterey peninsula. In a jury trial he and the other defendants were acquitted and he was released May 23, 1933.
Started Early
Ben was first arrested as a juvenile October 25, 1927, on a charge of petty theft. He was convicted and sent to Preston Reform school at lone. He was paroled from the school November 20, 1929. Arrested and released on the burglary and grand theft charges August 18, 1931, he stayed out of trouble until February 26, 1935, when he was sentenced to 100 days in the county jail for petty theft. He was paroled April 13, before half his term had been served. Petty theft again proved his downfall, and he was arrested and sentenced January 21, 1936, to 90 days in the county jail. He was released April 19, serving his full term. Authorities refer to the Beecher boys as the "pillowslip" burglars because they allegedly remove their booty from the scene in pillowslips taken from the residences they loot.

11. Court: on 4 Oct 1938 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁶ Convict 92490. John Beecher. Santa Clara County. Received 4 Oct 1938. Crime Bufg 1st 7 Pr/Fel. 2cts. & Burg. 1st all CS. Sentence 5-Life 3cts CS. Aliases Jack Kelly. Criminal Record: 1928 Salinas Calif. Vag. 90 days. 1928 San Jose Calif. Att. Burg. 60 days. 1929 Hollister Calif. Petty Theft 90 days. 1932 Marysville Calif. Petty Theft 90 days. Tattoo lower left out: "J.B."

12. Court: Convict 62490 John Beecher nativity Penna. Crime: Burg 1st Pr.Fel. 2CTS & Burg.1st ALL CS. sent from Santa Clara county age 31 auto mechanic 6' fair complexion blue eyes brown hair. on 4 Oct 1938 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁷

13. Census in 1940 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁸ The 1940 census recorded at San Quentin Prison two Beecher brothers: John Beecher, prisoner 62490, age 30, born in Pennsylvania, living in 1935 in San Francisco. He had completed the 7th grade in school. Ben Beecher, age 29, prisoner 61991, born in Pennsylvania, living in 1935 in San Francisco. He had completed the 6th grade in school.

14. Court: John Beecher recd. 10-4-38 Paroled 2-8-43 Disch 2-8-45. on 8 Feb 1943 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁹

15. Occupation: Beecher, John H ship yard worker r 4615 Lincoln way in 1944 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ²⁰

16. Newspaper: The Californian: Young Seaside Mother 'Human Torch' Victim, 4 Jan 1947, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ²¹ ---
Young Seaside Mother Human Torch
---
Victim Mrs. Eleanor Johnson, 16, Suffers Fatal Burns After Clothing Soaked in Kerosene Early Today, Sheriff's Deputies Report
---
Soaked in blazing kerosene, 16 year old Mrs. Eleanor Johnson, who was expecting a second child, suffered fatal first degree burns early this morning at the Seaside home of her mother, Mrs. John Beecher, while her father attempted to smother the flames with a blanket, sheriff's deputies reported today.
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Beecher, who live at Harding and Domingo streets in Seaside, she was visiting her parents with her husband, William Johnson, 17. Taken first to the Monterey hospital she was given first aid prior to her transfer to the county hospital here, where she died at 8:30 a. m. from burns on the upper torso.
Statement taken from the fatally injured girl, both at the hospital in Monterey and by Dr. O. H. Hull of the county hospital on her arrival, indicate evidence of a suicide attempt, district attorney's office reported this morning.
Kerosene Bottle Found
Sheriff's deputies investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal injury reported upon their arrival Mrs. Johnson was lying on the floor between a bedroom and the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket, and that flames were extinguished. They said that no fire had been started in the coal range, and that a half-filled bottle of kerosene on the kitchen table had been spilled on the floor near the table, but none had fallen near the stove.
Rugs in the hallway, to which she had crawled or fallen when the blaze started, were burned, sheriff's officers reported. Taken immediately to the Monterey hospital, where first aid was administered, she then was rushed to the county hospital by ambulance, the report added.
Gordon Campbell, deputy district attorney for Monterey, reported that statements taken from both of the doctors, who talked to the girl before she died, indicated she was despondent and had attempted to take her own life.

17. Newspaper: San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune: Child Bride Sets Herself Afire, 6 Jan 1947, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA. ²² ---
Child Bride Sets Herself Afire
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Burns Are Fatal
---
MONTEREY Cal. Jan. 6: A child-bride set herself afire Saturday and was fatally burned after an argument with her husband over her drinking with other men, police reported.
Four months' pregnant and already the mother of a year-old child, Mrs. Eleanor Johnson, 15, doused herself with kerosene from a gallon jug in her home and touched a match to her skirt when her husband accused her of being intoxicated.
Before she died in Monterey County hospital she shut off official speculation of foul play by admitting that she had taken her own life.
She set fire to herself, police stated, just after her husband ran across the street from their home in suburban Seaside to get her father, John Beecher, to bring parental authority to bear on the girl.
Johnson and Beecher saw the flames flickering through the kitchen window of the house but before they could wrap her in a blanket she had received third degree burns over her entire body.
She told sheriff's deputies and Deputy District Attorney Gordon Campbell of the investigating group that she had been out drinking with four other men preceding the family argument.

18. Census in 1950 in Pacific Grove, Monterey, CA. ²³ The 1950 census recorded in Apt. 2 at 239 Junipero Avenue: John H. Beecher, no occupation, 40, living with wife Betty J., 25; son John H., 1; and son Jerry J., born in Sep. 1949. Also in the home is Betty's sister Nadine E. Elsea, 20, married. Betty and Elsea were born in Nebraska, John in Pennsylvania and the children in California.

19. Census in 1950 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ²⁴ The 1950 census recorded John H. Beecher, 41, as an inmate in San Quentin Prison.

20. Residence: on 7 Aug 1969 in Portland, Multnomah, OR. ²⁵

21. Residence: in 1986 in White City, Jackson, OR. ²⁶

John married Charlotte Cecelia Molina on 16 Mar 1929 in Monterey, Monterey, CA.^{1 2} (Charlotte Cecelia Molina was born on 9 Feb 1907 in Hollister, San Benito, CA,²⁷ died on 5 Oct 1982 in Salinas, Monterey, CA ^{27 28} and was buried on 7 Oct 1982 in Seaside: Mission Memorial Park, Monterey, CA ^{1 28}.)

John next married Betty Jean Warford, daughter of Floyd Warford and Myrna Talitha Thompson, on 7 Sep 1945 in San Francisco: St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, CA.^{1 3} The marriage ended in divorce on 4 Jan 1984. (Betty Jean Warford was born on 6 Oct 1924 in Arcadia, Valley, NE,^{1 26 29} died on 19 Jul 1997 in White City, Jackson, OR ^{1 26 29} and was buried in Medford: Memory Gardens Cemetery, Jackson, OR ^{1 29}.)