William Jacob Beecher Sr. ^{3 4 5 6}

   Other names for William were William J. Beacher, Willie Becher and Wilhelm J. Beecher.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census, 1880, Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA. ^{5 11} Hiram Becher, coal miner, 38, was married to wife Henrietta, 31. Living with them: Lilly May, 12; Sarah Jane, 10; Edith, 7; and Willie, 5. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania.

• Census, 1900, Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA. ⁴ Hiram Beecher (age 57, born Jul 1843) is listed in the 1900 Census as a household head living on the west side of Oak Street in Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His wife is listed as Etta (51, born Sep 1848). Living with them is son Wilhelm J. (24, born May, 1876). Both father and son are employed as coal miners. Henrietta is listed as having given birth to 4 children, all of whom were living in 1900. Living in the same building as a boarder is Sadie Beecher, his daughter, born Feb 1874 and single, occupation servant.

• Census, 1910, Tulare, Tulare County, California, USA. ^{5 7} Renting at 373 King St: William J. Beecher, 33, was married for 9 years to wife Emma, 26. She had given birth to 11 children, 6 alive in 1910. Living with them: 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.

• Census, 1920, Castroville, Monterey County, California, USA. ^{5 12} 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.

[Note: since Benjamin was not listed in the 1910 Census when the family was living in Tulare, CA, and he was born in 1910, we assume his actual birthplace is Tulare and not Pennsylvania as listed in the 1920 Census.]

• Residence, 11 Aug 1942, Monterey, Monterey County, California, USA. ⁶ In 1942 on his application for a delayed birth certificate William listed his address: Route 1 Box 215A, Monterey, California.

• Newspaper: The Wm. Beechers are 50 Years Wed, 15 Dec 1950, Seaside, Monterey County, California, USA. [newspaper name unknown, not on article clipped]

The Wm. Beechers are 50 Years Wed

Mr. and Mrs. William Beecher, 142 Mingo Avenue, observed their fiftieth wedding anniversary last Friday, Dec. 15. Owing to the illness of Mr. Beecher, any formal celebration had to be omitted.

The couple was married in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.

Coming to Seaside when there were only one other residence on the hill area, they have occupied their present home for 32 years and still retain some 20 lots.

For this Golden Wedding anniversary there were remembrances from the four sons, Bill in Oakland; John in the San Joaquin valley; Ben in San Francisco, and Arthur in Seaside, away from home at present. Of the two daughters, Mrs. Edith Kelly was unable to be down from San Bruno; Mrs. Louis (Mae) Lopez of San Francisco bringing the anniversary and Christmas gifts from the family. Accompanying Mrs. Lopez was her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Bill Naro, and three-months-old Linda, the fifth great grandchild of the William Beechers, who saw Linda for the first time on this 50^th wedding anniversary. The other great grandchildren are Margaret Beecher, Kathy and Peggy Huckaby, of Monterey Peninsula, and Dorothy Thompson of San Bruno. There are also 15 grandchildren, including five living in local communities. A daughter-in-law, Mrs. Arthur Beecher, was present for the day, and living nearby is able to assist in caring for her father-in-law.

Earlier in the year the Beecher family had planned a Golden Wedding reception for their parents, with guests invited from the large circle of friends made during the long residence here. Greetings have been received from many who were aware of the anniversary date.

• Letter: Stanley James Beecher Sr. to Dianne Beecher, 23 Jun 2008. "He took his wife Emma Beecher and 6 kids by train to California, in the 1900's. The family came to Cal. because of an ad in the paper for a explosive expert to do work in Calif. He got the job and helped level land at Fort Ord and the Presidio of Monterey."
"Grandfather William Jacob Beecher was blind in one eye that was white, and he said that it happened in the PA coal mines working with explosives....my grandfather and his family came to California and some of them worked picking fruit."

William married Emma Youst, daughter of Henry Youst and Anna Derr, on 13 Dec 1900 in Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA.^{1 2} (Emma Youst was born on 1 May 1883 in , , Pennsylvania, USA,^{7 13} died on 17 Jul 1952 in Monterey, Monterey County, California, USA ¹³ and was buried in Pacific Grove: El Carmelo Cemetery, Monterey County, California, USA ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

They were married by Rev. F. Weiss according to the marriage certificate. ⁹