William and Henry Hale were businessmen who, with Dr. J. H Carothers and Harris Fassett, laid out the town of Pacheco in 1860.
William Morell Hale was born in Ohio in September of 1831. In 1860, William is 28 years old and living with the Parker Germain family. At the time his Real Estate Value is $3,000 and his Personal Estate Value is $10,000. He is listed as a merchant.
In the 1866 Voter Registration, William is shown as being a merchant in Pacheco, CA. By the 1870 U.S. Census, William is listed as a retired merchant, possibly due to the destruction of the Pacheco shipping port.
William’s wife, Mary, was born in August of 1835 in Michigan. They had four children, William, Ida, Harriet and Mark. In 1873, William becomes one of the founders of the Bank of Martinez.
Unfortunately, William’s daughter, Harriet passes on February 24, 1874, at the age of 20 months, and his son, Mark passes on December 22, 1877 at the age of two.
In early March of 1882, while the Hale family was eating breakfast, their chimney caught fire from soot, but seemed to be extinguished quickly. It was not until a neighbor came to announce that fire was raging from their upper windows and roof. Within a half hour, the fire was gone, but there was much damage to the upper room ceilings and roof. Though no alarm was wrung, neighbors spotted the problem and came to the rescue. Within a short period of time, all the contents of the house was removed by able bodied men.
William passes on August 20, 1883 and is buried in the Alhambra Cemetery with his daughter Harriet (1874) and his son Mark (1877). At the time of his death, he was a Trustee of the Alhambra Cemetery Association.
In the 1892 Voter Registration, William (son) is working at his dad’s bank (Bank of Martinez) as a bookkeeper.
In the 1900 U.S. Census, it shows that William’s wife, Mary, is living with Henry’s wife, Elizabeth in Martinez, CA. She is in her 60s.
William’s wife, Mary, passes away on April 15, 1906 and is reunited with her daughter, Harriet (1874), son, Mark (1877) and husband, William (1883) in the Alhambra Cemetery.
Henry Meyer Hale was born in Ohio in 1833. In 1860, Henry is 26 years old and living with the Tyranus Standish family. At the time he was listed as a clerk. In the same year he was in business with Harris Fassett (Hale & Fassett) in Pacheco. Their ad in the Contra Costa Gazette reads, “Are still at their old business, selling all kinds of goods, cheaper than anyone else!” They carried boots, shoes, shawls, bonnets, hoods and cloaks.
In his 1866 Voter Registration, Henry is shown as being a merchant in Pacheco, CA. By the 1870 U.S. Census, Henry, like his brother William, is listed as a retired merchant. Again, it could be due to the destruction of the Pacheco shipping port.
Henry’s wife, Frances Elizabeth Lyons, was born on July 8, 1838 in Illinois. They had three children, Edward, Charles and Reuben.
In 1873, he is one of the founders of the Bank of Martinez, along with his brother, William. In the 1892 and 1896 Voter Registration, Henry is still a part of the Bank of Martinez.
Henry passes on January 6, 1899 and is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland along with his son, Dr. Reuben Hale (Dentist, 1923).
In the 1900 U.S. Census, it shows that Elizabeth is living with William’s wife, Mary, in Martinez, CA. She is in her 60s.
Elizabeth passes on February 7, 1935 at the age of 96 and is reunited with her husband, Henry, and her son, Reuben (1923) in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
The original content of this post was taken from the previous website and updated for republishing in 2021.