Yolo-San Francisco-Trinity County CA Archives Biographies.....Fletcher, Frank 1864 - 1911
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Author: Tom Gregory (1913)

FRANK FLETCHER

    A touch of romance lingers around the adventurous but successful career of
the late Frank Fletcher. While especially fond of the quiet calm of the country,
with the golden sunlight falling softly upon meadow and valley, not for him was
the isolation of rural communities. When a long-hidden desire for a country home
was able to be gratified, not for long did he enjoy the seclusion of the
attractive place he had purchased. Always for him were the haunts of men, the
teeming life of the city, the excitement of commercial affairs and the anxieties
connected with the financing of large undertakings. For a short period he gave
his attention to the improvement of his ranch, the planting of ornamental and
fruit trees, and the other tasks that delighted his heart with their promise of
future beauty and charm; but while yet at the beginning of his self-imposed
tasks death came to him and ended all the hopes so fondly cherished.

    The life which this narrative depicts began in Liverpool, England, July 22,
1864, and closed in San Francisco, Cal, March 30, 1911. The Fletcher family is
of old English ancestry, and the father, Thomas, was a native of Liverpool,
where for years he owned and operated a foundry. Himself an expert and skilled
mechanic, he was well qualified to manage an industry of that kind, but the
conditions connected with the work in England were such that he decided to
transfer his interests to the new world. Accordingly during 1869 he crossed the
Atlantic and settled in Mexico, where he built a foundry and for years operated
a machine shop at Chihuahua, some distance south of El Paso, Tex. From his
earliest recollections, Frank Fletcher was familiar with machinery and exhibited
mechanical skill, but this did not prevent him from endeavoring to secure a
liberal classical education. For some time he worked in the foundry as a
pattern-maker, and after the death of his father he succeeded to the estate and
business. A man of great energy and activity, the conduct of the machine shop
did not represent the limit of his labors. In partnership with Gov. Enricque
Creel he had the distinction of building a railroad in Mexico, a narrow-gauge
road of twenty-six miles, which was later sold.

    Upon disposing of his interests in Mexico and removing to California, Mr.
Fletcher remained for a time in San Francisco, but later took up mining
activities in Trinity county. He opened up the Northern Headlight mine and
operated it for a time, but was obliged to discontinue owing to an insufficiency
of funds for the purchase of needed machinery. The temporary abandoning of his
project only made him the more eager to prove the worth of the mine. Never once
did he lose his faith in its value. Returning to Chihuahua he assumed the
management of the old foundry and machine shop established by his father, and in
addition he acted as superintendent of the City Electric Lighting & Power
Company, owners of the local tramway and the electric light system. After a few
years he resigned and returned to the management of the Northern Headlight mine,
which, with new capital to aid him, he improved by the introduction of modern
machinery. The mine proved fully equal to his expectations, and when its value
became known he was able to sell out for a large sum. Returning to San Francisco
he came from there to Yolo county in 1908 and purchased a ranch of three hundred
and twenty acres adjoining Dunnigan, the neat residence standing directly west
of the railroad station.

    The marriage of Mr. Fletcher took place at Berkeley, Cal., in 1890, and
united him with Miss Annie Estella Willmott, who is a native of San Francisco,
and received a classical education at Berkeley. She is a daughter of Charles
Willmott, a native of England, who came to the new world in young manhood and
settled at Berkeley, where he operated a brewery. The family of Mr. and Mrs.
Fletcher comprises three children: Thomas Frank, manager of the ranch; Harry
Detwiler and Hannah Wells, who reside at home. Three years after their removal
to the ranch Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher went to San Francisco for purposes of
recreation and recuperation, but shortly after their arrival in the city, Mr.
Fletcher was taken seriously ill, and on the 30th of March, 1911, passed away.
Since his death she has resided in San Francisco, leaving the management of the
ranch to her son. For years he had been a member of the Masonic lodge at
Chihuahua. In religion, while identified with no denomination, he was in
sympathy with the charitable enterprises of all and contributed with great
liberality to the Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Fletcher is an earnest member.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


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