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A Chance Encounter with History
May/June 2017
By Bobbie Bagel
 San Diego City Father - William Augustus Begole
Paperback, 124 pages
30 photos/maps/document reproductions
$20
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The cover portrait on this artfully produced book could have come straight from central casting. With long whiskers and a determined gaze, William Augustus Begole appears to be the quintessential 19th-century pioneer. While names like Gunn, Horton, Marston, Spreckels, and Whaley are well known to San Diego history buffs, Begole is virtually unknown. Until now that is.
Author Lael Montgomery wrote this book to introduce Begole and his considerable accomplishments to San Diegans. It was only by chance that she learned of W. A. Begole. Several years ago, Montgomery came across his name while reading Richard Pourade's seven-volume History of San Diego.
Begole was her mother's maiden name. Montgomery wondered if she had stumbled across an unknown branch of her family. After considerable research, she discovered that W.A. was her first cousin, four times removed! Once she was sure of the connection, she wanted to learn as much as possible about her long lost relative.
This biography not only portrays the productive life of the hard-working man Montgomery affectionately calls Cousin Gus, it also presents a vivid snapshot of the political, economic, and social life of New Town San Diego in the late 19th century. Montgomery chronicles the turbulent times of boom and bust, relentless land speculation, and financial collapse.
The Begole family traces their lineage back to Huguenot (French Protestant) immigrants who came to America in 1700 to escape religious persecution in France. First settling in Virginia, then Maryland, they fought in the Revolutionary War and later moved to farm country in upstate New York. That is where W.A. was born in 1826.
W.A. was inspired by gold rush stories and the spirit of adventurous pioneers responding to the call of manifest destiny promoted by the nation's leaders. As a determined 20-year-old, he headed west on his own, settling in Nevada County, Calif., which was the most productive gold mining region in the territory.
Arriving around 1849, Begole made the town of Red Dog his home for 20 years. He was clever. He realized that merchants in the gold country often made more money than miners. So in addition to buying and selling mining claims, he ran a tinsmith hardware store, and built a 300-seat theater for the town of 2,000. An early supporter of the nascent Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, W.A. was elected Justice of the Peace and was a charter member of the town's Masonic Lodge. He was also a commissioned officer in the California militia.
But life in the gold country was wildly unpredictable. Horrendous fires and record rainfall and floods of biblical proportions ravaged the towns. Furthermore, the mines were petering out. Begole thought it was time to move on. Knowing that new gold mine claims were available in Julian and Pine Valley, he packed up and migrated to San Diego in 1869. He was 43 at the time. (Coincidentally, around this same time, future luminaries and notables like Alonzo Horton, father and son Lewis and Douglas Gunn, Simon Levi, and George Marston were also settling in San Diego.)
Upon his arrival, W.A. immediately purchased property at 529 Fifth Avenue in the heart of New Town. Today, the building is in the center of the thriving Gaslamp Quarter. He set up shop again as a tinsmith with a hardware store. Despite the changing fortunes of the neighborhood, he lived modestly above this shop until the end of his life.
While still keeping his hand in the mining game, Begole held a variety of public offices in San Diego: Trustee of the Public Library, Chairman of the Republican County Committee, and Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce.
While he was President of the San Diego Trustees (equivalent to today's City Council) in 1875-76, he designed and raised funds for a ceremonial cannon to be used for the nation's centennial, local celebrations, and parades. When not in use, it rested on a caisson parked in Horton Plaza for almost 50 years.
Sometime around the 1930s, the cannon mysteriously disappeared. In an amazing bit of serendipity, it was recovered by SOHO in 2013. With funds from the Begole family, the Bandy Blacksmith Guild of Escondido restored the cannon to exacting specifications and built its new wood carriage in 2016. The guild is being honored May 18 with one of SOHO's People In Preservation awards for this and other restorations.
In 1881, Begole married for the first time at age 57. The bride was Helene Hanford. George Marston and his father-in-law Lewis Gunn were the witnesses at the wedding. Apparently unlucky in love, the couple ended their marriage after only eighteen months.
Begole died at age 74. An active leader of the Masonic movement his entire adult life, the Brotherhood gave a splendid funeral to their oldest member, according to newspaper reports. He deserved it. William Augustus Begole was a devoted man, a true pioneer, and a San Diego original.
San Diego City Father - William Augustus Begole is available at the museum shops at the Marston House and Whaley House, and at the Santa Ysabel Store.
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