Plumas
County
Biographies
PASCAL FAURE
One
of Beckwith’s industrious and successful citizens is Pascal Faure, who has
conducted a well equipped blacksmith shop here for many years and is known far
and near for the high quality of his work and his honorable business
methods. He was born in Canton Graubunden, Switzerland, April 13, 1879, and is a son of
Felix and Dominica (Madonna) Faure, who were lifelong residents of that
country. His father was a painter by
occupation. The mother was born in
Canton Ticino, and therefore spoke Italian, but her son, who attended the
public and parochial schools, acquired a knowledge of the old Romanish Italian, French and German languages. To Felix and Dominica Faure were born four
children, namely: Batista, who is
following his father’s trade and resides on the old Faure place in Switzerland;
Joseph, who is a mechanical engineer for the federal railroad in Canton
Lucerne, Switzerland; Pascal; and Jasper, who is the owner of the Beckwith
Garage, at Beckwith.
After
completing his education, Pascal Faure served a four years’ apprenticeship at
the blacksmith trade, and thus, when he came to the United States in 1910, was
well prepared to make his way. Coming
direct to California, he obtained work in the blacksmith shop of the Feather
River Lumber Company at Delleker. The boss of the shop did not want to hire him
for the reason that he did not speak English, but he was quick to learn, gave
entire satisfaction in his work and held that position for four years. Having carefully saved his earnings, he came
to Beckwith and bought the blacksmith shop of Ike Bobo. Here he has continued the business to the
present time and has prospered, having built a large and substantial business
as a general blacksmith. He manufactures
sleighs and wagons, shoes horses and does everything in the blacksmith line,
employing three or four men. He has been
a good manager and has wisely invested his profits in real estate, being the
owner of three residence properties in Beckwith. He became a citizen of this country in 1917.
On July 5, 1917, Mr. Faure was
united in marriage to Miss Meda Kagy,
who was born in Ovid, Seneca County, New York, and is a daughter of Landor and
Irene (Van Dyke) Kagy, who were natives of Ohio. The father was of Swiss parentage, while the
mother is a sister of V. E. Kagy, a prominent lawyer
in Los Angeles, California. Her maternal
grandfather was an associate of Kit Carson and helped to blaze the trail across
the plains to California. Mr. and Mrs.
Faure are the parents of a daughter, Hazel, who is the wife of Frank L.
McGuire, a leading realtor of Portland,
Oregon, and they are the parents of two daughters, Mollie, and Patricia, or Patsey, bright and interesting children. Mrs. Faure, a well educated woman, went to
Oakland, California, with her widowed mother when seventeen years of age. Her father died at the age of fifty-eight
years, and the mother age the age of sixty-two years. Mr. Faure was reared in the faith of the
Roman Catholic Church and has remained faithful to is precepts and teachings. He is a man of well defined opinions, is a
loyal citizen of his adopted country and has well earned the success which has
come to him.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3 Pages 203-204. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.