Sacramento County
Biographies
THOMAS VEAL BICKLE
The
early memories of Thomas V. Bickle cluster around
scenes in Cornwall, England,
his native country and the home of ancestors for generations uncounted. The
qualities that have given force and virility to the Anglo-Saxon race appear in his own character and have brought him a gratifying degree
of material success as well as a reputation for remarkable skill as a
pharmacist. It was his good fortune to enjoy excellent advantages in his home
land and in addition to having a thorough classical training he also had
exceptional opportunities as a student in the Westminster College of Pharmacy,
in London, from which he graduated
with the class of 1895, with the degree of M. P. S. Although the family did not
occupy a position of wealth they possessed high social standing and
considerable means, so that he had opportunities for travel and culture not
open to all. His father, Thomas Bickle, Sr., was an
Englishman of high standing in Masonry and a leading member of the order in the
country. For some time he occupied the position of instructor to the present
King of England, then stationed as mid-shipman on the boat, Britannia, at Dartmouth.
After
having been engaged as a pharmacist in England
for a number of years in 1905 Thomas Bickle came to
the United States
and later traveled considerably throughout the continent on a tour of
inspection. During this period of travel he remained in Colorado
for three months. The year 1906 found him a newcomer in Sacramento,
where his excellent credentials secured for him a business position on the very
day of his arrival. The firm that was his first employer retained his services
for two years, after which in 1908 he associated himself with P. F. McMorry. The death of the latter in October of the same
year caused the establishment to be put on sale by the estate and he
immediately purchased the same, since which time he has conducted the pharmacy
on the same principles of integrity, skill and accuracy that gave to the store
its early enviable reputation. The store is located at No.
529 K street and number
among its regular patrons a large proportion of the leading residents of the
city.
About
a year before leaving England the
marriage of Mr. Bickle was solemnized in Devonshire
and united him with Miss Minnie Rowe, a native of England
and the daughter of a leading farmer of Devon. Since
becoming a resident of the west Mr. Bickle has
entered into the activities of the Foresters of America, while prior to his
departure from England
he long had been influential in the Masonic Order. it
was his happy fortune to be identified with the United Grand Lodge of England,
then Prince of Wales, held office as grand master. Besides this fortunate early
experience in Masonry Mr. Bickle has maintained a
later interest in the order and gives his influence toward the philanthropies
that characterize its history. In addition he has been interested in and
identified with the Sons of St. George.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.
Source: Willis,
William L., History of Sacramento County,
California, Pages 858-859. Historic
Record Company, Los
Angeles,
CA. 1913.
© 2006 Sally Kaleta.