San Francisco County
Biographies
A.
W. SORRELL
A. W. Sorrell,
proprietor of the Beale street mill at the corner of Beale and Mission streets,
is a native of Essex, England, where he was educated, and subsequently served
an apprenticeship of four years in learning the trade of carpenter. In 1854 he went to Sydney, Australia, where
he followed general contracting, and remained fifteen years, having built three
of the finest churches and a large number of residences. He was married in Sydney, in 1856, to Miss
Jane Hayward, a native of old England.
In 1869 Mr. Sorrell and family emigrated to
California. On arrival in San Francisco
he began work in the California mill, and there learned the process of
manufacturing builders’ supplies, such as frames, sash, doors, blinds, brackets
and general finish. After seven years in
the mill he then returned to contracting in general building,
and he erected many handsome houses, flats and stores in the city. In October, 1888, he established his present
mill, which is fully equipped with modern machinery adapted to general mill
work, suitably arranged as to utility of space and convenience of handling
material. Here, with an average of
twenty men, they work up 2,000 feet of lumber per day into such shapes and
forms as are required in the house finishing business, in which he is still
engaged in contracting. Mr. Sorrell is a
member of the Knights of Honor, and honorable dealings with
all men is the secret of his business success.
He has three
children: Amelia J. and Sydney H., born in Australia, and Anna, in California.
Transcribed by Donna L. Becker
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1,
pages 703-704, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2005 Donna L. Becker.