San
Joaquin County
Biographies
BERNARD CASSIDY
For many years Bernard Cassidy has been
in the public service of the county, first as deputy sheriff under Cunningham,
Sibley and Reicks, and afterwards, for the past few years, as bailiff of the
sheriff’s office under Sheriff Reicks.
In all he has served thirty-eight years as a peace officer, being now
the oldest in years of service in California.
Mr. Cassidy was born in Fermanagh, Ireland, in
1851, a son of Peter and Katherine (Fee) Cassidy. Peter Cassidy came to the United States in
1862 and was engaged in mining in Pennsylvania; later he moved to Rice County,
Minnesota, where he farmed a quarter section of land of his own. Bernard Cassidy received his education in
Ireland and in 1866 joined his father in Rice County, Minnesota, where he
remained until 1875 when he removed to Stockton. Peter Cassidy died on his farm in Minnesota
in 1898 aged ninety-eight years.
In July, 1872, Mr. Cassidy was
married at Shieldsville, Minnesota, to Miss Mary
Devereaux, born in County Wexford, Ireland, a daughter of Patrick and Margaret
(Hoar) Devereaux. Mrs. Cassidy was
educated in her native land and accompanied her parents to the United States
where they settled in Rice County, Minnesota.
She was the youngest of a family of four children, the others being
Andrew, Robert and John. Mr. and Mrs.
Cassidy were the parents of ten children:
Katherine married J. Orie Spencer, foreman of Hedges Buck Co., Stockton;
William is in the insurance business in Stockton; Minnie and Ann preside over
Mr. Cassidy’s home; Benjamin is a member of the police department of Stockton;
Julia, deceased; John, proprietor of the Stockton Bowling Alley; Irene, the
wife of Albert Cannon, a partner of John Cassidy and they reside in Stockton;
Joseph is deceased and the youngest child died in infancy. There are six grandchildren. Mrs. Spencer has two sons, Alvin and
Robert. William Cassidy was first
married to Miss Olive McKnight and they have two children, Andrew and
Olive. Mrs. Cassidy died fourteen years
ago and William then married Miss Era Bruce.
Benjamin Cassidy married Miss Elpha McClellan
and they have two children, Bernard and Frank.
After taking up his residence in Stockton, Mr. Cassidy engaged in bridge
building for several years, then became deputy sheriff
and then bailiff in the sheriff’s office.
Mr. Cassidy was bereaved of his faithful wife August 21, 1922, a woman
much loved and esteemed and mourned by her family and many friends. In politics Mr. Cassidy is a Republican and
he is a member of the Foresters and the Y. M. I.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1172. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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