1870's

If you think 1940 was a step back into our history, read this...

In 2002, Mrs. Carol Hanselwood, of Canada, contacted us, asking about information on her great grandfather, whom she had been told was a town marshal in Hollister during the mid 1870's. With some research by our City Clerk's office, we were able to locate the following information. Mr. William McBroom was elected Town Marshal on May 7, 1877, with 109 votes. He was re-elected again on May 6, 1878, with 131 votes. The records showed that on August 9, 1878 the City Council appointed a new Marshal because Mr. McBroom was deceased. Mrs. Hanselwood reports that the family believed Mr. McBroom died of heart failure in Santa Barbara on August 5, 1878. She also said that the McBrooms had lived at 352 South Street. William was married on June 16, 1776, to the former Gabriella Brooks. They had two daughters, Bertha, born in 1877 and Willena, born in 1878, after her father's death. Below is a picture of Marshal McBroom taken in Hollister around 1876 by M.A. Bell, a photographer working on San Benito Street at that time.

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