Fanny

Fanny was the oldest of RC and Caroline’s children, born October 1st, 1881. She married Charles Hazeltine in 1905 and the following year gave birth to their daughter Frances (see photos taken on her christening day below). In 1962 Emma  wrote Frances a gossipy letter which included a newspaper clipping about Fanny’s marriage. (Emma_to_Frances_1962)

William

“Willy” or “Uncle Bill”  was born in Napa on January 20th, 1883 and died fairly young. He wanted to play professional baseball, an appalling idea to his parents. Instead, they set him up in business, running the DeBoom Paint Company  located at 521-523-525 Commercial St. above Sansome. His nephew, Claude Witzel, joined the firm after graduating from college and eventually took over management. Emma saved a 1925  DeBoom Paint Co. letter  regarding the Emma Marsily estate, probably dictated by Willy. He never married. According to his nephew Everett, Willy moved from Napa with his parents to their home on 1777 Page Street and, sometime after both parents had died, to the Olympic Club. When times got bad after the stock market crash of 1929, he moved in with his sister Emma for a few years and finally moved to rented rooms closer to the paint business.

Camilla

“Mimi”  was the youngest child, born March 16 (my memory) in 1887 (according to FamilySearch.org). She loved to take photographs and documented travels, day trips and family. Mimi married Carl Frederick Ernst on August 16, 1913  (also per FamilySearch.org) who ran a successful plumbing and contractor business. They had no children and she became very fond of her nephews. A few examples of her generosity included sending money to Everett when he was in college, helping Claude get a summer job at the Russian River, and giving Fred money towards the down payment on his first house. She died in 1968 and is buried with Carl in the Cypress Lawn Cemetery (Lot 45, Cypress Mound) in Colma. Unlike Emma, who was very frugal and very practical (“waste not, want not”), Mimi loved good clothes, fine French food, See’s candies, peach ice cream and Creme de Menthe. These sweets, offered to visitors at her home at 1631 20th Avenue, were a wonderful treat for this writer as a young person.

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