Fresno County, California Biographies Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919) History By Paul E. Vandor Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919 Notes: Missing+page1185-1186 Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm WILLIAM HELM.� The interest which attaches to the biography of California pioneers is not that of curiosity, but a visible expression of grati- tude which all men feel towards those forerunners of civilization in the far West. Not only as a pioneer of the state, but also as one of the earliest resi- dents of Fresno County. William Helm held a high position among the people of the city and county of Fresno. A native of Canada, William Helm was born in the province of Ontario, about forty miles above Montreal, on the St. Lawrence River, on March 9, 1837, a son of George and Mary (Oliver) Helm, both of whom were born in Scotland, the latter of English parentage on the paternal side. George Helm lived in Scotland until he was a young man, then emigrated to America and settled in Gait, Ontario, where he farmed until his death. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Helm came to California and made her home in San Francisco where she died at the age of about eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. George Helm were parents of nine children, of whom William be- came a pioneer of Fresno County. Reared on the home farm and educated in the public schools of his com- munity, William Helm early learned the rudiments of farming and of the stock business under his father. In 1856, then only nineteen years of age, he left home and came to Wisconsin, where he was engaged in lumbering on the Chippewa River, and in operating a sawmill, for three years. He then made up his mind to come to California. Going to New York, he sailed from that city in 1859 to Panama, crossed the Isthmus and took passage on a vessel that landed him in San Francisco. He went at once to the Sacra- mento Valley and in Placer County found his first work with a butcher, remaining for some time and learning the butcher business and following it at Forest Hill and in Todds Valley. And still later he was engaged in the sheep business in Bear Valley, Placer County, where he had a good range for his increasing bands. In 1865 he brought his sheep down into Fresno County, which at that time was a vast open space, with no improvements and not a mile of railway. At Dry Creek, on section four, six miles north- east of what is now the city of Fresno, Mr. Helm purchased 2,640 acres of land from Mr. Chapman, paying one dollar per acre for it. Here his bands of sheep increased rapidly and he added to his landed interests until he owned some 16,000 acres and 22,000 head of sheep, being for many years the largest sheep-raiser in this part of the country. He established winter quarters on what is now the site of Fresno courthouse, little dreaming that in a few years there would be a city, unsurpassed by few others in the entire state, located on the spot. When the wool was sacked it was hauled to Stockton for ship- ment, necessitating three wagons, each drawn by ten mules, and the journey required twelve days to make the round trip. Mr. Helm established his residence in Fresno and continued his opera- tions, and in time he brought water from Kings River and began to develop his land. He was one of the stockholders that built the Gould ditch. As settlers came to the county he sold off his land at advantageous prices, re- taining several thousand acres which he used for sheep-raising and on which he set out vineyards, until he had about 700 acres. Mr. Helm erected the Helm block, at the corner of J and Fresno Streets, and built up other prop- erty here. He was interested in the Farmers' National Bank of California, also was one of the organizers and vice-president of the Bank of Central California until his death. After an unusually busy and useful career Mr. Helm lived retired from all labors, spending part of his time in San Fran- cisco. He died at the home of his daughter, April 10, 1919, just past eighty- two years of age. The marriage that united William Helm with Miss Fannie S. Newman occurred in Placer County. Mrs. Helm was born in England, but was reared and educated in New York. Of their union seven children were born : Jessie, Mrs. C. S. Cox, of Fresno ; George I., a vineyardist of Fresno County ; Frank M.. a resident of Fresno, also interested in a vineyard: Fannie, Mrs. E. A. Walrond, of Fresno ; Mary, Mrs. Dr. J. L. Maupin, of Fresno ; Agnes, Mrs. Dr. Montgomery Thomas, also of Fresno ; and Maude, Mrs. M. M. Dearing, at home. Mr. Helm was a stanch Republican, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and at all times was ready to give substantial encouragement for the upbuilding of the city and county of Fresno, where the busy years of his life were spent. Mrs. Helm died in Fresno, April 22, 1906, in her sixty- fifth year. It is difficult to overestimate the beneficent effect upon the growth and prosperity of the San Joaquin Valley which the work of William Helm had. Not only was he an eye witness to practically every step in the great scheme of development of the agricultural and horticultural resources, but he bore a conspicuous part in transforming a vast region, that was but little more than a desert waste, into one of the most productive sections of the entire state of California. Throughout his career he was ever mindful of the rights and privileges of others and earnestly cooperated with his fellow citizens in all efforts to advance the welfare of the community. The remarkable success that rewarded his labors was the result of perseverance and indefatigable industry. Mr. Helm belonged to that strong type of pioneer citizen who sur- vived despite the obstacles constantly presented in the earlier days of state- hood. The brief record of his life history, which was so closely interwoven with the history of the San Joaquin Valley, will prove of increasing interest to the younger generation and students of history as the years pass.