Nevada Genealogy Trails Washoe County William Coppersmith Biography

WILLIAM COPPERSMITH. The enterprise and efforts of William Coppersmith have contributed materially to the improvement of Reno, for he has erected a number of residences here and their attractive style has added to the beauty as well as the growth of the city. In various ways he has been associated with the development of the great west, and the spirit of progress which has so long been dominant here is exemplified in his life record.

Mr. Coppersmith was born in Baden, Germany, on the 6th of March, 1843. His father died in that country, and his mother, Mrs. Francisca Coppersmith, afterward emigrated to the United States, bringing her two children, while two of the family had preceded them to the new world. Subsequently the mother returned to Germany and spent her remaining days in her native country, dying at the advanced age of eight-seven years.

Mr. Coppersmith was a youth of eleven years when he arrived on this side of the Atlantic. The family home was established in Quincy, Illinois, where, in the public schools, he continued his education, which had been begun in the fatherland. Almost from the time he arrived in America, however, he has been dependent upon his own resources for a living, and is deserving of great credit for what he has accomplished in the business world. In i860 he crossed the plains with oxen, desiring to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the great west, which was just being opened up to the civilization and enterprise of the east. He first settled on Blue river, and there engaged in placer mining, but in that venture met with poor success. In 1862, attracted by the mining excitement in Montana, he made his way to Grasshopper Gulch, where he carried on mining, having a rich claim and being one of the first to meet success in his undertakings there. His brother Louie was killed there by the caving in of a mine. After making a stake at Grasshopper Gulch, Mr. Coppersmith went to San Francisco, where he engaged in dealing in sheep. He also made a trip to Los Angeles, where he purchased two hundred and fifty head of horses, which he drove to Reno. After selling a part of them here, he drove the remainder to Winnemucca, where he completed his sale. On the expiration of that period he returned to Inyo county, California, where he purchased cattle which he took to Lassen county, California, and there he secured a ranch of eight hundred and fourteen acres, on which he built a residence and made good improvements, later selling the property at a good advance, so that he realized a very desirable financial return on the investment.

Mr. Coppersmith then came to Reno. This was in the year 1897 and having faith in the development and progress of the city, he invested in lots and began building residences for renting. In this enterprise he has since continued, and has now erected a number of fine residences which add to the material growth and improvement of the city and make his labors of much value to Reno as well as a source of good income to himself. Although he is not a carpenter and therefore takes no part in the construction of the houses, he superintends the building and has both practical and excellent ideas concerning the building of attractive and commodious homes. Mr. Coppersmith is likewise a stockholder and one of the directors of the Co-operative General Mercantile Store of Reno. His present enviable position in financial and business circles is in marked contrast to his condition when as a boy he started out to make his own way in the world.

In 1869 Mr. Coppersmith was united in marriage to Miss Paulina Peck, a native of Germany, and they now have two children: Willie, the present manager of the Co-operative store; and Fannie, the wife of C. A. Scott, a resident of Long Valley, California. In his political affiliations Mr. Coppersmith is a Republican and served as postmaster under the administration of President McKinley, before leaving California. He is a business man of the highest integrity and ability, and Reno has profited by his labers here, for he belongs to that class of enterprising, progressive citizens who while promoting their individual success also enhance the general welfare.

Source:
A History of the State of Nevada: Its Resources and People
By Thomas Wren, Lewis Publishing Company
Published by The Lewis publishing company, 1904