By Mabel Wosser and Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
After Irish immigrant Thomas Wosser sailed around the Horn in the late 1850s, he found his way to Sausalito and started a family which played several important roles in our town’s history.
In 1968 his youngest daughter Mabel wrote a memoir about her family. Here are some lightly edited excerpts from her account:
PHOTO FROM SAUSALITO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Six of the seven Wosser daughters out for a row, wearing their Jack Tar hats. Mabel is in the bow.
My father worked on ships and received his license as chief engineer for steam boats which were gradually replacing sailing vessels. He was chief engineer on the "Princess," the first ferry boat between San Francisco and Sausalito in 1868. He continued in this position on the Princess and other ferry boats for many years until, because of illness, he retired.
My mother, Margaret Whelan, was born and raised in Kilkenny, Ireland. When my mother was about sixteen years old, her father brought her to New York in a sailing ship and then on by way of Central America to California. He left her in San Francisco to live with an older married sister, who was a talented harpist. My parents met at this sister's home and later they were married in Old St. Mary's Church on California Street in San Francisco, in 1859.
Their first home was on Telegraph Hill where the first of their fourteen children was born. As the family grew, they planned to move to Marin County because of the healthy country atmosphere. The little cottage in Sausalito where they first lived was just below where the Sausalito Presbyterian Church is located. In a very short time, they decided to build their home on Pine Road. My father chose this location because of its historical interest; it was close to where William Richardson had built his adobe home on the corner of Bonita and Pine. Many years previously, Indians inhabited the same location. In this home, the family continued to live and grow for over 100 years.
There were fourteen children — five boys and nine girls. One of the girls, Lucy (twin of William Wosser) died in infancy. The rest of the children all lived long lives. The children were: James, Jane, Joseph, Agnes, Richard, Adeline, Edward, Isabel, Bertha, Florence, Alice, William, Lucy, and Mabel.
The boys were all interested in marine and locomotive engineering. Three older boys became chief engineers on steam boats and the two younger boys became locomotive engineers. The men in the family found great pleasure in hunting and fishing and enjoyed the freedom of the hills of Marin County.
The girls were naturally gifted in music, literature, and art. We did not hunt or swim but we did enjoy walking and horseback riding over the beautiful hills. Our home life was filled with music, dancing and plays. We had the distinction of having the first piano in Sausalito. It was a French make. My father had a clarinet which he played well and with my mother joining in with her natural lovely singing voice. We had many interesting musical evenings. I was the youngest member of the family and made thorough use of the piano and taught piano and pipe organ lessons. I was the organist for the Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church in Sausalito for many years. I also played for a number of weddings at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco where my parents were married.
My father bought us a very lovely boat, called the Chespete, in which my sisters rowed each evening, weather permitting. We rowed Richardson Bay and sometimes around Angel Island which is a trip of a number of miles. A remarkable note here is that not one of us could swim but we were all excellent oarsmen. We were presented with a silk flag and "jack tar" caps from the officers of the U.S. Revenue Cutters McCullough and Bear which were stationed in Sausalito Bay at that time.
Our home on Pine Road was built in 1874. Our home was called "Oldlands". A large creek ran down through the valley to the bay. The Indians had lived there under the handsome laurel trees, many of which are still standing.
Father Valentini was our parish priest and dear friend of our family. He and Mr. George Maxwell of the Episcopal Church were great scholars and friends. They were the founders of the Sausalito Public Library in 1907. My sister, Florence, was appointed one of the library trustees. Later, my sister Bertha was appointed librarian. She continued in that position until her sudden death fifteen years later.
During the depression, music was considered a luxury and many pupils were unable to continue their music studies with me, Therefore, I accepted the position of assistant librarian and, following my sister Bertha's death, was appointed head librarian. I remained in this position until my retirement after 27 years of enjoyable service.
We had many pets — horses, hunting dogs, cats, etc. My father being a great lover of animals treated them with such kindness that they were devoted to him, and he would be met when returning from work in the evening with animals coming down the road to greet him.
My parents died at the family home. My father died January 3, 1900. My mother died December 18, 1931.
Mabel herself died in 1982, a year after giving an interview to Marin Scope’s Cindy Roby filled with warm recollections of her close-knit family. It can be found in the online archives of the California Digital Newspaper Collection at https://cdnc.ucr.edu.