William Megaw (1902 - 1979)

Born 4 Sep 1902 in Breckinridge, Wilkin, Minnesota, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Mary (Raymond) Megaw — married 3 Dec 1931 in San Gabriel, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 23 Nov 1979 at age 77 in San Gabriel, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alice Megaw [send private message]

Biography

William Megaw was born in 4 Sep 1902 in Breckinridge, Minnesota.^[1] He was the 5th of nine children born to Robert Megaw and Mary Getty Megaw who had come from County Antrim, Ireland. The family farmed in Faibault County in 1910^[2] and 1920^[3] Sometime likely after 1920 Robert lost his farm and from then on rented a home in Good Thunder, Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

Bill saw no future for himself in farming so followed his oldest sister Margaret, who had married Bill Thatcher, to California. They lived in Montebello, Los Angeles County.^[4] At one point Bill worked as an elevator operator. Eventually, he was able to join the union to become a marble setter helper and went on to become a marble mason.

Through friends, he met his wife, Elizabeth Mary Raymond (known as "Bush"). They married at her parent's home 3 Dec 1931 in San Gabriel.^[5] During the Great Depression the couple moved around the country with Bill working as a marble setter and Bush working as a registered nurse.

A key memory was setting the marble on the pendulum pit of the Griffith Park Observatory which opened to the public 15 May 1935. Bush recalled that he had nightmares about this job since the marble had to be precisely set in order that the Foucault pendulum 240-pound ball would correctly knock over the pegs that dramatically illustrate the earth's movement.^[6] He also did work at the San Gabriel Mission, doing marble repairs and the marble work (including lettering) for the Seabiscuit statue in Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia in 1941.^[7]

For many years of his career, he worked for Premier Tile and Marble in South Pasadena where he held many positions: marble setter, job supervisor, head of the marble cutting shop, and estimator. By the end of his career he was an independent consultant working under Bob Ahmanson for marble and mosaic work on new Home Savings and Loan buildings. He was personally acquainted with artist Millard Sheets^[8] who in appreciation for his work in executing his mosaics on the buildings, gave him 3 lithographs, 1 watercolor, and 1 marble coffee table.

He passed away in 23 Nov 1979^[9] from a brain aneurysm. He and his son Ray had gone to the Irwindale Raceway, then returned home to Ray's apartment where he experienced the aneurysm. His body held on for 2 days before he died.

Sources

1. ↑ "Minnesota State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPQJ-R4F : 18 February 2021), Willie Megaw, Mitchell township, Wilkin, Minnesota; citing p. 56, line 9, State Library and Records Service, St.Paul; FHL microfilm 928,822.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1910", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2LT-J8M : Tue Jul 18 19:07:50 UTC 2023), Entry for Robert Magow and Mary Magow, 1910.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWYQ-YHH : Wed Aug 02 00:38:19 UTC 2023), Entry for Robert Megan and Mary Megan, 1920.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC8J-5SJ : Thu Aug 03 11:41:45 UTC 2023), Entry for William W Thatcher and Margaret A Thatcher, 1930.
5. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8J7-8Q8 : 9 March 2021), William Megaw and Elizabeth Mary Raymond, 03 Dec 1931; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,074,939.
6. ↑ "Foucault pendulum in Griffith Park," https://www.socaldailyphoto.com/foucault-pendulum-in-the-griffith-observatory-rotunda/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Griffith%20Observatory%E2%80%99s%20website%2C%20the%20brass,the%20building%20as%20it%20rotates%20with%20the%20Earth.
7. ↑ "Seabiscuit statue" https:,//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabiscuit
8. ↑ "Millard Sheets," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_Sheets
9. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPCQ-Y52 : 26 November 2014), William Megaw, 23 Nov 1979; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.