Benjamin Franklin Beecher ^{2 3 4}

   Another name for Benjamin was Benny Beecher.⁵

   FamilySearch ID: L81S-33Z.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Residence: in Oakland, Alameda, CA. ⁷

2. Residence: 131 E. 3rd St., Mt. Carmel, PA on 24 Nov 1909 in Mount Carmel, Northumberland, PA. ⁵

3. He has conflicting birth information of His California death certificate has an incorrect birth year and place, 24 Nov 1910 and Tulare, Tulare, CA. ^{3 4} However, clearly he has a Pennsylvania Birth Certificate proving he was actually born in PA. His obituary states he was a native of Pennsylvania.

4. Census in 1920 in Castroville, Monterey, CA. ² William J. Beecher, laborer in salt works, 43, was living with wife Emma, 36; William J., 16; Arthur, 14; May, 13; John L., 11; and Benjamin Franklin, 10. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania. William was renting his home, and had served in World War I.

5. Newspaper: Salinas Morning Post: John Beecher Arrested, 7 Aug 1931, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ⁸ Youth Arrested After Search Of Two Years
Sought for two years by Sheriff Carl H. Abbott on a charge of burglarizing a cleaning establishment in Monterey, John Beecher, youthful resident of Monterey, was in the county jail facing prosecution on the charge for which two of his companions already have completed terms In San Quentin. Beecher was arrested in Hanford this week with four other young men who were riding in a car stolen from Salinas July 26. The others brought back Wednesday by Deputy Sheriff D. F. McKinnon are: Ben Beecher, Harold Rice, John Cano and Fred Davidson. One of the men will be charged with theft of the car. Sheriff Abbott sent circulars to all police and sheriff offices in the state. The circular says that Beecher also is accused of shooting at a railroad policeman in San Jose about two years ago.

6. Newspaper: Santa Cruz Evening News: Brother Trio Arrested in S. C. Thefts, 28 Mar 1938, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. ⁹ Brother Trio Arrested in S. C. Thefts

At least nine burglary jobs in Santa Cruz county and the looting of some 80 homes near San Jose were believed cleared up with the arrest Saturday in Gilroy and San Francisco of three brothers, Benjamin, John and Arthur Beecher, ranging in age from 27 to 32 years.
The three, all WPA workers, who are charged with having carried on wholesale burglaries over the weekends, are suspected of nine jobs in the Green Valley region near Watsonville where a systematic looting of homes was carried on. The brothers are also suspected of having stolen some $5000 worth of copper wire at Gilroy recently, discovery of wire-cutters and other tools at their San Francisco hideout strengthening the belief.
All three of the Beechers have criminal records, it was disclosed by Sheriff George W. Lyle of San Jose, and all, at one time or another, have used aliases.
John Beecher has been taken into custody 13 times in the last 11 years on charges ranging from vagrancy and petty theft to burglary and arson, and has served several county jail terms.
In 1929, Arthur Beecher was sentenced to 1 to 15 years in San Quentin following his conviction on second degree burglary charges. After serving 14 months of this sentence, he was paroled and 14 months later was discharged from parole.
Ten times Benjamin Beecher ran afoul of the law in the last 11 years on charges of burglary, petty theft, robbery, grand theft and vagrancy. He has served several county jail terms ranging up to 100 days.

7. Newspaper: The Californian, 28 Mar 1938, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹⁰ Officers Smash Wire Theft Ring
Three Held For Stripping Power Lines In County
Seaside Brothers Arrested In San Jose For widespread Depredations
House On Monterey Peninsula Searched
--
WIDESPREAD theft of power and telephone lines in Monterey county and other districts in the central coast counties area was believed by authorities to have been terminated Monday with the arrest of three brothers, former residents of Seaside, in Gilroy and San Francisco.
Held as burglar suspected involved in the wire thefts and thefts from approximately 75 rural homes in five central coast counties are Arthur Beecher, 32; Benjamin Beecher, 27, both of 511 Fulton street, and John Beecher, 29, 507 Fulton street, all San Francisco WPA workers. They are held by Sheriff George Lyle in San Jose.
Home Searched
Sheriff Carl Abbott disclosed here that he, in company with San Jose deputy sheriffs, searched the residence of the Beecher brothers' parents in Seaside but nothing was found to link the family with any of the numerous "jobs" which have taken place in the area. Search of the brothers' residences in San Francisco revealed loot which authorities believe was taken from San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties.
Thefts Solved
According to Sheriff Abbott, who has been working in conjunction with officers of other counties on the case, the arrest of the Beechers clears up the theft of thousands of feet of copper wire in the Moss Landing and Springfield districts in Monterey county, and Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan in Santa Clara and San Benito counties.
Included in the assertedly stolen goods recovered by officers was a quantity of jewelry, burglary tools, and facilities for melting down jewelry and metals. Benjamin and Arthur Beecher were arrested in Gilroy, John in San Francisco.

8. Newspaper: Salinas Morning Post: Beecher Boys Arrested, 2 Apr 1938, Salinas, Monterey, CA. ¹¹ Officers Uncover Former Crime Career
(photos of Ben and John Beecher)
With the arrest of "those bad Beecher boys," former Seaside residents and asserted "pillowslip" burglars, by San Francisco and San Jose authorities early this week, deputy sheriffs at the county jail disclosed here Friday that two of the three brothers had local crime records. The three brothers, Arthur, John and Ben, are held in San Jose as the asserted thieves who burglarized more than 75 homes in five counties, looting them of an estimated $20,000 in furnishings, money, clothing and jewelry, and stole thousands of feet of copper wire from power and telephone lines in the Moss Landing and Springfield districts in Monterey county. Arthur, who does not have a local record, was arrested in San Francisco. John and Ben were arrested in Gilroy after allegedly "casing" several residences in San Jose preparatory to looting them.
Crime Record
Their local crime records follow: John Beecher, 30, was first arrested in this county August 8, 1927, as a vagrant. He was released October 5. He and Ben were arrested together on charges of burglary and grand theft August 5, 1931. Ben was released August 18 and John was released October 14 after officers failed to secure enough evidence to hold them for trial. Again, March 30, 1933, John was arrested with others on a charge of arson following the burning of a building on the Monterey peninsula. In a jury trial he and the other defendants were acquitted and he was released May 23, 1933.
Started Early
Ben was first arrested as a juvenile October 25, 1927, on a charge of petty theft. He was convicted and sent to Preston Reform school at lone. He was paroled from the school November 20, 1929. Arrested and released on the burglary and grand theft charges August 18, 1931, he stayed out of trouble until February 26, 1935, when he was sentenced to 100 days in the county jail for petty theft. He was paroled April 13, before half his term had been served. Petty theft again proved his downfall, and he was arrested and sentenced January 21, 1936, to 90 days in the county jail. He was released April 19, serving his full term. Authorities refer to the Beecher boys as the "pillowslip" burglars because they allegedly remove their booty from the scene in pillowslips taken from the residences they loot.

9. Court: Convict 61991 Ben Beecher on 20 May 1938 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹² County Santa Clara. Received 20 May 1938. Crime Burg. 1st (461 P.C.) 7 cts. CS Sentence: 5-Life, 7 cts. CS. Occupation machinist. Aliases Jack Kelly. Criminal Record: 1931 - S. F. Calif. Robbery, 2 1/2 years. 1935 Salinas Calif. Petty Theft 90 days. 1935 Marysville Calif Petty Theft 90 days.

10. Court: Convict 61991 Ben Beecher nativity PA. Crime: Burg 1st 7CTS-CS sent from Santa Clara County. Age 27. Occ: machinist. 5' 10 1/2 Medium complexion blue eyes brown hair. On 20 May 1938 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹³

11. Census in 1940 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁴ The 1940 census recorded at San Quentin Prison two Beecher brothers: John Beecher, prisoner 62490, age 30, born in Pennsylvania, living in 1935 in San Francisco. He had completed the 7th grade in school. Ben Beecher, age 29, prisoner 61991, born in Pennsylvania, living in 1935 in San Francisco. He had completed the 6th grade in school.

12. Court: Ben Beecher recd. 5-20-38. Paroled 7-18-41. Disch. 7-20-44. On 18 Jul 1941 in San Quentin Prison, Marin County, CA. ¹⁵

13. Occupation: Beecher, Benjamin F. Laborer r 1227 38th av in 1944 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ¹⁶

14. Occupation: Beecher, Benjamin F. (Janet) longshoreman h 540 Baker in 1948 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ¹⁷

15. Census in 1950 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ¹⁸ The 1950 census recorded Benjamin Beecher, longshoreman, 38, living with wife Janet, 26; and son Daniel, 1.

16. Newspaper: San Francisco Examiner: Births: Beecher, Benjamin F., 1420 DeHaro, Oct 25, girl., 5 Nov 1959, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ¹⁹

17. Obituary: San Francisco Examiner: obituary of Benjamin Beecher on 20 Jan 1965 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. ²⁰ BEECHER -- Jan. 19, 1965, Benjamin F., beloved husband of Mrs. Janet Beecher; loving father of Danny, Ben, Tom, George, Laura and Janet Beecher. A member of the I. L. W. U. Local No. 10. A native of Pennsylvania; aged 54 years. Visitation Wednesday, 7 p.m. to Thursday, 8 p.m. daphne SFFS, one church st.

Benjamin married Janet Elizabeth Beasley, daughter of William George Beasley and Janet Elizabeth Frazier, on 1 Aug 1948 in San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.¹ The marriage ended in divorce. (Janet Elizabeth Beasley was born on 12 May 1922 in Chicago, Cook, IL,^{21 22} died on 11 Mar 1987 in Florence, Lane, OR ^{7 21 23} and was buried in Pacific Grove: El Carmelo Cemetery, Monterey, CA ⁷.)