William A. Albertson - the Postmaster of Roberts, Shasta County, California, was born in Ohio, November 22, 1839. His grandfather, Jacob Albertson, and his father, Joseph K. Albertson, were both natives of Pennsylvania. The family originated in Amsterdam, Holland. His father married Amanda Hutchinson, a native of Ohio, and they had ten children; six of whom are still living.

Mr. Albertson, the second child, and the subject of this sketch, partly learned the blacksmith’s trade in Ohio, and when nineteen years of age, in 1859, came to Millville, California, and there completed his trade. Since then he has been a farmer, blacksmith and miner. He took up 320 acres of land on Cow Creek, and added to it 320 acres of railroad land, and included in his farming also stock-raising. Some years afterward he sold his property and purchased eighty acres where Roberts now is, on which, in 1882, he built his residence, and later his shop and postoffice. He is now engaged in blacksmithing and wagon-making. He received the appointment of Postmaster, under Garfield’s administration, and has it now under the Harrison administration. He has been the fortunate discoverer of some valuable mines, and has now a fortune in them. He located the Silver Creek Mine in 1862, and was unfortunate in not having good reduction works. He has developed the mine some, and is working other ledges in that vicinity. He also owns the Chick Mine and the Gray Eagle, and exhibits some fine specimens of ore with gold in them, and the company are now to put in a new process which will, no doubt, prove a grand success.

In 1866 Mr. Albertson was married to Miss Elizabeth Chisholm, a native of Texas, and they had seven children, five of whom are living, -- all born in Shasta County. Amanda died when a year old, and Mary died when nine years old. The others are Martha, Jane, Catherine, Henry K., William B. and Edgar W. After twenty-four years of married life Mrs. Albertson sickened and died in 1890, and was lamented by all who knew her as a faithful, loving wife, kind and affectionate mother and an excellent neighbor and friend. Mr. Albertson belongs to the I.O.O.F., and is a stanch Republican. He has been thirty-one years an industrious and worthy citizen of Shasta County, and it now seems that the rich treasures hidden in the mountains of California are about to reward him for his patient waiting.

Source: Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California,
The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler