Haas (William) papers, 1849-1927

William Haas was born in Bavaria and immigrated to San Francisco in the 1860s. He worked in the wholesale grocery business, first under the name of Loupe and Haas, before establishing Haas Brothers. In addition to being a well-known philanthropist, he was also a director of Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank. Haas married Bertha Greenebaum in 1880 and had three children: Charles, Alice, and Florine.

The collection contains photocopies of William Haas’ naturalization papers, photocopies of a marriage license and a marriage certificate for William Haas and Bertha Greenebaum; a final settlement of Haas’ estate, leaving, among other bequests, $6,000 to his widow to be distributed to San Francisco charities as she thought fit; a wedding scrapbook (circa 1907) with invitations and clippings from many turn-of-the-century weddings among San Francisco’s Jewish aristocracy; memorial tributes from San Francisco’s Mount Zion Hospital, one to William Haas, as an officer, and one to Bertha Haas, as a volunteer; and a certificate of appreciation to William Haas from the Panama-Pacific International Exhibit (1915).