Apperson, William L.

William L. Apperson traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1849 and arrived in Sacramento, California, by ox team later that September. He initially pursued mining as an occupation, making and losing several fortunes before forsaking the industry around 1865. Following his mining years, he utilized his skills as a mechanic and carpenter to work for the government at the Mare Island navy yard.

The family relocated to Fresno in the early 1870s, where he opened a carpentry and cabinetmaking shop on the present site of the Grand Central Hotel. He made what were probably the first coffins used in Fresno and displayed a sign over his business that read Coffins Made to Order. He spent his final days as a great lover of pets before passing away at the age of ninety-three at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Edward Miles, near Reedley on January 31, 1917.