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William Nicholas Connolly scrapbook

 Collection
Identifier: SPC.00133

Scope and Contents

A single scrapbook containings photographs of William Connolly's family and friends; includes some newspaper clippings and related images.

Dates

  • Creation: 1905-1969
  • Creation: Majority of material found within (, 1925-1923)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English .

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is fully processed. Please contact the Petaluma History Room for access; for contact info and current hours, see link

Conditions Governing Use

Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the Sonoma County Library. The Sonoma County Library makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to digitized work and can claim only physical ownership of the work (s) described in these records. However, these materials are intended for Personal or Research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Library. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and reuse information at link

Biographical / Historical

William Nicholas "Will" Connolly was born on August 15, 1905, in San Rafael, California, to Anne Fisher McDonough Connolly (1864-1934) and Michael D'Arcy Connolly (1861–1917). He was one of five siblings, including his sisters, Mary Josephine Connolly (1893-1961) and Nora F. (Frances) Connolly (1895- ), and brothers John J. Connolly (1897-1960) and Michael R. (Raphael or Rafael M.) Connolly (1902-1932). While Will was a young child, his family moved from San Rafael to Bodega, California, and later, to Petaluma, where he attended the Petaluma schools and St. Vincent's academy. His father passed away in 1917 and by 1920, the family had relocated to San Francisco, where he lived for the rest of his life. After graduating from the University of San Francisco, he became a well-known sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle, and in 1939, married Margaret Agnes Malone (born in Portland, Oregon on November 27, 1910; died in San Francisco, California, on June 23, 2003). They had three children together--Anne, Paul, and William Phillip "Bro" Connolly (1943-2009). He died on June 22, 1987, in San Francisco, California, at the age of 81, and was buried in the Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in his hometown of San Rafael.

Petaluma Argus-Courier columnist Bill Soberanes wrote about Will Connolly a number of times, including a July 1, 1987 piece following Connolly's death, "Will Connolly--Legendary Master of Sport Prose." See full text on link and continuation on link

Extent

1 scrapbook

Abstract

This collection contains a single scrapbook compiled by William Nicholas "Will" Connolly (1905-1987), containing photographs taken between 1905 and approximately 1955 and some newspaper clippings. The vast majority of the photos date from 1912 through 1922 and show Will Connolly, his family, and his friends. Most of the photographs were taken around his hometown of Petaluma and in other Sonoma County locations, including Rio Nido and the Russian River. The scrapbook also contains photos were taken in Marin County and feature images of Dillon Beach, Muir Woods, and Mount Tamalpais--including the Mount Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway. In addition, the album contains clippings from 1925; several loose photos dated from 1943 to 1955; an undated and unidentified cabinet card; and a clipping from the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle's California Living magazine of October 26, 1969.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift: Petaluma Museum and Historical Museum March 30, 2021

Title
William Nicholas Connolly scrapbook 1905-1969 (bulk, 1925-1923)
Author
Processed by Sonoma County Library staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Geoffrey Skinner.
Date
Published February 28, 2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in: English

Repository Details

Part of the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library Repository

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