In 1869 two young brothers, Hermann and Wilhelm Evers left their hometown of Birkom, in the Kingdom of Prussia and made their way to the port of Hamburg, Germany. Here they boarded a ship bound for the United States and arrived at California on November 27, 1869. Herman was 21 and Wilhelm was just 19 years old One month after their arrival, on December 31, 1869 both brothers take the pledge of Allegiance to the American flag at the tenth judicial district in the county of Yuba, California, where they settled to live, Wilhelm became a carpenter, whilst Hermann became a mechanical engineer, working as a manufacturer. On July 25, 1875, at the district court of Sacramento, California, Hermann Evers became a naturalized citizen, and one year later, on September 29, 1876 in the District Court of Humboldt in Eureka, California, his brother Wilhelm also became an American citizen. Wilhelm never married and lived the rest of his life in California, working as a carpenter and contractor. In 1880 Hermann travelled south to Mazatlán, Mexico (U.S. Passport application) where he had obtained a position at ‘La Bahia’, a spinning and weaving factory owned by the brothers Melchers from Bremen. By 1884 he was manager, and from now on would spell his name as in Spanish, ‘German’ Evers. La Bahia, founded in 1864 on Constitution street was well constructed, with several ample buildings, over 35 American and British made looms for weaving and spinning, and houses for the textile workers. The blankets, tarps, denims, linens, and cottons that it produced were of excellent quality and were famous all over Mexico. ' The prosperity of the business is to be credited to Mr. Hermann Evers, who has managed it since 1884, with intelligence and success’. On July 5, 1889 both the Evers brothers applied for a U.S. passport, for purposes of travel. Here German states that he has been living in Mazatlán, Mexico since 1880. Wilhelm declares that he has been living in California since his arrival. The person, who verifies their identity, was W.W. Felton of San Francisco. Although I have not been able to find a marriage, we know that he was married to a young lady called Dora K. (1854.1890) from Linden, Lower Saxony, Germany. Unfortunately, on December 3, 1890 Dora died of consumption whilst living in Mazatlán, she was only 36 years old. Strangely, she is not buried in Mazatlán, but in Sunrise Cemetery, Humboldt County, California, where her brother in law Wilhelm Evers was living. Perhaps Dora did not like Mexico, and did not wish to be buried here in Mazatlán, or did German believe that he too would be buried in Sunrise Cemetery upon his death? Her death notice was published in Ferndale Enterprise on 12 December 1890.
German continued to work and live in Mazatlán, gaining well earned confidence from the Melcher family for his mechanical, managerial and administrative skills. So, it was only logical that in 1901, when the Melcher brothers opened the Cerveceria del Pacifico, Evers entered as a shareholder and was entrusted with its operation and management. ![]() Unfortunately, this year brought another tragedy for German because his brother Wilhelm died on July 22, 1901 at his home in California, of cancer in the stomach. Wilhelm was buried in Sunrise Cemetery, Humboldt County, California, German, next to his sister in law. German paid for the burial plot, as he had for his wife Dora, but returned to Mazatlán to work and live. Evers enjoyed living in Mazatlán, and even after retiring from the brewery, he continued to live here. In 1928, possibly to avoid problems with his properties upon his demise, he became a Mexican national. He was a generous person, donating much of his money to municipal projects to improve the well fare of the Mazatlecos. On May 15, 1930, according to the Mexico National Census, he was living on the street ’21 de Marzo’ with Eustacio Sanchez of 60 years. Don German Evers died 4 months later, on September 28. His death came as a great loss to the German community, to his partners, to his business associates, to those who had worked for him and to the people of Mazatlán. The young boy who had left home so young, with his only family his brother Wilhelm, died surrounded by a town full of people who loved him and mourned his death. He was buried in the Ángela Peralta cemetery.
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