William Henry Rocholl, was born in Haverton Hill, Durham, England, the eldest son of four children born to Heinrich Albert Moritz Theodor Rocholl 1842–1885 and Mary Ann Savell 1846–1930. His father Heinrich was an analytical chemist who was born in Germany but who had emigrated to England about 1870. Willie, as he was known, moved with his family to Linthorpe, Yorkshire as a young child and then, on the death of his father in 1885, he was sent Bremen, Germany to study, where he stayed with relatives of his father. Sometime in the late 1890s he arrived to La Paz, Lower California and on the 29th of June, 1903, he signed the papers as one of the founding partners of the tannery Viosca & Co. in La Paz, Lower California along with James Viosca Navarro and Antonio Ruffo. On the 24 february 1904 his engagement to Helen Angela Roth Savin of La Paz was announced and on the 14th June 1904, they were married in Los Angeles. Helen's brother, Jules F. Roth and Stella Savin signed as witnesses. Miss Helen Roth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Roth of 1020 West Seventeenth street, has returned from La Paz, Mexico, where she has been the guest of friends. Miss Roth's engagement to William Henry Rocholl of La Paz was recently announced. Article from Los Angeles Herald, 15 June 1904.
In 1910 Rocholl brought his cousin Max Hach to the business and the following year, after making Hach manager, Rocholl and his wife Helen returned to England where they bought a house in Bournemouth. Another year later Rocholl returned to La Paz because James Viosca had died. Mr. Viosca’s widow, Isabel, daughter of Dr. Manuel M. Hidalgo, sold her part of the tannery and so on the 21st August 1912 the company was renamed under; ‘Rocholl, Ruffo & Cía. Tenería La Paz.,’ in which Max Hach entered as partner. Paul Carl P. Rocholl (1876–1924) brother to William lent Max the money for the capital. The partners of the new company were; William Rocholl, Antonio Ruffo, Mr. Arthur C. Nahl and Max Hach. About 1913 William and Helen returned to England but at the onset of WW1 they bought a house in Los Angeles where Helen’s siblings lived. Willie and Helen travelled frequently to England to visit William's mother and siblings, and also to New York, where Helen's mother was living. William Henry Rocholl died on the 29th July 1952 at Virreyes #935 in Mexico City and his wife died, at the same address, five years later on the 15th January 1957. William Henry Rocholl and Max HachTaken from the memoirs of Max Hach (originally in Spanish) 1909 Mazatlán, Sinaloa Page 27...”I once again found myself with malaria and everyone was alarmed at my condition. It was then that my cousin William H. Rocholl convinced me to go to La Paz, Baja California, where the climate was much more agreeable than in Mazatlán. Willy Rocholl was English but his family originated from Westphalia (Germany). He was educated in Bremen in the house of one of my mother's sisters, almost in front of our own house, so we all knew each other very well. Willy was married to Helen Roth from Los Angeles, California. I arrived one morning in December of 1909 full of fever and was sent directly to a bed in the Rocholl's house. Helen looked after me with great tenderness until February, when I could finally get out of bed, although I was still suffering bouts of fever, every nine days or so. I was attended to by the old doctor, Dr. Manuel M Hidalgo and after others, Dr Fernandez.” Due to the recurring bouts of malaria Hach was forced to resign from Melchers in Mazatlán and return home to Bremen. In April of 1910 he was to be found touring Germany… ”I travelled to Dusseldorf, Ambers and Holland and then I went to London to visit Willy Rocholl’s mother and his brother Paul...” “After having experimented the freedom of life in Mazatlán I felt reluctant to find work in Bremen and decided to take up the offer of Willy Rocholl to go work for him in La Paz…I left Bremerhaven in August of 1910. When I arrived to La Paz I was given a job in the Tenería Viosca. I was 24 years old. I lived in a room off the office, in front of the sea. I breakfasted every day in a small hotel belonging to doña Angelita Rodriguez and had lunch and dinner at the Rocholl’s house. We had few social relations with the Mexican people, our circle of friends being Mr. Frank Moore, married to Luisa Navarro, Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, Mr. Flower. All English and working for; ‘The Mangara Exploration Ltd.’ we often saw the American vice Consulate and his wife… (James Viosca Navarro) The first few days I went everyday with Willy Rocholl in his buggy to the tannery, about 1 km and a half from the office. After one year they made me manager of the tannery, and Rocholl returned to England with his wife Helen, where they bought a house in Bournemouth. After Rocholl left I bought a horse and for the next few years rode back and forth from the office to the tannery. Another year later and Rocholl returned to La Paz because James Viosca had died. Viosca was also owner of the Isle of Carmen, which at that time was producing salt. Mr. Viosca’s widow, Isabel, daughter of Dr. Manuel M. Hidalgo, sold her part of the tannery and so the company was renamed under; ‘Rocholl, Ruffo & Co.,’ in which I entered as a partner. Willy Rocholls’ brother Paul lent me the money for the capital. The partners of the new company were; William Rocholl, Antonio Ruffo, Mr. Arthur C. Nahl and myself. Antonio Ruffo owned the biggest trading house in La Paz, Mr. Nahl was a miner and worked the mines at Triunfo and San Antonio. Rocholl returned once more to England.” On the 5th of august 1916 Max Hach married Margarita Cornejo Navarro, (1903-1988), daughter of Ignacio L. Cornejo and Margaret Navarro Moreno. “The vice-consul Frank W. Moore, who was married to my wife’s cousin, Luisa Navarro, managed to get us passage to San Diego, California on one of the American ships, so 10 days after our wedding we set out for our honeymoon. From San Diego we went to Los Angeles, where we spent a few days with Willy and Helen Rocholl. They had returned from England, probably due to the war, and had bought a house in Los Angeles where Helen’s siblings lived.” 1918 “The Americans had won the war and after the armistice in 1918 I was told by the American government that since I was German I would have to disengage myself completely from the tannery, as partner and worker, if I didn’t oblige then ‘Casa Ruffo’ would be on the Black List and would not be able to do business with the United States, or with any American Company. Rocholl arrived to explain it all to me and they bought back my share with a 25% profit/ bonus, paying me in cash with pure American coins of 20 dollars. Naturally with this I immediately paid back the loan that I still owed to Paul Rocholl. Mr. Nahl took over my position as manager.”
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