William Arthur immigrated to the U.S. in 1872 with his brother and mother. He worked, as did his dad, as a laborer on the docks of Oakland. (this account is disputed by Dwight Newell, who says that William Arthur's parents never left Ireland).
William Arthur worked his entire life in Oakland. First as a laborer and then as a hostler at Lewis M. Beaudry on the corner of Broadway and 7th. By 1892 he was a teamster with Hook Brothers & Co., a furniture and carpet store at 415-419 12th and 414-418 11th. He worked for them for the remainder of his career.
He succumed to Alzheimer's disease. Dwight Newell remembers living in the family home for about eight years to help keep an eye on William as he would sometimes wander off and be unable to find his way home.
