Background
William H. J. Brooks joined the San Francisco firm of Parker & Rouleau, searchers of records, in 1863. F. A. Rouleau bought
out Brooks in 1868, continuing until his death in 1893. Rouleau was succeeded by his son, O. A. Rouleau. The firm merged
with Simpson and Millar in 1901, that firm being descended from C. V. Gillespie, possibly San Francisco’s pioneer searcher
of records.