Alameda
County
Biographies
CHARLES
W. DAMON
In
tracing the ancestry of Charles W. Damon, a retired citizen of Alameda and one
of the few men who have been residents since 1854, we find that he is descended
from the Pilgrim fathers, the first of the blood on American soil being
Governor Bradford, the first chief executive of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and
one among the courageous band who made the Mayflower famous. The seventh
descendant of Governor Bradford was Nathaniel Damon, the father of Charles W.
Damon. He married Mary Parker, likewise connected with a family prominent in
American history, her father serving at the Battle of Bennington in the
Revolutionary war.
Charles
W. Damon was also a native of Massachusetts, having been born in Plymouth
county January 6, 1837. At fourteen years of age he went on a codfishing voyage, from which time he continued to follow
the sea for three years. As a sailor before the mast he came around Cape Horn
on the vessel Viking, under the command of Captain Windsor, arriving in San
Francisco Bay in July, 1854, when he left the ship and went to work for this
brother Nathaniel, who was operating freighting vessels on the bay and had
settled three miles south of Alameda at what is now Damon’s Landing. Here he
worked for his brother until he located at Bay Farm Island, where he farmed for
a time, after which he came to Alameda, and engaged for nine years in farming
for Peter Sather. On leaving the services of the latter he engaged in teaming
in Alameda. He has been retired from active business life since 1892. Since
that time, wishing for a little exercise and being prominent in the Odd Fellows
fraternity, he has acted as janitor of the I. O. O. F. building. Since his location in the west Mr. Damon has made five trips back
east, two of them being made via the Isthmus of Panama and three across the
continent by rail. His first home was built upon the present site of the
city hall, but this property he later sold and built the residence where he now
makes his home.
The marriage of Mr. Damon united him with
Julia Crowley, a native of County Cork, Ireland. She died in 1886, the mother
of three children, namely: Mary, who married William Carter; Charles; and
Julia, who by her first marriage with Richard Bradley had two children, namely:
Harry and Dolores. By her second marriage she became the wife of F. K. Krauth, chief of the fire department in Alameda, and whose
sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Damon is a member and past grand
of Encinal Lodge No. 164 Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and is one of the oldest members of this lodge and the only one who
attends the meetings of the original members, only five of whom are known to be
living; he is a charter member of the Rebekahs.
Transcribed by: Cecelia M. Setty.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 600-601. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Cecelia M. Setty.
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