Alameda
County
Biographies
JOSEPH STICKNEY EMERY
Among the representative pioneers of
California, and the most venerable, honored and public-spirited citizens of
Alameda county, the name of Joseph Stickney Emery
occupies a position of pre-eminence. Fifty-four years ago he settled in
California, at a period when much of the country was in its virgin wildness.
Being far-sighted and energetic, gifted with keen perceptions and a mind of
unusual intelligence and activity, he foresaw the possibilities of the locality
with which the best years of his life have been associated, and at once became
conspicuously identified with the upbuilding of Oakland. Later on he became the
founder of the town of Emeryville, which was named in his honor. In the
establishment of enterprises of great practical utility and worth to that
section of the state he has been a leader, lending judicious encouragement and
generous aid to every beneficent project, and in many plans for the advancement
of the community interests taking the initiative. While thus assisting in the
establishment of a high plane of prosperity, by his sagacity and forethought he
has accumulated a competency. Although four score and four years have passed
over his head, he bears the burden of time easily and gracefully, being a
vigorous in mind and body as one in manhood’s prime.
Coming from substantial New England
stock, Mr. Emery was born in Pembroke, N. H., September 30, 1820, a son of
Jacob and Jane (Gault) Emery. On both sides of the
house he is descended from families who were prominent and active in the early
history of the American colonies. The Emery family was founded in America by
two brothers who emigrated from Romsey, Hampshire,
England, and settled in Newbury, Mass., in 1635. The descendants of one of
these brothers, the ancestor of Joseph S. Emery, participated in the
Revolutionary war; and one of them---Mr. Emery’s grandfather, Joseph
Emery---held a commission as captain of a company in that war. On the maternal
side he is descended from the Gault family, which was
likewise conspicuous in the Revolution. Mr. Emery’s grandfather Gault fought under Gen. John Stark at the battle of
Bennington, and in subsequent engagements throughout the struggle. The sword
which his Grandfather Emery carried is now in the possession of Mr. Emery’s
niece, Mrs. William Vanzant Cox of Washington, D. C.,
wife of the president of the Second National bank (sic) of that city; while a
member of the Gault family---Norris Gault of Hookset, N. H.---has a musket which was carried in the Revolutionary war
by his grandfather. Mr. Emery’s paternal grandmother had eight brothers who
also served throughout the Revolution. None of them were injured during the
conflict, and at its close all returned to their homes and spent the remainder of
their lives in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Stickney family, from which
Mr. Emery is also descended, is noted for its longevity, one of its members in
an earlier generation having attained the remarkable age of one hundred and
fifteen years.
Reared on a New England farm, Joseph
S. Emery acquired his early education in the district schools of his native
town. Subsequently he attended Pembroke Academy. Taking advantage of a
favorable opportunity for entering upon a business career before he had attained
his majority, he went south in 1841, and for nearly ten years was a resident of
Maryland and the District of Columbia. In Baltimore he learned the trade of
stonecutter. It is worthy of mention as an incident in his career that while he
was engaged in quarrying stone at Woodstock, Md., one of the men employed in
the work was Henry G. Davis, afterward United States senator (sic) from West
Virginia, and now (1904) the Democratic nominee for the vice-presidency of the
United States. A warm friendship arose between the two young men, and the ties
there formed have never been broken, Mr. Davis having in late years paid Mr.
Emery a visit at his home in Emeryville.
Fired with the enthusiasm everywhere
aroused by the relation of the thrilling stories regarding the discovery of
gold on the Pacific coast, in 1850 Mr. Emery secured passage on the ship John
Marshall, bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. Of the seven passengers
carried on this vessel he is the sole survivor. At Valparaiso, Chili, the
vessel put in for repairs and provisions, making a stop of sixteen days, which
the passengers enjoyed to the utmost. Arriving in San Francisco September 18,
1850, Mr. Emery proceeded immediately in his quest for gold, and for several
months devoted his energies to mining in Butte county.
In May, 1851, learning of the partial destruction of San Francisco by fire, he
decided to return to that city and seek employment in the rebuilding of the
city. Within a few weeks after his arrival the second disastrous fire occurred,
and he soon found that there was an extraordinary demand for his services as an
expert stonecutter and contractor for stone work in the reconstruction of the
city. For six months he was employed as superintendent of the stone work on the
city jail, and for a similar period in work of a like character by Messrs.
Andrews and Sheldon and by Congressman Piper. In the spring of 1852 he began
the development of a rubble stone quarry on Goat Island, in San Francisco bay,
for the purpose of securing material for the foundation of the building erected
for John Parrott at the corner of California and Montgomery streets in San
Francisco. The superstructure of the Parrott building was of Chinese granite.
It was first erected in Hongkong (sic) by Chinese
constructors, then taken down and shipped to America, where it was again
erected by Chinese laborers after the original design. Each stone was
identified by Chinese characters, and occupied the exact position in San
Francisco to which it had been assigned by the original designers. The building
is still standing. Mr. Emery afterward purchased all the stone which was
brought to the city from China by vessels engaged in trade between the two
countries, and used it in his building operations, which were now assuming very
extensive proportions. Mr. Parrott gave him the privilege of quarrying stone on
Angel island, (sic) where for three year, or until the
federal government took charge of the island, he developed the quarries. From
1852 to 1855 he was engaged exclusively in contract work, carrying to a
successful consummation some of the most important undertakings of that period
in San Francisco and vicinity. In 1854-55 he erected for the United State
government the first dock built at the Mare Island navy yard, and got out large
quantities of oak and pine timber for use in the work at that point. He also
furnished most of the material employed in the construction of the dry dock now
in use there. He had the facilities for conducting extensive operations, and
performed most of the important work of that period in and about San Francisco,
employing at times about three hundred men. In 1869 he secured from the United
States government the contract for furnishing the stone used in the
construction of the mint in that city, and the structure stands today as a
monument to his skill and enterprise. To procure this material he went to an
island located near Victoria, British Columbia, and there developed one of the
finest quarries in America. The stone secured was a fine grade of granite or
granitic sandstone, which has successfully withstood the most severe tests of
weight and fire. During the period of his residence in San Francisco Mr. Emery
became one of the most influential members of the vigilance committee, and as a
member of the executive committee of that historic body assisted in the
enforcement of law and order during its career. He has the distinction of being
one of the five men of the executive body now living, the others being C. J. Dempster, E. P. Flint, Dr. Martin J. Burke, and Capt. A. M.
Burns.
Removing to Alameda county in 1858, Mr. Emery continued in business as a stone
contractor for a few years, furnishing the material for a number of important
undertakings. From the first days of his residence in the county he took an
active and prominent part in the work of promoting the material interest of
Oakland and vicinity. In February, 1859, he purchased the property which now
forms a portion of the site of the town of Emeryville, including the land now
occupied by his residence. His purchase consisted of a tract of one hundred and
eighty-five acres bordering on the northern limits of Oakland. In 1897 this
tract and contiguous territory, which had been platted and much of it finely
improved, was incorporated as a town under its present name. The residents of
that section had wearied of their unsuccessful efforts to induce the board of
supervisors of Alameda county to furnish to them the municipal improvements to
which they felt they were entitled by reason of the heavy taxes they had been
paying, and came to the conclusion that a separate incorporation was the only
way out of their difficulties. A tax of forty cents on every hundred dollars of
evaluation was levied the first year, and each succeeding year the tax has been
fifty cents. The money thus raised has been most wisely expended, the finest
sewer system in the state having been established, electric lights installed, a
town hall costing about $15,000 erected, the principal streets graded and
macadamized and other substantial improvements made. The town has a population
of about four thousand, and is one of the few California towns that is out of debt. Since its incorporation Mr. Emery has served
continuously as a member of the board of trustees.
With other projects which have been
of permanent value to the public Mr. Emery has been intimately associated. He
was one of the chief organizers of the Blue Lakes Water Company of Amador county, which furnishes water power for numerous industrial
enterprises, including mining and milling companies. The property is now in the
hands of another company, which purchased the privileges of the original
owners. He was also one of the promoters of and stockholders in the company
which constructed the Telegraph avenue horse-car line, the first in Oakland,
and subsequently purchased all the stock of the company. With his own capital
he built and maintained the first horse-car line on San Pablo avenue, extending
from Broadway in Oakland to his residence, and thence to the bay, a distance of
two miles, and operated it successfully for twelve years, when he sold it to
Senator Fair. When the road was constructed there were but three houses between
Mr. Emery’s residence and the corner of Broadway and Fourteenth street. Many persons ridiculed the idea that the operation
of the road would pay, but Mr. Emery’s ideas on the subject found fulfillment
in the handsome financial returns accompanying the patronage accorded the two
roads, which he consolidated, and the work of development of the residence
portion of Oakland traversed by the road. He was also one of the organizers of
the company which built the California & Nevada railroad, a narrow-gauge
line, about 1880, and was the president of the company until the property and
right of way were sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company
which destroyed the tracks and simply used the right of way. He was one of the
incorporators of the Oakland Home Insurance Company, since purchased by the
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company of San Francisco, and for some time was its
vice-president. Since the organization of the Mountain View Cemetery
Association in 1863 he has been a director therein, and for several years has
been the president of the association. This cemetery is located in Oakland, and
is one of the most beautiful on the Pacific coast. He was also one of the
stockholders of the Mercantile Library of San Francisco.
Probably the most important undertaking in which Mr. Emery has ever been engaged, from
the standpoint of the public, is his connection with the great work of
deepening the bay at the mouth of Oakland harbor. During the early years of
Oakland’s history the greatest drawback to the development of the city, from
both a commercial standpoint and a place of residence for persons whose
business necessitated daily trips between that city and San Francisco, was the
shallow water at the mouth of Oakland harbor at low tide. Is was not
infrequently the case that passengers would be detained for several hours by
the boat sticking on the sandbar at the mouth of the estuary on account of the
low water. Private capital and Alameda county bonds were enlisted in the work
of dredging that section of the bay. He assumed the supervision of the entire undertaking,
making a channel one hundred and seventy-five feet in width and four and
one-half feet deep at low tide, whereas one foot had been the depth under
similar conditions prior to that time. This work enabled the San Francisco
ferries to make the trips in regular time, facilitating commerce and passenger
transportation. The development of Oakland received a tremendous impetus as the
result of this work. Railroads, which before then had feared to enter Oakland
on account of this drawback, were soon afterward constructed.
Mr. Emery cast his first
presidential vote for Henry Clay at the age of twenty-three years, and
affiliated with the Whig party until the nomination of John C. Fremont in 1856,
when he voted for him. Since that time he has been a stanch advocate of
Republican principles and actively interested in the welfare of that party,
though at no time has he sought or consented to fill public office. Since its
organization he has been a member of the State Board of Trade, and is now its
vice-president and chairman of its finance committee. Through his long
association with this body he has been enabled to accomplish much toward the
advancement of the industrial and commercial interests of the state. He has
been a member of the Masonic fraternity for many years, having been made a
Mason in Oakland Lodge, No. 188, F. & A. M. He is also a member of Alameda
Chapter No. 36, R. A. M.; Oakland Commandery No. 11, K. T.; the Islam Temple,
Mystic Shrine and the Order of the Eastern Star. He is widely known by the
craft in California.
The career of Joseph S. Emery, which
is here preserved in epitome, forms no unimportant chapter in the annals of the
state of California. It is to such men as he, rather than to the self-seekers
of both earlier and later years, that the state is indebted for its true
greatness. A perusal of this brief outline of his life indicates in a measure
what he has been able to accomplish for the benefit of generations which shall
follow him. It would appear that in all his operations he has kept constantly
in mind the welfare of the whole people, rather than having been actuated by
motives of a purely personal and therefore selfish character. Those among his friends
and acquaintances who are most familiar with the record of his daily life express
the conviction that the state (sic) of California has had no more
public-spirited, broad-minded or enterprising citizen than he; and that largely
through his individual efforts and his cheerful co-operation with others
similarly inclined, the second generation---the men of affairs today---have
been enabled to advance the best interests of the state by building upon the
sound and enduring foundation in whose erection he has borne such an important
and disinterested part. His name and his life work are entitled to a
conspicuous place in the historical literature of California, for there are few
men living today whose labors have had such a beneficent influence upon the
prosperity and welfare of the commonwealth.
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 1135-1138. The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Cecelia M. Setty.
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