ALEXIS JOSEPH DANIS

Sacramento County

Biographies

ALEXIS JOSEPH DANIS

ALEXIS JOSEPH DANIS, merchant, of Sacramento, is a native of Lower Canada, born at Montreal, September 17, 1832, his parents being Alexis and Ursula (Etchier) Danis. His father, who was born in France March 17, 1800, is yet living; while his mother, a native of Canada, of French descent, died in 1854, aged forty-nine years. A. J. Danis was reared at St. Eustace, twenty-one miles from Montreal, where his father, a potter by trade, had a pottery and blacksmith shop. He was educated at the French College at St. Eustace, and graduated there at the age of sixteen years. He obtained employment in the wholesale house of John Thompson, at Montreal, going to work at $2 a month, and having his wages increased until they reached $12 a month at the end of one year, including board, etc. He was next employed by Tittiue & Elliott, Montreal, and from there went to St. Eustace, where he opened a general country store. In 1856 he sold out his business for the purpose of removing to California. Going to New York, he took passage on the steamer Golden Age, on the 2d of June, and after crossing the Isthmus of Panama, came to San Francisco on the steamer New West, landing June 28. With him had come his brother Ozias (now in San Francisco), and a brother-in-law, Israel Millard. They met a Frenchman named Lachance, who said, “Boys, if you go to Oroville with me, there is a flume being built on the Feather River, where you can have employment.” Mr. Danis had started with $2,200, and consequently had plenty of money. His offer was accepted, and the four started for San Francisco by boat, and getting into Sacramento at 2 a.m., spent the night at the Free Swiss Hotel, where Baker & Hamilton now do business. They went by boat to Marysville, and thence by stage to Oroville. After three or four days, with mules, they took the trail to their destination, on Feather River. There they found the boss to be a French Canadian, and Mr. Danis, who was the only one of his party who could speak English, applied for work. The boss asked him where they were from, and when he answered “from Canada,” he immediately gave them work, which continued for sixty-five days at $4 per day, with board. Then the flume was sold to a Chinaman, and Mr. Danis and his party returned to Sacramento. He obtained a situation with Lindley, Wooster & Weaver, at Seventh and J streets, and afterward with Shreet & Arnold. He was next with Dispetcher & Field, on J, between Second and Third streets, where he became head porter, and when Mr. Dispetcher went to France he left Field in partnership with LeRoy. Field, after his marriage, went to France, and LeRoy closed out the business, Mr. Danis being thus thrown out of a situation. He next went to work in the store of A. J. Wolf, with whom he remained until 1864. Just previous to the flood of 1861 he started on horseback toward the levee, to see how it stood at the old tannery. Arriving there, he saw water breaking through, and hurried back to give the alarm to all whom he knew. When he got to Eighth and K streets, and told Mr. Chevalier, the latter laughed at him, but Mr. Danis told him he would have to be astir, or he would lose his goods. When he got to his own residence, he found there was already from eighteen to twenty-two inches of water on the ground. The flood of the 9th of December, 1861, had already commenced its work of destruction. He hastened to the store and saved everything he could, and when he got back home to see how things were getting along, he found four feet of water there, and constantly rising. By 4 o’clock p.m., there was from five to six feet of water on K, L and M streets, and four feet on J, but in the morning it receded on account of the break on the R street levee. On the 10th of January, 1862, the flood came again, much heavier than before, and the water remained nine or ten days all over the city, so deep that one could get about only with canoes or boats. Mr. Danis and his brother (the latter being a good carpenter), built two boats, and they would call on their friends in the second stories of houses. Mr. Danis’ present wife, with her parents and sister, had to seek safety in the Stanford House, at Eighth and N streets, obtaining entrance through the second-story windows, their own house being only one story in height. During the first night a horse swam right into the second-story of the house and was saved. After the flood Mr. Danis recommenced work for his former employers. In 1864 he engaged with L. Parsons & Co., with whom he remained three years, in the capacity of salesman and manager. He next went with Chevalier & Co., with whom he remained until they removed to San Francisco. He then went to the city and obtained employment as a salesman. He opened up Ebner Bros.’ Place on Fourth street, in the St. George building, in the winter of 1863-’64, buying all the goods for their stock. In 1865 he again returned to the employ of Chevalier. His next employer was Jones, with whom he remained two years, and then went with G. W. Chesley, taking charge of his cigar department, which had just been started, Mr. Danis buying all the goods. He next went with Harris & Cranor, and afterward went to Aurora with his two ten-mule teams loaded with liquors. On returning to Sacramento he went to work for Selden, and after a varied experience entered the employ of H. Weinreich. He next opened a shoe store on the corner of Sixth and J streets. After several months he closed up the store and went to work on commission. He commenced his present business in October, 1887. He was married to Catherine McCarthy, who was reared at Boston, Massachusetts. They have four children living, viz: Lena, a graduate of the high school, now a teacher; Ella, a writer in the Mechanic’s Store; Belle and Mabel. Mr. Danis has been a member of Capital Lodge, No. 87, I. O. O. F., since 1865, and also belongs to Cosumnes Tribe, No. 14, of which he is a Past Sachem. He is an active Democrat politically, having cast his first vote in California for Stephen A. Douglas for president, and has represented his party in many city and county conventions. He was a candidate for recorder on the unsuccessful Democratic ticket in 1876. On his fifty-sixth birthday, in 1888, he had a brother aged eighty-six years, and two sisters aged respectively ninety-one and ninety-six years, and all sat down to one table together. Mr. Danis was the fourth in order of age of his father’s children, and all the older ones are yet living.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 728-729. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.