James
O’Neil is well known throughout this and adjacent counties and in the city of
San Francisco as the manager of the Riverside Brickyard. He was born in Ireland
in 1831, and came to California in March, 1856. At first be engaged in the
trade of plastering in the city of Sacramento during the year 1856, and he
continued to carry on this business extensively until 1874. About the same time
he entered into brick manufacture for himself, continuing ten years. Selling
out then, he took his present situation as superintendent of the yard. The
works here are run by steam power. The clay is hauled over a short railroad of
their own. Most of the time 175 hands are employed. The capacity of the works
is about 18,000,000 a year. The brick manufactured here are all shipped to San Francisco
by boat. The kilns are of the modern kind, a patent method called the
continuous-burning kilns, as they are kept running night and day. Mr. O’Neil
has three grown children: Frank, Nellie and Willie.
Transcribed
by: Marla Fitzsimmons
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California.
By Hon. Win. J. Davis. Lewis Publishing Company 1890. Page 289.
© 2004 Marla Fitzsimmons.