Santa
Clara County
Biographies
DANIEL ARTHUR
CHARTIER
DANIEL ARTHUR
CHARTIER. In San Jose,
where are represented the majority of the trades in which man engages, room is
always found at the top of the ladder, for the standard is high and
comparatively few excel in any given occupation. This is true of building as well as other
lines of business, and the names chosen from these ranks for their merit and
usefulness in the community are about equal in proportion to those of other cities
and towns of the Union. To the latter
class belongs Daniel Arthur Chartier, a skillful
contractor and builder, and who, since he joined the working forces of San Jose
in 1892, has not only erected a score or more of residences and public
buildings, but has stimulated settlement within its borders by putting up, and
afterward selling, several artistic and inviting homes. His own residence at No. 235 Race street is
not wanting in any of the comforts or conveniences which contribute to the joy
of living in the west, and his business is such as to warrant him in having an
excellent opinion of the good judgment and appreciation of the people among
whom his business and social lot is cast.
As his name implies, Mr. Chartier is of French extraction, and he was born in the
quaint town of Montreal, Canada, September 23, 1853. His family has been noted for its patriotism
and national zeal, for his paternal great-grandfather was present at Brandywine
and other battles of the Revolution, and his paternal grandfather fought in the
war of 1812. His father, Stephen Chartier, was born in Vergennes, Vt., in 1807, and
eventually moved to near Montreal, where he operated a farm until shortly
before his death. On the maternal side
Mr. Chartier claims no less distinguished
connections, for his mother, Didama (Phelps) Chartier, a native of Connecticut, traced
her descent in unbroken line from the great Cromwell, of England. Her death occurred in the province of
Quebec. She gave her children an
inheritance of physical strength and endurance, for of nine which grew to
maturity under the family roof, the first vacancy in the family circle was
created in 1904 by the death of the eldest daughter, who was nearly seventy
years old.
Until his sixteenth year Daniel
Arthur, the second in his family, lived on the home farm near Montreal, in the
meantime attending the public schools and increasing his strength in the
harvest fields. After working for a year
at the carpenter trade in Montreal, he went to Vermont to complete his training
along the Vermont Central Railroad, working for the company between St. Albans
and Brattleboro. In 1872 he located in
Minnesota, working at his trade near Austin until moving to Sioux Falls, S. Dak., where he remained for a couple of years. Returning east he engaged in building and
contracting in Jamestown, N. Y., for eight years, and also increased his income
by running a planning and manufacturing mill.
Thence he removed to Salt Lake City in 1890, and in 1892 located in San
Jose, which has since been his home. Mr.
Chartier married Miss Anna May Southwick, born in
Erie county, N. Y., and the mother of two living children, Victoria Pearl, and Didama Mary. Mr. Chartier is a member of the Builders’ Exchange, and of the
Chamber of Commerce. Politically he is a
Republican, and in religion is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Chartier adds to his business gifts that
of a fine musical ear and skill as a performer on the organ, an instrument
which has furnished him solace and recreation for many years.
Transcribed by
Doralisa Palomares.
Source: History of the State of California &
Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A.
M., Pages 1274-1275. The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Doralisa Palomares.