Santa Clara County
Biographies
JOSEPH SCHWIND
JOSEPH SCHWIND. The name of Joseph Schwind
is associated with some of the most expressive and artistic monumental work in
the United States. His knowledge of the plastic art is a matter of many years’
experience, allied to a natural aptitude far beyond the average, and a culture
and tact which recognize and minister to the finest instincts and emotions to
which man is heir. Thus his monuments delineate both grief and hope in the
great cemeteries of the country, and house in dignity and grandeur the scions
of many a well known family. Since coming to the coast in 1887 he has diffused
his talent with equal grace and satisfaction, placing his name at the head of
those whose gifts run in similar channels in California. San Jose, which has
profited by his residence in its midst these many years, remains appreciative
of his artistic talent.
Born in Switzerland, December 25, 1840, Mr. Schwind was reared and educated in his native land, and
when grown repaired to Basel, where he served an apprenticeship to an
architect, sculptor, and designer. In time he was given intricate and
painstaking work, acquiring skill with great rapidity, and evidencing a
profound liking and aptitude for the delineation of the beautiful. During the
erection of the Castle Rothschild, on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, he was foreman
of construction, superintending work estimated at a cost of three million
francs. Realizing that a broader field awaited him in the United States, he set
sail and arrived in New York January 13, 1865, and soon after became
identified with the noted firm of Fisher & Bird of Houston street, New York. Much of his work of greatest merit was
constructed while associated with this firm, and may be seen in Greenwood
cemetery, and other cities of the dead in the great metropolis. After fifteen
years of effort in New York he returned to Geneva, Switzerland, and took charge
of the business of his brother John, until 1881, when he returned to New York,
arriving in June. His next place of residence was Chicago, Ill., where he
installed many beautiful monumental designs in Calvary and Rose Hill
cemeteries, afterward being called to Bloomington, Ill., Logansport, Ind., and
finally to St. Paul, Minn., in the latter city becoming associated with
J. H. Drake & Co. There also he maintained his reputation for
excellence, but found the climate trying and longed for clearer skies and
brighter sunshine.
In California, to which he came in 1887, Mr. Schwind visited all of the cities of any size, finally
selecting San Jose as a center in which he would be most likely to feel at
home. He was impressed with the beauty of the town, with all that nature had
done for it, and with the hospitality of its people. The artist in him desired
the opulence of tropical plants, of delightful coloring, of warmth and
brightness. With this as his headquarters he has embellished many places on the
coast, and for several years was directly connected with the Western Granite
Works of San Jose, drawing plans for many of their most ambitious undertakings,
and creating from the wealth of his talent some of their most beautiful emblems
of woe. The Leland vault, the Hobark mausoleum, of
Cypress Lawn cemetery, the Tillon mausoleum, of Santa
Clara county, the receiving vault of Oakhill cemetery,
and many others unexcelled for their artistic lines and appropriateness, are
due to his skill and resourcefulness.
As proof of his belief in the future of San Jose
Mr. Schwind has invested heavily in town and
country property, and his own house and grounds at No. 763 East
St. Julian street, stand as a model of all that a
California home may become. He owns his own water plant, and has a wealth of
rose bowers, orange and lemon trees, palms and flowers, and a beautifully kept
lawn. He married his wife in Switzerland, and she was formerly Adelaine Stoker, a native of Berne, the capital city. Three
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Schwind,
of whom Joseph, born in Chicago, III., became an
electrician, and was accidentally killed in his eighteenth year; George, born
in Logansport, Ind., is also an electrician, and Mary Adelaide, born in Bloomington,
Ill., is a student of music in the University of the Pacific. Mr. Schwind is independent in politics, and is fraternally
connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Aside from any
consideration of talent or ability, he is popular with his fellow townsmen, and
has many distinguished friends throughout the United States. He is genial and
kindly, tactful and generous, taking a keen interest in all that pertains to
the artistic and general development of the west.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard 22 September 2015.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages
787-788. The Chapman Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Marie
Hassard.