Santa
Clara County
Biographies
CAPT.
THOMAS NORTHY WILLIAMS
CAPT.
THOMAS NORTHY WILLIAMS. Of the thousands
of Argonauts who came to California in the early days with vivid dreams of
conquest over its hidden wealth, comparatively few have been successful enough,
or have found their original occupation sufficiently congenial, to continue it
uninterruptedly up to and including the present time. A notable example of perseverance
and success in mining is found in Capt. Thomas Northy
Williams, one of the oldest and best known of the early and later miners, and
whose name is as familiar to the inhabitants of camps and the heads of
syndicates as any other in the coast country.
The searcher after the typical miner who adorns the pages of fiction,
and who with his physical strength and large heart dominated whatever region he
called home, need look no further than this remarkably popular pioneer, upon
whose shoulders has fallen the mantle of toil, uncertainty, hardship and
subsequent success. Ever since 1856 he
has lived more or less in the camps of the state, and during the past forty-six
years has visited every quicksilver mining district in the state of
California. His mind is a lexicon of
location and kind of mines which abound on the coast, and his fund of anecdote
and general mining information is inexhaustible. Since his marriage thirty years ago he has
made his headquarters in San Jose, where he has reared and educated his
children, giving them the start in life justified by his success, and in 1902
he built one of the fine residences in the city at 1003 South First street.
Captain
Williams comes honestly by his life preference, for his family have been miners
for several generations back, his great-grandfather, grandfather William, and
father William, all having been devoted to mining in Cornwall, England. Captain Williams was born at Chasewater, Cornwall, August 11, 1839, and his father
was born near Penzance. The latter mastered the art of mining
engineering, and because of his ability in this direction became of practical
use to his country. For twelve years he
lived in Spain, where he opened and operated Galena mines for the Taylor
Company of London, England. He
immigrated to the United States in 1856 with his two sons, Thomas and William,
both of whom have devoted all of their lives to mining, and the younger of whom
is now operating mines in Nevada county, Cal. The elder Williams located in Tuolumne county, Cal., mined there for eight years and then returned
to England, where his death occurred. He
married into the family of Northy, well known in
Cornwall, his wife being Alice, daughter of Charles Northy. Besides the sons who accompanied him to
America, he had four other children, two of whom are living.
Set
to work in the copper mines of Cornwall at the age of ten, Captain Williams saw
but little of the educational side of youth, realizing only its sternness and
responsibility. He was seventeen when he
came to America with his father, departing from Liverpool in September, 1856,
and upon arriving in New York he embarked for Aspinwall
and San Francisco, reaching the latter city in October the same year. After working at placer mining with his
father for a few weeks, he engaged in mining on his own responsibility at
Kincaid Flats, and in 1858 became identified with the New Almaden Mining
Company at New Almaden. While in their
employ he learned all about mining, from the bottom up, gaining a knowledge
which has been of use to him in innumerable ways since. He next became foreman of the New Idria mines of New Idria, San
Benito county, going then to the Henry Kidder mine of
Santa Clara county. He was one of the
pioneer miners of Lake county, and upon returning to
Santa Clara county worked in the Guadaloupe mines for
a time, afterward working in the New Idria mines, where
he was promoted to the position of foreman of the starting yard. Again he served as foreman of the New Idria mines , and again was
superintendent of the Guadaloupe mines, under the
manager, B. B. Thayer, of San Francisco.
After ten years with the Guadaloupe mines, he
became superintendent of the New Idria mine under the
management of William N. Thompson, remaining there for ten years, and then
became superintendent of the Altoona quicksilver mines of Trinity county for three years.
Returning to Santa Clara county, he became
superintendent of the Mountaineer gold quartz mines of Nevada City, remaining
there until the shutting down of the mine and mill in 1902. Since then he has lived in San Jose, but is
still interested in gold mining in different parts of the state, and is doing
some business in buying, leasing and selling mines.
In
San Benito county Mr. Williams married Emily Osborne, born in Cornwall,
England, and daughter of Robert Osborne, a miner by occupation, and who
immigrated to America during the early ‘50s.
Mr. Osborne lived for a time in the Lake Superior region, Michigan,
but soon after settled in California, where he continued his former
occupation. Six children have been born
to Captain and Mrs. Williams:
Susan, the wife of J. Bowen, of Hollister, Cal.; Thomas H.,
engaged in mining in Idaho; Alfred George, engaged in a plumbing business in
Los Gatos, Cal.; Sarah, the wife of George McCracken, of San Jose; Lulu, now
Mrs. Trembath, of San Jose; and Evelyn, living
with her parents. Captain Williams is
eminently social in disposition, and for years has enjoyed the companionship of
fellow members of the San Jose Lodge No. 210, F.&A.M.;
Lodge No. 43, I.O.O.F., and Lodge No. 43, A.O.U.W. He is a Republican in national politics, and
in religion is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Notwithstanding his almost constant
association with the mining camps, Captain Williams possesses an innate
refinement which renders him a delightful and interesting companion. Generous and liberal, it has never been his
custom to turn away any who have appealed to him for help, and in the early
days the traveler who sought a night’s lodging with this genial, hospitable
miner departed always with the feeling that he had been entertained by one of nature’s
noblemen, one of the great-hearted, strong, and honorable men who will go down
in history as walking bravely and uprightly among the temptations which exist
for the weak in the mining camps of the west.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 513-514. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Donna Toole.