San Francisco County
JOHN P. SHELDON
JOHN P. SHELDON, who was born in Gardiner, Maine, in 1834,
resided in the place of his birth until he was fifteen years of age,
[sic] In 1849, July 13, he started for the Pacific coast, taking his
passage in the brig Emily Farnham; the voyage, made
via Cape Horn, consumed six months’ time, the date of arrival here being
January 13, 1850. Mr. Sheldon went at once to the mines, where he remained
until the following year. He then shipped as cook on a craft running to
Marysville, but followed this calling only a short time. His next
occupation was clerking in a store, which he abandoned to resume mining at
Michigan bar; he was there and in other mines until May, 1852, when he returned
to San Francisco with the full intention of going back to his Eastern home. He
was persuaded, however, to go up to Humboldt as second purser of the steamer
Chesapeake. After making a number of trips he was wrecked on Humboldt
bar. The hull of the vessel was afterwards converted into a sawmill, in
which Mr. Sheldon invested all the means he had accumulated since coming to
California; this amount was $23,000, and at the end of the first year it was
all swept away by a very destructive fire. Without a cent of money he
returned to San Francisco where he secured a position in a lumber-yard,
which he held until 1856; in that year he went to Tuolumne county
and engaged in mining, but December found him again in San Francisco. He
became connected with a lumber company whose yards were located where Mr.
Sheldon’s office now stands. In 1863 he bought the lumber business of
Silent Page, which was the first established in the place. He conducted
the business until 1870 at the old stand, and then removed to the corner of
Spear and Mission streets. Two years later he discontinued the business,
and took up building of bridges and pile-driving. He has taken and
completed more contracts for pile-driving for foundations than any other
contractor in the city or State. He is now engaged on the foundation of a
large office building corner of California and Sansome
streets for Mutual Life Insurance Company.
He was vice-president of the American
Bridge & Building Company, which company had the contract for the building
of the breakwater at Humboldt bay. He has also build many ocean wharves on the coast of southern
California. He has just completed the launching ways for the lie of battle
ship Oregon for the Union Iron Works Company, for which company he has driven
upwards of 10,000 piles, and for the California Sugar Company about the same
number. He is now president and general manager of the Western Bridge
Company of San Francisco. His long and varied experience in carrying on
the business, for which the company is incorporated, insures success from its
inception. In his political opinions Mr. Sheldon is a straight Republican,
casting his first vote for Fremont, and is active in the counsels of his
party. He was a delegate to every State Convention from 1856 to 1876, and
served as Treasurer of the State Central Committee during the Gorham campaign. He
is not an aspirant to public office, and although he has often been urged to
accept nominations, he has steadily and positively declined to do so.
Transcribed by Donna L. Becker.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 2, Pages
454-455, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2006 Donna L.
Becker.