San
Joaquin County
Biographies
DENNIS BURNS
The enviable distinction of being
the oldest building contractor in point of service in Stockton is due Dennis
Burns of 921 South California Street, who was born in County Wicklow, Ireland,
on May 4, 1854, and came to this country in 1859 when his father brought his
family, including the mother and two sons, to America. He was thus reared and educated in Greenwich,
Connecticut, and in that town was apprenticed to the carpenter trade. He served under an experienced contractor,
and he himself became an expert carpenter.
In 1873, at the age of nineteen he left home, and for two years he
worked at his trade in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Late in 1874, however, he pushed on west to San Francisco, and in the
Bay city found work on the Grand Opera House, and
later he was given employment in a planing mill there. After that he did contracting for himself,
beginning in a small way; but finding things rather dull in San Francisco
during the Centennial Year, he went inland to Stockton and took charge of the
building of a house for L. Henderson, near Acampo; and since that time, he has
been continuously active hereabouts, operating always more and more
extensively, not only in San Joaquin County, but erecting many buildings in
Amador, Stanislaus, and Contra Costa counties.
In Stockton, Mr. Burns built the
United States Hotel, the El Dorado School, the Weber Hall, St. Joseph’s Home,
(all save the last hospital) and remodeled St. Mary’s Church and added to it
the spire. He also put up Dr. Asa
Clark’s residence in the State Hospital grounds, the Jackson school, the first
City Pavilion, the Hickinbotham Block on East Market Street, and also the
Hickinbotham residence, and many fine homes in the northern part of the
city. He constructed the buildings for
the Tesla Mines in Contra Costa County.
He laid the timber in the Court House erected in 1890, and erected the
County Jail on North San Joaquin Street, and was for two years superintendent
of building of the San Joaquin County Jail, and built the San Joaquin County
Pavilion. His work has always been first
class, and it is not surprising that such has been his prosperity here that he
now owns valuable real estate in Stockton, including four houses on the south
side, which he himself built. He put up
one of the finest residences erected on the south side, having bought the lot
from the late Captain Weber.
Mr. Burns was married at San Francisco
in 1880 to Miss Mary Elizabeth Kelly, a native of Maine, and they have had ten
children, seven of whom are still living.
Catherine has become Mrs. Kerblow, and the
mother of four children. Ana is Mrs. Murl and the mother of two children. Maude is Mrs. Richmond, and she has one
child. Georgie
is Mrs. Springer, and she has one child, a son Sydney. The sons are:
Edward; Robert, who was in the World War serving as a member of the
Ninety-first Division, and he saw active service on the battlefields of France;
Harry married Miss Clara Anderson of San Francisco.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
351. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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Nugget Library's San Joaquin County Biographies
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