San Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN B. DOUGLASS
JOHN
B. DOUGLASS, a well-known “Forty-Niner” of Stockton, was born on Sixteenth
street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, in New York, August 6, 1830, a son
of John and Eliza (McDevitt) Douglass. The father, a native of New London,
Connecticut, followed a seafaring career from early youth, and was for
twenty-two years chief officer of a merchant vessel in the New York and
Liverpool trade, and was lost at sea in 1837. The mother died in 1836, aged
twenty-two, leaving two children, the subject of this sketch and a daughter,
Margaret, three years younger, now Mrs. James Cullen, of Bloomington, Illinois.
Grandfather Douglass, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a cooper by trade,
came to America in early manhood and settled in New London, Connecticut. He lived
to the age of ninety-six and was able to work to the day of his death, being
accidentally killed by falling through an open trap-door. His wife reached the
age of seventy-five. The McDevitt family of New York, to which the mother of
the subject of this sketch belonged, were of Dublin (Ireland) birth or
parentage, and at least one brother of Mrs. Douglass was a merchant of some
prominence in New York city.
John B. Douglass, an orphan at seven,
began to do light work of various kinds in early youth, receiving some little
schooling. With the passing years he managed to pick up a fair education, and
at the age of sixteen became a clerk for a few years, in his native city, the
larger part of the time in a shoe-store. After a three months’ visit with his
relatives in New London, Connecticut, he left that port early in 1849, on the
barque Flora for California, by way of Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco
July 3, 1849. He went to mining in Coloma, and after fourteen months so engaged
left for the East, September 5, 1850, by way of Panama. Returning to this coast
by the same route in the spring of 1851, he came to this city and embarked in
the public house business, but went East again before the close of 1852. He was
married in New London, January 10, 1853, to Miss Ellen Dart, and set out again
for California three days later. Resuming his business, which he had left in
charge of another, he carried it on here until the autumn. He then moved to
Columbia, Tuolumne County, where he conducted a public house and filled the
position of stage-agent for sixteen years. Meanwhile, in 1857, he went East
once more and returned with his wife to Columbia. Mr. Douglass was a member of
the board of trustees of that town several years and president of the board two
years. He there acquired some mining interests, a few of which he has retained
to the present time. Selling out his business in Columbia he came to this city
and opened a saloon in the Yo Semite House, July 4, 1869, which he carried on
until February 28, 1885. In partnership with Stephen Badger, since April 20,
1885, under the style of Douglass & Badger, he bought his present business
at 339 Hunter street, established some dozen years before. Mr. Douglass served
as chief engineer of the fire department of this city about eleven years, and
for seven years was a member of the National Guard of California, going through
all the grades from private to captain, and resigning the latter in the spring
of 1888. He has been a member of the Improved Order of Red Men since 1874, and of
the Knights of Pythias since 1876.
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Douglass have two
children: William Grant, born in Columbia, California, December 27, 1860,
educated in the schools of Stockton, including high-school and business
college, learned railroad and steamboat engineering and is now employed by the
city as an engineer. He was married April 22, 1884, to Miss Annie Goodman, born
in Kansas, January 24, 1865, a daughter of John and Ellen Goodman; they have
one son, John Aloysius, born October 5, 1886; Joseph Smith, the second son of
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Douglass, also born in Columbia, May 8, 1863, and educated
in this city, was here married, December 31, 1883, to Miss Annie Hentzelmann, a
native of Stockton, whose mother is still living at the age of about seventy.
They have one child-- Irene, born in 1884. Joseph S. Douglass is working for
the firm of Douglass & Badger, at 339 Hunter street.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 618-619. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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