William Wallace Barbour Sheldon
William Wallace Barbour Sheldon, commonly known as Wallace, was an architectural engineer and pioneer of California, a leading figure of the engineering history of the California coast.
Wallace began his career with the Central Pacific Railroad and was present at the laying of the Golden Spike at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869. In 1875, he began work with the Pacific Improvement Company.
His most famous work was in the personal home of Mark Hopkins, which was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire; the original Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California; and the Del Monte Hotel in Del Monte, California. He also had control of the construction of several railroad terminals, including those in Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, California, and Redlands, California.
Early life
William Sheldon was born on May 15, 1836, to Gideon Sheldon and Sarah Ann Stafford in Westport, New York. His father was a basic farmer of Quaker ancestry and his mother was a housewife and descendant of Thomas Stafford, an early settler of Warwick, Rhode Island, and the first man to build a grist mill in the new world. His mother died when he was ten years old in 1846. The death of his father is unknown, but by the 1850 Census he was living as a student with his maternal aunt's step-son, Henry Cole, in Westport.At a young age, he took on a trade as carpenter and moved to Brooklyn, New York, to make a living for himself. There, he met Mary Campbell, daughter of Scottish immigrants Jonathan Campbell and Euphemia Pitbladdo. They married on January 31, 1856, in Brooklyn.
Family
Wallace and Mary had their first child, William Wallace Sheldon, on June 20, 1857, in New York. They would have an additional five children while living in Brooklyn. They were Euphemia ; Sarah A. ; George Lincoln ; Frank Gideon ; and John A.. The couple had two more children born in Nevada – Mary Elvira and Grace. Their last child, Josephine, was born in San Francisco, California, in 1875.The family was well known and liked in the society circles of San Francisco and Oakland, California, where they moved in 1880. They were often mentioned in the society columns of the Oakland Tribune. On February 4, 1908, the couple celebrated their fifty-second wedding anniversary with a large lavish party. The article in the Tribune is as follows: