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Faxon Dean Atherton
[[Image:Image:Replace this image male.svg|225px]]
Born January 29, 1815[1]
Dedham, Massachusetts, USA
Died July 18, 1877 (aged 62)
San Mateo County, California, USA

Faxon Dean Atherton was an American businessman and landowner, and was a prominent citizen of San Mateo County, California. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St The United States of America —commonly referred to as the San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St [2] A native of Massachusetts, Atherton was born of an established New England family with roots in the colonial period of the United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the He was educated in his native state and went into the shipping and merchant business at the age of 15. He was charged with the operation of vessels plying between Boston - Valparaiso, Chile and Monterey, California, gaining him wide and varied experience. Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Valle Paraíso (Paradise Valley and also called "Valpo" locally is a major city in Chile He is the namesake of Atherton, California. Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States.

In 1834 Atherton traveled to Valparaiso, Chile where he would later establish a ship chandler's store, trading in tallow, hides and merchandise. Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Valle Paraíso (Paradise Valley and also called "Valpo" locally is a major city in Chile [3] During the California gold rush, he amassed a great fortune with his shipping business and the import and export of goods. The California Gold Rush (1848&ndash1855 began on January 24 1848 when Gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California In Valparaiso in 1843 he married Dominiga de Goñi; they had seven children, some of whose names appear on West Atherton street signs: Isabella, Alejandra and Elena. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common

Atherton first visited San Francisco, California in 1836, when the city was in its infancy. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city His friend and business associate, Thomas Larkin urged Atherton to move to California. Thomas Oliver Larkin (September 16 1802 - October 27 1858 was an early American emigrant to Mexico and a signer of the original California Constitution. Larkin wrote, ". . . [T]here is education available for your children and a dignity of living on landed estates down the San Francisco peninsula (that is) convenient and accessible . . . [Y]ou and I were of that country. Our eyes were turned towards it in admiration and in my part in gratitude. My children were from there. They and yours will soon be. "

In 1860, Atherton bought 640 acres (2. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting 6 km²) at ten dollars an acre of land on the San Francisco peninsula in what was then known as Fair Oaks, becoming one of the first residents of the area. He built his home, Valapariso Park, approximately where the Circus Club, a private country club, is now located.

Atherton was a land speculator purchasing tracts in Hayward, Watsonville and other places. Atherton purchased the Milpitas Rancho in the area of Fort Hunter Liggett from Ygnacio Pastor immediately upon its title clearance in the San Francisco court. Fort Hunter Liggett, named after General Hunter Liggett, is a United States Army fort in southern Monterey County California, about 250 miles (400 km (The U. S. Land Claims commission, set up as a result of the Mexican-American War to mediate land claims, had been examining the land granted under the Mexican land grant system. )

During the conversion of land, records under the Land Commission were changed and Ygnacio's small ranch grew from several thousand acres to 42,000 acres (170 km²). Owners of plots dating back to the Hispanic period, including Indians, Mexicans and Spaniards, on land not originally owned by Pastor became squatters overnight. Atherton then sent notice to evict them. Many were settlers on improved lands awaiting preemption, including George Dutton and others who had believed they owned property in the town of Jolon.

George Atherton, and his wife Gertrude, who later became a well-known novelist, dispossessed fifty-three families from Rancho Milpitas in 1877-78. Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton ( October 30, 1857 – June 14, 1948) was an American Writer. The Athertons arrived with sheriffs and guns and burned the houses and possessions of the residents who were considered to be squatters. The wealthier among them repurchased their properties, but many moved on.

In 1881, after her husband's death, Dominga built a house on California Street in San Francisco and moved in with her son, George, and daughter-in-law, Gertrude. Both Dominga and Gertrude were strong women who so dominated George that in 1887 he ran away from home to seek his fortune in Chile. Halfway to Chile, George's kidneys failed. The sailors put his body into a barrel of rum to preserve it and shipped the barrel to the Atherton Mansion. George was dried out and received a proper Christian burial. Local legend says his ghost soon began knocking on the bedroom doors of his mother and widow. He became so troublesome that Dominga sold the house and moved out.

Contents

Legacy

Atherton's greatest legacy was his family name given to the town of Atherton, previously known as "Fair Oaks". Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. On the town's incorporation in 1923, it was found that the name was already in use, so Atherton was chosen. [4] However, as early as 1912, it was already being referred to by that name. [3]

Faxon Dean Atherton married Dominga de Goñi in 1843 and had the following children:

  1. Maria Alejandra Atherton (b. 1844), married Jared Lawrence Rathbone.
  2. Elena Amanda Atherton (b. 1845), married Frederick William Macondray, Jr of Boston, Massachusetts, son of one of the first merchants of San Francisco and large land owner.
  3. Anacleto Francisco Atherton (b. 1849)
  4. Jorge H. Bowen Atherton (b. 1851), eloped with Gertrude Franklin Horn in 1876. Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton ( October 30, 1857 – June 14, 1948) was an American Writer.
  5. Eulogia Isabel Atherton (b. 1853), married Enrique Edwards, of Valparaiso, Chile. Their great grandson, Dr. Carlos Lopez, became president of Menlo college in 2004.
  6. Francisco Fascon Atherton(1857), married Jane Selby, daughter of Thomas Henry Selby, 13th mayor of San Francisco, California, who built the Selby Shot Tower in San Francisco and founded the Selby Smelting Works. Thomas Henry Selby ( May 14, 1820 &ndash June 17, 1875) was the 13th Mayor of San Francisco serving from December 6 The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city
  7. Florence Atherton (b. 1861), married Edward Lilburn Eyre, first mayor of Atherton in 1886. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [NOTE: She has sometimes been confused with Florence Atherton Faxon Spalding, a Boston music teacher, who married, also in 1886, George Frederick Spalding of Newton, Mass. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common , father of John Varnum Spalding, an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1944-1971)]

References

  1. ^ Date of birth confirmation at JSTOR
  2. ^ Stanger, pg. 112
  3. ^ a b Hynding, p. 115
  4. ^ Bush & Merrill, pg. 7

Sources

External links

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