A.J., as he was called, was the son of James and Mercy (nee Priest) Bayley. He graduated from Townsend Academy at age 16, followed by traveling west through Missouri, Kansas, etc. He began a merchandising business in Brunswick, Missouri, but in 1848 he returned east to start a commission business in Boston. In January 1849 he sailed around The Horn, arriving in San Francisco in July. Like thousands of other Forty-niners, he engaged in mining at first. In the spring of 1850 he settled in Coloma and took charge of the Winters Hotel. He eventually built the first hotel in Pilot Hill, the Oak Valley House. When it burned down in 1861, he built the Bayley House, speculating that the railroad would come to this area. This hope wasn't realized so the Bayley House became a stage stop as well as the family residence. It was a massive southern-style estate in the middle of the rolling hills of El Dorado County. It had 1,000 square feet, 22 rooms, 6 fireplaces, 2 ladies parlors, a bar room, a wine cellar, and a grand ballroom on the third floor that doubled as an observatory. When Pilot Hill was a booming mining camp, large dances and picnics were held at Bayley House, and A.J. was the congenial host. In 1872 he became the proprietor of the Tahoe House at Lake Tahoe. In the 1890s he owned the Grand Central Hotel at Tahoe City, billing it as the "Gem of the Sierras." A.J. belonged to the Pioneer Societies of San Francisco, Sacramento, and Auburn, as well as being a Mason of high degree. He died of appendicitis and was survived by his wife; his sons Alcander and James; and his daughters Jane and Ida.
A.J., as he was called, was the son of James and Mercy (nee Priest) Bayley. He graduated from Townsend Academy at age 16, followed by traveling west through Missouri, Kansas, etc. He began a merchandising business in Brunswick, Missouri, but in 1848 he returned east to start a commission business in Boston. In January 1849 he sailed around The Horn, arriving in San Francisco in July. Like thousands of other Forty-niners, he engaged in mining at first. In the spring of 1850 he settled in Coloma and took charge of the Winters Hotel. He eventually built the first hotel in Pilot Hill, the Oak Valley House. When it burned down in 1861, he built the Bayley House, speculating that the railroad would come to this area. This hope wasn't realized so the Bayley House became a stage stop as well as the family residence. It was a massive southern-style estate in the middle of the rolling hills of El Dorado County. It had 1,000 square feet, 22 rooms, 6 fireplaces, 2 ladies parlors, a bar room, a wine cellar, and a grand ballroom on the third floor that doubled as an observatory. When Pilot Hill was a booming mining camp, large dances and picnics were held at Bayley House, and A.J. was the congenial host. In 1872 he became the proprietor of the Tahoe House at Lake Tahoe. In the 1890s he owned the Grand Central Hotel at Tahoe City, billing it as the "Gem of the Sierras." A.J. belonged to the Pioneer Societies of San Francisco, Sacramento, and Auburn, as well as being a Mason of high degree. He died of appendicitis and was survived by his wife; his sons Alcander and James; and his daughters Jane and Ida.
Gravesite Details
Today, the grave is unmarked.
Family Members
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