Solomon Ellsworth Alden
November 14, 1811 – August 18, 1881
By Rob Melton, great-great-grandson (2023)
Solomon Ellsworth Alden was an early settler who at one time owned most of what is now Temescal. From 1899 to 1908 the post office for North Temescal was known as the Alden Post Office3, and the Temescal Branch Library (built in 1918) was originally known as the Alden Branch of the Oakland Free Library.1
Alden was born in 1811 in Enfield, Connecticut, the direct descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620. He attended Wesleyan Academy in Massachusetts in 1834 and studied in the Classical Department.11
Family
He married Ann Edwards Cornwall (October 10, 1810 – April 16, 1882) on August 10, 1846, and they had a daughter, Elsie Ann Alden (December 21, 1848 – June 15, 1931), and a son, Ellsworth Edwards Alden (20 December 1848 – 9 January 1851). She was the great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, whose son was the famous Puritan preacher the Rev. Jonathan Edwards.
A family history records that in 1852, Solomon traveled west from Southport, Connecticut, by steamer "in search of adventure. He camped in the Eastbay for a time and a few months later purchased a house and four hundred acres, on the present 51st Street, [present-day Telegraph Avenue] which extended north to Berkeley and south to Oakland. In 1854, he sent for his wife and three-year-old [sic] daughter, Elsie Ann, to join him. They arrived in the San Francisco harbor that same year on a steamer."5 Solomon Alden is credited with the original settlement of the Temescal area, which bore his name prior the turn of the 20th century. Alden acquired land along the road, eventually holding 600 acres between 44th and 60th streets. He began subdividing the land along Telegraph around 1868, perhaps in anticipation of the streetcar line that was built the following year. Alden's subdivision developed into a commercial district along Telegraph Avenue, supported by the horse-drawn streetcar that ran from downtown Oakland to Berkeley by 1873 and the Oakland-Sacramento telegraph line, which was strung down Telegraph Avenue and gave the street its name.10
Solomon's sister Emily (January 22, 1810 – October 7, 1881) and niece Ann also lived with the family.
The family history goes on, "When Mrs. Alden arrived in North Temescal, as the district was then called, she disliked the bareness of the yard, and she was homesick. She sent back to Connecticut for a small bay tree, and when it arrived planted it outside in the front yard. There were no water pumps in those days [not true], so every day after the dishwashing she would pour the water on her growing bay tree. It grew immensely and for many years has afforded shade to Oaklanders.... In 1915 the Alden house was sold to the Oakland Baby Hospital. Eventually, the old Alden homestead was taken down and a new Baby Hospital was built." 5 The old bay tree still stands at the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland.
Originally the home of the Ohlone people, who settled along the creek, by 1873 the population of the village of Temescal numbered 1,000 and the village featured stores, restaurants, dairies, and banks, according to a report prepared for Oakland Children's Hospital for a rebuilding project.7
Early Temescal was a blue-collar community of carpenters, farmers, and laborers, according to the report. The local Lusk Canning Company, which opened in 1868, was one of the largest canning factories in the world by 1885. It employed 800 people, both adults and children, during the height of the canning season. In its heyday, the factory was located on Claremont Avenue just north of the intersection of Claremont and Telegraph Avenue. Many Temescal residents also worked in the streetcar barn at 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue, and it was common for women to work in cigar factories and laundries. A number of garbage collectors also operated in the area and in 1907. 10
In 1897, just after residents voted to change the town's name to Alden in honor of its founder, Temescal was annexed by the growing city of Oakland. At the turn of the 20th century, Temescal was still a relatively self-contained community, with several small dairies, four movie houses, a post office, and a store. Idora Park, an amusement park that boasted the largest roller-skating rink on the West Coast, was established in 1903 between Shattuck and Telegraph avenues and 56th and 58th streets. 10
By 1862 S. E. Alden, Esq., had become a lawyer and an advertisement listed about 350 acres for sale, with "a good Dwelling House, containing Ten Rooms; two Servants' Rooms, and Five large Closets and Bath Rooms, all hard finished, and Four Handsome Marble Mantles…" plus a farm house with eight rooms not including rooms for farm laborers, a one-and-a-half stories high 20x40 carriage house, two large barns, and stables for 125 head of cattle and 20 hourses.4 Alameda County records list Alden's property at 300 acres; the same year the Assessor's office listed him as the fourth wealthiest property owner in Alameda County after Edson Adams, Samuel Merritt and Frederick William Delger. At one time almost all of the Temescal area was owned by S. E. Alden. Solomon E. Alden planted extensive orchards along Temescal Creek in North Oakland in the 1850s. Friends used to come to his house to eat cherries and chat. 1
According to a footnote in The American Menu: "There were many ways to make money during the Gold Rush. The trick was not to lose it in the saloons, gambling halls, and houses of ill repute. By the 1870s, restaurateur Solomon E. Alden was listed in the city directory as a bank director and farmer, living on a 612-acre estate comprising much of the Temescal area of Alameda County." 6
1852: Solomon and Ann Ellsworth Alden purchase the land between 44th and 60th streets. A wood frame dwelling on the property is expanded to a two-story Italianate residence.
1860: Women in the Alden family plant a magnolia tree next to their home.
1868: Alden begins to subdivide his land into residential tracts.
1878-1899: A two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style mansion replaces the earlier Italianate structure. The new 20-room house at 52nd and Dover Street is located at the center of the large lot.
1897: Reflecting this development, the area of North Oakland known variably as Alden and Temescal officially become part of Oakland by annexation in 1897.
1912: The Baby Hospital Association purchases the McElrath mansion.
1913: The Baby Hospital Association opens a medical clinic in the McElrath carriage house in June, during the renovation of the McElrath mansion.10
He farmed his land, delivering fresh produce to his two restaurants in San Francisco, Alden's Epicurean Retreat. 6 According to the blog The American Menu, the menu for Alden's Epicurean Retreat "was made by the Excelsior Print Company, situated next door to the picturesque Niantic Hotel that had been built in a beached whaling vessel. In addition to fish and game dishes sourced from the West, such as salmon, venison, and elk steaks, the menu below offers three Boston eggs for 37 cents, reflecting the competitive dynamics in a city filled with saloons, restaurants, and hotels. Alden's menu also features a California egg for 25 cents. Although many farms had been established in the area by 1853, the high price of local eggs indicates that they were still relatively scarce. It would be another twenty years before the chicken industry got rolling in Petaluma, eventually becoming known as the 'Egg Capital of the World.' " 6 According to his great-granddaughter Innes McElrath Melton, he served the first strawberries in San Francisco, grown on his farm.5
While the 1870 census listed his occupation as farmer worth $200,500 (a relative worth of wealth head that would be about $80 million today8), by 1880 his occupation had advanced to "capitalist" and his net worth $334,300 (worth about $114.5 million today8). He was a founder of the Oakland Bank of Savings along with Walter Blair and Frederick Delger. 1 Alden was a trustee and also served on the first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery with Hiram Tubbs, Dr. Samuel Merritt, J. A. Emery, Rev. I. H. Brayton, William Faulkner, Rev. T. S. Wells, G. E. Grant, J. E. Whitcher, Major R. W. Kirkham, W. H. Bovee, Henry Robinson. 1,2,9 According to the assessor's returns in 1875 the following were among the rich men of Oakland township: Edson Adams, $355,680; Samuel Merritt, $293,675; Fred Delger, $210,390; S. E. Alden, $190,750; Michael Reese, $141,350; P. S. Wilcox, $127,350; Peder Sather, $112,072; G. C. Potter, $108,314; H. W. Carpentier, $103,250.
There were so many boom and bust cycles in America at the time that people made and lost fortunes throughout their lives. Let's look at two examples, the Aldens and the McElraths, using well-sourced information from Wikipedia (not this teacher's usual preference for research projects), and remember that one person's Recession or Panic can look or feel to another person like a Depression.
Solomon Ellsworth Alden (1811-1881) and Ann Edwards Cornwall (1810-1882) and their two children, Elsie Ann Alden (1848-1938) and Ellsworth Alden (1849-1851) lived through 13 Recessions, two Panics (which brought the economy to a screeching halt, one of which was followed by a depression), and two Depressions from 1810-1882. In the 19th century, recessions frequently coincided with financial crises. The consensus view among economists and historians today is that "The cyclical volatility of GDP and unemployment was greater before the Great Depression than it has been since the end of World War II," according to The Journal of Economic History in 2009. The Wikipedia entry concludes "Before the COVID-19 recession began in March 2020, no post-World War II era had come anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1941," according to the lists of recession article on Wikipedia.
Daughter Elsie, the last of that Alden line, married John Edgar McElrath, and they had 11 children. John Edgar McElrath and Elsie Alden saw 15 Recessions, six Panics (one of which led to a depression), and four Depressions during their life.
Two generations of family lived through four Depressions (including the Great Depression), six Panics (almost as bad as a Depression), and 15 Recessions. The Great Depression was a game-changer for everyone.
I have drawn one conclusion, though: Investments in land, especially farms during the pre-Great Depression era, were always a good investment, and may still be today. Maybe S E Alden had seen enough of the swing cycle, living in Connecticut, and working in New York City, but in 1852 he sailed around Cape Horne and ended up in San Francisco, where the U.S. government was selling out land front under the feet of the Muwekma Ohlone, nomadic natives who had lived on the land since time immemorial. He bought his two allotments, started a farm-to-table restaurant, and eventually used the cash to buy and sell more real estate, after which he was able to change his status from farmer to capitalist. It seems to have been a way to protect his wealth from the ups and downs of America's economy. Although economists and historians agree there is less volatility today than before the Great Depression, it also seems like we are forgetting the lessons that led to peace and prosperity that may lead us back to a more perilous time.
Legacy
His daughter Elsie Alden, born in Rochester, New York, married John Edgar McElrath, born in Tennessee (January 2, 1844 – May 6, 1907), who studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then served as an attorney and counselor in Cleveland, Tennessee.5 On June 23, 1869, McElrath moved from Tennessee to San Francisco, where he practiced law until 1887. During that time he resided in Oakland, and in 1887 McElrath moved his law offices from the City to Oakland.5
On September 23, 1875, McElrath married Elsie Ann Alden, daughter of Solomon E. Alden and Ann Edwards Cornwall, and together they had eleven children. The 1880 census lists their address as 668 17th Street. By 1908 the city directory lists their address as 5101 Dover Street.
Between 1878 and the turn of the 20th century, a large Queen Anne style house was constructed on the property, which came to be known as the McElrath mansion, and which replaced the earlier Alden Italianate structure. The sprawling two-and-one-half story home contained 20 rooms.
In 1912 a nurse and a social worker established the first West Coast hospital for babies and raised $12,500 for the purchase of the McElrath estate at 51st and Dover Streets. The mansion's stables were cleaned out and on September 6, 1914 officially opened as the Baby Hospital with 38 beds. The original S. E. Alden property became the site of the Children's Hospital Oakland.5
S. E. Alden's son-in-law followed in his footsteps. He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1880, where he placed Stephen J. Field of the United States Supreme Court, in nomination for President of the United States. He ran for public office as the Democratic candidate for State Senator, and Superior Judge, but was defeated. McElrath was a Royal and Select Mason.
Along with John W. Coleman and George McNear, J.E. McElrath founded the Oakland Consolidated Street Railway, the first electric railway system built in the Bay Area. In 1893, Francis M. Smith bought controlling interest in the company and consolidated them in what became the Key System.
When Solomon Alden died of diabetes in 1881, the property was turned over to his daughter Elsie to manage. She turned over day-to-day management of the family business to her son Alden McElrath to manage in later years.
Death and Burial
The Alden – McElrath family grave site in Plot 1 is still in use as a family plot by some family members. The early settlers are buried in Mountain View Cemetery.1 In recent years a new grave marker was added.
Links and References
1. Solomon E. Alden (1812-1881): Farmer, Founding Trustee of Mountain View Cemetery Lives of the Dead by Michael Colbruno
2. S. E. Alden on first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery. History of Alameda County, California.
3. Alden Post Office, USGS GNIS - note that this is in Montclair Village.
4. California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside.
5. An English paper written by Innes McElrath in 1943 about her family, a great-granddaughter of Solomon Ellsworth Alden. McElrath Family private collection. Other family stories.
6. http://www.theamericanmenu.com/2013/01/fresh-eggs-in-california_23.html
7. A creek ran through it, OaklandNorth (with a map of the Town of Alden)
8. Measuring Worth used to calculate approximate wealth for modern audience: https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/
9. List of recessions, panics, and depressions in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States
10. Mountain View Cemetery Founders: http://blog.ouroakland.net/2011/12/mountain-view-cemetery-founders_28.html
11. Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland Campus Master Plan Project Draft Environmental Impact Report, August 2014.
12. Familysearch.com: Solomon Ellsworth Alden. 2023
November 14, 1811 – August 18, 1881
By Rob Melton, great-great-grandson (2023)
Solomon Ellsworth Alden was an early settler who at one time owned most of what is now Temescal. From 1899 to 1908 the post office for North Temescal was known as the Alden Post Office3, and the Temescal Branch Library (built in 1918) was originally known as the Alden Branch of the Oakland Free Library.1
Alden was born in 1811 in Enfield, Connecticut, the direct descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620. He attended Wesleyan Academy in Massachusetts in 1834 and studied in the Classical Department.11
Family
He married Ann Edwards Cornwall (October 10, 1810 – April 16, 1882) on August 10, 1846, and they had a daughter, Elsie Ann Alden (December 21, 1848 – June 15, 1931), and a son, Ellsworth Edwards Alden (20 December 1848 – 9 January 1851). She was the great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, whose son was the famous Puritan preacher the Rev. Jonathan Edwards.
A family history records that in 1852, Solomon traveled west from Southport, Connecticut, by steamer "in search of adventure. He camped in the Eastbay for a time and a few months later purchased a house and four hundred acres, on the present 51st Street, [present-day Telegraph Avenue] which extended north to Berkeley and south to Oakland. In 1854, he sent for his wife and three-year-old [sic] daughter, Elsie Ann, to join him. They arrived in the San Francisco harbor that same year on a steamer."5 Solomon Alden is credited with the original settlement of the Temescal area, which bore his name prior the turn of the 20th century. Alden acquired land along the road, eventually holding 600 acres between 44th and 60th streets. He began subdividing the land along Telegraph around 1868, perhaps in anticipation of the streetcar line that was built the following year. Alden's subdivision developed into a commercial district along Telegraph Avenue, supported by the horse-drawn streetcar that ran from downtown Oakland to Berkeley by 1873 and the Oakland-Sacramento telegraph line, which was strung down Telegraph Avenue and gave the street its name.10
Solomon's sister Emily (January 22, 1810 – October 7, 1881) and niece Ann also lived with the family.
The family history goes on, "When Mrs. Alden arrived in North Temescal, as the district was then called, she disliked the bareness of the yard, and she was homesick. She sent back to Connecticut for a small bay tree, and when it arrived planted it outside in the front yard. There were no water pumps in those days [not true], so every day after the dishwashing she would pour the water on her growing bay tree. It grew immensely and for many years has afforded shade to Oaklanders.... In 1915 the Alden house was sold to the Oakland Baby Hospital. Eventually, the old Alden homestead was taken down and a new Baby Hospital was built." 5 The old bay tree still stands at the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland.
Originally the home of the Ohlone people, who settled along the creek, by 1873 the population of the village of Temescal numbered 1,000 and the village featured stores, restaurants, dairies, and banks, according to a report prepared for Oakland Children's Hospital for a rebuilding project.7
Early Temescal was a blue-collar community of carpenters, farmers, and laborers, according to the report. The local Lusk Canning Company, which opened in 1868, was one of the largest canning factories in the world by 1885. It employed 800 people, both adults and children, during the height of the canning season. In its heyday, the factory was located on Claremont Avenue just north of the intersection of Claremont and Telegraph Avenue. Many Temescal residents also worked in the streetcar barn at 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue, and it was common for women to work in cigar factories and laundries. A number of garbage collectors also operated in the area and in 1907. 10
In 1897, just after residents voted to change the town's name to Alden in honor of its founder, Temescal was annexed by the growing city of Oakland. At the turn of the 20th century, Temescal was still a relatively self-contained community, with several small dairies, four movie houses, a post office, and a store. Idora Park, an amusement park that boasted the largest roller-skating rink on the West Coast, was established in 1903 between Shattuck and Telegraph avenues and 56th and 58th streets. 10
By 1862 S. E. Alden, Esq., had become a lawyer and an advertisement listed about 350 acres for sale, with "a good Dwelling House, containing Ten Rooms; two Servants' Rooms, and Five large Closets and Bath Rooms, all hard finished, and Four Handsome Marble Mantles…" plus a farm house with eight rooms not including rooms for farm laborers, a one-and-a-half stories high 20x40 carriage house, two large barns, and stables for 125 head of cattle and 20 hourses.4 Alameda County records list Alden's property at 300 acres; the same year the Assessor's office listed him as the fourth wealthiest property owner in Alameda County after Edson Adams, Samuel Merritt and Frederick William Delger. At one time almost all of the Temescal area was owned by S. E. Alden. Solomon E. Alden planted extensive orchards along Temescal Creek in North Oakland in the 1850s. Friends used to come to his house to eat cherries and chat. 1
According to a footnote in The American Menu: "There were many ways to make money during the Gold Rush. The trick was not to lose it in the saloons, gambling halls, and houses of ill repute. By the 1870s, restaurateur Solomon E. Alden was listed in the city directory as a bank director and farmer, living on a 612-acre estate comprising much of the Temescal area of Alameda County." 6
1852: Solomon and Ann Ellsworth Alden purchase the land between 44th and 60th streets. A wood frame dwelling on the property is expanded to a two-story Italianate residence.
1860: Women in the Alden family plant a magnolia tree next to their home.
1868: Alden begins to subdivide his land into residential tracts.
1878-1899: A two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style mansion replaces the earlier Italianate structure. The new 20-room house at 52nd and Dover Street is located at the center of the large lot.
1897: Reflecting this development, the area of North Oakland known variably as Alden and Temescal officially become part of Oakland by annexation in 1897.
1912: The Baby Hospital Association purchases the McElrath mansion.
1913: The Baby Hospital Association opens a medical clinic in the McElrath carriage house in June, during the renovation of the McElrath mansion.10
He farmed his land, delivering fresh produce to his two restaurants in San Francisco, Alden's Epicurean Retreat. 6 According to the blog The American Menu, the menu for Alden's Epicurean Retreat "was made by the Excelsior Print Company, situated next door to the picturesque Niantic Hotel that had been built in a beached whaling vessel. In addition to fish and game dishes sourced from the West, such as salmon, venison, and elk steaks, the menu below offers three Boston eggs for 37 cents, reflecting the competitive dynamics in a city filled with saloons, restaurants, and hotels. Alden's menu also features a California egg for 25 cents. Although many farms had been established in the area by 1853, the high price of local eggs indicates that they were still relatively scarce. It would be another twenty years before the chicken industry got rolling in Petaluma, eventually becoming known as the 'Egg Capital of the World.' " 6 According to his great-granddaughter Innes McElrath Melton, he served the first strawberries in San Francisco, grown on his farm.5
While the 1870 census listed his occupation as farmer worth $200,500 (a relative worth of wealth head that would be about $80 million today8), by 1880 his occupation had advanced to "capitalist" and his net worth $334,300 (worth about $114.5 million today8). He was a founder of the Oakland Bank of Savings along with Walter Blair and Frederick Delger. 1 Alden was a trustee and also served on the first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery with Hiram Tubbs, Dr. Samuel Merritt, J. A. Emery, Rev. I. H. Brayton, William Faulkner, Rev. T. S. Wells, G. E. Grant, J. E. Whitcher, Major R. W. Kirkham, W. H. Bovee, Henry Robinson. 1,2,9 According to the assessor's returns in 1875 the following were among the rich men of Oakland township: Edson Adams, $355,680; Samuel Merritt, $293,675; Fred Delger, $210,390; S. E. Alden, $190,750; Michael Reese, $141,350; P. S. Wilcox, $127,350; Peder Sather, $112,072; G. C. Potter, $108,314; H. W. Carpentier, $103,250.
There were so many boom and bust cycles in America at the time that people made and lost fortunes throughout their lives. Let's look at two examples, the Aldens and the McElraths, using well-sourced information from Wikipedia (not this teacher's usual preference for research projects), and remember that one person's Recession or Panic can look or feel to another person like a Depression.
Solomon Ellsworth Alden (1811-1881) and Ann Edwards Cornwall (1810-1882) and their two children, Elsie Ann Alden (1848-1938) and Ellsworth Alden (1849-1851) lived through 13 Recessions, two Panics (which brought the economy to a screeching halt, one of which was followed by a depression), and two Depressions from 1810-1882. In the 19th century, recessions frequently coincided with financial crises. The consensus view among economists and historians today is that "The cyclical volatility of GDP and unemployment was greater before the Great Depression than it has been since the end of World War II," according to The Journal of Economic History in 2009. The Wikipedia entry concludes "Before the COVID-19 recession began in March 2020, no post-World War II era had come anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1941," according to the lists of recession article on Wikipedia.
Daughter Elsie, the last of that Alden line, married John Edgar McElrath, and they had 11 children. John Edgar McElrath and Elsie Alden saw 15 Recessions, six Panics (one of which led to a depression), and four Depressions during their life.
Two generations of family lived through four Depressions (including the Great Depression), six Panics (almost as bad as a Depression), and 15 Recessions. The Great Depression was a game-changer for everyone.
I have drawn one conclusion, though: Investments in land, especially farms during the pre-Great Depression era, were always a good investment, and may still be today. Maybe S E Alden had seen enough of the swing cycle, living in Connecticut, and working in New York City, but in 1852 he sailed around Cape Horne and ended up in San Francisco, where the U.S. government was selling out land front under the feet of the Muwekma Ohlone, nomadic natives who had lived on the land since time immemorial. He bought his two allotments, started a farm-to-table restaurant, and eventually used the cash to buy and sell more real estate, after which he was able to change his status from farmer to capitalist. It seems to have been a way to protect his wealth from the ups and downs of America's economy. Although economists and historians agree there is less volatility today than before the Great Depression, it also seems like we are forgetting the lessons that led to peace and prosperity that may lead us back to a more perilous time.
Legacy
His daughter Elsie Alden, born in Rochester, New York, married John Edgar McElrath, born in Tennessee (January 2, 1844 – May 6, 1907), who studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then served as an attorney and counselor in Cleveland, Tennessee.5 On June 23, 1869, McElrath moved from Tennessee to San Francisco, where he practiced law until 1887. During that time he resided in Oakland, and in 1887 McElrath moved his law offices from the City to Oakland.5
On September 23, 1875, McElrath married Elsie Ann Alden, daughter of Solomon E. Alden and Ann Edwards Cornwall, and together they had eleven children. The 1880 census lists their address as 668 17th Street. By 1908 the city directory lists their address as 5101 Dover Street.
Between 1878 and the turn of the 20th century, a large Queen Anne style house was constructed on the property, which came to be known as the McElrath mansion, and which replaced the earlier Alden Italianate structure. The sprawling two-and-one-half story home contained 20 rooms.
In 1912 a nurse and a social worker established the first West Coast hospital for babies and raised $12,500 for the purchase of the McElrath estate at 51st and Dover Streets. The mansion's stables were cleaned out and on September 6, 1914 officially opened as the Baby Hospital with 38 beds. The original S. E. Alden property became the site of the Children's Hospital Oakland.5
S. E. Alden's son-in-law followed in his footsteps. He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1880, where he placed Stephen J. Field of the United States Supreme Court, in nomination for President of the United States. He ran for public office as the Democratic candidate for State Senator, and Superior Judge, but was defeated. McElrath was a Royal and Select Mason.
Along with John W. Coleman and George McNear, J.E. McElrath founded the Oakland Consolidated Street Railway, the first electric railway system built in the Bay Area. In 1893, Francis M. Smith bought controlling interest in the company and consolidated them in what became the Key System.
When Solomon Alden died of diabetes in 1881, the property was turned over to his daughter Elsie to manage. She turned over day-to-day management of the family business to her son Alden McElrath to manage in later years.
Death and Burial
The Alden – McElrath family grave site in Plot 1 is still in use as a family plot by some family members. The early settlers are buried in Mountain View Cemetery.1 In recent years a new grave marker was added.
Links and References
1. Solomon E. Alden (1812-1881): Farmer, Founding Trustee of Mountain View Cemetery Lives of the Dead by Michael Colbruno
2. S. E. Alden on first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery. History of Alameda County, California.
3. Alden Post Office, USGS GNIS - note that this is in Montclair Village.
4. California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside.
5. An English paper written by Innes McElrath in 1943 about her family, a great-granddaughter of Solomon Ellsworth Alden. McElrath Family private collection. Other family stories.
6. http://www.theamericanmenu.com/2013/01/fresh-eggs-in-california_23.html
7. A creek ran through it, OaklandNorth (with a map of the Town of Alden)
8. Measuring Worth used to calculate approximate wealth for modern audience: https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/
9. List of recessions, panics, and depressions in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States
10. Mountain View Cemetery Founders: http://blog.ouroakland.net/2011/12/mountain-view-cemetery-founders_28.html
11. Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland Campus Master Plan Project Draft Environmental Impact Report, August 2014.
12. Familysearch.com: Solomon Ellsworth Alden. 2023
Solomon Ellsworth Alden
November 14, 1811 – August 18, 1881
By Rob Melton, great-great-grandson (2023)
Solomon Ellsworth Alden was an early settler who at one time owned most of what is now Temescal. From 1899 to 1908 the post office for North Temescal was known as the Alden Post Office3, and the Temescal Branch Library (built in 1918) was originally known as the Alden Branch of the Oakland Free Library.1
Alden was born in 1811 in Enfield, Connecticut, the direct descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620. He attended Wesleyan Academy in Massachusetts in 1834 and studied in the Classical Department.11
Family
He married Ann Edwards Cornwall (October 10, 1810 – April 16, 1882) on August 10, 1846, and they had a daughter, Elsie Ann Alden (December 21, 1848 – June 15, 1931), and a son, Ellsworth Edwards Alden (20 December 1848 – 9 January 1851). She was the great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, whose son was the famous Puritan preacher the Rev. Jonathan Edwards.
A family history records that in 1852, Solomon traveled west from Southport, Connecticut, by steamer "in search of adventure. He camped in the Eastbay for a time and a few months later purchased a house and four hundred acres, on the present 51st Street, [present-day Telegraph Avenue] which extended north to Berkeley and south to Oakland. In 1854, he sent for his wife and three-year-old [sic] daughter, Elsie Ann, to join him. They arrived in the San Francisco harbor that same year on a steamer."5 Solomon Alden is credited with the original settlement of the Temescal area, which bore his name prior the turn of the 20th century. Alden acquired land along the road, eventually holding 600 acres between 44th and 60th streets. He began subdividing the land along Telegraph around 1868, perhaps in anticipation of the streetcar line that was built the following year. Alden's subdivision developed into a commercial district along Telegraph Avenue, supported by the horse-drawn streetcar that ran from downtown Oakland to Berkeley by 1873 and the Oakland-Sacramento telegraph line, which was strung down Telegraph Avenue and gave the street its name.10
Solomon's sister Emily (January 22, 1810 – October 7, 1881) and niece Ann also lived with the family.
The family history goes on, "When Mrs. Alden arrived in North Temescal, as the district was then called, she disliked the bareness of the yard, and she was homesick. She sent back to Connecticut for a small bay tree, and when it arrived planted it outside in the front yard. There were no water pumps in those days [not true], so every day after the dishwashing she would pour the water on her growing bay tree. It grew immensely and for many years has afforded shade to Oaklanders.... In 1915 the Alden house was sold to the Oakland Baby Hospital. Eventually, the old Alden homestead was taken down and a new Baby Hospital was built." 5 The old bay tree still stands at the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland.
Originally the home of the Ohlone people, who settled along the creek, by 1873 the population of the village of Temescal numbered 1,000 and the village featured stores, restaurants, dairies, and banks, according to a report prepared for Oakland Children's Hospital for a rebuilding project.7
Early Temescal was a blue-collar community of carpenters, farmers, and laborers, according to the report. The local Lusk Canning Company, which opened in 1868, was one of the largest canning factories in the world by 1885. It employed 800 people, both adults and children, during the height of the canning season. In its heyday, the factory was located on Claremont Avenue just north of the intersection of Claremont and Telegraph Avenue. Many Temescal residents also worked in the streetcar barn at 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue, and it was common for women to work in cigar factories and laundries. A number of garbage collectors also operated in the area and in 1907. 10
In 1897, just after residents voted to change the town's name to Alden in honor of its founder, Temescal was annexed by the growing city of Oakland. At the turn of the 20th century, Temescal was still a relatively self-contained community, with several small dairies, four movie houses, a post office, and a store. Idora Park, an amusement park that boasted the largest roller-skating rink on the West Coast, was established in 1903 between Shattuck and Telegraph avenues and 56th and 58th streets. 10
By 1862 S. E. Alden, Esq., had become a lawyer and an advertisement listed about 350 acres for sale, with "a good Dwelling House, containing Ten Rooms; two Servants' Rooms, and Five large Closets and Bath Rooms, all hard finished, and Four Handsome Marble Mantles…" plus a farm house with eight rooms not including rooms for farm laborers, a one-and-a-half stories high 20x40 carriage house, two large barns, and stables for 125 head of cattle and 20 hourses.4 Alameda County records list Alden's property at 300 acres; the same year the Assessor's office listed him as the fourth wealthiest property owner in Alameda County after Edson Adams, Samuel Merritt and Frederick William Delger. At one time almost all of the Temescal area was owned by S. E. Alden. Solomon E. Alden planted extensive orchards along Temescal Creek in North Oakland in the 1850s. Friends used to come to his house to eat cherries and chat. 1
According to a footnote in The American Menu: "There were many ways to make money during the Gold Rush. The trick was not to lose it in the saloons, gambling halls, and houses of ill repute. By the 1870s, restaurateur Solomon E. Alden was listed in the city directory as a bank director and farmer, living on a 612-acre estate comprising much of the Temescal area of Alameda County." 6
1852: Solomon and Ann Ellsworth Alden purchase the land between 44th and 60th streets. A wood frame dwelling on the property is expanded to a two-story Italianate residence.
1860: Women in the Alden family plant a magnolia tree next to their home.
1868: Alden begins to subdivide his land into residential tracts.
1878-1899: A two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style mansion replaces the earlier Italianate structure. The new 20-room house at 52nd and Dover Street is located at the center of the large lot.
1897: Reflecting this development, the area of North Oakland known variably as Alden and Temescal officially become part of Oakland by annexation in 1897.
1912: The Baby Hospital Association purchases the McElrath mansion.
1913: The Baby Hospital Association opens a medical clinic in the McElrath carriage house in June, during the renovation of the McElrath mansion.10
He farmed his land, delivering fresh produce to his two restaurants in San Francisco, Alden's Epicurean Retreat. 6 According to the blog The American Menu, the menu for Alden's Epicurean Retreat "was made by the Excelsior Print Company, situated next door to the picturesque Niantic Hotel that had been built in a beached whaling vessel. In addition to fish and game dishes sourced from the West, such as salmon, venison, and elk steaks, the menu below offers three Boston eggs for 37 cents, reflecting the competitive dynamics in a city filled with saloons, restaurants, and hotels. Alden's menu also features a California egg for 25 cents. Although many farms had been established in the area by 1853, the high price of local eggs indicates that they were still relatively scarce. It would be another twenty years before the chicken industry got rolling in Petaluma, eventually becoming known as the 'Egg Capital of the World.' " 6 According to his great-granddaughter Innes McElrath Melton, he served the first strawberries in San Francisco, grown on his farm.5
While the 1870 census listed his occupation as farmer worth $200,500 (a relative worth of wealth head that would be about $80 million today8), by 1880 his occupation had advanced to "capitalist" and his net worth $334,300 (worth about $114.5 million today8). He was a founder of the Oakland Bank of Savings along with Walter Blair and Frederick Delger. 1 Alden was a trustee and also served on the first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery with Hiram Tubbs, Dr. Samuel Merritt, J. A. Emery, Rev. I. H. Brayton, William Faulkner, Rev. T. S. Wells, G. E. Grant, J. E. Whitcher, Major R. W. Kirkham, W. H. Bovee, Henry Robinson. 1,2,9 According to the assessor's returns in 1875 the following were among the rich men of Oakland township: Edson Adams, $355,680; Samuel Merritt, $293,675; Fred Delger, $210,390; S. E. Alden, $190,750; Michael Reese, $141,350; P. S. Wilcox, $127,350; Peder Sather, $112,072; G. C. Potter, $108,314; H. W. Carpentier, $103,250.
There were so many boom and bust cycles in America at the time that people made and lost fortunes throughout their lives. Let's look at two examples, the Aldens and the McElraths, using well-sourced information from Wikipedia (not this teacher's usual preference for research projects), and remember that one person's Recession or Panic can look or feel to another person like a Depression.
Solomon Ellsworth Alden (1811-1881) and Ann Edwards Cornwall (1810-1882) and their two children, Elsie Ann Alden (1848-1938) and Ellsworth Alden (1849-1851) lived through 13 Recessions, two Panics (which brought the economy to a screeching halt, one of which was followed by a depression), and two Depressions from 1810-1882. In the 19th century, recessions frequently coincided with financial crises. The consensus view among economists and historians today is that "The cyclical volatility of GDP and unemployment was greater before the Great Depression than it has been since the end of World War II," according to The Journal of Economic History in 2009. The Wikipedia entry concludes "Before the COVID-19 recession began in March 2020, no post-World War II era had come anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1941," according to the lists of recession article on Wikipedia.
Daughter Elsie, the last of that Alden line, married John Edgar McElrath, and they had 11 children. John Edgar McElrath and Elsie Alden saw 15 Recessions, six Panics (one of which led to a depression), and four Depressions during their life.
Two generations of family lived through four Depressions (including the Great Depression), six Panics (almost as bad as a Depression), and 15 Recessions. The Great Depression was a game-changer for everyone.
I have drawn one conclusion, though: Investments in land, especially farms during the pre-Great Depression era, were always a good investment, and may still be today. Maybe S E Alden had seen enough of the swing cycle, living in Connecticut, and working in New York City, but in 1852 he sailed around Cape Horne and ended up in San Francisco, where the U.S. government was selling out land front under the feet of the Muwekma Ohlone, nomadic natives who had lived on the land since time immemorial. He bought his two allotments, started a farm-to-table restaurant, and eventually used the cash to buy and sell more real estate, after which he was able to change his status from farmer to capitalist. It seems to have been a way to protect his wealth from the ups and downs of America's economy. Although economists and historians agree there is less volatility today than before the Great Depression, it also seems like we are forgetting the lessons that led to peace and prosperity that may lead us back to a more perilous time.
Legacy
His daughter Elsie Alden, born in Rochester, New York, married John Edgar McElrath, born in Tennessee (January 2, 1844 – May 6, 1907), who studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then served as an attorney and counselor in Cleveland, Tennessee.5 On June 23, 1869, McElrath moved from Tennessee to San Francisco, where he practiced law until 1887. During that time he resided in Oakland, and in 1887 McElrath moved his law offices from the City to Oakland.5
On September 23, 1875, McElrath married Elsie Ann Alden, daughter of Solomon E. Alden and Ann Edwards Cornwall, and together they had eleven children. The 1880 census lists their address as 668 17th Street. By 1908 the city directory lists their address as 5101 Dover Street.
Between 1878 and the turn of the 20th century, a large Queen Anne style house was constructed on the property, which came to be known as the McElrath mansion, and which replaced the earlier Alden Italianate structure. The sprawling two-and-one-half story home contained 20 rooms.
In 1912 a nurse and a social worker established the first West Coast hospital for babies and raised $12,500 for the purchase of the McElrath estate at 51st and Dover Streets. The mansion's stables were cleaned out and on September 6, 1914 officially opened as the Baby Hospital with 38 beds. The original S. E. Alden property became the site of the Children's Hospital Oakland.5
S. E. Alden's son-in-law followed in his footsteps. He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1880, where he placed Stephen J. Field of the United States Supreme Court, in nomination for President of the United States. He ran for public office as the Democratic candidate for State Senator, and Superior Judge, but was defeated. McElrath was a Royal and Select Mason.
Along with John W. Coleman and George McNear, J.E. McElrath founded the Oakland Consolidated Street Railway, the first electric railway system built in the Bay Area. In 1893, Francis M. Smith bought controlling interest in the company and consolidated them in what became the Key System.
When Solomon Alden died of diabetes in 1881, the property was turned over to his daughter Elsie to manage. She turned over day-to-day management of the family business to her son Alden McElrath to manage in later years.
Death and Burial
The Alden – McElrath family grave site in Plot 1 is still in use as a family plot by some family members. The early settlers are buried in Mountain View Cemetery.1 In recent years a new grave marker was added.
Links and References
1. Solomon E. Alden (1812-1881): Farmer, Founding Trustee of Mountain View Cemetery Lives of the Dead by Michael Colbruno
2. S. E. Alden on first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery. History of Alameda County, California.
3. Alden Post Office, USGS GNIS - note that this is in Montclair Village.
4. California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside.
5. An English paper written by Innes McElrath in 1943 about her family, a great-granddaughter of Solomon Ellsworth Alden. McElrath Family private collection. Other family stories.
6. http://www.theamericanmenu.com/2013/01/fresh-eggs-in-california_23.html
7. A creek ran through it, OaklandNorth (with a map of the Town of Alden)
8. Measuring Worth used to calculate approximate wealth for modern audience: https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/
9. List of recessions, panics, and depressions in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States
10. Mountain View Cemetery Founders: http://blog.ouroakland.net/2011/12/mountain-view-cemetery-founders_28.html
11. Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland Campus Master Plan Project Draft Environmental Impact Report, August 2014.
12. Familysearch.com: Solomon Ellsworth Alden. 2023
November 14, 1811 – August 18, 1881
By Rob Melton, great-great-grandson (2023)
Solomon Ellsworth Alden was an early settler who at one time owned most of what is now Temescal. From 1899 to 1908 the post office for North Temescal was known as the Alden Post Office3, and the Temescal Branch Library (built in 1918) was originally known as the Alden Branch of the Oakland Free Library.1
Alden was born in 1811 in Enfield, Connecticut, the direct descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620. He attended Wesleyan Academy in Massachusetts in 1834 and studied in the Classical Department.11
Family
He married Ann Edwards Cornwall (October 10, 1810 – April 16, 1882) on August 10, 1846, and they had a daughter, Elsie Ann Alden (December 21, 1848 – June 15, 1931), and a son, Ellsworth Edwards Alden (20 December 1848 – 9 January 1851). She was the great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, whose son was the famous Puritan preacher the Rev. Jonathan Edwards.
A family history records that in 1852, Solomon traveled west from Southport, Connecticut, by steamer "in search of adventure. He camped in the Eastbay for a time and a few months later purchased a house and four hundred acres, on the present 51st Street, [present-day Telegraph Avenue] which extended north to Berkeley and south to Oakland. In 1854, he sent for his wife and three-year-old [sic] daughter, Elsie Ann, to join him. They arrived in the San Francisco harbor that same year on a steamer."5 Solomon Alden is credited with the original settlement of the Temescal area, which bore his name prior the turn of the 20th century. Alden acquired land along the road, eventually holding 600 acres between 44th and 60th streets. He began subdividing the land along Telegraph around 1868, perhaps in anticipation of the streetcar line that was built the following year. Alden's subdivision developed into a commercial district along Telegraph Avenue, supported by the horse-drawn streetcar that ran from downtown Oakland to Berkeley by 1873 and the Oakland-Sacramento telegraph line, which was strung down Telegraph Avenue and gave the street its name.10
Solomon's sister Emily (January 22, 1810 – October 7, 1881) and niece Ann also lived with the family.
The family history goes on, "When Mrs. Alden arrived in North Temescal, as the district was then called, she disliked the bareness of the yard, and she was homesick. She sent back to Connecticut for a small bay tree, and when it arrived planted it outside in the front yard. There were no water pumps in those days [not true], so every day after the dishwashing she would pour the water on her growing bay tree. It grew immensely and for many years has afforded shade to Oaklanders.... In 1915 the Alden house was sold to the Oakland Baby Hospital. Eventually, the old Alden homestead was taken down and a new Baby Hospital was built." 5 The old bay tree still stands at the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland.
Originally the home of the Ohlone people, who settled along the creek, by 1873 the population of the village of Temescal numbered 1,000 and the village featured stores, restaurants, dairies, and banks, according to a report prepared for Oakland Children's Hospital for a rebuilding project.7
Early Temescal was a blue-collar community of carpenters, farmers, and laborers, according to the report. The local Lusk Canning Company, which opened in 1868, was one of the largest canning factories in the world by 1885. It employed 800 people, both adults and children, during the height of the canning season. In its heyday, the factory was located on Claremont Avenue just north of the intersection of Claremont and Telegraph Avenue. Many Temescal residents also worked in the streetcar barn at 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue, and it was common for women to work in cigar factories and laundries. A number of garbage collectors also operated in the area and in 1907. 10
In 1897, just after residents voted to change the town's name to Alden in honor of its founder, Temescal was annexed by the growing city of Oakland. At the turn of the 20th century, Temescal was still a relatively self-contained community, with several small dairies, four movie houses, a post office, and a store. Idora Park, an amusement park that boasted the largest roller-skating rink on the West Coast, was established in 1903 between Shattuck and Telegraph avenues and 56th and 58th streets. 10
By 1862 S. E. Alden, Esq., had become a lawyer and an advertisement listed about 350 acres for sale, with "a good Dwelling House, containing Ten Rooms; two Servants' Rooms, and Five large Closets and Bath Rooms, all hard finished, and Four Handsome Marble Mantles…" plus a farm house with eight rooms not including rooms for farm laborers, a one-and-a-half stories high 20x40 carriage house, two large barns, and stables for 125 head of cattle and 20 hourses.4 Alameda County records list Alden's property at 300 acres; the same year the Assessor's office listed him as the fourth wealthiest property owner in Alameda County after Edson Adams, Samuel Merritt and Frederick William Delger. At one time almost all of the Temescal area was owned by S. E. Alden. Solomon E. Alden planted extensive orchards along Temescal Creek in North Oakland in the 1850s. Friends used to come to his house to eat cherries and chat. 1
According to a footnote in The American Menu: "There were many ways to make money during the Gold Rush. The trick was not to lose it in the saloons, gambling halls, and houses of ill repute. By the 1870s, restaurateur Solomon E. Alden was listed in the city directory as a bank director and farmer, living on a 612-acre estate comprising much of the Temescal area of Alameda County." 6
1852: Solomon and Ann Ellsworth Alden purchase the land between 44th and 60th streets. A wood frame dwelling on the property is expanded to a two-story Italianate residence.
1860: Women in the Alden family plant a magnolia tree next to their home.
1868: Alden begins to subdivide his land into residential tracts.
1878-1899: A two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style mansion replaces the earlier Italianate structure. The new 20-room house at 52nd and Dover Street is located at the center of the large lot.
1897: Reflecting this development, the area of North Oakland known variably as Alden and Temescal officially become part of Oakland by annexation in 1897.
1912: The Baby Hospital Association purchases the McElrath mansion.
1913: The Baby Hospital Association opens a medical clinic in the McElrath carriage house in June, during the renovation of the McElrath mansion.10
He farmed his land, delivering fresh produce to his two restaurants in San Francisco, Alden's Epicurean Retreat. 6 According to the blog The American Menu, the menu for Alden's Epicurean Retreat "was made by the Excelsior Print Company, situated next door to the picturesque Niantic Hotel that had been built in a beached whaling vessel. In addition to fish and game dishes sourced from the West, such as salmon, venison, and elk steaks, the menu below offers three Boston eggs for 37 cents, reflecting the competitive dynamics in a city filled with saloons, restaurants, and hotels. Alden's menu also features a California egg for 25 cents. Although many farms had been established in the area by 1853, the high price of local eggs indicates that they were still relatively scarce. It would be another twenty years before the chicken industry got rolling in Petaluma, eventually becoming known as the 'Egg Capital of the World.' " 6 According to his great-granddaughter Innes McElrath Melton, he served the first strawberries in San Francisco, grown on his farm.5
While the 1870 census listed his occupation as farmer worth $200,500 (a relative worth of wealth head that would be about $80 million today8), by 1880 his occupation had advanced to "capitalist" and his net worth $334,300 (worth about $114.5 million today8). He was a founder of the Oakland Bank of Savings along with Walter Blair and Frederick Delger. 1 Alden was a trustee and also served on the first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery with Hiram Tubbs, Dr. Samuel Merritt, J. A. Emery, Rev. I. H. Brayton, William Faulkner, Rev. T. S. Wells, G. E. Grant, J. E. Whitcher, Major R. W. Kirkham, W. H. Bovee, Henry Robinson. 1,2,9 According to the assessor's returns in 1875 the following were among the rich men of Oakland township: Edson Adams, $355,680; Samuel Merritt, $293,675; Fred Delger, $210,390; S. E. Alden, $190,750; Michael Reese, $141,350; P. S. Wilcox, $127,350; Peder Sather, $112,072; G. C. Potter, $108,314; H. W. Carpentier, $103,250.
There were so many boom and bust cycles in America at the time that people made and lost fortunes throughout their lives. Let's look at two examples, the Aldens and the McElraths, using well-sourced information from Wikipedia (not this teacher's usual preference for research projects), and remember that one person's Recession or Panic can look or feel to another person like a Depression.
Solomon Ellsworth Alden (1811-1881) and Ann Edwards Cornwall (1810-1882) and their two children, Elsie Ann Alden (1848-1938) and Ellsworth Alden (1849-1851) lived through 13 Recessions, two Panics (which brought the economy to a screeching halt, one of which was followed by a depression), and two Depressions from 1810-1882. In the 19th century, recessions frequently coincided with financial crises. The consensus view among economists and historians today is that "The cyclical volatility of GDP and unemployment was greater before the Great Depression than it has been since the end of World War II," according to The Journal of Economic History in 2009. The Wikipedia entry concludes "Before the COVID-19 recession began in March 2020, no post-World War II era had come anywhere near the depth of the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1941," according to the lists of recession article on Wikipedia.
Daughter Elsie, the last of that Alden line, married John Edgar McElrath, and they had 11 children. John Edgar McElrath and Elsie Alden saw 15 Recessions, six Panics (one of which led to a depression), and four Depressions during their life.
Two generations of family lived through four Depressions (including the Great Depression), six Panics (almost as bad as a Depression), and 15 Recessions. The Great Depression was a game-changer for everyone.
I have drawn one conclusion, though: Investments in land, especially farms during the pre-Great Depression era, were always a good investment, and may still be today. Maybe S E Alden had seen enough of the swing cycle, living in Connecticut, and working in New York City, but in 1852 he sailed around Cape Horne and ended up in San Francisco, where the U.S. government was selling out land front under the feet of the Muwekma Ohlone, nomadic natives who had lived on the land since time immemorial. He bought his two allotments, started a farm-to-table restaurant, and eventually used the cash to buy and sell more real estate, after which he was able to change his status from farmer to capitalist. It seems to have been a way to protect his wealth from the ups and downs of America's economy. Although economists and historians agree there is less volatility today than before the Great Depression, it also seems like we are forgetting the lessons that led to peace and prosperity that may lead us back to a more perilous time.
Legacy
His daughter Elsie Alden, born in Rochester, New York, married John Edgar McElrath, born in Tennessee (January 2, 1844 – May 6, 1907), who studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then served as an attorney and counselor in Cleveland, Tennessee.5 On June 23, 1869, McElrath moved from Tennessee to San Francisco, where he practiced law until 1887. During that time he resided in Oakland, and in 1887 McElrath moved his law offices from the City to Oakland.5
On September 23, 1875, McElrath married Elsie Ann Alden, daughter of Solomon E. Alden and Ann Edwards Cornwall, and together they had eleven children. The 1880 census lists their address as 668 17th Street. By 1908 the city directory lists their address as 5101 Dover Street.
Between 1878 and the turn of the 20th century, a large Queen Anne style house was constructed on the property, which came to be known as the McElrath mansion, and which replaced the earlier Alden Italianate structure. The sprawling two-and-one-half story home contained 20 rooms.
In 1912 a nurse and a social worker established the first West Coast hospital for babies and raised $12,500 for the purchase of the McElrath estate at 51st and Dover Streets. The mansion's stables were cleaned out and on September 6, 1914 officially opened as the Baby Hospital with 38 beds. The original S. E. Alden property became the site of the Children's Hospital Oakland.5
S. E. Alden's son-in-law followed in his footsteps. He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1880, where he placed Stephen J. Field of the United States Supreme Court, in nomination for President of the United States. He ran for public office as the Democratic candidate for State Senator, and Superior Judge, but was defeated. McElrath was a Royal and Select Mason.
Along with John W. Coleman and George McNear, J.E. McElrath founded the Oakland Consolidated Street Railway, the first electric railway system built in the Bay Area. In 1893, Francis M. Smith bought controlling interest in the company and consolidated them in what became the Key System.
When Solomon Alden died of diabetes in 1881, the property was turned over to his daughter Elsie to manage. She turned over day-to-day management of the family business to her son Alden McElrath to manage in later years.
Death and Burial
The Alden – McElrath family grave site in Plot 1 is still in use as a family plot by some family members. The early settlers are buried in Mountain View Cemetery.1 In recent years a new grave marker was added.
Links and References
1. Solomon E. Alden (1812-1881): Farmer, Founding Trustee of Mountain View Cemetery Lives of the Dead by Michael Colbruno
2. S. E. Alden on first board of directors of Mountain View Cemetery. History of Alameda County, California.
3. Alden Post Office, USGS GNIS - note that this is in Montclair Village.
4. California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside.
5. An English paper written by Innes McElrath in 1943 about her family, a great-granddaughter of Solomon Ellsworth Alden. McElrath Family private collection. Other family stories.
6. http://www.theamericanmenu.com/2013/01/fresh-eggs-in-california_23.html
7. A creek ran through it, OaklandNorth (with a map of the Town of Alden)
8. Measuring Worth used to calculate approximate wealth for modern audience: https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/
9. List of recessions, panics, and depressions in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States
10. Mountain View Cemetery Founders: http://blog.ouroakland.net/2011/12/mountain-view-cemetery-founders_28.html
11. Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland Campus Master Plan Project Draft Environmental Impact Report, August 2014.
12. Familysearch.com: Solomon Ellsworth Alden. 2023
Family Members
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