The following is excerpted and transcribed from the publication Oakland, 1852-1938, Hinkel and McCann, eds., published under the WPA by The Oakland Public Library in 1939. For information on the parenthetical references, see the Foreign Pioneers Index Page
WILLIAM ANDERSON, who was born in SCOTLAND in 1822, was working as a carpenter for the Central Pacific Railroad Company at Oakland Point in the late '60s. His home was in Brooklyn Township (East Oakland). He died in September, 1883. (Stilwell's Directory) (M. V. C.)
"ADAM BAIRD, a native of SCOTLAND, 85; came in 1867; died at Oakland, Alameda county, survived by five children." (Grizzly Bear Magazine, January 1932, page 8)
MALCOLM BANKHEAD, born in SCOTLAND, in 1822, was a member of an early Oakland firm of auctioneers, Bankhead and Sons, located on the west side of Broadway between Fifth and Sixth streets. The sons were Hugh and David D., both born in this country. The family residence was on the northeast corner of Fourth and Webster Streets. He died, April, 1877. (Stilwell's Directory) (M. V. C.)
HATTIE E. BONNER who was born in SCOTLAND in 1850 was a teacher in the Brooklyn (East Oakland) public schools and lived in Oakland, (Langley's Directory) (M. V. C.)
"BRICE BROWN, a native of SCOTLAND, 91; came around the Horn in 1851; died in Oakland, his home for sixty years, survived by a wife and three daughters." (Grizzly Bear Magazine, July 1924, page 18)
ROBERT CLAW, a native of SCOTLAND, was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, December 10, 1868. (M. V. C.)
ANNA CONSTABLE, who was born in SCOTLAND in 1819, was interred in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, on April 29, 1869, at the age of fifty. (M. V. C.)
"CAPT. THOMAS B. CRAWFORD, one of California Argonauts and steamboat men, passed away in Oakland on Admission Day. He was a native of SCOTLAND, aged 80 years, and is survived by five children… [sic] for years he piloted boats on San Francisco Bay and on the Sacramento River… [sic] He came to San Francisco around the Cape Horn route, reaching California late in 1849." (Grizzly Bear Magazine, October 1910, page 16)
ROBERT DALZIEL was born in Paisley, SCOTLAND, in 1836. He came to California in 1859 and to Oakland in 1864. He became one of Oakland's most successful leaders in the plumbing business. (Wood, page 872) (Baker, vol. II, page 212)
"MRS. JANET LOWRIE-DECOTO, a native of SCOTLAND, aged 82, for more than half a century resident of Alameda county, died at Oakland; survived by six children." (Grizzly Bear Magazine, August 1921, page 12)
AGNES DIXON, born in SCOTLAND, in 1827, was a widow living on the northeast corner of Taylor and Monroe Streets, in Oakland, in 1872. (Langley's Directory) (M. V. C.)
JOHN DRUMMOND, who was born in SCOTLAND in 1805, was buried in 1861, his body being removed to Mountain View Cemetery in December, 1870. (M. V. C.)
JAMES ELLIS, whose birth occurred in 1827 in SCOTLAND, was in the paint business on Broadway, between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets in the late '60s. His residence was on Eleventh Street between Washington and Harrison Streets. (Stilwell's Directory) (M. V. C.)
"MRS. SARAH SMITH-FEARY, a native of SCOTLAND, 79; came in 1863; died at Oakland, Alameda County, five children survive." (Grizzly Bear Magazine, December 1931, page 23)
JOHN ALEXANDER FORBES, born in Inverness, Decolloden, SCOTLAND, January 7, 1803, of a noble family. His father, Sir Edward John Forbes, was physician to the queen for many years, and other members of his family were connected with the Bank of England and were prominent in public affairs. Mr. Forbes received a very fine education, serving as professor of both music and languages in an Inverness college. In military service under Spain against the Moors he was severely injured and left for dead on a Spanish vessel, but recovered. He came to California in the '30s as officer on a Spanish man-o-war and during the voyage he became the close friend of a Franciscan monk who converted him from Protestantism to Catholicism. After a short stay here, he returned to England. His second trip to California was at the behest of the English government in order that he might write a history of California in the interests of the Hudson Bay Company. His manuscript was sent back to England and published. Later, he was appointed the second consul for England in California and resided for some years in Yerba Buena (San Francisco). On July 29, 1833 he married Anita Marie Galindo in San Francisco (where she had been born in 1818). Later he moved to the mission in Santa Clara County where he was acting as consul for England at the time of the American invasion. Many improvements in California were introduced by Mr. Forbes. Having amassed great wealth from his ownership of the Almaden mines, he sold his residence to Santa Clara College and built a very up-to-date brick house in Santa Clara, incorporating in it modern conveniences, some of which had to be brought from England. Machinery for a flour mill that he built at Los Gatos was also imported from England. Twenty-two years of litigation over his mining properties used up most of Forbes' early fortune, so he went back to work, operating a drug store. His ability as a linguist enabled him to carry on many negotiations for Spanish families, and he signed his name to the last will and testament of Luis Maria Peralta, disposing of the vast domain which included the area that is now the city of Oakland.
In Forbes' later years, he was a resident of Oakland, where he died in May, 1881, leaving twelve children. (Wood, pages 96, 101, 162) (Guinn, vol. I, page 425)
WILLIAM GRAY, a native of SCOTLAND, where he was born in 1817, was living on the southwest corner of Grove and Second Streets in Oakland, in the late '60s. His death occurred in 1873. (Stilwell's Directory) (M. V. C.)
MRS. MARY HAAS came to California from SCOTLAND in 1850 and to Brooklyn (East Oakland) in 1852. (Thompson & West, page 169)
JAMES HUTCHISON was born in Lanarkshire, SCOTLAND, on May 24, 1824. There he served an apprenticeship as nurseryman with his father. In 1847 he sailed for this country, where he accumulated experience in various nurseries in the United States, arriving at length in San Francisco to work on the Presidio. Later he ha his own grounds in Alameda, but in 1863 came to Oakland where he prospered for many years. (Wood, page 912)
SAMUEL S. KENNEDY was born in SCOTLAND in 1823. While a resident of San Antonio (East Oakland) in 1865, he was murdered by a Frenchman from San Pablo named Octavia Cora. Kennedy left a wife and three children. (Halley, pages 203, 207)
WILLIAM KIRKNESS, a native of SCOTLAND, where he was born in 1842, was a bookkeeper on the Oakland Transcript. His dwelling was on the south side of Fifth Street between Webster and Harrison. (Langley's Directory) (M. V. C.)
HENRY KNOX, born in 1835 in SCOTLAND, was a dentist and lived on the north side of Merrimac Place between Webster Street and Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. He practiced in San Francisco. Died October 30, 1876. (Stilwell's Directory) (M. V. C.)
A. G. LAWRIE came from Edinburgh, SCOTLAND, where he was born in 1827. He arrived in San Francisco in 1860 where he became a searcher of records. In 1865 he moved his business to Oakland, establishing his office at Fifth Street and Broadway. (Wood, page 924).
MRS. MARGARET MULGREW MOFFITT was born in Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. She became the bride of James Moffitt in 1859 and the same year they moved to Oakland. (Guinn, page 719)
R. B. MOYES of Brooklyn Township (East Oakland) came from SCOTLAND to California in 1851 and to Alameda County in 1856. (Thompson & West, page 169)
PETER NICOLL, born in SCOTLAND in 1830, was a plumber with Robert Dalziel and lived on west Grove Street near Sycamore Street. (Langley's Directory) (M. V. C.)
JAMES RANKIN was born in Paisley, SCOTLAND, on May 8, 1851. He left Scotland to join his uncle, Robert Dalziel, in the plumbing business in Oakland. Here he married Miss Agnes Armour, another native of Paisley, Scotland, and they became the parents of six children. Rankin eventually established his own plumbing business and did well. He became the owner of considerable property in Oakland and for years was a member of the Scotch Society of Clan McDonough. (Guinn, vol. II, page 687)
DAN ROBINSON, who was born in SCOTLAND in 1842, was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, on March 11, 1869, at the age of 27. (M. V. C.)
JOHN ROSS, a native of SCOTLAND, born in 1819, was a house and sign painter by trade. He attracted much attention in the '60s because of two hobbies he cultivated during his leisure. One was a collection of many varieties of cactus plants, displayed in his combination store, dwelling and greenhouse; the other was a complete file of early papers which would be of great value today. (Ye Olden Oakland Days, page 65)
ROBERT SIMPSON came here from SCOTLAND in 1849, afterwards settling in Brooklyn Township (East Oakland). (Thompson & West, page 169)
CAPTAIN WILLIAM SOUTER whose birthplace was SCOTLAND, 1810, was buried in Oakland November 2, 1863. (M. V. C.)
HENRY STEELS, born in SCOTLAND in 1818, arrived in California via the Cape, October 3, 1849. He was a blacksmith in Oakland in early days, living on the southwest corner of Telegraph and Caledonia Avenues. He was member No. 2,368 of the Society of California Pioneers. Died, December 24, 1873. (Langley's Directory) (Register of Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco) (M. V. C.)
JOHN SUTHERLAND, native of SCOTLAND, born in 1831, was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, October 18, 1867. (M. V. C.)
PETER THOMPSON was born at Milnathort, Kinross-shire, SCOTLAND, on November 25, 1824. In 1846 he came to New York but returned to Edinburgh the following year where with his brother he built up a prosperous business. In 1852 the partnership was dissolved and after marrying Sarah Maria Fay in New York, Peter came to San Francisco where he was again successful in business. In 1863, he built a beautiful home in Oakland on a seven acre tract at Telegraph Avenue and Thirty-sixth Street which was laid out with driveways and walks. This is the site now occupied by the Industrial Home for the Adult Blind. He helped to organize the California Hosiery Company of Oakland and was its president and director for many years. Through his love of music he prompted a community interest in that art. He also helped to organize Saint Andrew's Benevolent Societies in both Oakland and San Francisco. With his family he traveled extensively in the United States and Europe. In 1901 he passed away and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery. (Guinn, vol. I, page 169) (M. V. C.)
WILLIAM TODD, who was born in SCOTLAND in 1825, was a painter in Oakland in the early days, living on the west side of Chester Street near West First Street, (Langley's Directory), (M. V. C.)
T. D. YOUNG migrated from SCOTLAND in 1851 and established his residence in Oakland in 1863. In the '70s he was a lumber dealer in San Francisco. (Thompson & West, page 167)
