In early January, I had the occasion to visit the home of my great grandfather, Martin James O'Malley, who emigrated to the US from County Mayo, Ireland. The house I was able to identify is still standing in Alameda, just over the bay bridge from San Francisco. I currently live in San Francisco with my family, so I have a strong interest in the deep roots of both my Irish and Japanese families in the bay area.
In 1904, Martin was living in San Francisco proper, in a central neighborhood that we call the Tenderloin. The area is known for its boarding houses. The area was decimated by the 1906 earthquake and we can see from land records that his address was rebuilt as a sturdy hotel in 1907, along with a series of like buildings in the area that still stand today. Unfortunately, in the second half of the 20th century, the Tenderloin has fallen onto harder times.
Martin was married to Mary McCann on February 10th, 1904. There were several announcements in the papers, one of which included Martin's address on O'Farrell street, and a reference to Mary living in Alameda at the time.
Mary was born at the very top of upstate New York, just over the border from Canada. By this time, her family had moved to California and had taken up in San Luis Obispo.
Note the Daily Encinal description of Martin - 'a well known businessman of the city.' Maybe a bit of good PR for Martin? 😄 He had only been in the US for three years at this point.
The wedding took place in St. Mary's Cathedral, on Van Ness and O'Farrell. The original St. Mary's Cathedral (now called 'Old St. Mary's Cathedral') still stands at the entrance to China Town, and was the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The second St. Mary's Cathedral was built in 1891 in a more central location, on a grander scale for the growing catholic population of the city.
Two years after their wedding, San Francisco would experience the 1906 earthquake, and St Mary's would become a major relief station for the city.
After the earthquake, the second St. Mary's would last until it was destroyed by fire in 1962.
Back to 1904 - Martin and Mary had a marriage reception at 116 Fair Oaks, in the Mission District of San Francisco. The Irish population was very dense in this area at the time, and it happens to be a 10 minute walk from my first adult home in San Francisco with my wife, Julie.
The 1910 census record shows Martin, Mary and their new family, residing at 1726 Paru street in Alameda. Martin is 28 and listed as a motorman, working in the Electric Car industry. He also appears to own the property they lived in. His birthplace, along with all of his fellow Irish American immigrants at the time, was Ire - England.
Mary was 35. Their kids were:
- Marie - aged 5
- Arthur - aged 4
- Margaret - aged 2
- Vincent - aged 0/12 months
It was a busy time in the O'Malley household. The home they lived in is currently listed as a 1,000 square foot property, so it was tight quarters. Even still, they shared the home with another small family listed in the census. A William and Ellen Padran (sp?) are listed as boarders in the house, along with their daughter Helen, who is also aged 0/12 months. 1,000 square feet for four adults and five children, including two newborns! William is listed as having been born in Ireland, and Ellen in New York - just like Martin and Mary respectively. I imagine them having a great deal in common.
Their home was built in 1896, so it would have been a modern home, perhaps just 10 years old when they moved in. There are many stories of citizens in Alameda watching the 1906 earthquake fires in San Francisco from across the bay and coming over in ferries to help. This would have been a hugely impactful moment for the family, though we do not know the details of how they experienced it.
1726 Paru street today:
The house still stands and its really very lovely. It sits on a quiet residential street and seems to have been well cared for over the years.
After walking around the house a bit and taking in the space, I wandered around Alameda. Here are a few pictures to get a sense of the area around Paru street.
Not long after the 1910 census, in 1918, Martin needed a World War I draft card. At this point, they no longer lived in Alameda. They have moved on to 321 Tennessee, in Vallejo, CA, at an address that does not appear to stand any longer. Martin is now listed as a 'Chipper and Calker,' working for the US Government at the Navy Yard in Mare Island. He has gray eyes and brown hair.
Just after this, Martin and Mary would be signing on for new adventures in Oregon. More on that later ...