William Thomas Fonda

b. NY; bp. Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Co., NY; 1860 US Federal Census, Marysville, Yuba Co., CA; 1870, 1880, 1900 & 1910 US Federal Census, San Francisco, CA; 1867-1875 California Voter Registration, Mission & Eleventh Ward 11, San Francisco, CA (William Thomas Fonda, b. 1830, NY); 1879 California Voter Registration, Bakersfield, Kern, CA (William Thomas Fonda, b. 1831, NY); 1880 California Voter Registration, 412 Precinct, Sacramento, CA (William Thomas Fonda, b. 1830, NY); 1888-1898 California Voter Registration, 3011 Sacramento, San Francisco, CA (William Thomas Fonda, b. 1830, NY); 1889-91 San Francisco, CA Directory (William T. Fonda, William E. Fonda); 1912 Society of California Pioneers (1849) List of Members; d. San Francisco, CA; bur. Greenlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo Co., CA; o. Jeweller >> www.fonda.org <<

[US Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 - Name: Wm T Fonda; Congr. Dist.: Northern; Res.: CA; Race: White; Class: 1; Est. Birth: 1830; Marital Status: Married]; [Oakland Tribune - 1912, May 16 - Master Mason Dead - William T Fonda]; [History of San Mateo County, California - The hill from which the community (Belmont) got its name early became the property of Mr. Fonda (William T.) who for years resided in the section and one of whose sons is now a resident of Redwood City.]; [member of the Pioneer Association of San Francisco; Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States - Golden Gate Commandery - Guard of Honor, Sir Knights: William T. Fonda; Master of Masonic Lodge No. 1 in San Francisco in 1898 (picture in Los Angeles Public Library book)]; [R016a] The Argonauts of California; [Grants By The Board Of Supervisors For "Outside Lands" - Western Addition: W.F. Fonda S Sacramento, 82.6 W from Broderick, W 110x132.7 1/2 82 Mar. 21, 1870 Apr. 19, 1870]

[William Thomas Fonda, a pioneer resident of California and a prominent member of Masonic lodges in this state, died at his home at 3011 Sacramento street last Tuesday, at the age of 81. (..) The funeral will be held Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock at Golden Gate Commandery hall in Sutter street. It will be in charge of Golden Gate Commandery No. 18 of the Knights Templar. Incineration will be private, at Cypress Lawn cemetery. The San Francisco Call, May 16, 1912]

[William Thomas Fonda. California and Californians, Vol. Four. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1932, Hunt, Rockwell D., ed. William Thomas Fonda,who died at his home at 3011 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, in 1912, at the age of eighty-one, was a California forty-niner, and a man whose career brought him in touch with many of the interesting phases of California's early life. He was born at Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1830. He had a public school education and as a boy went to work for an uncle, Charles Kelsey, who lived in New York City, a man of wealth and business prominence, the builder of the first grain elevator in New York and owner of a fleet of freight carrying ships. William Thomas Fonda early earned the confidence of his uncle by his evident business ability, and in 1849 his uncle showed his great trust by putting him in command of one of his ships, the George S. Emory, and sending it with a cargo to San Francisco. The boat arrived in San Francisco Bay August 1, 1849, after a voyage of 190 days around Cape Horn. Mr. Fonda first pitched his tent back of the present site of the Palace Hotel, in what was then known as Pleasant Valley. Leaving the boat in charge of one of the officers, he went to the Mokelumne Hills. He then found that the officer whom he had left in charge had sold the cargo and had also gone to the mines. Being relieved of his responsibility, he decided to stay in San Francisco. He bought a restaurant at the foot of Telegraph Hill, but this business was not to his liking and he then went to the mines of the Yuba district. In 1852 he and Joseph DeBell opened a jewelry store in Marysville. The business was completely wiped out by fire in 1854. He and his partner then opened another store at Downieville, and in 1859 reestablished himself in business at Marysville, where he remained until another fire, in 1861, destroyed his business. He then returned to San Francisco, acquired the property at 3011 Sacramento Street, and lived there for nearly half a century. He was for many years president of the Golden Gate Advertising Company. At the time of his death he was a director of the Society of California Pioneers. He was one of the earliest Master Masons of California, having been elected master of Marysville Lodge No. 7 in 1856. For many years he had his membership in California Lodge No. 1, A. F. and A. M., California Chapter No. 5, Royal Arch Masons, Golden Gate Commandery No. 16, Knights Templar, of which he was recorder for sixteen years. This Commandery had charge of his funeral. Mr. Fonda married in 1853 Eleanor Middleton, who had come to California the year before. She survived him. There were six children, one of whom, William Middleton Fonda, died before the death of the father. Charles Patterson Fonda is associated with the Anglo London and Paris Bank of San Francisco and married Mabel Emmons, of that city. Anna Elizabeth is Mrs. Lewis V. Hentrich. Harry Stuart Fonda, widely known as a western artist, married in Paris, May McCloud, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who died, leaving him two daughters, Helen, who died in infancy, and Elizabeth Ledger. Walter Gibbs Fonda married Elizabeth Park, of San Francisco, and their children are Marjorie, Julie and Eleanor. The daughter Helen Kelsey Fonda is the widow of William Adolph Walker. Mr. Walker was a merchant in Reno, Nevada. Mrs. Walker, of 730 Sacramento Street, was for eleven years treasurer of the Woman's Auxiliary of the California Pioneers and for eight years treasurer of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is an active member of the Woman's Club.]; [Buck, Franklin Agustus. A Yankee Trader in the Gold Rush - One of our party came very near losing his character. Poor Fonda went ashore with a thin linen coat on. When we came to go up stairs to our box, the man in the passage stopped him. What for we couldn't find out for some time. At last we took the hint. Nothing but black coats would pass. In vain we tried to tell him by signs that Fonda had better coats on board; that he was a gentleman; that we were Americans and didn't know the rules. 'Twas no go. We finally found the man from whom we bought the tickets, who could speak some English and he got him in on condition that he would keep in the shady side of the box. Luckily the rest of us were in full dress. One of the Californians came into the pit with a linen coat on and they actually put him out. So you see that it is coats not men here. Poor Fonda won't get over that this voyage.]