Woolaver & Wilkinson - CP shops designers
From: KyleKWyatt@gmail.com
Attached is a summary of info I found on Woolaver and Wilkinson, original designers of the CP Sacramento Shops in 1867. Woolaver appears to have been an architect, while Wilkinson was an engineer.
Attached is a summary of what I found, but I'm not very good at geneology. Perhaps someone else can help fill in birth and death dates, and other pertinent facts.
Apparently Woolaver died in Sacramento, I'm guessing late 1860s or early 1870s. Wilkinson continued working for the railroad, apparently in the San Francisco office in 1901.
—Kyle
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 9:35 PM
3 Comments:
From: "Chris Graves" caliron@cwnet.com
The 1860 census shows John Woolaver as born in Missouri in 1818, he was not living with a female in 1860. He said he was receiving his mail at the Rockville Post Office, Green Valley, Solano County, Calif.
—gjg
From: "Chris Graves" caliron@cwnet.com
The 1889 San Francisco City Directory shows Joseph R. Wilkinson living at 944 Valencia St., San Francisco, he is employed by the Track Dept. of the S P Co. as an inspecting engineer.
The 1900 Census shows him living with his wife Georgie at 405 Valencia St., San Francisco. He says on that census that he was born in Rhode Island in August, 1836, that his parents were also born in Rhode Island, and that he is employed as as a Civil Engineer.
—gjg
From: KyleWyatt@aol.com
Hmm. Connecting what may actually be pretty unrelated dots, we have
J Woolaver born in Missouri in 1818 (that seems pretty early for Missouri).
Becoming an architect – perhaps studying at Harvard, but in any case
designing a house there in 1849.
Then leaving from Nantucket in July 1849 for California at age 31 (an "old
man" by California gold rush standards).
Ending up in Solano County by 1860, and becoming County surveyor and
architect in 1864, still there in 1866.
Married in Sacramento in 1864.
Had a daughter in Sacramento in 1868.
Died in Sacramento at age 52, presumably in 1870.
Meanwhile JR Wilkinson is born in Rhode Island in 1836.
Was working for the CP by 1866, including on the Rocklin roundhouse.
With Woolaver they designed the original CP Shops in 1867.
May or may not have had an older wife who died in Sacramento in Dec 1868
(she 39, he 32).
Was listed as the resident engineer at the CP Sacramento Shops in 1869, and
again in 1880.
By 1889 he is working for the SP in San Francisco, and is still there in
1901 (at age 65).
—Kyle
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