from BAHA newsletter 1
Edward Monroe Marquis (February 6, 1865 – September 23, 1944) was an early developer of Elmwood in Berkeley. He also financed the completion of the dam in Twain Harte, CA.
Marquis was born February 6, 1865, in Iowa, to James Marquis and Sarah Heigel. By 1880, they had moved to Nebraska. October 7, 1885, Marquis married Georgia Ellen Bacon (Cole?) (Marquis) (1868 – 1926), and they had two sons, Percival "Percy"Ellsworth Marquis (1886 – 1958) and Dr. Charles Edward Marquis (1893 – 1941). The census lists Marquis as a hardware dealer.
Following the 1906 earthquake, Percy moved to Berkeley and worked in the hardware trade. Edward, Georgia, and Charles moved a year later. 1 At some point, Edward Marquis became involved in building, and is known for early development of the Elmwood district in Berkeley.
The Marquis family lived mostly in Berkeley at 2827 Russell Street, a Mission Revival house built from Sears Roebuck plans and completed in 1911. Percy later lived there with his family.
Percy married Catherine Elizabeth Shean (Marquis) on August 23, 1908. According to the Berkeley Historical Society, the Shean family were early settlers of Berkeley. Catherine's father, Maurice Shean, worked as an engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad beginning in 1869. "After 32 years of faithful service, he died of injuries from a train collision in East Oakland. According to the San Francisco Bulletin, he saved hundreds of lives by putting his train in reverse and jumping out at the last minute." 1
Charles was attending the Oakland College of Medicine and Surgery when his WWI draft card was filled out in 1917; he's listed in the 1920-1921 UC Berkeley register as a first-year medical student. 3 Ultimately, he got his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He married Verona Renata Berends (Marquis), and they had two daughters, Georgia Marie Marquis and Verona Charlotte Marquis. Charles and his family lived on Lower Grand Avenue in Piedmont, and he had his office in the Wakefield Building on 17th Street. He probably met Verona through her brother, Emmo D. Berends, Jr., who was also studying at the Oakland College of Medicine and Surgery.
Later Years
Financing for construction of a dam in Twain Harte, CA was in trouble in 1927. Edward Marquis helped finance the completion of the dam.
In 1932, a few years after Georgia's death, Marquis married Christine De Muri (Marquis) (1903 – 1971). Beginning about 1936, Edward and Christine lived at 112 Estates Drive in Piedmont, in a home designed for them by Earl MacDonald. 4
At the time of his death Marquis was in Twain Harte, and "the family home" was listed as 1525 Oak Street in Oakland where Marquis had an apartment. 2 Edward, Georgia, Percy, Catherine and Charles are interred in Mountain View Cemetery.
Links and References
- The Marquis of Russell Street Exactly Opposite, Berkeley Historical Society newsletter, Summer 2012
- Rites Tomorrow for Edward Marquis, 79 Oakland Tribune September 26, 1944
- University of California, Berkeley Register 1920-1921
- Lovely 1936 Architect-Designed Piedmont Home Piedmont Patch
