1965 article 2

Stephen Nolan (c.1835 – June 6, 1919) was a nurseryman in early Oakland. He initially worked for George Potter tending the grounds, and later opened his own nursery and botanic garden.

Nolan was born about 1835 in the Bailiwick of Jersey in the Channel Islands of England. He married Mary Finnegan (Nolan) (c.1833 – May 2, 1883), and they had five children:

• Camellia Mary Nolan (December 1, 1861 – September 15, 1942)

• Harry Joseph Nolan (July 19, 1863 – May 9, 1940)

• Helen V. Nolan (c.1865 – ?) later known as Sister Mary Aloysius

• Rose Mary Nolan (Snyder) (October 23, 1868 – August 4, 1941) married William F. Snyder (June 22, 1869 - February 6, 1953) and they had two children:

•• William Willard Snyder

•• Marian Bernadette Snyder (Davidson)

• Daisy M. Nolan (February 1872 – ?)

(Given the other names, one can only assume that Helen's middle name was Violet, and the family called Harry by the nickname Bud...)

Nursery Business

Nolan had worked for George Potter tending the grounds of Potter's property. In 1860, Nolan started his own nursery business, Belle View Nursery, with an adjacent botanical garden. Nolan donated a duplicate of everything grown in his nursery to the University of California in the early 1870s. 3

The land for the nursery and botanic garden was sold in 1887. 1

Death and Burial

Mary died of consumption in 1883 and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, though there is also a marker (cenotaph) for her at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in San Pablo where Harry is buried. Nolan died in 1919 in Berkeley, probably while living with his daughter Rose and son-in-law. He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery.

Links and References

  1. Dutton & Tuttle ad Oakland Tribune August 23, 1877
  2. Oakland Always A Garden Paradise The Knave Oakland Tribune May 2, 1965 (p2)
  3. The California Teacher Volume 10, 1872-1873
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