
Bertha Saunders
Date of Birth: 18 Apr 1878
Born In: California
Age: 6 months
Occupation: Infant
Marital Status: Single
Died: 20 Oct 1878
Cause of Death:
Death Location: California
Burial Plot: 167
FindaGrave ID: 75508140

Obituary
Infant daughter of Josuha and Susan Saunders.
Additional Information

Joshua Nye Saunders
Date of Birth: 19 Jun 1836
Born In: Maine
Age: 50
Occupation: Lumberman
Marital Status: Married
Died: 7 Jan 1886
Cause of Death:
Death Location: Redwood City
Burial Plot: 167
FindaGrave ID: 75507999

Obituary
Ambrose and Joshua Saunders
By John Edmonds
Ambrose and Joshua Saunders came to California in 1862. Ambrose quickly became recognized as a community contributor. He enlisted in the Jefferson Cavalry as 2nd Sergeant in the quartermaster Corps. The brothers had stopped in the gold fields in Northern California before traveling south to San Mateo County. They were not without money following their gold country visit and were able to afford investments in property in the lumber country towards the top of the mountain where the redwoods were growing so beautifully. Ambrose invested originally in property on Corte Madera Creek only several hundred yards from Madera Creek’s intersection with Tunitas Creek. He was able to purchase a mill that was originally called, and owned by, Eugene Fromont who was credited with building the Summit Springs Hotel and starting the Summit Springs Township.
Joshua Saunders purchased property farther down Tunitas Creek close to the western end of the creek. Joshua emphasized making shingles while Ambrose made whole lumber cutting boards of construction length to be used primarily in San Francisco where the city was being burned down, to some extent, by arsonists on a regular basis. The brothers used oxen to haul the lumber and shingles up Tunitas Creek to Summit Springs, about ½ mile east of the top of the hill, (today’s Skyline Boulevard) and stop at Summit Springs where they spent the night. They then hooked up two wagons to four horses in summer and six horses in winter and hauled them down the road, now called King’s Mountain Road, to Red Woods Road, now Woodside Road and east to Redwood City where they were unloaded at the Hanson and Ackerson Lumber Docks. The Saunders brother’s mills were highly productive and so were the Hanson and Ackerson shipping docks.
The brothers were living in Redwood City and they could observe the multiple numbers of ships that came into the Redwood Creek channel and sailed into the turning basin. Then, in the morning, when they were free from the bottom mud by the incoming tide, they would sail to the docks, be loaded with lumber and sail off to San Francisco, Stockton, San Jose, or wherever they were needed and off load the milled lumber.
Ambrose Saunders established lumber docks on Redwood Creek across from the Hanson and Ackerson docks and started to ship a substantial number of loads, cutting into their competitor’s business. This went on for several months before Charles Hanson decided to purchase both the docks and the mill on Corte Madera Creek for $3,000, (a substantial sum in those days). But, Ambrose had to agree and sign papers stating that he would not engage in the lumber business for the next three years. He was faithful to this agreement but three years and one day later he was hard at work at cutting lumber again along the top of the hill.
When the Saunders brothers first came to San Mateo County they settled in the Town of Searsville, the largest town in San Mateo County at the time. The county was established in 1856. The brothers moved, not long after, to Redwood City as it was growing rapidly. It was during this period that they observed the opportunity to build docks etc. While in Redwood City Joshua met and married Susan M. Saunders who had come to California from her native Maine as a young girl. Susan taught school in the Redwood Elementary School System until Joshua died in January of 1886. She then moved to Petaluma to live with her daughter Fannie.
Ambrose Saunders and Joshua Saunders died in January 1886, Ambrose is buried in plot 188 and Joshua is in plot 167. The brothers have identical large monuments in Union Cemetery. Both of the monuments had to be repaired after the years of vandalism the cemetery suffered during the 1970s and 1980s. These are two of the monuments that V. Fontana and sons repaired when we first began working on revitalizing Union Cemetery.
Additional Information

James Sayrus
Date of Birth:
Born In:
Age:
Occupation:
Marital Status:

Obituary
Additional Information

Edward Scanlan
Date of Birth:
Born In:
Age:
Occupation:
Marital Status:
Died: 1905
Cause of Death:
Death Location: South San Francisco
Burial Plot: PG
FindaGrave ID: 254230255
Obituary
Additional Information

Anna Schafer
Date of Birth: 6 Feb 1888
Born In: California
Age: 18 months
Occupation: Infant
Marital Status: Single
Died: 7 Sep 1889
Cause of Death: Convulsions
Death Location: Redwood City
Burial Plot: 177
FindaGrave ID: 262916259

Obituary
Additional Information

August C Schafer
Date of Birth: 1848
Born In: Germany
Age: 52
Occupation: Grave Digger
Marital Status: Married
Died: 4 Jul 1900
Cause of Death: Appendicitis
Death Location: Redwood City
Burial Plot: 177
FindaGrave ID: 127616527

Obituary
AUGUST SCHAFER
Redwood City Democrat
July 5, 1900
August Schafer, a well-known resident of this city, died at his home on Third Street yesterday at 8 o’clock, having been ill less than a week. The cause of his demise was liver trouble and appendicitis. Deceased had been in the employ of James Crowe as grave-digger since 1874. He leaves a wife and four children, two of whom are quite young. The family, while owning their own home, are in poor circumstances, and will miss the provider whom death has called away. The funeral will take place tomorrow at 2 o’clock, services being held at the residence. Interment will be in Union Cemetery.
Additional Information

Julia J Schafer
Date of Birth: 1851
Born In: Germany
Age: 74
Occupation:
Marital Status: Widowed

Obituary
Redwood City Tribune, Oct 7, 1925
MRS. SCHAFER TO BE BURIED HERE
Funeral services for Mrs. Julia Schafer, who died in San Francisco yesterday, will be held at the Congregational Church in Redwood City tomorrow, commencing at 1:30 o'clock. Interment will be in Union Cemetery.
Mrs. Schafer, member of a family well known in Redwood City, was the widow of the late August Schafer and mother of Charles A. and Frederick, Mrs. Martha Smith and Mrs. Amelia Deasy. She was a native of Germany, aged 74 years.
Additional Information

L A Schafer
Date of Birth: 8 Apr 1886
Born In: Redwood City
Age: 1
Occupation: Infant
Marital Status: Single
Died: 17 Jul 1887
Cause of Death:
Death Location: Redwood City
Burial Plot: 177
FindaGrave ID: 262915922

Obituary
Infant daughter of August and Julia Schafer
Additional Information

Rosa Schafer
Date of Birth: 25 Aug 1872
Born In: California
Age: 18
Occupation:
Marital Status: Single
Died: 1 Sep 1890
Cause of Death: Spasms
Death Location: Redwood City
Burial Plot:
FindaGrave ID: 262915747
Obituary
Child of Henry and Mary Schafer
Additional Information

Rudolph Scharpff
Date of Birth: 1842
Born In: Germany
Age: 60
Occupation: Bar keeper
Marital Status:
Died: 22 Jun 1902
Cause of Death: Suicide by hanging
Death Location: Near Millbrae
Burial Plot: PG
FindaGrave ID: 254231007
Obituary
RUDOLPH SCHARPFF
Redwood City Democrat
July 3, 1902
Man hanged himself at San Mateo
The name and identity of the man who was found hanging from a tree at San Mateo on the 22nd instant has been learned. The deceased was named Rudolph Scharpff, a Stockton bar keeper. He was identified by a photograph taken after death and a description sent to the sheriff of San Joaquin county by Sheriff Mansfield. Under Sheriff McCollock of Stockton was here Saturday and established beyond a doubt who the deceased was.
Scharpff left Stockton a few days before his death to go to San Francisco to see the German Council. He had a valuable watch and chain and considerable money with him which were not found on the body.
The deceased was heir to a third interest in an estate in Germany worth $80,000 which is in course of settlement and supported himself mainly from the income from his share of the property. He came from a good family and has a sister in Munich. His body was buried in Union Cemetery at the expense of the county.
Additional Information
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