William H. Marston
Encyclopedia
Captain William Harrington Marston (1835-1926) was an early resident of Berkeley, California
. He served as President of the Town Board of Trustees from 1899 to 1903.
Captain Marston was born in Cutler, Maine
in November 1835, and orphaned at age 9. He was eventually taken in by the Plummer family. Mr. Plummer was a seaman, and Marston decided at age 17 to follow in his footsteps. He started as a cabin boy, and worked himself up to first mate by 1859. In 1860, the Plummers decided to move to California, and Marston went with them, arriving in San Francisco in May 1860. Upon his arrival, he was made a captain and hired out to sea. His initial voyages were in the coastal lumber trade which stretched from California to Puget Sound
in Washington. Later voyages took him to destinations throughout the Pacific, from Alaska, to Hawaii
, Tahiti, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Captain Marston brought the first load of Hawaiian sugar
into the United States at San Francisco in September 1876 under the 1875 Treaty of Reciprocity
between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1884, Captain Marston married Idela Reed in San Francisco. She too was a native of Maine, born in 1862. She grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts
and moved with her family to Hawaii in 1880. Idela came to San Francisco in June 1882 to take her teaching exam, and began working at schools in Shasta County and Mendocino County. Upon marriage, she sailed with Captain Marston, and learned how to navigate. The Marstons had six children: Sibyl (b.1885), Ellery (b.1886), Elsa (b.1892), Otis (b.1894), Vera (b.1895), and Merle (b.1903). Ellery died in 1888. When they were not at sea, the Marstons lived in various rooming houses in San Francisco. In May 1893, they moved into their own house in Berkeley located at the corner of Vine and Arch Streets.
At the close of the 19th century, Captain Marston became the president of the Shipowners Association of San Francisco. He also served on the Board of Directors of Welsh and Co. (the "Planters Line"), a shipping company eventually acquired by Matson Lines. He was also a director of the Mercantile Trust Company, the First National Bank of Berkeley, and Boole and Sons Shipyards in Alameda, California.
During his tenure as President of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Berkeley, Marston led the effort to purchase the site of the new town hall.
Mrs. Marston was active in Berkeley civic affairs. She was secretary of the city's Playground Commission, and helped establish city recreation centers as well as city summer camps outside the city proper. She helped found the Berkeley League of Women Voters, and was active in the Berkeley Women's City Club and the Hillside Club.
Captain Marston died of a stroke on April 10, 1926. His wife Idela, who was considerably younger than him, died almost exactly 30 years later on April 11, 1956, also of a stroke.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. He served as President of the Town Board of Trustees from 1899 to 1903.
Captain Marston was born in Cutler, Maine
Cutler, Maine
Cutler is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Joseph Cutler, an early settler. The population was 623 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in November 1835, and orphaned at age 9. He was eventually taken in by the Plummer family. Mr. Plummer was a seaman, and Marston decided at age 17 to follow in his footsteps. He started as a cabin boy, and worked himself up to first mate by 1859. In 1860, the Plummers decided to move to California, and Marston went with them, arriving in San Francisco in May 1860. Upon his arrival, he was made a captain and hired out to sea. His initial voyages were in the coastal lumber trade which stretched from California to Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
in Washington. Later voyages took him to destinations throughout the Pacific, from Alaska, to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Tahiti, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Captain Marston brought the first load of Hawaiian sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
into the United States at San Francisco in September 1876 under the 1875 Treaty of Reciprocity
Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
The Treaty of reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875....
between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1884, Captain Marston married Idela Reed in San Francisco. She too was a native of Maine, born in 1862. She grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
and moved with her family to Hawaii in 1880. Idela came to San Francisco in June 1882 to take her teaching exam, and began working at schools in Shasta County and Mendocino County. Upon marriage, she sailed with Captain Marston, and learned how to navigate. The Marstons had six children: Sibyl (b.1885), Ellery (b.1886), Elsa (b.1892), Otis (b.1894), Vera (b.1895), and Merle (b.1903). Ellery died in 1888. When they were not at sea, the Marstons lived in various rooming houses in San Francisco. In May 1893, they moved into their own house in Berkeley located at the corner of Vine and Arch Streets.
At the close of the 19th century, Captain Marston became the president of the Shipowners Association of San Francisco. He also served on the Board of Directors of Welsh and Co. (the "Planters Line"), a shipping company eventually acquired by Matson Lines. He was also a director of the Mercantile Trust Company, the First National Bank of Berkeley, and Boole and Sons Shipyards in Alameda, California.
During his tenure as President of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Berkeley, Marston led the effort to purchase the site of the new town hall.
Mrs. Marston was active in Berkeley civic affairs. She was secretary of the city's Playground Commission, and helped establish city recreation centers as well as city summer camps outside the city proper. She helped found the Berkeley League of Women Voters, and was active in the Berkeley Women's City Club and the Hillside Club.
Captain Marston died of a stroke on April 10, 1926. His wife Idela, who was considerably younger than him, died almost exactly 30 years later on April 11, 1956, also of a stroke.