Contra Costa-Alameda-San Francisco County CA Archives Biographies.....Bromley, John L. 1820 - 
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Author: W. A. & Slocum & Co. (1882)

JOHN L. BROMLEY.—This gentleman, whose portrait appears in this work, once a
prominent and valued citizen of Clayton, Contra Costa county, but in later years
a resident of Oakland, Alameda county, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, in
which city he was born December 24, 1820. His parents were Lewis and Ann C.
Bromley, and his grandfather was John Bromley, of Mount Savage, Maryland; the
Bromleys were of English extraction, and made their earliest home in Vermont and
New York. In 1851 Mr. Bromley was united in marriage with Miss Anna Levering,
likewise a Baltimorean, but whose immediate ancestry pertained to Pennsylvania,
her grandfather having been Peter Levering, a member of the Society of Friends.
By this union there are the following children: William Lewis, born in
Baltimore, Thomas Levering, Anna C., Robert Tunis, Martha M., Joseph H., Ella
V., Walter F., Marion, Virginia, and Roscoe P. The salient points of Mr.
Bromley's somewhat eventful and active career may be briefly set down as
follows: Pursuing mercantile affairs in Baltimore in his youth and early
manhood, when the Mex-War began, he laid aside the arts of peace and entered
upon a military career, which lasted until the cessation of hostilities. He
participated in the various battles which led up to the grand result of the
capture of the city of Mexico. Entering the service as Orderly Sergeant, Mr.
Bromley, through his own abilities, and the fortunes of war which cut off his
superior officers, rose to the command of his company. Upon this point, and as
patriots, we may say that the Bromley families have, during their lives, more or
less represented themselves in all the wars that were in honor and defense of
their country's cause. The war ceasing, the young soldier returned to Baltimore
and engaged in extensive mercantile transactions, until the year 1852, when,
having married as before stated, he, with his little family, set out for the
"Sunset Land," and locating in San Francisco, continued his former business
pursuits for a time. In 1853, however, he removed to the county of Contra Costa,
locating on the Mount Diablo ranch, where he remained for no less than twenty
years, devoting himself to agricultural pursuits, with uniform success, and
establishing an enviable character for enterprise and uprightness among his
contemporaries, whose appreciation was shown by his election on various
occasions to offices of trust. The position of Justice of the Peace, Associate
Justice of the Court of Sessions, Supervisor of the county, and finally
Assessor, were in turn occupied by him. In 1873 the subject of this sketch
removed to his present happy location in Oakland, accompanied by his interesting
and now well-grown family. In his latter home Mr. Bromley has continued the
exercises of those principles which in earlier years endeared him to, and
commanded the respect of, any community wherein, for the time, he might be
placed. In closing this sketch it may be appropriate to remark that now, after
an active life of three-score years, the gentleman of whom we write shows a
vigor, both of body and mind, which bids fair to make his life include many more
years of enterprise and well-directed effort.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.


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