Marin-San Francisco County CA Archives Biographies.....Almy, Joseph 1822 - 
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Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. Publishers (1880)

  Joseph Almy. On turning over the pages of this work, the reader will find a
striking portrait of Judge Almy—no more fitting representative of a county can
be found. We are not disposed to enter into any loud paean in regard to the
learned Judge—"Deeds not Words" has been his motto through life; let his,
therefore, be a pure and unvarnished record, nevertheless telling of an "ow'er
true tale." The subject of this biographical sketch was born in Tiverton, Rhode
Island, in the year 1822. After attending the common schools he sailed, at the
age of sixteen years, from New Bedford in the ship "Fenelon," Captain Smith, on
a whaling voyage to what was then called the Main Banks, near the Falkland
islands, and at the expiration of eleven months returned with twenty-seven
hundred barrels of oil, this being considered one of the most successful voyages
on record. Mr. Almy again started from the same place on another whaling cruise
in the ship "Selma," Captain Arlington Wilcox, and after being at sea about ten
months was so badly crippled by being jammed between two large casks of oil
which had broken their lashings in a gale, that in order to save his life it was
deemed necessary to put him on shore. This was done at the Bay of Islands, New
Zealand, where he remained about two months with the American consul. He was
then placed on board the ship "Joseph Maxwell" bound for Fairhaven, where he
arrived after a passage of about six months. From Fairhaven he returned to
Tiverton; attended school about one year, and having somewhat recovered his
health, sailed from Bristol, Rhode Island, as ship-keeper in the brig "Governor
Hopkins," Adley Wilcox, master. This was also a whaling expedition, and is
called by sailors a "plum-pudding" voyage, from the fact that the vessel is only
provisioned for a few months, and is not expected to go far from home. On this
voyage he was in sight of the peak of Teneriffe, a burning volcano, for several
weeks. Landed at Fayal and Floras, visited the Cape de Verde and Canary islands,
and returned to Bristol after an absence of seven months, the catch being twenty
barrels of black fish oil. Mr. Almy next sailed from New Bedford April 27, 1842,
as boat-steerer in the ship "Jeannette," Mathew Mayhew, master. This vessel was
fitted to cruise three years in the Pacific ocean for sperm whales. During this
voyage he passed the 17th and 18th days of March, 1843, on Juan Fernandez or
Robinson Crusoe's island; stayed two days on Chatham island among the terrapins,
and was honorably discharged from the ship at Tahiti. There the French were
about to take forcible possession, and with the feeling that it was not a safe
place for a residence, he again shipped as boat-steerer on the ship "Ceres," of
Wilmington, Delaware, Edward Ayers, master, and sailed from the island October
7, 1843. Proceeded to Wallace island, and to Lahaina, Maui, one of the Hawaiian
group, where he kept a hotel for three years. This place he left in the latter
part of the year 1847 as a passenger on board the ship "Abraham Barker," John
Breyton, master, bound for New Bedford; touched at Penrhyn island on November
26, 1847, and at Roratonga, where he found some missionaries exerting themselves
to convert the cannibals. Stayed three days in Pernambuco, and arrived in New
Bedford in May, 1848, whence he returned to the home of his youth from which he
had been absent more than six years. The letters of Colonel Fremont, which were
being published in the Eastern papers at that period giving glowing accounts of
the discovery of gold in California, led him with others, to form a joint-stock
company of eighty members to proceed to the new Dorado. This association was
known as the "Fall River Mining and Trading Company." Purchasing the bark
"Mallory" she was provisioned for two years, and loaded with the lumber and
frames for several large buildings. The company, including the subject of this
sketch, embarked and sailed from New York in March, 1849; touched at St.
Catharines, sighted Terra del Fuego and arrived in San Francisco September 13,
1849. There the vessel was sold, while the lumber brought two hundred and fifty
dollars per M feet. Mr. Almy had been in San Francisco only a few days when he
opened a public house on Jackson street and called it the "New England Home,"
but the fire of that Fall destroyed the building. He then went to Bolinas, and
in the Spring of 1850 proceeded to the mines where he dug gold for two years. He
then returned to Bolinas and was elected Justice of the Peace of that township
November 2, 1852, an office he held for eight years, being a School Trustee for
one year of that time. Ran the Mill Company's vessel "Julia" for seven months
transporting lumber to San Francisco; built the schooner "H. C. Almy" and
launched her in the Fall of 1855, and made regular trips with her until 1864
when he disposed of his interest; went East by way of Panama, and, returning to
Bolinas was appointed Judge of Marin county February 18, 1867, which office he
continued to hold until January, 1880. What was thought of Judge Almy's ability
as the possessor of that high legal office, we would beg to refer the reader to
page 122 of this volume. Judge Almy has sailed once around the world, and
rounded Cape Horn no Jess than four times. He married, May 10, 1857, Lucinda
Miller, who was born in Indiana December 13, 1834. By this union they have had
nine children, six of whom are now living; namely, Thomas, Henry, Hattie,
Amanda, Nellie, and Charles.

Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA;
INCLUDING ITS
Geography, Geology, Topography and Climatography;
TOGETHER WITH
A Full and Particular Record of the Mexican Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the most Authentic Sources; Names of Original Spanish
and American Pioneers;

A Full Record of its Organization; A Complete Political History, including a
Tabular Statement of Office-holders since the Formation of the County;

Separate Histories of Bolinas, Nicasio, Novato, Point Reyes, San Antonio, San
Rafael, Saucelito, and Tomales Townships;

Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Biographical Sketches of its Early and Prominent
Settlers and Representative Men;
ALSO
An Historical Sketch of the State of California,
In which is embodied the Raising of the Bear Flag

ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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