David Hewes is more famously known for donating the golden spike that linked the Central Pacific and Union Pacific transcontinental railroad. A long-time friend and associate of Crocker, Hopkins, Huntington, and Stanford, he had been invited to invest in the formation of the Central Pacific Railroad but declined due to his investment in other San Francisco ventures. He was, however, an ardent supporter of the project and is credited with the idea for the celebration to honor the completion of the work in May of 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah.

Matilda was born in Virginia and raised in Brooklyn, New York where she met and married casino owner. Franklin Gray. Tragically, Franklin committed suicide in 1853 while Matilda was five months pregnant with their first child. Heartbroken, Matilda named her daughter Franklina in commemoration of her lost love. Franklina Gray grew up surrounded by her mother’s extended family and went to the best schools where she excelled considerably in academics. Matilda and Franklina moved to Oakland in 1873— largely in effort to settle longstanding issues with Franklin’s estate and Franklina’s inheritance.

By 1875, the Gray women were living in style at the Tubb’s Hotel in Oakland. Franklina was a star of the social scene and quickly became engaged to a young banker— William Springer Bartlett. Likewise, Matilda, after a years long courtship, was engaged to be married to David Hewes, whom she had met years prior, while visiting San Francisco to manage her late husband’s business affairs.

That year, though Matilda had begun to suffer bronchial symptoms that would ultimately claim her life, Matilda and David Hewes traveled aboard the transcontinental railroad to New York. Accompanied by her daughter Franklina and her sister Rose, she married Hewes in a small ceremony in Saratoga, New York and the four departed on a two-and-a-half year long “honeymoon” to Europe and the Middle East. 

During that time, the Gray-Hewes party visited 22 countries collecting paintings, statuary, clothing, and souvenirs, many of which you can view in the Camron-Stanford House today. Franklina, only 20 at the time of departure, kept detailed journals and wrote religiously to her fiancé in Oakland. These writings offer a special first-person take of late-19th century womanhood. You can learn more about this formative time in our online exhibition Franklina C. Gray: The Grand Tour or in our published volume by the same name.

Upon their return to Oakland in 1877, the Heweses rented the house at 1218 Oak Street and led an active social and political life. At Matilda’s urging, David ran for the Oakland City Council and was elected. Both Matilda and Franklina became members of the Ebell Society, devoted to the study of art, literature, and women’s education efforts. Franklina married her long-time sweetheart William S. Bartlett in the Camron-Stanford House in 1878. Newspaper accounts and Franklina’s letters to William provide extensive descriptions of the interior of the house and its furnishings at the time, and these descriptions were used in the eventual restoration of the house in the 1970s.

In September of 1880, the Matilda and Franklina opened their home to members of the Ebell Society for a reception in honor of First Lady Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes. The Oakland Tribune reported, 

“The Ebell society, a literary association formed of some of the most intelligent and cultured ladies of Oakland, had the honor of receiving Mrs. Hayes and the ladies of her party as their guests. The reception took place at the house of David Hewes, corner of Fourteenth and Oak streets. The house, adorned with gems of art and vertu collected in foreign travels, was lavishly and tastefully decorated by the ladies of the society, with the choice flowers and foliage for which our state is celebrated. An elegant lunch and a fine display of California fruits were spread upon the veranda overlooking Lake Merritt, forming a picture as rich in coloring and beauty as any adorning the gallery of the host.”

By 1881, Matilda’s health had worsened significantly and the couple moved to a ranch near Tustin, California in hopes the climate would affect a cure. Called Anapauma, “a place of rest,” the 800 acre sheep ranch and vineyards was eventually replanted as a citrus grove. Unwilling to be parted from her mother, Franklina moved her husband and newborn baby to a neighboring property, where the Bartlett’s built their home Fenton Knoll. Matilda’s health continued to decline and she died in 1887. Perhaps surprisingly, Matilda’s dying wish was to be buried next to her first husband, Franklin, in New York. Two years later, David married again to Anna Lathrop, the sister-in-law of his long-time friend Leland Stanford. David Hewes died in 1915 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, as is Franklina.

Descendants of Franklina Gray Bartlett thoughtfully maintained many of her possessions including clothing, household furnishings, artwork, and most preciously, her writings. Thanks to their kind generosity, the Camron-Stanford House is able to thoroughly display the history of a family who actually dwelled within its walls.