Timeline
During a big fire in San Francisco, Hall and Martin’ warehouse burned to the ground. During the rebuild Mr. Martin decided to return home and sold Henry his share of the business. Company was relocated to the intersection of Commercial and Sansome Streets. (309-313 Sansome Street)
Article – FOUND SF
Henry left his partner, Henry Gregory in charge and went to get his wife in TN. He of course had to go back through Panama to get to her.
Miraculously, Sarah Ann had decided to join Henry in California and their paths crossed accidentally on the Isthmus of Panama. They turned around together and went back to Saugus to visit Henry’s family.
From there they went on to New York to visit Merchants to arrange for them to export goods to CA for Henry’s business. Done with their family and business travels, they traveled together to their new home in San Francisco.
Weeks later when another fire destroyed their company again, Mr. Hall decided to sell his half of the company to Henry as well. Henry was now the sole proprietor of Hall, Martin & Company which the following year he changed the name to H. M. Newhall and Company.
In 1852, Henry bought a lot and built a house at 334 Beale Street on Rincon Hill in the South Park district of San Francisco, overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
Sarah Ann was very happy to finally be with her husband after such a long absence. It was certainly worth it however. She loved her home but missed her family.
Henry and Sarah Ann decided to invite her family to come live with them permanently if they wanted to. Her father William, mother Jane and 2 sisters, Margery and Margaret moved from Clarksville, TN to join the Newhalls in their new home in California. They arrived just in time to be there for the birth of Henry and Sarah Ann’s first son, Henry Gregory Newhall.
The Whites lived the rest of their lives with Henry and the boys in San Francisco
Henry co-signed a note for $90,000 for a friend. When the note came due the friend was unable to pay. Instead the friend gave him a one-third interest in the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad Company. The company collapsed in June 1860.
Henry’s investment was lost, but it made him more determined than ever to make a railroad route out of San Francisco happen. That made him millions!
With the family growing, Henry bought almost half of a city block and built a new, bigger home at the southwest corner of 1299 Van Ness Avenue (corner of Sutter Street).