The History of Albert Brown Mortuary
Albert Brown Mortuary has been an integral part of the City of Oakland since it’s beginning in 1849 when the Gurnett Brothers obtained one of the first business licenses. Up to this time, Oakland had no Undertaker. Late one night Mr. Gurnett, a furniture maker, answered a knock on his door by a man who’s wife had died, asking Gurnett to please take charge. In the East, from where most of the residents had originally come, the furniture maker and the undertaker were virtually synonymous. Not having done this before, Mr. Gurnett roused the Congregational preacher from across the street to go with him, and to impart any procedural information he might have gained from his own experience. At the house, they took proper measurements and set the day and hour of the funeral. Gurnett returned to his shop, roused his brother, and by dawn they had constructed their first clear redwood coffin. So pleased were they with their efforts, within a month they had constructed a small steam-powered mill shop in the rear of their building, and soon had a stock of coffins in varying sizes, for immediate use. The sign on the business was changed to read “Gurnett Bros., Furniture Made, Repaired and Re-finished, and Undertaking.”
As the story continues, Mr. William Helmer, who had been the Alameda county Coroner, bought the Gurnett brother’s business and took William Hamilton, a “man of funeral experience,” into the business as a partner. Upon Helmer’s retirement, Hamilton succeeded him both as Coroner and sole owner of the business. Following the trends of the East, Mr. Hamilton introduced the addition of handles (up to this time not in general use in the West), a more select line of interiors, and altered the shape to be rectangular. During this time the term “casket” came into general usage, attaining its name from the definition: “A chest for jewels or something precious.”
In the early 1870s, Albert Brown, an undertaker from Denver, CO, moved to Oakland seeking to better the health of his wife. Mr. Hamilton brought Albert Brown into the business and made him a full partner on November 3, 1873. The new name of the company became “Hamilton-Brown Undertaking Co.” Mr. Hamilton retired in 1888 and Albert Brown became sole owner changing the name to “Albert Brown Undertaking Co.” Upon Albert Brown’s death in 1909, his son, Bert Brown, assumed ownership and managed the business until his retirement in the early 1920s.
In 1925, the Welch Holding Co., Ernest Welch, president, bought: Albert Brown Undertaking Co: J. B. Draper & Co; and East Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento. Rev. William Nat Friend, a Presbyterian minister, a qualified lawyer and for many years Postmaster of Oakland, was appointed president of Albert Brown Undertaking Co. In 1929, Albert Brown Undertaking Co. moved from 582 13th Street to its present location on Piedmont which was specifically built to be a mortuary. With the depression in full swing, the decorator heard of a Hollywood estate that was built for some Star who could not pay for the furniture, etc. Some of that furniture and artwork are still in the building today. The ceiling in both the Chapel and Lobby were hand stippled by some of the European craftsmen who had completed work at Hearst Castle. Upon Rev. Friend’s death in 1933, Franklin L. Van Fleet was appointed president. In 1936 the Welch Holding Co. became East Lawn, Inc.
Upon the retirement of Mr. Van Fleet n 1965, Donald Welch (son of Ernest Welch), Chairman of East Lawn Inc. appointed A. Henry “Nick” Nicolli, who had been with the company for 25 years, as the new president. In 1985, after 45 years at Albert Brown, Mr. Nicolli retired and Barry Johnston was appointed president of Albert Brown Mortuary. Upon the death of Mr. Johnston in 1991, Terry Edwards was appointed president and manager. In recent years, Albert Brown has been managed by Jim Carvalho, Clarence Preston, Bernadette Zachary and currently Deborah Stevenson. With Gregg Welch (great-grandson of Ernest Welch), Chairman of the Board of Directors of East Lawn Inc., Albert Brown celebrates having the same ownership for the past 84 years and one of the oldest continuously operating business licenses in the city of Oakland.
(Complied from the notes of Stephen W. Welch &R.C.H. Martin)
Through the years, Albert Brown Mortuary has been privileged to serve thousands of families. The following is a brief list of a few notable people who were entrusted to the care of Albert Brown Mortuary:
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1890 – Dr. Samuel Merritt – Physician, 13th Mayor of Oakland, Merritt Lake, Merritt College.
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1913 – Juaquin Miller – “Poet of the Sierras.”
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1923 - George C. Perkins – California Senator, 14th Governor of California.
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1929 – H. C. Capwell – Merchant, Civic leader.
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1931 - F.M. “Borax” Smith – Pacific Coast Borax Company “20 Mule team,” Mountain in Death Valley named for him.
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1937 – James N. Gillett – 22nd Governor of California
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1950 – Charles Tilden – Merchant, Served in the California National Guard during Spanish American War, Served on first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District.
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1957 – Julia Morgan – First woman to graduate with a degree in architecture from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Architect of Hearst Castle and over 700 buildings in California.
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1966 – Joseph Knowland – U.S. Congressman, President, Editor and Publisher of Oakland Tribune.
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1967 – Henry J. Kaiser – Kaiser Industries
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1974 – William Knowland – U.S. Senator, Succeeded his father as Editor and Publisher of Oakland Tribune.
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1981 – Edgar F. Kaiser – Philanthropist, Succeeded his father in Kaiser Industries. |
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