Beaudry & Peladeau Tract
At 5937 Fremont Street just across the Emeryville border stands a “salt box” style house built by Louis Maxima Beaudry. The house is one of the few remaining that dates back to the 1870s.
Beaudry—businessman, farmer and entrepreneur—was born in Canada in 1830. He immigrated to California in the early 1850s, one of the many foreigners who arrived in the state during the Gold Rush era. He settled in Oakland in 1853, one year after Oakland became a town. In the 1850s and 1860s, he worked variously as a stagecoach driver for Shattuck & Hillegass, operated a livery stable, and became a street contractor. He also opened the Fashion Stable in Oakland, and later operated the Conners Stable at Seventh and Broadway.
A Cemented Partnership
Having formed a partnership with Guillaume Peladeau and Hugh Bernard McAvoy, Beaudry became involved in many business ventures. Peladeau was born in Canada in 1834. He immigrated to California in 1856, where he worked in the gold mines, and finally settled in Alameda County in 1864. McAvoy was born in Pennsylvania in 1853 and moved to California with his parents in 1858. The three partners engaged in real estate speculation and farming, and also started an undertaking business. They purchased real estate in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and San Francisco. In addition to being business partners, the three men were related by marriage, as well. Beaudry and Peladeau each married a sister of Hugh McAvoy, which cemented the partnership.
In 1875, the three partners opened an undertaking business at 873 Washington Street in Oakland under the name Beaudry & McAvoy. Beaudry held the position of funeral director. According to a contemporary ad, this business provided every variety of funeral equipment, including hearses and coaches; rosewood, mahogany, and lead coffins; as well as shrouds, collars, cravats, and gravestones.
Beaudry & Peladeau Tract
In the 1860s, the three partners purchased a 100-acre tract of land located north of Oakland in the Golden Gate District, which at the time was unincorporated. Known as the Beaudry & Peladeau tract. it was situated between Powell and 59th Streets and ran west from San Pablo Avenue to the Bay. The surrounding area remained undeveloped, and the tract operated as a farm for several years. Due to the encroachment of civilization, the tract was finally subdivided into lots in 1876. Emeryville became a town in 1896, and Oakland annexed the Golden Gate District in 1897. Since the tract straddled Emeryville and Oakland, the west end became part of Emeryville and the east end part of Oakland.
The Beaudry & Peladeau tract was strategically located adjacent to the Berkeley Branch of the Northern Railway, which provided transportation to both Berkeley and Oakland. A horse car line operated on San Pablo Avenue, providing transportation to downtown Oakland. The lots in the tract sold rapidly and were soon filled with homes, transforming the once agricultural tract into a residential neighborhood. Beaudry built his salt box house on 11th Street (now Fremont Street) north of Powell Street. Many of the houses in the tract date back to the nineteenth century and are in a remarkable state of preservation.
Death of Beaudry
Louis Beaudry died on March 26, 1895, at age 65. He left a Widow, Mrs. Annie Beaudry, and four children.
The Oakland Enquirer’s obituary read:
“L. M. Beaudry, one of the old residents of this city and for several years in the undertaking business here, died after a brief illness… The deceased was a native of Canada, where he was born about sixty-five years ago… He came to this coast in the early fifties and drove stage for Shattuck & Hillegass for some time. Then he went into farming in Contra Costa County in partnership with P. G. Peladeau. Later on, the partners bought a large tract of land at Golden Gate, this now going by their name. In the sixties Mr. Beaudry went into the livery stable business in this city, starting what is now known as the Fashion stable, afterwards selling out to McCleverty & Noblett. Shortly after this, Mr. Beaudry conducted the “Conners stable” at Seventh and Broadway for some time.
The deceased was one of the first street contractors of this city. With C. D. Bates, he put the first macadam on Broadway. At this time they had to break all the rock by hand. After following this business for some time, Mr. Beaudry went into the undertaking business with H. J. McAvoy, afterwards selling out to the latter. A few years ago he again went into the undertaking business with J. C. McAvoy, in which he was engaged at the time of his death…”
Both Beaudry and Peladeau had Emeryville streets named for them; they run north-south and cross Powell Street east of San Pablo Avenue.
This story originally published in 1996 for the Emeryville Centennial Celebration and compiled into the ‘Early Emeryville Remembered’ historical essays book.
