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| dissolved = | location = 2476 San Diego Avenue San Diego, California | type = | collection = | visitors = | director = | president = | curator = | publictransit= | network = | website = }} The Whaley House is an 1857 Greek Revival style residence, a California Historical Landmark, and museum located in Old Town, San Diego, California. It is currently maintained by Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO). The Whaley House was the home of Thomas Whaley and his family. At various times it also housed Whaley's general store, San Diego's second county courthouse, and the first commercial theater in San Diego. The house has "witnessed more history than any other building in the city".〔 ==Whaley family== Thomas Whaley, of Scots-Irish origin, was born on October 5, 1823 in New York City, the seventh child in a family of ten. After taking over his father's successful business relations, Whaley left New York on January 1, 1849. During the California gold rush, he arrived in San Francisco where he engaged in business. He then left and arrived in San Diego in September 1851. After living in San Diego for two years, Whaley went back to New York to marry Anna Eloise Delaunay on August 14, 1853. Together they started a new life in California, arriving in San Diego on December 7, 1853. On August 22, 1857 the Whaleys moved into their finely built home, now known as the Whaley House.〔 Thomas and Anna Whaley had six children, Francis Hinton, Anna Amelia, Thomas Whaley Jr, George, Violet, and Corinne Lillian. Francis was the first, born on December 28, 1854 and was named after a business partner. Thomas Whaley Jr. was born on August 18, 1856. He suffered from Scarlet Fever at 18 months and died on January 29, 1858 in the Whaley House in Old Town. Anna gave birth to Anna Amelia Whaley on June 27, 1858. After the death of baby Thomas Jr., and the loss by fire of their wooden store, Thomas and Anna decided to move to San Francisco.〔 In January 1859, Thomas Whaley turned his affairs in Old Town over to Frank Ames, the Wells Fargo agent. On November 5, 1860, George Hay Ringgold Whaley was the fourth born to Thomas and Anna. On October 14, 1862, Violet Eloise Whaley was the fifth baby born to Thomas and Anna. Corinne Lillian, youngest of six children, was born on September 4, 1864. In the summer of 1868, Thomas invested some of his new capitol of stock in merchandise and headed back to San Diego. Thomas fixed up the old Whaley House, and Anna and the rest of the family arrived back home to San Diego on December 12, 1868.〔 On January 5, 1882, Violet Eloise Whaley and Anna Amelia Whaley married in Old San Diego. Violet married George T. Bertolacci and Anna Amelia wed her first cousin John T. Whaley, son of Henry Hurst Whaley. Two weeks into Violet's marriage, as the couple was traveling back east on their honeymoon, she awoke one morning to find her husband gone. Bertolacci, as it turned out, was a con artist, and as Violet and her family later learned, had only married her for the substantial dowry he believed he would collect, upon the marriage. Due to the restrictive morals and societal standards of the time period, Violet was essentially shunned by polite society upon returning home, not only without her husband, but also unchaperoned, something proper ladies simply did not do in late 19th century Victorian society. Violet and George's divorce was finalized approximately a year later, but Violet never recovered from the public humiliation and betrayal and suffered from depression.〔 Violet committed suicide by shooting herself in the chest with Thomas's 32-calibre on August 18, 1885.〔 She was then 22 years of age. Her suicide note reads thus: The suicide note is a passage from 'Bridge of Sighs', a poem by Thomas Hood. This particular poem is also offered up by Edgar Allan Poe, as an example of painting with words; he spoke of it ('Bridge of Sighs') and it was referenced in his published works during his lectures. 〔http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-bridge-of-sighs/〕) Corrine Lillian was engaged at the time of her sister's death, but her fiancé broke off the engagement due to the scandal it raised. After these tragic events, Thomas Whaley built a single-story frame home for his family at 933 State Street in Downtown San Diego and the family moved into the new residence, leaving the Whaley House vacant for over two decades.〔 Francis Whaley married Susan E. Murray in Mendocino, California on December 31, 1888. On December 14, 1890, Thomas Whaley died due to ill health at the State Street address. Anna Amelia Whaley died at Modesto, California on December 12, 1905.〔 Meanwhile, the old Whaley House remained vacant and fell into disrepair. In late 1909 Francis Whaley undertook the restoration of the building and turned the home into a tourist attraction, where he posted signs promoting its historicity and entertained visitors with his guitar. Anna Whaley, Thomas's widow, Corinne Lillian, Francis and George all lived in the old Whaley House in 1912. On February 24, 1913 Anna died at eighty years of age. A year later, Francis Whaley died on November 19, 1914. George Whaley died on January 5, 1928 in San Diego and, Corinne Lillian Whaley continued residency in the house until her death in 1953.〔 After all this family history of success and deaths the Whaley House remains well known as a haunted house. It is said that guests and the staff, from time to time, will catch a glimpse of the ghost of a Whaley family member who died inside the house such as: baby Thomas Jr., Violet, Anna, Francis, George and Corinne Lillian Whaley. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whaley House (San Diego, California)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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