Résumé

Designer, S.C. Bugbee and Son, Architects, San Francisco, CA. 1865-1877.

Principal, C.L. Bugbee, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1878-1880. In 1878, Charles Bugbee maintained an office in Rooms #78-79 in the Nevada Building in San Francisco. (See "Bugbee Ad," Russian River Flag, [Healdsburg, CA]. vol. 10, no. 36, 07/11/1878, p. 1.) The following year, he was down to just one room, #79 in the Nevada Block. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1879, p. 935.)

Charles Bugbee moved to Oakland, CA, in the 1860s, and may have worked as the Oakland Schools' departmental architect in the late 1870s. A notice from San Francisco's Daily Alta California newspaper said in the summer of 1879: "At a meeting of the Board of Education Wednesday evening, School Director Smith moved that the office of the Department Architect, now filled by Mr. Bugbee, be declared vacant, and that salaries of principals be reduced, and that assistant music teacher be discharged--all with a view to economize in the the City Government. The matter was taken under advisement until the next meeting." (See "Oakland Items," Daily Alta California, vol. 31, no. 10680, 07/11/1879, p. 1.) Losing this position may have added to stress on Charles Bugbee at this time.

Less than a year later, the Daily Alta Californiaeulogized Bugbee in an obituary of 01/05/1880: "The architectural community have just met a great loss in the death of Mr. Charles L. Bugbee, at Oakland. Mr. Bugbee was one of the leading architects of the Coast, and, in conjunction with the late S.C. Bugbee, his father, has left, as monuments of his work, several of the largest residences in this city, among which are those of Messrs. Stanford, Crocker, Colton and Tobin; also many large commercial buildings, including the California Theatre and Grand Opera House. Mr. Bugbee had been in business on this Coast for sixteen years, and his high reputation was well known. The funeral will take place from his later residence, 534 Fifteenth Street, Oakland, at 1 P.M., to-day." (See "Death of Architect Charles L. Bugbee," Daily Alta California, vol. 32, no. 10857, 01/05/1880, p. 1.)

Relocation

Born in Maine in about 1837, Charles Lewis Bugbee lived in both New Brunswick, Canada, and the Boston area in MA as a child and young man. Because the Bugbees moved between Canada and MA during his early years, there has been some question as to the place of his birth. The web site askArt.com noted that Charles Lewis Bugbee was born in New Brunswick, Canada. The 1850 US Census listed his place of birth as Massachusetts. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1850; Census Place: Roxbury, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M432_330; Page: 127A; Image: 259, accessed 08/22/2017.) The US Census of 1870 and the San Francisco County voting registers for 1866 and 1868 indicated that he had been born in Maine. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library, California History Section; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4 - 2A; CSL Roll Number: 1; FHL Roll Number: 976446, accessed 08/22/2017.) The US Census of 1850 included the "Bugby" Family of Roxbury, MA. Samuel Bugbee, Charles's father, owned $15,000 worth of real estate in Roxbury, a substantial estate at the time. A Massachusetts State Census listed the Bugbee Family in Boston in 1855. Charles's occupation was listed as a "clerk," his father was listed as a "contractor."

Charles moved with his family to San Francisco, CA, in 1861 or 1862. The family name did not appear in the San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1861, but did the following year.

According to CA voting records, between 1866 and 1868, Charles Lewis Bugbee resided at 722 Folsom Street in San Francisco, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library, California History Section; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4 - 2A; CSL Roll Number: 40; FHL Roll Number: 977096, accessed 08/21/2017.)

Charles L. Bugbee moved across the bay in 1868, to reside in Oakland, CA, but continued worked in San Francisco. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1868, p. 117.) His father, Samuel, lived at20 Hawthorne Street in San Francisco in 1868. Charles was the first member of his family to take up residence in Oakland, CA. His father, Samuel, and brother, Sumner, registered to vote as residents of this Alameda County city on 10/30/1876 and 10/31/1876, respectively.

Two years before his death, he maintained a residence at 522 15th Street in Oakland, CA. (See Oakland, California, City Directory, 1878, p. 127.)

Parents

His father was Samuel Charles Bugbee (1812-1877), a notable architect born in NB, Canada, and his mother, Abigail Deborah Stephenson (c.1816-1879), who maintained the household that consisted of five children. He had an uncle, J.H. Bugbee, a lawyer, who resided in San Francisco and later San Rafael, CA. Charles's brothers included John Stephenson Bugbee (born c. and Sumner Weld Bugbee (born 08/16/1846 in Roxbury, MA) , and two sisters, Agnes Stephenson Bugbee (born 10/23/1849 in Roxbury, MA) andElla Roslie Bugbee(born 09/27/1852 in Boston, MA). Sumner Weld Bugbee, after clerking for his father's successful architectural practice, S.C. Bugbee and Son, became an architect in Oakland, CA, in the 1890s.

Spouse

He marriedEllen R. Prince (born 1845 in MA- ) on05/04/1865 in San Francisco. (See "Married,"Sacramento Daily Union, vol. 29, no. 4410, 05/10/1865, p. 2.)

Children

He had one daughter, Alice Woodsworth Bugbee(03/1866–04/15/1888) and one son, Louis Bugbee (born c. 1872 in CA).

Biographical Notes

• Calais, ME (Architect's Birth)
  Calais, ME

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