Résumé

Turner or tinner, Milwaukee, WI, 1850.

Architect, Milwaukee, WI, 1860.

Partner, [Barnett] McDougall and Marquis, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1865-1869; in 1869, their office was located at 328 Montgomery Street. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1869, p. 421.)

Principal, John Marquis, Architect, San Francisco, CA, fl. 1877-1883. Marquis ran his architectural practice at 204 Montgomery Street in 1877. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1877, p. 465.) In 1883, he operated it at 39 Sutter Street. (See the San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1883, p. 1106.)

Principal, John Marquis, Architect, Santa Cruz, CA, 1908. Marquis maintained an office at 20 Cooper Street in Santa Cruz in 1908. (See Santa Cruz, California, City Directory, 1907-1908, p. 183.) Marquis also operated a farm in the Santa Cruz area during the last 20 or so years of his life.

Relocation

Architect John Marquis was born in Scotland. The Scottish Census of 1841 located John at age seven lliving with his family in a townhouse at 40 Great King Street in the City of Edinburgh. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Parish: Edinburgh St Mary; ED: 1; Page: 8; Line: 420; Year: 1841, accessed 09/10/2025.)

According to the 1900 US Census, John immigrated to the US at age 15 in 1849. His family arrived in New York, NY, from Glasgow, Scotland on 07/24/1849 aboard the barque Mary Morris. The family likely lived in New York, NY, for a short time, where John's sister Jennie was born.

He resided in Milwaukee, WI, by 1850 with his parents and siblings. The family lived in US Census District #19. In 1850, the US Census recorded that John worked as either a "tinner" or a "turner," as the notation is hard to read. In either case, he could have worked on his own or in a larger manufacturing setting. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Milwaukee Ward 1, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 1003; Page: 194b, accessed 09/10/2025.)

John's parents and siblings continued to live in Milwaukee in 1860. By this point, they inhabited the city's 1st Ward. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Milwaukee Ward 1, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: M653_1421; Page: 731; Family History Library Film: 805421, accessed 09/10/2025.) John, however, had moved out of his parent's house by this time. He resided in Milwaukee and had a wife Sarah and two children--John and Marphet (aka Gertrude)--of his own. He enjoyed some success by 1860 working as an architect. The US Census ofthat year noted that he owned real estate worth $3,000 and had personal assets of $200. This was considerably more than most of his immediate neighbors. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Milwaukee Ward 6, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: M653_1423; Page: 599; Family History Library Film: 805423, accessed 09/10/2025.)

A 06/1863 list of eligible men living in the 1st Congressional District in WI included John Marquis's name. Whether he served in the Civil War is not known. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110; Collection Name: Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); NAI: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 1 of 4, accessed 09/10/2025.) It is possible that he relocated to CA in order to avoid the draft, as he likely arrived in San Francisco c. 1864. By 1865, he worked in partnership with Barnett McDougall (1825-1905), also of Scottish descent, in San Francisco.

As noted on a San Francisco voter registration roll of 1892, Marquis became a naturalized US citizen on 10/28/1873 in San Francisco's US District Court.

Marquis resided at 1226 Eddy Street in 1869. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1869, p. 404.)

He dwelled at 2217 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco's well-to-fo Pacific Heights neighborhood in 1892. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1892; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 88; FHL Roll Number: 977606, accessed 09/10/2025.)

In 1900, he resided in Branciforte, Santa Cruz County, CA, where he owned a farm. He resided here with his wife Suzetta, and three children--Thomas, Suzetta and Alberta--the last two were had by her.

John Marquis passed away in Santa Cruz County, CA, on 05/13/1911 at the age of 77. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Death Index, 1905-1939 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013, accessed 09/10/2025.)

Parents

His mother was Janet "Jessie" Watson (born c. 1805 in Scotland). Janet wed Alexander Marquis (born 01/18/1806 in Falkirk, Stirling, Scotland), John's father, on 06/01/1832 in Glasgow, Scotland. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 09/10/2025.) Janet and Alexander had six children together, John being the eldest.

Alexander Marquis worked as a portrait painter in Milwaukee when the family first arrived in 1850 and continued in this profession a decade later. In 1870, Alexander lived with his son Alexander in Milwaukee and had not accumulated a lot of wealth during his twenty years in the US. The 1870 US Census noted that Alexander the elder owned $1,200 worh of real estate and had personal assets of $100. His son Alexander had earned more, owning $2,800 worth of real estate and having personal wealth of $2,500. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: Milwaukee Ward 1, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1726; Page: 196A, accessed 09/10/2025.)

John's siblings included Janet "Jennie" Marquis (born c. 1837 in Scotland), Alexander Marquis (born c. 1838 in Scotland), Robert Marquis (born 06/08/1845 in Scotland-d. 09/01/1905 in CA), Jane Marquis (born c. 1849 in NY) and William Marquis (born c. 1851 in WI). Alexander and Robert worked together in a grocery business in Milwaukee called "Marquis Brothers." (See Milwaukee, Wisconsin, City Directory, 1867, p. 242.)

Spouse

He married Sarah T. Marquis

His second wife was Suzette A. Sparrow (born c. 1862-d. 02/20/1929 in Alameda County, CA)

Children

With his first wife, he had the following offspring: Robert Marquis (born c. 1871 in CA), Thomas Marquis (born 10/1876 in CA).

Marquis had two children by his second wife Suzette A Sparrow: Suzette Marquis (born c. 12/1888 in CA) and Alberta Marquis (born c. 05/1891 in CA).

Biographical Notes

As noted on the 1892 San Francisco voter roll, John Marquis stood 5-feet, 11-and-1/4-inches tall and had a dark Caucasian complexion, green eyes and black hair. He had a scar on the joint of his left thumb noted as a distinguishing feature on the voter registration record.