Walter Henry Branson

Walter Henry Branson, third of the five children of Alvin Thorpe Branson and Mary Eliza Simmons, was born 8 November 1889 in Merced, Merced County, CA. He is not to be confused with his nephew Walter Thorpe Branson. (The latter was born nearly seventy-five years later.)

Walter grew up in cabins and gold camps in Mariposa County near the sites where his father mined. Much of his childhood was spent near Quartzburg and Hornitos. Two years (1892 and 1893) were spent at El Portal near the entrance to Yosemite Valley. Sometimes the family lived in the town of Mariposa, particularly during those intervals when Alvin Branson worked at Mt. Ophir Mine. The home was a rental and was referred to by the Bransons as the Gann house after its owner, who is believed to have been Elias Newton Gann, a rancher whose main residence was in the Whiterock District of the county. Walter’s schooling was somewhat haphazard due to the changes of residence, but he put in substantial stretches of attendance at the elementary schools at Quartzburg and in Mariposa.

Walter grew and grew until he towered over others in the family. The Bransons of Hornitos were known for their height, but Walter seems to have been the tallest of all.

Walter does not appear to have ever established a life independent of his immediate family members. He lived at home until at least 1910, as shown by the Quartzburg/Hornitos census of that year, aside from those times he stayed in miners’ barracks during temporary periods of employment. Also, in his late teens and early twenties he may have spent an interval or two living with his father’s sister, Mattie Branson Mueller White and her first husband Rudolph Mueller, Jr. Mattie and Rudolph had no children and Mattie may have appreciated the opportunity to be maternal. Walter is pictured in multiple photographs taken at the rear of the Hornitos Hotel, where Rudolph and Mattie worked as cooks. Walter was probably employed there as well -- he is wearing an apron in the photos. (See Mattie’s page on this website for an example.)

Walter seems to have enjoyed mining, but came to understand that it was a dying industry in Mariposa County, and therefore not a viable option as a career. When his father gave up his dream of uncovering a bonanza at his “Last Chance” diggings and the decision was made to take up a new kind of life outside of Mariposa County, Walter chose to make the leap with them. In June, 1914, the family -- reduced by now to just Alvin, Mary, Walter, and Walter’s twelve-year-old brother Ivan -- settled into a house in Stockton, San Joaquin County, CA. By the end of the year or the beginning of 1915, they moved into their long-term home at 420 Monterey Avenue. With the exception of his brief military service in World War I, Walter would spend the rest of his life residing at that address.

Walter found a job as an assistant blacksmith, having been taught blacksmithing skills by his father. This lasted until he entered the U.S. Army. Despite having a less-than-perfect right eye, Walter was inducted into the 91st Division 248th Machine Gun Batallion. He went through boot camp at Camp Lewis, American Lake, WA. The picture at right was taken at that time, and was used for a postcard that was subsequently sent to relatives -- what you see is a scan of a portion of that postcard.

The war did not last long enough for him to be shipped overseas. He spent most of his enlistment stationed in Miles City, MT. Returning to civilian life, Walter became a Stockton city firefighter. This was an occupation he kept for thirty-five years. One major interruption occurred in 1939. Two fire engines collided, injuring five men of the department so severely that two of them never resumed their duties. Walter required five months of convalescence before he could return. The upside was that the shortage of manpower allowed his nephew Alvin Corkins to be hired as a fill-in. This led to a permanent position, which for Alvin was something of a dream come true given that in the Great Depression, a nice steady city job was a real prize. Walter was able to enjoy having his nephew working with him side-by-side until he retired in the 1950s.

Walter’s father died in 1934 and his mother in 1940. He inherited the house at 420 Monterey from them. Their deaths did not mean he had to live alone, however, as his sister Maude moved in with him. She had been living next door at 410 Monterey for many years prior to that, and as she was once again single by 1940, it made no sense to fill two houses with one person each. (A photograph of Maude and Walter in front of 420 Monterey is shown on her page.)

Walter was a lifelong bachelor and had no children. He died 16 February 1966 in Stockton and is buried in Stockton Rural Cemetery, where the graves of his parents and many other Branson relatives can be found.

Walter Branson is shown here standing in front of his fire engine well into his many years as a firefighter for the City of Stockton. This image dates from after 1939 when his nephew Alvin was one of his colleagues and was given by Alvin to his sister, Alice Corkins Campbell, whose loan of it in 2006 allowed it to be scanned for this website.

To go back one generation, click here. To return to the Branson/Ousley Family main page, click here.