The Whaley House was the home of Thomas Whaley and his family. The house was built where a graveyard once was. 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".
Thomas Whaley, of Scots-Irish origin, was born on October 5, 1823 in New York City, the seventh child in a family of ten. Whaley took over his father's successful business relations, then left New York on January 1, 1849. He traveled to San Francisco, during the California gold rush, where he engaged in business.
Thomas and Anna Whaley had six children, Francis Hinton (December 28, 1854), Thomas Whaley Jr. (August 18, 1856), Anna Amelia (June 27, 1858), George Hay Ringgold (November 5, 1860), Violet Eloise (October 14, 1862), and Corinne Lillian (September 4, 1864). Francis Hinton was named after a business partner. Thomas Whaley, Jr. suffered from scarlet fever at 18 months and died on January 29, 1858.
On January 5, 1882, Violet Eloise Whaley and Anna Amelia Whaley were both 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.
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:
Mad from life's history,
Swift to death's mystery;
Glad to be hurled,
Anywhere, anywhere, out of this world.
— Violet Whaley, Save Our Heritage Organisation
Over the years many descendants of the Whaley family lived and died in the house, including Thomas, Anna and their children Lillian, Thomas, Violet and Francis. During its restoration periods, which took place several different times throughout the home’s history, workers and visitors began to notice strange and mysterious sounds, sights, aromas and encounters. The first and most well-known ghost that lingered within the house and on the grounds was that of Yankee Jim Robinson – as he had died right on the spot where the home was built.
Baby Thomas, who’d been the first in the family to pass away, had always stayed close by, as reported by many who have visited the home. They could hear tiny footsteps, the sounds of him crying, even giggling when no one was in sight.
Others report seeing a young woman lingering on the second floor of the house, believed to be poor Violet, still consumed with sorrow. She seems to stay close to the second floor where she spent much of her time after her divorce before she committed suicide. It is said that areas within the home become quite cold and her presence is felt throughout.
After this 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 or Corinne Lillian Whaley.
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