The original portion of this house was built by William Mayo Atkinson in 1874. William, son of Robert and Elizabeth Atkinson, was born September 1, 1847, and died November 12, 1936. He was a local attorney and eventually purchased the Gonzales College and converted it to his residence. According to friends of Solomon Joseph’s daughter, Blossom, the house originally faced St. Michael Street. After purchasing the property in 1892, the Josephs preferred that it face St. James Street. Retaining only the back part of the original structure, they began the remodeling process. The result was this lovely Queen Anne style home facing St. James Street.
According to his naturalization papers, Solomon Joseph was born in Kempen, Germany, May 19, 1856. He immigrated to the United States and became a very successful merchant in Gonzales. On July 25, 1886, in Gonzales’ first Jewish wedding, he married Sarah Greenthal . Sarah, born October 25, 1861, in Brooklyn, New York, was the daughter of Maurice and Marion Chynzorviske Greenthal of Germany. Solomon died March 28, 1913, and Sarah died August 14, 1935. They are buried in the Gonzales Jewish Cemetery.
