S.P. Saunders does not have an image.

S.P. Saunders
1840s-1880s
(active 1835–1914)
Stephen P. Saunders. Changed name to "Sanders" later in life.

Stephen Poole Sanders, Photographer
by Thomas N. Layton

Stephen P. San ders (1835-1914), born in Nova Scotia, operated a photographic studio in St. John, New Brunswick, before his failing health required a change of climate. In the early 1850s, Stephen's older cousin, Charles Edward Sanders (1824-1905), had moved to California, settling in the Gilroy ares. In 1858, Stephen followed him via the Isthmus of Panama. Although their relatives in Nova Scotia all spelled their surname "Saunders," Charles and Stephen both changes the spelling to "Sanders."

For two years Stephen engaged in mining in Sierra County after which he resumed his career as a photographer. The 1860 census listed him as an artist (as photographers were then often listed) living in Gibsonville, Sierra County. He then operated a photographic gallery in Marysville before moving for a short while to San Francisco. In 1865, he moved his studio across the Bay to Haywards (now Hayward), and finally to San Jose in about 1867.

By 1870, Stephen (an artist) and his wife Nannie were living in Gilroy. Later that year they adopted Ella Irene, age 6, and Jennie Myrtle, age 4, the daughters of Sanders' deceased brother in Nova Scotia. Decades later, as adults, Ella and Jennie would change their surname back to the original "Saunders" spelling of their birth parents.

In 1872, Stephen was working as a photographer in San Jose when he was naturalized and registered to vote. The 1873 city directory listed his photographic studio at 282 First Street and his residence on Center Street, north of Alameda Road. Although there are no San Jose city directory listings for Stephen during the remainder of the 1870s, the 1880 Federal Census listed him as a photographer living in Sa nJose with his wife Nancy a dressmaker and his two adopted daughters.

Stephen appeared in the 1881-82 city directory as a traveling photographer, living on Center Street between Julian and Cinnabar, with his wife still listed as a dressmaker. The 1882-83 directory listed Sanders' daughters, Ella and Jennie, as students at the Normal School, but living at home on Center Street. Ella graduated in 1884 but Jennie dropped out because of poor health.

In the early 1880s, Stephen gave up photography as a profession to become a farmer. In 1881, he bought 25 acres on Doyle Road at the western edge of San Jose, less than a mile from Saratoga. He added 10 acres in 1883, 20 acres in 1884 and planted the property in prunes, apricots, plums and cherries, managing the fruit drying and marketing himself. In 1885, Sanders completed canstruction of a large house for his family. The Sourisseau Academy has a circa 1893 photograph, taken by Hill & Yard, which shows Nannie Sanders, Ella, Jenny and others playing croquet on the front lawn.

In 1891, Stephen's cousin, Charles, built Redwood Retreat, a 20 guest-room hotel, on his property near Gilroy. After the hotel burned in 1908, it was replaced by a lodge that survives today. The property, located at the end of Redwood Retreat Road, has remained in the family for six generations and is now operated as the Fernwood Cellars Winery.

After graduation from the Normal School, Ella taught for three years in Monterey County (1884-1886) and for a year near Petrolia in Humboldt County (1887). In 1898, she was listed as Ella I. Saunders [from San Jose] in: "Proceedings and Report of the Council of Education, California Teachers Association." Ella died om April 23, 1906 from injuries suffered when the chimney of family house (sic) collapsed on her during the 1906 Earthquake.

Stephen remained a fruit farmer until his death on December 10, 1914. By the 1920 census, Sanders' widow and Jennie were still living in the family house. Nannie Alline Sanders died on November 24, 1929. Jennie continued to live in the family home until her death on June 4, 1963 at the age of 97. Her death record recorded her last name as "Saunders." She left the house to Charles Denio Pond (1902-1980), the grandson of her cousin Charles Edward Sanders. The Sanders' Victorian house (No longer owned by the family) still stands at 870 Forest Ridge Drive, at the far western edge of San Jose.

During Stephen's photographic career he produced images in carte-de-visite, stereoview and standard photographic formats. The Sourisseau Academy has 50 copies of Sanders' images, some of which were copied from his daughter Jennie's photo album. Eight of these images are of residences, 11 are views of Alum Rock Park, four show the construction of Mount Hamilton Road and eight show buildings and places in San Jose and Santa Clara, including a wonderful view up San Antonio Street toward the Normal School. We do not know the present location of Jennie's album.

The Sourisseau Academy archive holds at leat three original Stephen Sanders images: a stereoview of the 1870s Normal School; an 1860s stereoview of the Baptist Church (destroyed in 1868) and an 1860s-70s carte-de-visite image, back-stamped "S.P. Sanders, San Jose, Travelling (sic) Photographer," showing Francois Tremoureax driving a loaded wagon.

Information for this biographic sketch of Stephen Sanders was taken from Foote (1888:450-451), Sawyer (1922:586), San Jose city directories, Federal Census records, Sanders' images in the Sourisseau Academy collection, and a discussion with Linda Pond, the daughter of Charles Denio Pond, who remembers well her Cousin Jennie Saunders.

Information on Charles Edward Sanders can be found in Marjorie Pierce's book, "East of the Gabilans," Western Tananger Press: Santa Cruz, 1976. The story of Annis Hilton's 1860s journey from Nova Scotia to meet her husband Charles Edward Sanders in California is told by Elsie Pond in, "Odyssey if the Heart," Redwdood Retreat Oress, 1997.