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Oak tree Farm
The Cohen Bray House is the oldest surviving house on the original 200 acres owned by Watson Augustus Bray in this part of the Fruitvale neighborhood. The area has witnessed the growth and loss of these grand houses through time.
click on each photo or map for more info
1978 map of Bray and Cohen home locations
1878 map shows the south east end of Alameda before it was dredged through the Cohen property to become an island. The thick red line is between Oakland and Alameda. 200 acres of Bray properties is shown.
1885 map of the Oaktree farm property
Oak Tree farm boundries with current street names. the red star is the W.A.Bray Homestead. This lettered map was created when Bray had to sell all 200 acres he had accrued because employees embezzled from his business
Colorized drawings of the Bray Estate
Beautiful house and grounds trees and lawn and a carriage going down 29th Ave.
Grand houses in this fruitvale neighborhood
Three houses with arrows showing where they were located. The HJarub Estate, The Bray Estate and Captains Cumming house in 1878 . Drawings from the Alameda County Atlas in 1878
Bray homestead Property map
Map showing the garden where the Cohen Bray house will be built.
Oak Tree Farm- Bray Homestead
Photograph of the Bray Estate built in 1858. Tall trees line the driveway and the large fountain in front of the house.
Description of Bray house
Bray farmstead buildings
Drawing shows the developed property around the Bray Estate. The main building, the orchards, The barns and sheds and the asparagus patch where the Cohen house now stands. Current street names are in red.
Julia Moses Bray
Julia Moses Bray, mother of Emma Bray Cohen.
Watson Augustus Bray
W.A. Bray
Merchant and father of Julia Bray Cohen
Merchant and father of Julia Bray Cohen
Augustus and Edward Bray
Emma Bray's identical twin brothers. Born at Oak Tree Farm
Julia and Mary Bray 3 years old
Identical twins Julia and Mary Bray
Gravestone of Mary Bray
Mary died at 3 years old of child hood disease
Photo of Julia Bray
Julia Bray photo in the dining room at the Choen Bray house
Emma, Gus, Ed, Julia and Howard
Bray siblings at the foot of the grand staircase at Oak tree farm
Mills college photo
Emma Bray graduated from Mills college in 1879 from the music Department. Her sister Julia also graduated from there W.A. Bray was on the Board of Mills
Emma Bray through the years
Emma as a socialite before her marriage. Her wedding picture. In her favorite wicker chair in her 80's and earlier in her 70's
Headstone for the Bray Family
Bray Headstone in the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland, California
Photo of the front of the Bray house and fountain
Photo taken in 1925 when Cole owned the property, just before he sold it and it was divided in to the lots you see today.
1925 map with streets recognized today
property #11 is the Cohen Bray property location. The Bray property across the street divided into many parcels.
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