This residence embodies two chapters of Gonzales history. The original portion was built in 1874 by attorney William Mayo Atkinson, whose broader legacy includes purchasing the old Gonzales College and converting it to his home. That first house faced Saint Michael Street. In 1892 merchant Solomon Joseph and his wife Sarah Greenthal Joseph purchased the property, retained the rear section of the earlier structure, rotated the orientation to face Saint James Street, and undertook a substantial remodel. The result, completed in 1893, is a Queen Anne residence that reflects the Joseph family’s growing presence in town life.
Solomon Joseph was born May 19, 1856, in Kempen, Germany. After immigrating to the United States he became a successful merchant in Gonzales. He married Sarah Greenthal on July 25, 1886, remembered locally as the town’s first Jewish wedding. Sarah was born October 25, 1861, in Brooklyn, New York, to Maurice and Marion Chynzorviske Greenthal. Solomon died March 28, 1913, and Sarah died August 14, 1935. Both are buried in the Gonzales Jewish Cemetery.