Annie May Wyant was born in New Orleans in 1867. She began work as a prostitute in the gold country of the Sierra Nevada foothills in the 1880s and arrived in San Francisco's Tenderloin District in the early 1890s under the name Jessie Mellon. She went to work as a prostitute at Mrs. Nina Hayman's "lodging house" at 225 Ellis Street, an establishment that had been taken over by Hayman following the retirement of it's founder Madam Dolly Adams, the "Water Queen of the Bella Union Theater."
When Hayman herself retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer, she left her three-story brothel to house favorite, Jessie Mellon. As a tribute to her mentor, Jessie took on the name "Diamond Jessie Hayman."
Jessie's brothel included three fireplaces, a saloon, a champagne cellar and 15suites filled with imported furniture. She provided each of her employees with a $6,000 wardrobe that included a fox fur coat, four tailored suits, eight hats, two dress coats, twelve pairs of shoes, twelve pairs of gloves, seven evening gowns and seven negligees. She eventually earned enough money from her business to buy several parcels of land in the city and died in 1923 with an estate worth $116,000.
On 28 April 1906 the Great 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck California. Today it still ranks as the hardest hitting earthquake for that area. San Francisco was the epicenter of the earthquake but was felt from places in Oregon, Los Angeles and all the way in Nevada for about a minute long. The tragedy caused much damage throughout the city; it sparked many fires and caused a large amount of people their lives. It is suspected that nearly 700 people throughout the quakes path perished, with 189 being outside the city.
Being known for her compassionate nature towards her employees, Jessie set out to help and assist people in need in her community. Because her brothel was not damaged by the quake, she and her employees helped by cooking for people in need and handing out clothes and other necessities.
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