This property was the home from 1890-1897 of the Laurilliard family, prominent in San Jose music business for many years. Albert A. Laurilliard (1817-1894) was a piano maker, born in Nova Scotia, who married Mary Osborne in 1838 and came to San Jose in 1872 by way of Boston (1836) and Chicago (1868). He had a store at 60 W. Santa Clara Street from 1884-1888.

There were five children, all involved in music businesses except Osborne, who died in 1872. Henry, Jr., started in business with his father, and after his wife, Dora, and 21-year-old son Henry died on September 9, 1892, joined sister Annie in the A. A. Gosbee firm in 1893. He then tuned for Schemmel & Pfister in 1895 and for Scott & Brown (across the street). In 1896 he was also an agent for Kohler & Chase, piano makers of San Francisco.

Daughter Annie married John G. Gosbee, who had a music business at 142-144 West Santa Clara, opposite the Notre Dame Convent and Conservatory. They lived in the Hensley House until Gosbee’s death on March 15, 1888. She then combined the Laurilliard and Gosbee businesses and carried on at 67 South First Street until 1893, with brothers Henry and Arthur as tuners and William McMeekin as bookkeeper. By 1894 she had closed the store and was teaching in her home at 64 St. Mary, and died later that year.

Daughter Mary married George R. Bent, who took over the former Gosbee premises and they continued their own business there and at 20 E. Santa Clara (1900), until establishing in 1901 their “Temple of Music” at 35 S. Second Street (former home of the Benjamin Curtaz music firm), which moved to 87-89 South Second Street in 1905. Their son, George Jr., became proprietor and daughter Annie was bookkeeper from 1900 onwards.

In 1897, Henry and daughter Margaret moved with his brothers to 27 East Street, two blocks west of Delmas. Albert worked at San Jose Light and Power until he died in 1901, and Arthur became a millhand at S. H. Chase. Only Henry continued as a piano tuner as late as 1904, and by then was living in rented rooms.