Goldseekers - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Lists of participants CA goldrush?

sksmith_nl — 31 Oct 2003 5:44:50 GMT

Family tradition has that my ancestor was in the '49 Gold Rush - that's all we know. Does anyone know if a census or other list was ever taken of the men who were in the gold fields at this time?
Thanks

William Hinksman

James Hinksman — 1 Jun 2006 9:45:57 GMT

hi trying to find a William Hinksman Born scotland 1841 1844 that took part in seeking gold in california can anyone help
j_hinks@hotmail.co.uk

Goldhunters from Scioto Co., Ohio

DoloresRutherford58 — 25 Nov 2006 2:43:35 GMT

For those of you who might have people who came to CA for the Gold Rush from Scioto Co., OH, you can check the following website where I posted a listing of those shown in the 1850 Census of Scioto Co. as "Gold Hunters". Some of them are my husband's ancestors who later went back to OH and brought their families to settle in Butte Co., CA.

http://www.scioto.org/Scioto/Articles/goldhunters.html

Goldseekers in the Dakota Territories

libbygene — 30 Jul 2005 8:52:30 GMT

I am wondering if there is a webpage or some resource for info for the early Dakota Territories (before statehood) for goldseekers that went there. I have two missing Smiley brothers who went there (according to the family legend) but can not find out what happened to them. Any suggestions? Were other states included in this area before statehood?

William J. CREE - Mokelumne Hill?

playtrains — 8 Dec 2003 11:47:20 GMT

I'm researching my ancestor William J. CREE. He travelled to California in 1849 with the expedition led first by Col. Henry Webb, and then by John Woodhouse Audubon. William is known to have made it to CA with Audubon, and he was back home in Elizabeth, NJ by August of 1853, but I haven't found anything to document his time in between.

According to family tradition, he established a hotel in the gold fields known as the Great American Hotel, but lost all of his money in an Indian raid outside of St. Louis on his return to NJ.

Just before William left for California, on January 29, 1849, his mother gave him a bible which he carried with him to California and back. In the bible is written in pencil "Mokelumne Hill, Cal" and the date August 21, 185-, the last figure in the year being too faint to be read. Since William arrived in San Diego in October of 1849 and was back in Elizabeth by 1853, the only Augusts William could have spent in California were in 1850, 1851 and 1852. So William was almost certainly in California when the 1850 Census was taken that year. But I can't find him.

I just discovered last night that Ancestry's 1850 CA census (and presumably the prior AIS book index) skips most of Calaveras County. I spent 5+ hours going through the county for people born in NJ but didn't see William.

I have a few questions:

Does anybody have any ideas how I can follow up on whether he ran a hotel there?

Were there any newspapers that at the time?

Were claims recorded like land records in the county or elsewhere? Were they lost in the fire at the courthouse, or had the records been moved?

Are there any other gold country counties that are known to be missing from the Ancestry index?

And finally, I'd love to compare notes with descendants of the other members of the Webb / Audubon expedition.

Thanks!

Gary

Benjamin Sexton Goldminer in Alaska

@@slgrawrock@hotmail.com — 30 Jun 2006 6:07:56 GMT

Looking for any information on my gggranfather Benjamin Sexton, he supposedly died in a fire in Alaska. He was there about 1898 to 1906.

James Bryans - Gold prospector - Canada 1920s

jackstorey10 — 20 Dec 2004 7:56:46 GMT

My wife's uncle went to Medicine Hat in the 1920s while there was a "gold rush" in the area. He returned in the 1980s to re-visit the places he knew. We asked him upon his return to Ireland if he had met any of the people he knew in the 1920s. His reply was that they were all dead. He lived to 96 and we have often wondered who he knew and how he accumulated so much money during his time in Canada.
He often referred to Calgary & Kicking Horse as places he knew.
Any possibility that somebody in any of these places has heard of him ??????

Swiss 49er

barbsidler — 26 May 2003 7:06:05 GMT

Looking for information about the Yreka Ca. gold fields and mining. Caspar Weist from Switzerland lived with his wife and children and worked the mines for several years in this area. Seeking information on the family.

Alexander Mills from Logan County, KY to California 1850's

Mary Smith — 13 Mar 2002 9:59:37 GMT

Alexander left his family in Logan Co., KY to seek gold in Calif. in the 1850's. If anyone knows anything about Alexander in Calif or what happened to him, would love to know. Thanks

Hancock Gold Mine, near Placerville CA?

Laurie Retzlaff — 29 Aug 2002 1:43:26 GMT

an old gold mine in california is said to have belonged to the hancocks of missouri and virginia and possibly tennessee. ancestors of edwin and nancy hancock, james anderson hancock and wife sarah mahulda decker went to placerville california along the American River. It is said that they bought mining land from disillusioned miners and ended up with a lot of land. He and his son jasper worked in hydraulic mining at union ridge. does anybody know where exactly, when, who owns the land now, or how well the family did from the mines?? any info at all would be great. i can share what family info i have. thanks
Laurie

James Clements Hart

oldphd — 22 May 2003 11:23:46 GMT

He left Berks county,PA around 1850 to look for gold. Family legend says he was going to Alaska, but in that time frame I think California is more likely. He was born in 1831. His father Joseph worked at Hopewell Furnace in Union twp,Berks cty PA. Any help gratefully appreciated.

Klondike Gold Rush of 1899

susanmumfordnorris85706 — 2 Jul 2002 11:35:59 GMT

I am researching my GGGF Harry Mumford in the goldrush of
the late 1800s. He went twice from OH. He died coming back the second time when he landed in Seattle. Any one else doing this type of research?

Canadians to CA Goldrush

ragallaher — 9 May 2002 1:13:40 GMT

I'm looking for any information on an Irishman from Canada who apparently hit it big in the California Goldrush. Unfortunately I don't have a name. Is there any search resources where I might find a list of claims with names?

Cleveland, Crusen, Death, & Funk-CA Gold Fields

Bob Brewer — 30 Jul 2005 8:55:15 GMT

My paternal grandmother Sarah Maria Funk was born in 1867 in Columbia Hill, Nevada, CA in the gold fields; SMF's fa was Samuel Silas Funk who owned a sawmill in that area; SSF's brother Lemuel N Funk was a miner there; SMF's mo was Susan Ann Crusen; SAC's par were David H Crusen & Mary Death, who owned and operated a toll road prob named Little Grass Valley Toll Road or Crusen Toll Road with their son William; the road ran E from Columbia Hill about 7 mi and is prob present day Cruzon Grade Rd; SSF, SAC, DHC, & MD came out of OH originally.
My maternal gggrandfather, John Wesley Cleveland, left a wife and children in NY or MN to seek his fortune in Yuba Co CA (the next county N of Nevada). He never came home, dying shortly after arrival in CA, prob from pneumonia; he prob d in Downieville, but the grave has never been found.
Any info about these 8 people and their families, area toll roads, etc would of course be helpful. The basic facts are pretty well known, but I'd sure like to know "the rest of these stories", even though they're pretty good stories already.
Also, there is a wonderful private, historical library in Nevada City you need to know about if you're researching the Nevada Co area. I found 7 legal documents involving the above ancestors, and the stuff in this library will never be on the Inet.

William Boyd,trapper, trader,goldseeker 1835 - 1850?

JaneGrezlik — 9 Sep 2002 5:08:39 GMT

Help!!! I am trying to locate any information on William Boyd. I have a family letter that states that he wrote home in March 1850 with a Sacramento City, California, and told the family that he was well and had not had one days sickness since he left home in 1835 and arrived in the Orgen teritorytry in 1840 near Vancover Island on the shores of the pecific oshen. He went into the fur trade and did very well, until he heard about the gold rush in Californey, some hundreds miles south. He went into the mines and said that he had more gold than a Jackass could carry and that he would be home in the "corn of the year" (fall). The letter goes on to say that their Mother died without ever seeing him and the family has not heard of him since. The letter was dated 1853. I have letters dating until 1872 and William is never mentioned again. William was the brother of my 3-great grandfather, and born about 1797. (mis-spelling above is from the letter) Thank you in advance.

Sheckels Brothers in CA Gold Rush

Sean Drury — 2 May 2001 12:00:00 GMT

Looking for whereabouts of Hezekiah, John & James Sheckels, who were b. in VA but moved with their family to MO in the 1830s, then came to CA in the 1850s with the Gold Rush. They were listed in Amador & Calaveras Co in the 1860 CA Census as miners but disappear from CA & MO census records after that.

I have more info on these brothers for those interested. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Colorado,California Goldseekers

lindabonnell07 — 30 Jul 2005 8:56:40 GMT

John TenEyck was born NY circa 1840-1860.Came out west,
may originally have been out a bit late for 1859 Gold Rush.
Settled in Leadville,CO. County was called Lake county.
Who else of his family came with him? Leadville became big with silver strikes but in 1893 the silver market crashed. John died in Denver about 1920.Who were his parents,
siblings?
Anybody know what TenEyck bunch settled out in Santa Rosa,
CA?

Canadian gold strikes

nostrovya1 — 2 Jul 2001 1:23:25 GMT

Tom Clover, my husband's great grandfather, born in 1829, Jefferson Co., MO., left California for the Frazer River goldstrike and eventually went to Edmonton, Sask. He panned for gold on the Saskatchewan River, at a location known as Clover Bar. In 1861 he married Elizabeth Paul, dau. of Paulet Paul. They later settled in Pembina, N.D. Little is known of his youth, altho I believe he was Palatine. Any family members out there? Any information would be very welcome, especially regarding his marriage and his early years.