Person Sheet
Spouses
BirthMar 1839, Pennsylvania
Death14 Feb 1869, Mariposa Co., California
BurialMariposa Public Cemetery, Mariposa Co., California
FatherJohn MARSHALL Sr. (1803-)
MotherAnn WARDELL (~1808-)
Marriage15 Jul 1855, Sherlock, Whitlock Mining District, Mariposa Co., California
Birth1843, Ireland
Death23 Jan 1906, Mariposa, Mariposa Co., California
Burial25 Jan 1906, Mariposa Catholic Cemetery, Mariposa Co., California
Marriageabt 1870-71
ChildrenMary Ellen (Nellie) (GORDON) (Step) (1865-1918)
John Francis (1874-1916)
Hattie Josephine (1876-1949)
James B. (1878-1929)
Malenor (1879-1970)
Peter E. (1881->1970)
William (1884->1970)
Notes for Peter GORDON
The following was written by Warren B. Carah and posted on the Rootsweb CAMARIPO list:
Peter Gordon is looked upon as the patriarch of many Mariposa families. His obituary states he originated from Rochester, New York and came to "Monterrey, California in 1849 with Col. Stevenson" He is then said to have come to Mariposa County in the following year. His age at his death on 17 November 1903 is given as 72 years, 11 months, and 23 days.
Various sources and census data have given a birth year of 1833. The most often repeated date is the one given in the 1900 census--August 1833. However, the 1833 birth year does not correlate with two facts in Peter's life. Namely his coming to California with Col. Stevenson and his given age at the time of his death.
The reference to Col. Stevenson concerns the First Regiment of New York Volunteers which Jonathan D. Stevenson commanded and which was formed in the summer of 1846 for the specific purpose of occupying California in conjunction with the Mexican War. The members of the First Regiment were recruited from New York City and one company each from Albany, Bath (in Steuben County), and Norwich in Chenango County. The Regiment left New York for California on 26 September 1846 and arrived at San Francisco on 6 March 1847. Col. Stevenson then dispatched companies to Monterrey, Santa Barbara and San Francisco. I have not been able to locate muster rolls for Stevenson's Regiment except for officers and NCO's so I cannot verify Peter Gordon's enlistment at the present time. Does anyone know where such a list is kept for enlistees?
Often active recruiting for a war effort allows some discretion for minimum age to enlist, but if Peter Gordon did enlist in Col. Stevenson's Regiment and he was indeed born in August 1833, he was but 13 years old when the unit was formed. While not unprecedented, the young age would have raised some eye brows. This is mainly because the Regiment was not formed so much for battle as it was to be the basis of a U..S. colonization of the Mexican territory of California after the war was won. President Polk was not going to be denied. Persons joining the units were expressly told that they were expected to settle the new territory after they were mustered out.
Personnel recruited for this type of mission would likely be farmers, professionals and skilled craftsmen, and not 13 year old boys.
The reference to Peter Gordon's joining up with Col. Stevenson in Rochester, New York certainly points to his being recruited at Bath in Steuben County which is not an excessive distance away. However there are complications. Albert Gordon, in his book "Stage to Yosemite" repeats family lore that Peter Gordon was born "on the banks of the Hudson River." A search of the LDS-IGI reveals an interesting birth of one Peter Gordon to a Peter Gordon and Margaret Wheeler of Copake, Columbia County, New York on 12 July 1830 (Film Batch C503931). Columbia County, New York is adjacent to the Hudson River about 15 miles south of Albany. So Albany is also a logical point in
which Peter Gordon could have been recruited into Col. Stevenson's First Regiment of New York Volunteers.
And finally there is the matter of Peter Gordon's age at his death--72 years, 11 months, 23 days. Without any debate if this age is correct, it calculates to a birth date of 25 November 1830 if my math is correct.
Based on the supposition of Peter Gordon's association with Col. Jonathan Stevenson's First Regiment of New York Volunteers and his purported age at his death in 1903, it is likely Peter Gordon was born in the second half of 1830 which would have made him a more reasonable 16 years of age when he joined the Army.
Regardless of when he was born, if the facts of his association with Col. Stevenson are proved, Peter Gordon was an Argonaut of pre-1849 California and holds a unique place in Mariposa, California history.
by Warren Carah, Brighton, Michigan; [email protected]
enumerated by 1880 census of Mariposa
1880 United States Census
Marital Birth B-place
Name Rel Status Sex Race Age place Occup Fa Mo
Peter GORDON Self M M W 47 NY Mining NY NY
Margaret GORDON Wife M F W 37 IRE Keeping House IRE IRE
Nellie GORDON SDau S F W 14 NY At Home IRE IRE
George GORDON Son S M W 16 CA At Home NY PA
John GORDON Son S M W 5 CA NY IRE
Josephine GORDON Dau S F W 4 CA NY IRE
James GORDON Son S M W 2 CA NY IRE
Malena GORDON Dau S F W 6M CA NY IRE
Source Information:
Census Place Mariposa, Mariposa, California
Family History Library Film 1254068
NA Film Number T9-0068
Page Number 165B
Gordon, Peter
white, male, 47
married
occupation: mining
born in New York
parents both born in New York
Mining on Sweet Water Mariposa Gazette Sept 2, 1882:
Mining on Sweet Water.- In years past Quartz Mining on Sweet Water of this county was of some importance, but like many other localities, was worked at an early period with limited capital and inexperienced miners, before the art of saving gold was reduced to an approximate perfection as it is at present. The " Old Nat Harbert Mine" which was worked successfully for a while and afterwards abandoned has been taken up and is meeting with success by Peter GORDON. Billy SIMPSON and others who have gone down on the old shaft and taken out some 65 or 70 tons of ore that averages from 2 $25 to $30 per ton ground in an arasta which they are now using. The
vein at the bottom of this shaft which is 70 feet deep is two feet thick and easily taken out requiring no blasting. Timbering the work is the greatest expense, but as the mine is situated in a dense forest of timber it is barely a consideration compared with the usual expense of blasting. If the present owners could procure material aid, this mine most undoubtedly would develop into one of the best mines of the county.
Quite recently some Frenchmen struck some rich rock close by the Gordon & Co's. works on a continuation of the " Old Tom Early Vein," which so excited them that they spent a day or two in rejoicing over their rich find. Mr. GORDON our informant who saw the rock says it was exceedingly rich in gold.
Mariposa Census 1900, page 282b, Township #4, enumerated June 5.
Dwelling number 69, family number 72. (clarity poor, handwriting fair)
GORDON, Peter
head of household
white
male
dob Aug. 1833
age 66
married 30 years
pob New York
pob father Ireland
pob mother unreadable could be New York not sure
hotel keeper
can read, write and speak English
Maggie
wife
white
female
dob hard one maybe Mar. maybe 1844
age 52? very hard copy to read
married 30 years
# of children 8
children living 8
pob Ireland
pob father Ireland
pob mother Ireland
can read, write and speak English
owns
free of mortgage
house
James
son
white
male
dob Apr. 1878
age 22
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
day laborer
0 months unemployed
can read, write and speak English
Peter Jr.
son
white
male
dob Mar 1881
age 19
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
day laborer
0 months unemployed
can read, write and speak English
Frances V.
daughter
white
female
dob month unclear 1883
age 17
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
can read, write and speak English
William
son
white
male
dob maybe Nov. definitely 1886
age 13
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
at school
2 months at school within the year
can read, write and speak English
Sadie
niece
white
female
dob March 1880
age 20
single
pob Calif.
pob father Calif.
pob mother Calif.
can read, write and speak English
My AH
servant
white
Chinese
male
dob May 1851
age 59
single
pob China
pob father China
pob mother China
year of emigration 1859
number of years in US 41
naturalization Al
Cook
7 months unemployed within year
can read, write and speak English
goes on to name numerous boarders at their hotel (17)
GORDON, Peter November 21, 1903 Mariposa Gazette
Death of Peter GORDON. One of Our Pioneer Citizens Passes Away.
On Tuesday night Peter GORDON passed away, surrounded by his sorrowing family, after an illness of several months. His death was due to the decline caused by old age, and was not unexpected. In fact, it was thought the end must come much sooner than it did, but his remarkable vitality postponed the end after he was beyond medical aid.
The funeral took place Thursday afternoon from the family residence, the Gordon Hotel, the Catholic burial services being read by J. H. CORCORAN. Internment was in the Catholic Cemetery.
Peter GORDON was a native of New York, aged 72 years, 11 months and 23 days.
In 1849, while a boy, he went to Monterey from Rochester, NewYork, with Colonel STEVENTON. The following year he came to this county, and followed mining here and at Sherlocks and Whitlocks for a number of years. He was one of the owners of a Yosemite Valley saddle train for a while, and also agent for the YosemiteStage Company at Wawona. About twenty-eight years ago he had a hip broken in a stage accident, since which time he had been a cripple. Soon after he and his wife bought and conducted the building which has been used by General Fremont as his headquarters here, and conducted it as a hotel. Since that time it has been known as as the Gordon Hotel, and most of the time Mr. GORDON was the host. He was kind-hearted and generous almost to a fault. None was ever turned away hungry, and the number whowere aided by his generosity is countless. A good citizen and a kind and indulgent husband and father, his death is regreted by his many friends who will long remember him for his good deeds.
He leaves a wife, five daughters and six sons to mourn his loss.The daughters are Mrs. Thos. DUNCAN of Madera, Mrs. J. H. BERTKEN, Mrs. P. B. BROWN, Miss Sarah GORDON and Miss Madeline GORDON of Oakland, the sons are George, Thomas, John F., James B., Peter E. and William GORDON.
Peter Gordon is looked upon as the patriarch of many Mariposa families. His obituary states he originated from Rochester, New York and came to "Monterrey, California in 1849 with Col. Stevenson" He is then said to have come to Mariposa County in the following year. His age at his death on 17 November 1903 is given as 72 years, 11 months, and 23 days.
Various sources and census data have given a birth year of 1833. The most often repeated date is the one given in the 1900 census--August 1833. However, the 1833 birth year does not correlate with two facts in Peter's life. Namely his coming to California with Col. Stevenson and his given age at the time of his death.
The reference to Col. Stevenson concerns the First Regiment of New York Volunteers which Jonathan D. Stevenson commanded and which was formed in the summer of 1846 for the specific purpose of occupying California in conjunction with the Mexican War. The members of the First Regiment were recruited from New York City and one company each from Albany, Bath (in Steuben County), and Norwich in Chenango County. The Regiment left New York for California on 26 September 1846 and arrived at San Francisco on 6 March 1847. Col. Stevenson then dispatched companies to Monterrey, Santa Barbara and San Francisco. I have not been able to locate muster rolls for Stevenson's Regiment except for officers and NCO's so I cannot verify Peter Gordon's enlistment at the present time. Does anyone know where such a list is kept for enlistees?
Often active recruiting for a war effort allows some discretion for minimum age to enlist, but if Peter Gordon did enlist in Col. Stevenson's Regiment and he was indeed born in August 1833, he was but 13 years old when the unit was formed. While not unprecedented, the young age would have raised some eye brows. This is mainly because the Regiment was not formed so much for battle as it was to be the basis of a U..S. colonization of the Mexican territory of California after the war was won. President Polk was not going to be denied. Persons joining the units were expressly told that they were expected to settle the new territory after they were mustered out.
Personnel recruited for this type of mission would likely be farmers, professionals and skilled craftsmen, and not 13 year old boys.
The reference to Peter Gordon's joining up with Col. Stevenson in Rochester, New York certainly points to his being recruited at Bath in Steuben County which is not an excessive distance away. However there are complications. Albert Gordon, in his book "Stage to Yosemite" repeats family lore that Peter Gordon was born "on the banks of the Hudson River." A search of the LDS-IGI reveals an interesting birth of one Peter Gordon to a Peter Gordon and Margaret Wheeler of Copake, Columbia County, New York on 12 July 1830 (Film Batch C503931). Columbia County, New York is adjacent to the Hudson River about 15 miles south of Albany. So Albany is also a logical point in
which Peter Gordon could have been recruited into Col. Stevenson's First Regiment of New York Volunteers.
And finally there is the matter of Peter Gordon's age at his death--72 years, 11 months, 23 days. Without any debate if this age is correct, it calculates to a birth date of 25 November 1830 if my math is correct.
Based on the supposition of Peter Gordon's association with Col. Jonathan Stevenson's First Regiment of New York Volunteers and his purported age at his death in 1903, it is likely Peter Gordon was born in the second half of 1830 which would have made him a more reasonable 16 years of age when he joined the Army.
Regardless of when he was born, if the facts of his association with Col. Stevenson are proved, Peter Gordon was an Argonaut of pre-1849 California and holds a unique place in Mariposa, California history.
by Warren Carah, Brighton, Michigan; [email protected]
enumerated by 1880 census of Mariposa
1880 United States Census
Marital Birth B-place
Name Rel Status Sex Race Age place Occup Fa Mo
Peter GORDON Self M M W 47 NY Mining NY NY
Margaret GORDON Wife M F W 37 IRE Keeping House IRE IRE
Nellie GORDON SDau S F W 14 NY At Home IRE IRE
George GORDON Son S M W 16 CA At Home NY PA
John GORDON Son S M W 5 CA NY IRE
Josephine GORDON Dau S F W 4 CA NY IRE
James GORDON Son S M W 2 CA NY IRE
Malena GORDON Dau S F W 6M CA NY IRE
Source Information:
Census Place Mariposa, Mariposa, California
Family History Library Film 1254068
NA Film Number T9-0068
Page Number 165B
Gordon, Peter
white, male, 47
married
occupation: mining
born in New York
parents both born in New York
Mining on Sweet Water Mariposa Gazette Sept 2, 1882:
Mining on Sweet Water.- In years past Quartz Mining on Sweet Water of this county was of some importance, but like many other localities, was worked at an early period with limited capital and inexperienced miners, before the art of saving gold was reduced to an approximate perfection as it is at present. The " Old Nat Harbert Mine" which was worked successfully for a while and afterwards abandoned has been taken up and is meeting with success by Peter GORDON. Billy SIMPSON and others who have gone down on the old shaft and taken out some 65 or 70 tons of ore that averages from 2 $25 to $30 per ton ground in an arasta which they are now using. The
vein at the bottom of this shaft which is 70 feet deep is two feet thick and easily taken out requiring no blasting. Timbering the work is the greatest expense, but as the mine is situated in a dense forest of timber it is barely a consideration compared with the usual expense of blasting. If the present owners could procure material aid, this mine most undoubtedly would develop into one of the best mines of the county.
Quite recently some Frenchmen struck some rich rock close by the Gordon & Co's. works on a continuation of the " Old Tom Early Vein," which so excited them that they spent a day or two in rejoicing over their rich find. Mr. GORDON our informant who saw the rock says it was exceedingly rich in gold.
Mariposa Census 1900, page 282b, Township #4, enumerated June 5.
Dwelling number 69, family number 72. (clarity poor, handwriting fair)
GORDON, Peter
head of household
white
male
dob Aug. 1833
age 66
married 30 years
pob New York
pob father Ireland
pob mother unreadable could be New York not sure
hotel keeper
can read, write and speak English
Maggie
wife
white
female
dob hard one maybe Mar. maybe 1844
age 52? very hard copy to read
married 30 years
# of children 8
children living 8
pob Ireland
pob father Ireland
pob mother Ireland
can read, write and speak English
owns
free of mortgage
house
James
son
white
male
dob Apr. 1878
age 22
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
day laborer
0 months unemployed
can read, write and speak English
Peter Jr.
son
white
male
dob Mar 1881
age 19
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
day laborer
0 months unemployed
can read, write and speak English
Frances V.
daughter
white
female
dob month unclear 1883
age 17
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
can read, write and speak English
William
son
white
male
dob maybe Nov. definitely 1886
age 13
single
pob Calif.
pob father New York
pob mother Ireland
at school
2 months at school within the year
can read, write and speak English
Sadie
niece
white
female
dob March 1880
age 20
single
pob Calif.
pob father Calif.
pob mother Calif.
can read, write and speak English
My AH
servant
white
Chinese
male
dob May 1851
age 59
single
pob China
pob father China
pob mother China
year of emigration 1859
number of years in US 41
naturalization Al
Cook
7 months unemployed within year
can read, write and speak English
goes on to name numerous boarders at their hotel (17)
GORDON, Peter November 21, 1903 Mariposa Gazette
Death of Peter GORDON. One of Our Pioneer Citizens Passes Away.
On Tuesday night Peter GORDON passed away, surrounded by his sorrowing family, after an illness of several months. His death was due to the decline caused by old age, and was not unexpected. In fact, it was thought the end must come much sooner than it did, but his remarkable vitality postponed the end after he was beyond medical aid.
The funeral took place Thursday afternoon from the family residence, the Gordon Hotel, the Catholic burial services being read by J. H. CORCORAN. Internment was in the Catholic Cemetery.
Peter GORDON was a native of New York, aged 72 years, 11 months and 23 days.
In 1849, while a boy, he went to Monterey from Rochester, NewYork, with Colonel STEVENTON. The following year he came to this county, and followed mining here and at Sherlocks and Whitlocks for a number of years. He was one of the owners of a Yosemite Valley saddle train for a while, and also agent for the YosemiteStage Company at Wawona. About twenty-eight years ago he had a hip broken in a stage accident, since which time he had been a cripple. Soon after he and his wife bought and conducted the building which has been used by General Fremont as his headquarters here, and conducted it as a hotel. Since that time it has been known as as the Gordon Hotel, and most of the time Mr. GORDON was the host. He was kind-hearted and generous almost to a fault. None was ever turned away hungry, and the number whowere aided by his generosity is countless. A good citizen and a kind and indulgent husband and father, his death is regreted by his many friends who will long remember him for his good deeds.
He leaves a wife, five daughters and six sons to mourn his loss.The daughters are Mrs. Thos. DUNCAN of Madera, Mrs. J. H. BERTKEN, Mrs. P. B. BROWN, Miss Sarah GORDON and Miss Madeline GORDON of Oakland, the sons are George, Thomas, John F., James B., Peter E. and William GORDON.
Notes for Elizabeth (Spouse 1)
From the record at the Hall of Records, Mariposa Co. Recorders Office; transcribed by Steve Miller:
Marriage July 15, 1855 Bk B page 12; Mariposa Co. State of California
This is to certify that I solemnized the rights of matrimony between Peter Gordon and Elizabeth Marshall, all of the county aforesaid, on the 15th day of July 1855.
September 10, 1855 Jno W. Ellis (clerk)
Filed Thursday September 20th 1855 at 11 o'clock a.m. at the request of J. W. Ellis.
Edw C. Bell R. M. Co.
Subject: [CAMARIPO] Whatever Happened To Elizabeth Marshall Gordon?
From: Warren B. Carah, <[email protected]>
Date: 10 May 2003
To: [email protected]
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ELIZABETH MARSHALL GORDON?
Genealogical Lessons Learned from George Alexander Marshall's "Mother Lode Memoir"
Originally Published in Journal of the West, Vol. 3, No. 3, July, 1964
Reprinted with Permission on the Mariposa GenWeb Site--Family Chronicles
I'm sure that when George Alexander Marshall published his memoirs in Journal of the West in 1964, he had the best of intentions: give his readers a peek of old California that was long gone and simultaneously publish the history of his pioneer family for all posterity.
As I share several grandparents of various generations with George Alexander Marshall, I feel particularly lucky to have a chronicle from the old days to fill in the complete story of the lives of my ancestors. The thrill of identifying ancestors from dry census sheets and the like gets old after awhile and a memoir like George Marshall's really adds to our understanding of our grandparents and the history they created.
So I embraced George Marshall's memories of the past and doted on all those details that you just don't get in census films, court records, or newspaper birth announcements. As George began his story of the Marshall family coming to California it all seemed so logical, so correct. I can remember being mad at myself for not being able to figure out on my own what had happened over 150 years ago; George tore down multiple genealogical "brick walls" in less than a paragraph in his memoir. George knew how to add drama to plain family history. He perks up the excitement almost immediately as he describes how the ship carrying the pioneer Marshall family is forced to loiter outside the Golden Gate on the eve of 1850, due to fog. At the last minute the ship makes a break for the San Francisco wharfs and the family proudly assumes the mantle of "49'ers" in just a nick of time.
I did not realize this for a long time, but the only folks who care about being a "49'er" are the descendants of 49'ers. Certainly the folks arriving in old California by wagon, foot or boat were more focused on their delight in arriving at all, regardless of the year. I should have been suspicious of George Marshall's tome from that very first paragraph, but I was too excited about being exposed to all these cool things about my ancestors to notice the red flags.
In his account, George Marshall stated his grandfather Thomas Wardell Marshall along with his brother Samuel, an unnamed sister and an unnamed mother arrived in San Francisco from Richmond, Virginia in 1849. In the Spring of that year they made their way to Whitlock's in Mariposa County whereupon they met immediate success looking for gold in quartz veins instead of placers.
My first inkling that there may be some anomalies in George Marshall's account of the family's arrival in California came when I decided to check out the Marshall home community near Richmond, Virginia, since I could not find the family in the 1850 Mariposa census. With the help of Mariposa researcher Lu Schnelker, we started running through the Virginia census of 1850 looking for potential brothers, sisters, uncles and other left-behind kin. I was startled to find a household in Chesterfield County in which a family member was very clearly a Thomas Marshall, age 16, born in Nova Scotia. As I knew my gg-grandfather Thomas W. Marshall was indeed born in Nova Scotia in 1834, it seemed unlikely that there would be two of them from the same county in Virginia. Yet it was impossible; my guy was already in Mariposa County digging one of the first quartz mines in the county according to George Marshall.
There is such a thing as genealogical denial and I simply ignored the date discrepancy for a long time hoping that some explanation would materialize and resolve everything. The truth of the matter was that I was a 49'er groupie too and would not give up my status without a fight. The game ended when William Disbro's Mariposa Gazette files were added to the Mariposa GenWeb page and an obituary for Thomas Wardell Marshall clearly stated he arrived in California in 1852.
Okay, I wasn't a 49er descendant by way of my Marshall kin, but they represented the cream of the crop when it came to hard rock miners according to George Marshall. They turned the Whitlock Mine into a winner said George. Then George wrote that the brother Samuel Marshall died in a tragic mine accident in which he was crushed by a rock fall. That so disheartened Thomas W. Marshall that he sold the mine "to eager buyers" because he could never enter it again. Expecting to find Samuel Marshall lionized in obituaries throughout the southern mining district, I was disappointed to find not a word on his passing. In fact as time progressed, it occurred to me that except for George Marshall's memoir, I had never seen any independent documentation of the existence of Samuel Marshall. Not in Virginia, not in California, not anywhere.
Then one day a CAMARIPO list member published a Mariposa newspaper account of the death of one John J. Marshall on 4 May 1861. Seems he was crushed to death in a rock fall in his mine at Whitlock's while sounding a ledge. Its always hard to question a written document, especially if it is written by kin, but it certainly looked like Samuel and John J. Marshall were one in the same persons and that Sam probably never ever existed. I surmise that over the years memories faded and George's sources for his memoir of the early days in Mariposa somehow substituted the name of Samuel for John. Essentially it was a situation of the right facts for the wrong person.
But my worst trial in working out the details of the California Marshall's was identifying the un-named sister who came with the rest of the family referenced in the first paragraphs of George Marshall's memoir. Reconciled to the fact that the Marshall family that had been discovered in Chesterfield County, Virginia in 1850 was, in fact, the future 1852 California residents, the only likely girl listed was a ten year old named Elizabeth, born in Pennsylvania.
I combed the Mariposa Web page database sections on marriages looking for the marriage of Elizabeth Marshall without success. Based on the facts at hand, I assumed that Elizabeth had either married or died before the 1860 census as all of the Marshall clan were easily found in Twp. 3 at Sherlock's in that enumeration. I asked Steve Miller to peruse some of the early marriage books on the chance that Elizabeth's marriage had not been recorded in one of the Web page data bases or in the Mariposa Gazette.
We got lucky and within a short time Steve had found a marriage record for Elizabeth Marshall to a Peter Gordon on 15 Jul 1855. I happily went about bouncing from one census to another expecting to track the life and family of my distant cousin Elizabeth Marshall Gordon. Only I was stopped short. Other than the 1860 census, Elizabeth Gordon is not found anywhere else. The 1870 census showed Peter Gordon living with his four children and no wife in evidence. By 1880 Peter Gordon is living with a new wife named Margaret and has had children by her since the early 1870's, Whatever happened to Elizabeth Marshall Gordon?
Under normal circumstances of this type, it is a pretty safe bet that Elizabeth Marshall Gordon probably died sometime after the birth of her last child George in 1862 and before the 1870 census. However I had an edge. You see, George Alexander Marshall in his memoirs states what happened to Elizabeth, at least in so many words. In describing a trip he made with his parents to San Jose in 1890, George, in his memoir, recounts meeting his grandfather Thomas's sister. She is described as operating a vaudeville theater with her two daughters.
Thinking this a bit strange, but ignoring the contradictions and wholesale change in lifestyle this new career for Elizabeth meant, I manipulated the LDS 1880 on-line census everyway I could looking for Elizabeth's born around 1840 in Pennsylvania. Similar studies were made of the 1900 San Jose census, business directories, etc. The only conclusion I could draw from George Marshall's revelation in his memoir was that for some reason Elizabeth Marshall Gordon had left her family, remarried, and started a whole new life with a lot more glitter. Although I amassed a list of about 40 candidates that could be Elizabeth Marshall Gordon, none of the persons really fit the bill.
Finally logic and a healthy dose of questioning attitude started to prevail. By now, I knew George Alexander Marshall had made numerous, usually small, mistakes in his memoir. What mistake could he have made in his reference to meeting his grandfather Thomas Marshall's sister in 1890 San Jose?
The answer finally came when I was working on another family--the Phillips--to whom Thomas W. Marshall had married into in 1860. Thomas W. Marshall's wife, Sarah Phillips, had a sister named Caroline who happened to live in San Jose around 1890-1900. In reviewing the 1900 census data for her and her daughters and a son-in-law for another project, I suddenly noticed something I had not seen before: They were all listed as having the occupation of actors or performers (Vaudeville!).
George Marshall had it almost right in his memoir. The "sister" of his grandfather that George met in 1890 was his grandfather's sister-in-law, Caroline- the vaudeville actor along with her two girls. My blind belief in George Marshall's wonderful memoir had led me on a wild goose chase. I recognize that George Marshall probably had to rely on the faulty memory of a lot of folks and I certainly do not want to be overly critical of his effort, but the lesson here is that sometimes it's a lot better not to have all that family "lore" about when researching the ancestors.
The fate of Elizabeth Marshall Gordon is now resolved, at least in my mind. She probably died a very young woman in 1860's Mariposa. One good thing to come from all of this is that she is now no longer lost or forgotten. In the months ahead I hope to publish for the Mariposa GenWeb Family Chronicles as full an accounting of the Marshall clan of Mariposa as possible. However, I won't be upset if you take it with a few grains of salt!
Warren Carah
Brighton, MI
Daily Bee, Sacramento
Thursday Evening, February 18, 1869
Deaths: At Mariposa, Feb. 14th, Mrs. Elizabeth GORDON, aged about 30 years.
Mariposa Gazette
February 14, 1869
DIED - Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Peter Gordon, a native of Pennsylvania, of measles, aged 29 years and 11 months.
Mrs. Gordon, formerly Miss Elizabeth Marshall, had grown up from early childhood in this county, and was much loved by all who knew her. The bereaved husband and motherless little ones have the deepest sympathy of the community.
Stockton Daily Independent
Stockton, San Joaquin Co., CA
WEDNESDAY, 17 FEB 1869
DIED -- in Mariposa, Feb. 14th, Mrs. Elizabeth GORDON, wife of Peter GORDON, aged about 30 years.
Mariposa Mail--19 Feb 1869 Edition
"DIED:In Mariposa, February 14^th of measles, Mrs. Elizabeth Gordon,
wife of Peter Gordon, aged 29 years.
Deceased leaves a husband and four children, besides many relatives and friends to mourn her loss.Her brief illness was one of severe suffering. The father and little ones, have the heart felt sympathy of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, for the irreparable loss they have sustained, in thus being deprived of a loving sife and fond mother. The funeral services were performed on the following day, at the Methodist Church, by Rev.G.E. Dean, after which the remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of citizens, and relatives of the deceased."
Elizabeth Marshall Gordon was buried among family. Tom Phillips had noted that there was an Elizabeth Gordon buried in the Mariposa public cemetery with a stone that read "Grandma" Died 1860. The grave was next to those of Edward (1879-1952) and Annie Gordon Zimmerman (1888-1983) and their son, Theodore (1914-1915). Annie Gordon was the daughter of Tom Gordon, Elizabeth Marshall Gordon's eldest son. The death date was incorrect, and the monument looked like it was a replacement for the original, but the final resting place of Elizabeth Marshall Gordon was at last found.
Marriage July 15, 1855 Bk B page 12; Mariposa Co. State of California
This is to certify that I solemnized the rights of matrimony between Peter Gordon and Elizabeth Marshall, all of the county aforesaid, on the 15th day of July 1855.
September 10, 1855 Jno W. Ellis (clerk)
Filed Thursday September 20th 1855 at 11 o'clock a.m. at the request of J. W. Ellis.
Edw C. Bell R. M. Co.
Subject: [CAMARIPO] Whatever Happened To Elizabeth Marshall Gordon?
From: Warren B. Carah, <[email protected]>
Date: 10 May 2003
To: [email protected]
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ELIZABETH MARSHALL GORDON?
Genealogical Lessons Learned from George Alexander Marshall's "Mother Lode Memoir"
Originally Published in Journal of the West, Vol. 3, No. 3, July, 1964
Reprinted with Permission on the Mariposa GenWeb Site--Family Chronicles
I'm sure that when George Alexander Marshall published his memoirs in Journal of the West in 1964, he had the best of intentions: give his readers a peek of old California that was long gone and simultaneously publish the history of his pioneer family for all posterity.
As I share several grandparents of various generations with George Alexander Marshall, I feel particularly lucky to have a chronicle from the old days to fill in the complete story of the lives of my ancestors. The thrill of identifying ancestors from dry census sheets and the like gets old after awhile and a memoir like George Marshall's really adds to our understanding of our grandparents and the history they created.
So I embraced George Marshall's memories of the past and doted on all those details that you just don't get in census films, court records, or newspaper birth announcements. As George began his story of the Marshall family coming to California it all seemed so logical, so correct. I can remember being mad at myself for not being able to figure out on my own what had happened over 150 years ago; George tore down multiple genealogical "brick walls" in less than a paragraph in his memoir. George knew how to add drama to plain family history. He perks up the excitement almost immediately as he describes how the ship carrying the pioneer Marshall family is forced to loiter outside the Golden Gate on the eve of 1850, due to fog. At the last minute the ship makes a break for the San Francisco wharfs and the family proudly assumes the mantle of "49'ers" in just a nick of time.
I did not realize this for a long time, but the only folks who care about being a "49'er" are the descendants of 49'ers. Certainly the folks arriving in old California by wagon, foot or boat were more focused on their delight in arriving at all, regardless of the year. I should have been suspicious of George Marshall's tome from that very first paragraph, but I was too excited about being exposed to all these cool things about my ancestors to notice the red flags.
In his account, George Marshall stated his grandfather Thomas Wardell Marshall along with his brother Samuel, an unnamed sister and an unnamed mother arrived in San Francisco from Richmond, Virginia in 1849. In the Spring of that year they made their way to Whitlock's in Mariposa County whereupon they met immediate success looking for gold in quartz veins instead of placers.
My first inkling that there may be some anomalies in George Marshall's account of the family's arrival in California came when I decided to check out the Marshall home community near Richmond, Virginia, since I could not find the family in the 1850 Mariposa census. With the help of Mariposa researcher Lu Schnelker, we started running through the Virginia census of 1850 looking for potential brothers, sisters, uncles and other left-behind kin. I was startled to find a household in Chesterfield County in which a family member was very clearly a Thomas Marshall, age 16, born in Nova Scotia. As I knew my gg-grandfather Thomas W. Marshall was indeed born in Nova Scotia in 1834, it seemed unlikely that there would be two of them from the same county in Virginia. Yet it was impossible; my guy was already in Mariposa County digging one of the first quartz mines in the county according to George Marshall.
There is such a thing as genealogical denial and I simply ignored the date discrepancy for a long time hoping that some explanation would materialize and resolve everything. The truth of the matter was that I was a 49'er groupie too and would not give up my status without a fight. The game ended when William Disbro's Mariposa Gazette files were added to the Mariposa GenWeb page and an obituary for Thomas Wardell Marshall clearly stated he arrived in California in 1852.
Okay, I wasn't a 49er descendant by way of my Marshall kin, but they represented the cream of the crop when it came to hard rock miners according to George Marshall. They turned the Whitlock Mine into a winner said George. Then George wrote that the brother Samuel Marshall died in a tragic mine accident in which he was crushed by a rock fall. That so disheartened Thomas W. Marshall that he sold the mine "to eager buyers" because he could never enter it again. Expecting to find Samuel Marshall lionized in obituaries throughout the southern mining district, I was disappointed to find not a word on his passing. In fact as time progressed, it occurred to me that except for George Marshall's memoir, I had never seen any independent documentation of the existence of Samuel Marshall. Not in Virginia, not in California, not anywhere.
Then one day a CAMARIPO list member published a Mariposa newspaper account of the death of one John J. Marshall on 4 May 1861. Seems he was crushed to death in a rock fall in his mine at Whitlock's while sounding a ledge. Its always hard to question a written document, especially if it is written by kin, but it certainly looked like Samuel and John J. Marshall were one in the same persons and that Sam probably never ever existed. I surmise that over the years memories faded and George's sources for his memoir of the early days in Mariposa somehow substituted the name of Samuel for John. Essentially it was a situation of the right facts for the wrong person.
But my worst trial in working out the details of the California Marshall's was identifying the un-named sister who came with the rest of the family referenced in the first paragraphs of George Marshall's memoir. Reconciled to the fact that the Marshall family that had been discovered in Chesterfield County, Virginia in 1850 was, in fact, the future 1852 California residents, the only likely girl listed was a ten year old named Elizabeth, born in Pennsylvania.
I combed the Mariposa Web page database sections on marriages looking for the marriage of Elizabeth Marshall without success. Based on the facts at hand, I assumed that Elizabeth had either married or died before the 1860 census as all of the Marshall clan were easily found in Twp. 3 at Sherlock's in that enumeration. I asked Steve Miller to peruse some of the early marriage books on the chance that Elizabeth's marriage had not been recorded in one of the Web page data bases or in the Mariposa Gazette.
We got lucky and within a short time Steve had found a marriage record for Elizabeth Marshall to a Peter Gordon on 15 Jul 1855. I happily went about bouncing from one census to another expecting to track the life and family of my distant cousin Elizabeth Marshall Gordon. Only I was stopped short. Other than the 1860 census, Elizabeth Gordon is not found anywhere else. The 1870 census showed Peter Gordon living with his four children and no wife in evidence. By 1880 Peter Gordon is living with a new wife named Margaret and has had children by her since the early 1870's, Whatever happened to Elizabeth Marshall Gordon?
Under normal circumstances of this type, it is a pretty safe bet that Elizabeth Marshall Gordon probably died sometime after the birth of her last child George in 1862 and before the 1870 census. However I had an edge. You see, George Alexander Marshall in his memoirs states what happened to Elizabeth, at least in so many words. In describing a trip he made with his parents to San Jose in 1890, George, in his memoir, recounts meeting his grandfather Thomas's sister. She is described as operating a vaudeville theater with her two daughters.
Thinking this a bit strange, but ignoring the contradictions and wholesale change in lifestyle this new career for Elizabeth meant, I manipulated the LDS 1880 on-line census everyway I could looking for Elizabeth's born around 1840 in Pennsylvania. Similar studies were made of the 1900 San Jose census, business directories, etc. The only conclusion I could draw from George Marshall's revelation in his memoir was that for some reason Elizabeth Marshall Gordon had left her family, remarried, and started a whole new life with a lot more glitter. Although I amassed a list of about 40 candidates that could be Elizabeth Marshall Gordon, none of the persons really fit the bill.
Finally logic and a healthy dose of questioning attitude started to prevail. By now, I knew George Alexander Marshall had made numerous, usually small, mistakes in his memoir. What mistake could he have made in his reference to meeting his grandfather Thomas Marshall's sister in 1890 San Jose?
The answer finally came when I was working on another family--the Phillips--to whom Thomas W. Marshall had married into in 1860. Thomas W. Marshall's wife, Sarah Phillips, had a sister named Caroline who happened to live in San Jose around 1890-1900. In reviewing the 1900 census data for her and her daughters and a son-in-law for another project, I suddenly noticed something I had not seen before: They were all listed as having the occupation of actors or performers (Vaudeville!).
George Marshall had it almost right in his memoir. The "sister" of his grandfather that George met in 1890 was his grandfather's sister-in-law, Caroline- the vaudeville actor along with her two girls. My blind belief in George Marshall's wonderful memoir had led me on a wild goose chase. I recognize that George Marshall probably had to rely on the faulty memory of a lot of folks and I certainly do not want to be overly critical of his effort, but the lesson here is that sometimes it's a lot better not to have all that family "lore" about when researching the ancestors.
The fate of Elizabeth Marshall Gordon is now resolved, at least in my mind. She probably died a very young woman in 1860's Mariposa. One good thing to come from all of this is that she is now no longer lost or forgotten. In the months ahead I hope to publish for the Mariposa GenWeb Family Chronicles as full an accounting of the Marshall clan of Mariposa as possible. However, I won't be upset if you take it with a few grains of salt!
Warren Carah
Brighton, MI
Daily Bee, Sacramento
Thursday Evening, February 18, 1869
Deaths: At Mariposa, Feb. 14th, Mrs. Elizabeth GORDON, aged about 30 years.
Mariposa Gazette
February 14, 1869
DIED - Mrs. Elizabeth, wife of Peter Gordon, a native of Pennsylvania, of measles, aged 29 years and 11 months.
Mrs. Gordon, formerly Miss Elizabeth Marshall, had grown up from early childhood in this county, and was much loved by all who knew her. The bereaved husband and motherless little ones have the deepest sympathy of the community.
Stockton Daily Independent
Stockton, San Joaquin Co., CA
WEDNESDAY, 17 FEB 1869
DIED -- in Mariposa, Feb. 14th, Mrs. Elizabeth GORDON, wife of Peter GORDON, aged about 30 years.
Mariposa Mail--19 Feb 1869 Edition
"DIED:In Mariposa, February 14^th of measles, Mrs. Elizabeth Gordon,
wife of Peter Gordon, aged 29 years.
Deceased leaves a husband and four children, besides many relatives and friends to mourn her loss.Her brief illness was one of severe suffering. The father and little ones, have the heart felt sympathy of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, for the irreparable loss they have sustained, in thus being deprived of a loving sife and fond mother. The funeral services were performed on the following day, at the Methodist Church, by Rev.G.E. Dean, after which the remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of citizens, and relatives of the deceased."
Elizabeth Marshall Gordon was buried among family. Tom Phillips had noted that there was an Elizabeth Gordon buried in the Mariposa public cemetery with a stone that read "Grandma" Died 1860. The grave was next to those of Edward (1879-1952) and Annie Gordon Zimmerman (1888-1983) and their son, Theodore (1914-1915). Annie Gordon was the daughter of Tom Gordon, Elizabeth Marshall Gordon's eldest son. The death date was incorrect, and the monument looked like it was a replacement for the original, but the final resting place of Elizabeth Marshall Gordon was at last found.
Notes for Margaret (Spouse 2)
enumerated in the 1880 census of Mariposa:
Gordon, Margaret
white, female, 37
wife of Peter Gordon,
keeping house
born in Ireland
[MARIPOSA] Re: CAMARIPO-D Digest V06 #45
Margaret Croghan (or Kroglan as some have it, but Croghan is the correct Irish spelling) has a bit of a fuzzy background. Her daughter Mary Ellen was born in New York and Margaret is of Irish origin. Mary Ellen's father appears to be a man named Reynolds, but I have no further identification. In the 1870 Mariposa census in Twp. 3, Page 185, a Margaret Reynolds is listed , age 27, as a domestic servant in the household of George Leidig. The Leidigs lived quite close to Peter Gordon. I believe, but cannot prove that this Margaret Reynolds is the one that married Peter Gordon.
Margaret appears to have had two sisters--Ellen (married Patricio Nigro, a restaurant owner in S.F. ) and Mary Jane ( married to a Fabiano). Both sisters lived and died in Oakland.
Warren Carah409
GORDON, Mrs. Margaret January 27, 1906 Mariposa Gazette
DEATH OF MRS. GORDON.
An Old and Respected Lady Passes to her Last Rest.
Mrs. Margaret GORDON, widow of the late Peter GORDON, and mother of John, James, Peter and William GORDON, Mrs. J. H. BERTKEN, Mrs. Madeline BRISLAND and Mrs., Perry BROWN, died at her home in Mariposa, Tuesday, January 23rd, at 1 o'clock p.m. Mrs. Nellie ASHWORTH of Mariposa was also a daughter by a former marriage.
Mrs. GORDON was a native of Ireland and a few months past 63 years of age at the time of her death. Deceased had long been an uncomplaining sufferer, and while death was a shock to all wasnot unexpected.
For more then thirty years she has resided in Mariposa where, with her husband, she engaged chiefly in the hotel business, and it is well known history that none were turned hungry from their hospitable board. Many are they living today who were the recipients of their favors and who can testify to the unselfish generosity of Mr. and Mrs. GORDON. Mrs. GORDON'S friends were legion and many were the sincerely sorrowing tears that dropped on her bier.
The internment was on Thursday, January 25th, in the Catholic cemetery by the side of her husband, who had preceded her a little longer than two years, and was largely attended by mourning relatives and sorrowing friends, many coming from long distances to pay their last respects to the memory of one who was a friend to all.
Subject: [CAMARIPO] Gordon
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 14:29:38 +0000
From: [email protected]
Tom, According to Albert Gordon in Stage To Yosemite Peter Gordon was married to Elizabeth Marshall and then to Margaret Kroglan. I have traced a lot of this line and may be able to help you with your questions.
Definetly can on the Ashworth side of the house.
Gordon, Margaret
white, female, 37
wife of Peter Gordon,
keeping house
born in Ireland
[MARIPOSA] Re: CAMARIPO-D Digest V06 #45
Margaret Croghan (or Kroglan as some have it, but Croghan is the correct Irish spelling) has a bit of a fuzzy background. Her daughter Mary Ellen was born in New York and Margaret is of Irish origin. Mary Ellen's father appears to be a man named Reynolds, but I have no further identification. In the 1870 Mariposa census in Twp. 3, Page 185, a Margaret Reynolds is listed , age 27, as a domestic servant in the household of George Leidig. The Leidigs lived quite close to Peter Gordon. I believe, but cannot prove that this Margaret Reynolds is the one that married Peter Gordon.
Margaret appears to have had two sisters--Ellen (married Patricio Nigro, a restaurant owner in S.F. ) and Mary Jane ( married to a Fabiano). Both sisters lived and died in Oakland.
Warren Carah409
GORDON, Mrs. Margaret January 27, 1906 Mariposa Gazette
DEATH OF MRS. GORDON.
An Old and Respected Lady Passes to her Last Rest.
Mrs. Margaret GORDON, widow of the late Peter GORDON, and mother of John, James, Peter and William GORDON, Mrs. J. H. BERTKEN, Mrs. Madeline BRISLAND and Mrs., Perry BROWN, died at her home in Mariposa, Tuesday, January 23rd, at 1 o'clock p.m. Mrs. Nellie ASHWORTH of Mariposa was also a daughter by a former marriage.
Mrs. GORDON was a native of Ireland and a few months past 63 years of age at the time of her death. Deceased had long been an uncomplaining sufferer, and while death was a shock to all wasnot unexpected.
For more then thirty years she has resided in Mariposa where, with her husband, she engaged chiefly in the hotel business, and it is well known history that none were turned hungry from their hospitable board. Many are they living today who were the recipients of their favors and who can testify to the unselfish generosity of Mr. and Mrs. GORDON. Mrs. GORDON'S friends were legion and many were the sincerely sorrowing tears that dropped on her bier.
The internment was on Thursday, January 25th, in the Catholic cemetery by the side of her husband, who had preceded her a little longer than two years, and was largely attended by mourning relatives and sorrowing friends, many coming from long distances to pay their last respects to the memory of one who was a friend to all.
Subject: [CAMARIPO] Gordon
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 14:29:38 +0000
From: [email protected]
Tom, According to Albert Gordon in Stage To Yosemite Peter Gordon was married to Elizabeth Marshall and then to Margaret Kroglan. I have traced a lot of this line and may be able to help you with your questions.
Definetly can on the Ashworth side of the house.