California Bound

151 years ago, the Delaware Gazette for  April 22, 1868 reported the following:

California Bound. —While taking a comfortable breakfast at Brinley & Steele’s Hotel, New York Tuesday of last week, in came a number of familiar faces which we recognized as Robert Smith, Jr., Daniel Smith, James Armstrong, and John Hart and family, including his mother-in-law, of Delhi, James Miller, of Bovina, and James Davidson of Andes, with their families, also John B. Scott, of Bovina, the whole party numbering twenty-five men, women and children. The two Messrs. Smiths were married on the Saturday previous, and Mr. Davidson on Monday after they had started on the journey. They were all looking hearty and full of hope for the future. May they not be disappointed. They sailed on Wednesday, the 15^th, for San Francisco. They are as worthy and good citizens as ever emigrated to any country, and we are sorry to lose them.

The competing newspaper, the Delaware Republican, had reported the three aforementioned marriages:

April 11^th at the Presbyterian parsonage by Rev. J.H. Robinson, Mr. Daniel Smith to Miss Nellie W. Gordon, both of Delhi.

At the same time and place, by the same, Mr. Robert Smith, of Delhi to Miss Elizabeth C. Miller of Bovina.

April 13^th, at the same place by the same, Mr. Jas Davidson to Miss Bell Hutson, both of Andes.

Several of these people were related to each other. The Elizabeth Miller who married Robert Smith was a first cousin to James Miller. And Robert and Daniel Smith were brothers, the sons of Robert S. Smith and Christiana McFarland. They were later followed to California by their brother Alexander. And their sister Janet was married to James Miller.

So how did these folks do in California?

Elizabeth and Robert Smith settled in Salinas, California, where all four of their children were born. Robert Smith was a Fruit Stock Grain Farmer according to the 1900 census. By then, they were living in Fresno, where Robert died in 1903. Elizabeth died there in 1906. Both are buried in California. Elizabeth’s cousin James and his wife, Janet or Jeanette Smith, who he married in 1866, also settled in California in Santa Clara. They later lived in Fresno. James was a “stock raiser.” James and Janet had five children, three of whom survived. The couple both died in 1920 and are buried in the same cemetery as James’ cousin Elizabeth.  

James Davidson, who married Isabella Hutson, does not appear to have been related to Fletcher Davidson. I have not had any luck tracking this couple down. James Armstrong and John B. Scott have been equally elusive.

John Hart likely is the John Hart who was born in 1827 and was living in Delhi in 1860 with his wife, the former Janette Burnet. By 1865, the family had grown with four children. They had one more child before heading west. They had more children in California. John and Janette had a total of ten children, five of whom died before their mother did (some may have died before the family went west). John died in San Joaquin County, California in 1892 and is buried there. Janette still was living in 1900 in California. 

The newspapers weren't the only reports of these folks moving west. Walter Coulter in his diary particularly noted on Elizabeth Miller's getting married and heading to California.

Courtesy of the Delaware County Historical Association