Arizona republican., 1912-06-13
PASSING IF AN
 AGED PIONEER
James Linsey Dies at the Age of 97 After an Event ful Career That Covered the Two American Con tinents

James Linsey, ST, one of the old est pioneers in this valley as well as in California. died at 9:45 D. m, June II. at his home. number 606 South Central avenue The funeral will be held this morning at S:15 o'clock in the Catholic church, interment in the Catholic cemetery.
 James Linsey was born in Jay, OK ford county, Maine, March r, 1915, and was therefore more than 97 years old. His life was one of travel and adventure until he was quite well ad- Vanced in years and settled in this valley, since when he has been mar ried twice and is survived by his sec ond wife, Rosenda Gonzales and their four children, James, Jr, Simon, Rosy, and Helen. an older daughter Mag sic. having died at the age of 26. His first wife was Carmelita Gonzales, and two of their children. Ysabel and Carnelita. survive their parents, sev- eral of the children named being mar ried. Deceased was therefore not only a patriarch in the community but leaves many relatives and a host of friends among the older residents. He
 
 events of progress and development in this part of Arizona until in later years failing health and diminishing fortune left him somewhat in obscur- ity except to those who had known him in earlier times.
 James Linsey- was named after his father. native of Ireland. his mother being Pauline Beane. That longevity was d family characteristic is indi- cated by the fact that he has a living brother who is still older. in Illinois. The family moved from Maine to Illi- nois. where the elder Linsey engaged in farming. In 1S49 young Jim" then A years old. crossed the plains to California with an OK team, as a member of a party of some seventy five or eighty people and had the eX- perience common in those days. of frequent Indian fights and other hard ships of the plains He arrived in the mountains northeast of Sacra- mento in the midst of a hard winter. his first employment being the pan ming of placer gold. Two years later he received q letter from home ap- prising him of the death of his fath- CT and mother. the former. and prob ably the latter. of cholera that in vaded the country that year.
 Linsey decided to try his fortunes in San Francisco then the only town of any consequence on the coast and spent some time there employed as a common laborer in leveling the hills on which the city was rapidly build ing, but he tired of that occupation and went back to the mines, how ever. without great success. He next tried farming in the neighborhood of Sacramento and p,ospered notably but gave way to wanderlust and joining the crew of a whaling vessel he took a trip around the Horn landing on the isthmus of Panama His stories of that excursion ir which he entered the Amazon river tC some extent and came in close con- tact with the natives and the flora and fauna of the southern continent were ever of interest to those who heard him recite them. The features of his Panama visit were the find ing of what he believed at first to be a diamond field though the stones proved of no value, and the killing of a whale which netted him forty barrels of oil though he got nc money for it. Returning to Sar Francisco he tried the mines agair without result and then in the ca. pacity of a detective went south ( Los Angeles. then merely a littl Catholic mission. After another tril back to San Francisco he joined al
 
 When he first arrived in PhOeni2 it was only a village of tents witt an adobe house or two. Then h. built a house near the Gardiner mil and secured employment on the farm of Miguel Wormser. in those day probably the largest employer o labor in the valley. In that capacit. he operated the first header eve brought to the valley. Later witt George Roberts he located a Quarte section and built d house on a trac of land that was afterward given t the Indians as a reservation. and hi partner left never to return, so il this venture they netted loss. Mari cOpa Charlie, the patriarchal old In dian known by many hereabout nov occupies their former farm.
 Linsey's next venture was also il farming where he worked the ranc of the late J. T. Priest and where h was married the first time, his wifi dying three years later. After hi second marriage he had accumulate some real estate and went into tn liquor business, prospering for a sea son, but selling out he went to -th old Vulture mine. then a prosperou camp, and worked there until h received an injury to his spine tha incapacitated him for hard labor
 He was given a job attending tn water supply for the next three year and after another venture in the sa loon business, broken in finances h returned to Phoenix, i'll and almos insane. After recuperating his healt he was employed as city jailor un der Marshal Blankenship and late was for many years janitor of tn court house. Subsequently he wa the caretaker at Neahr's park unt he was no longer able to work.
 
 THE USUAL CROP.