Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-05-12

covery no county in all the United
States but had contributed at least
one to go to the "gold fields,' many
with the idea that all they had to
do was to scoop it up and turn 1t
into cash.
It has been estimated, and that
by a conservative engineer, that five
was received from the sale of gold
dug from the mountains, from the
date of its discovery at Suffers Fort
until the close of the year 1853.
Then more modern methods of ex-
tracing the gold from the ore We're
developed and mountains Of gold
bearing ore we're carried through
the crushers and the gold extracted.
from ne the rsensnSe most remote en- & times mes by tfe
Indians, and was used by them as
we use it today as precious metal
It was the lust. Of gold that caused
the Spanish to send expedition af-
ter expedition to the new Indies ana
it was finally the downfall Of the
Mexican government and the rise OF
Spanish power first under Cortez,
and then under a long line OF pro-
vincial governors, whose first ambi7
tion It was to send to Spain a larger
amount Of the precious metal than
his predecessor.
It was known in South America
and large amounts of 1t had been
accumulated over a number OF CEN
turies by the Incas and this led to
conquest Of South America AS the
natives used it only as an ornament
and in the articles used in their re-
ligious rites, all of it was under the
control of the Inca and thus 1t was
that the Spanish were able to send
such vast amounts to Spain so soon
after the country was conquered, II
we may call it conquered.
This gold was all free gold, sucn
as could be washed out by placer
mining, and no knowledge was had
by the natives of either North or
South America of handling gold in
any form of ore. 1t was many years
after the so called discovery of gold
at Suffers Fort, that process was
developed for handling the gold in
ore form.
However conditions were right
for it's discovery anew. and the en-
tire country was aflame with the eX'
element.
Morgan county did not escape.
Many went from here but II any
made fortune no record has Deen
kept of it, and a glance at the llst
of those who went west to seek their
of gold, will show that for one who
did make any real money from the
gold fields, nine hundred and nine
ty-nine never made enough to even
buy a ticket home. This same Will
hold good for every community from
which the young men went, Wheth-
er it be in Ohio or some other staIe.
And a careful examination or the
history of each individual who dld
show that he made his money IN
some other line than gold mining.
MY grandfather, E. M. Stanbery
was bitten by the gold bug, but he
never got to the gold fields, in fact
he only got as far as Kansas. His
brother, James Jones Stanbery, was
either more or less fortunate, as ne
got to the gold fields, but all the
gold he brought back was a few
nuggets as souvenirs. Many otn-
ers, we'll known in their day, Went,
some overland and some by way OF
Panama. but those who got back
were glad to have a job to work at
on their return. James Mcconnell
made the trip, by way of Panama,
and | believe the most he brought
back was experience and Panama
hat, which l have today, and wear
sometimes in the summer, and
lew fancy WdlSl-COdtS, VI 'colo, oo
We call them today.
In 1852, on Friday, January the
26th, list was made of those VINO
had gone or were on their way to
California, and SO far as | have been
able to find out not a one of them
returned with more than he lett
with. Many of these men have rel,
atives living amongst us today, ana
| thought it would be of interest 10
them to have the list of names. rms
is not a complete list, by any means,
of those who left at one time or an
other, and l shall be pleased @
have any who knows of others send
me their names and the approx
mate time of their leaving Morgan
county, and the date of their return,
if they did return, and, this is most
important, did they return WIN
more money than they had on their
departure? The information gwen
will be held confidential.
at the mill when the men were sit
ting around awaiting their turn for
grinding. 1t was just made up as
the men sitting there happened TO
think of this one or that one VINO
had gone some little time since or
had left recently. They spoke OF
.'going to the land of golden prom
ise;' some went by carriage, some
walked to GAINESVILLE, others rode
horseback with some boy Of the ram
lily along to bring the horse back
home. Some went to GAINESVILLE and
from there to Cleveland, there to
take a boat and go to New York,
from thence they would sail for
Panama, cross there and again set
said for the 'land of golden prom
ise" Others went to GAINESVILLE AMI
from there to st. Louis, and west
ward from there across country.
The list have, as 1t appears IN
an old ledger, is as follows: Bell, j..
man; Wellen, Henry, town, brick
maker; Young, John, town, brick
maker; McMurray, James, town,
physician; Mccullough, William,
town, laborer; Kenison, Isaiah,
town, carpenter; Farra, Samuel
town, grocer; Adams, William,
town, carpenter; Scott Cha Charles te,gn r.
tailor; Heskett, S. s., town, clerk;
man, w. E., jr., town, drover; Ad
ans, Henry, town, clerk; Ridgley.
Alfred L., town, laborer; Fogle,
Robert H.. town, teamster; Pullen,
C. M, town, plasterer; Beans, Benz,
town, laborer; Brownell, Seneca,
Malta, tanner; Brownell, William,
Malta: Cooksey. Thos., Malta, fer
ryman; Seaman, Charles, Malta
township, farmer; Sherwood, Oscar,
Malta township, farmer; Hall, Will
liam. Morgan township, farmer;
Triplitt, E. c., Morgan township,
farmer; Sherwood, Edwin, Morgan
township, salt maker; Burgoon,
Peter, Morgan township, black.
smith; Talley, John, jr., Bloom
township, farmer; *Durbin. Samuel,
Bloom township, farmer; Dempster,
William, Bloom township, farmer;
Adams, John, Bristol township, car
no,+or Ctoyopc Thomas Rrict0l