Volume 037-1 - January 1983 (8 pages)

purchased town lots, and costructed buildings on them to be sold. Practically all of the houses erected in Nevada City and vicinity before 1930 were built of lumber purchased from this old and reliable firm. M.L. Marsh never lived to see the Meeka Canyon Mill, another ridge away from New York Canyon, and operating in 1917, but Dan, semi-retired, still kept an interest in the efficiency and out-put of the mills. Finally at the age of eighty-one, weary with the weight of years, he died July 27, 1921. The business continued on for another ten years, and was finally sold to the Auburn Lumber Company by John Menzo Marsh, president, on April 18, 1932. With it went an unforgettable period of ox teams and bull whips, logging camps and sawdust piles, but most of all, two great pioneers who made sawmilling a dramatic Nevada County adventure. V. FINAL YEARS M.L. Marsh met near financial disaster in September, 1876, when the Bank of Nevada County, of which he was Director, failed. Ways and means for the protection of creditors of the bank were made by voluntary assignment. M.L. remained to aid those who had invested at his recommendation, resulting in a deep financial loss from which he had not fully recovered when misfortune struck again. Judge Sawyer’s court decision in 1884, banning hydraulic mining, had a direct effect on the Marsh finances. It not only curtailed a lucrative market for the sale of lumber, but resulted in a depression which struck the country. Finding it necessary, the Marsh brothers joined the United States Dealer’s Protective Association in 1886 to collect unsettled accounts. Names were reported to the association, after which their debts went to press. Some settled by a given date, while others were cited to pay in the near future. His primary interests during this trying period were his children, now in their teens, and his home. Trees from his native state of Ohio, such as the linden and sugar maple, were beginning to take on a stately appearance. Several of these are flourishing to this day. At the back of the lot stood a portion of the old Joshua Mulloy apple orchard, the first planted for profit in Nevada City. Every conceivable apple tree grew in the newer section names seldom heard today, such as the yellow Bellflower, red Astrican and Spitzenberger. Among the pear varieties were the Bartlett, Winter Nellis and Vicar of Wakefield. Those of the plum family included the Tamson, Sickle, Black Tartarian and Downer’s late red. So extensive were his agricultural pursuits, he financed the local nurseryman, Felix Gillet, in the planting of nut-bearing trees and prunes. One of this group called the Franquetto, and English walnut, is wellknown not only in Nevada County, but the horticultural world of today. M.L. became a Life Member in the 17th District Agriculture Association in 1885, was named Director in 1888, and President in 1890. Because of his agricultural interest, weather conditions, the amount of rainfall and depth of snow pack became important to him. Items in his diaries usually began with a weather report. He originated a weather service which his daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Ben Preston, continued for more than fifty years, and this was one of the longest records kept by a single family. When Mrs. Preston resigned as U.S. Weather Bureau observer for the district in June, 1944, she was highly commended by C.E. Norquest of the U.S. Department of Commerce in San Francisco. The mining interests of M.L. Marsh included the Jenny Lind Mine on Hunt’s Hill, the Yerba Buena Mine near Blue Tent, and the Harmony Mine above Nevada City. At the Harmony, he attempted to tap an ancient river bed by means of a long tunnel. It proved eminently successful and a rich strike was made. Other investments comprised the Twin Cities Oil Company, and the Penn Valley Creamery. He owned one tenth of the capital stock in the oil venture with wells located in San Benito County on forty acres along Silver Creek. He was the instigator and owner of the Penn Valley Creamery below Rough and Ready, but gradually relinquished his holdings, owning just five shares of the stock at the time of his death. At Glenbrook Park, half way between Nevada City and Grass Valley, Marsh and his favorite horse, Mandy, could be found during the racing season. Bets passed back and forth in rapid transactions, and exciting past-time for the aging lumberman. It was a sorry day when Mandy’s career as a race horse ended, due to age, and she had to be consigned to the monotonous task of a carriage horse. After his children married and left the big house to make homes of their own, M.L., lonely and disconsolate, persuaded his daughter, Maria Jane, (Jenny) and her husband, Ben Preston, to return to Nevada City and take over management of the household. (Mr. Preston had been employed with the Sacramento Bee.) The Marsh sons lived nearby. Sherman, married to Lavina Porter, resided for a time on Park Avenue, and then moved across the street from the big house. Charles, married to Eva Bishop, lived just above the old home, and John, married to Emma Hothersoll, owned the house below the Marsh residence. Down the hill, on Park Avenue, lived Dan Marsh, his brother and partner. M.L. was certainly not alone during his declining years. His sisterin-law, Maggie Ward Nichols, a widow, visited the big house often, and the two became congenial companions. He even considered marriage, but the younger generation, mindful of the financial involvement it would concur, discouraged it. During the 1890's, the management of the M.L. and D. Marsh Co. was gradually relinquished to the oldest son, Sherman Ward Marsh, but M.L. continued to remain as President to the last. In March, 1905, he suffered a slight stroke, and the Nevada Transcript for the twenty-second reported: “M.L. Marsh, the pioneer lumberman, was attacked with a sudden and severe illness shortly before midnight on Tuesday, the ailment showing some of the symptoms of an apoplectic stroke. At this writing his condition is improved.” On his recovery, he had the insatiable desire to return to his Eastern home, perhaps feeling it would be for the last time, and on October 3, 1905, left for Newton, Iowa, to visit his sister, Maria Jane Anderson.13 Business man that he was, M.L. had the habit of itemizing all expenditures, and a sampling of the following list for his expenses East, is typical. October 3, TickettoSacramento 4.20 October 3, Ticket to lowa 66.80 October 3, DinneratSacramento 1.25 October 3, Hat 2.00 October 4, Dinner on Train 1.00 October 4, Breakfast 50 October 4, Lunch 15 October 5, Breakfast 1.00 October 5, Newspaper 10 October 5, Pair of overshoes 1.50 October 5, Pair of slippers 1.25 A month after his arrival in Newton, Iowa, he was notified by telegraph of the death of his second son, Charles Teterick Marsh, the first death occurring among his children. It was a heavy blow for the aging father. Charles, a millman at one of the Marsh sawmills, had died of pneumonia at the age of thirty-seven, leaving a wife and three little children.14 M.L. looking much older, arrived home, November 8, by the narrow gauge evening train. The funeral services were held in the big house on the afternoon of November 10, 1905. The old English custom of having members of the family act as pall bearers had been followed by the Marsh family for many years, and marked the funeral of Charles Marsh. His pall-bearers were his brothers, Sherman and John, Ben Preston, Arthur and Charles Brackett, brothers of the widow, and a personal friend, Bert Hallett. After the loss of his son, the elder Marsh relied more and more on the younger generation in assuming the business of lumbering. In one of his last diaries, (pocketaize note books) he collected numerous bits of information. On November 29, 1906, he noted: “Took dinner with John M. Marsh and good lady.” (Emma Hothersoll Marsh was his favorite daughter-in-law.) A plan for the building of a lawn swing with slat seats was diagrammed, and there were many reminders such as the one on March 6, 1905 which read: “Set hen under the barn this evening. Will hatch March 27.” Among the numerous notations, he had jotted down the names of his two grandaughters, Emily Lucille Marsh and Helen Eva Marsh. It was Helen who remembers him best. After the death of her father, she spent a great deal of time, in fact, practically lived with Grandpa Marsh and Aunt Jenny in the big house. She recalls the guinea hens, the yard sentinels, whose loud racket or sharp cackle aroused the household. Another attraction were the fire extinguishers atop the posts surrouding the lumberyard. They were small blue bottles in various shapes and designs containing a liquid-fire repellent to be thrown upon uncontrolled flames. Today they are an antique dealer’s dream, and Mrs. Burger is ron

purchased town lots, and costructed buildings on them to be sold. Practically all of the houses erected in Nevada City and vicinity before 1930 were built of lumber purchased from this old and reliable firm. M.L. Marsh never lived to see the Meeka Canyon Mill, another ridge away from New York Canyon, and operating in 1917, but Dan, semi-retired, still kept an interest in the efficiency and out-put of the mills. Finally at the age of eighty-one, weary with the weight of years, he died July 27, 1921. The business continued on for another ten years, and was finally sold to the Auburn Lumber Company by John Menzo Marsh, president, on April 18, 1932. With it went an unforgettable period of ox teams and bull whips, logging camps and sawdust piles, but most of all, two great pioneers who made sawmilling a dramatic Nevada County adventure. V. FINAL YEARS M.L. Marsh met near financial disaster in September, 1876, when the Bank of Nevada County, of which he was Director, failed. Ways and means for the protection of creditors of the bank were made by voluntary assignment. M.L. remained to aid those who had invested at his recommendation, resulting in a deep financial loss from which he had not fully recovered when misfortune struck again. Judge Sawyer’s court decision in 1884, banning hydraulic mining, had a direct effect on the Marsh finances. It not only curtailed a lucrative market for the sale of lumber, but resulted in a depression which struck the country. Finding it necessary, the Marsh brothers joined the United States Dealer’s Protective Association in 1886 to collect unsettled accounts. Names were reported to the association, after which their debts went to press. Some settled by a given date, while others were cited to pay in the near future. His primary interests during this trying period were his children, now in their teens, and his home. Trees from his native state of Ohio, such as the linden and sugar maple, were beginning to take on a stately appearance. Several of these are flourishing to this day. At the back of the lot stood a portion of the old Joshua Mulloy apple orchard, the first planted for profit in Nevada City. Every conceivable apple tree grew in the newer section names seldom heard today, such as the yellow Bellflower, red Astrican and Spitzenberger. Among the pear varieties were the Bartlett, Winter Nellis and Vicar of Wakefield. Those of the plum family included the Tamson, Sickle, Black Tartarian and Downer’s late red. So extensive were his agricultural pursuits, he financed the local nurseryman, Felix Gillet, in the planting of nut-bearing trees and prunes. One of this group called the Franquetto, and English walnut, is wellknown not only in Nevada County, but the horticultural world of today. M.L. became a Life Member in the 17th District Agriculture Association in 1885, was named Director in 1888, and President in 1890. Because of his agricultural interest, weather conditions, the amount of rainfall and depth of snow pack became important to him. Items in his diaries usually began with a weather report. He originated a weather service which his daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Ben Preston, continued for more than fifty years, and this was one of the longest records kept by a single family. When Mrs. Preston resigned as U.S. Weather Bureau observer for the district in June, 1944, she was highly commended by C.E. Norquest of the U.S. Department of Commerce in San Francisco. The mining interests of M.L. Marsh included the Jenny Lind Mine on Hunt’s Hill, the Yerba Buena Mine near Blue Tent, and the Harmony Mine above Nevada City. At the Harmony, he attempted to tap an ancient river bed by means of a long tunnel. It proved eminently successful and a rich strike was made. Other investments comprised the Twin Cities Oil Company, and the Penn Valley Creamery. He owned one tenth of the capital stock in the oil venture with wells located in San Benito County on forty acres along Silver Creek. He was the instigator and owner of the Penn Valley Creamery below Rough and Ready, but gradually relinquished his holdings, owning just five shares of the stock at the time of his death. At Glenbrook Park, half way between Nevada City and Grass Valley, Marsh and his favorite horse, Mandy, could be found during the racing season. Bets passed back and forth in rapid transactions, and exciting past-time for the aging lumberman. It was a sorry day when Mandy’s career as a race horse ended, due to age, and she had to be

consigned to the monotonous task of a carriage horse. After his children married and left the big house to make homes of their own, M.L., lonely and disconsolate, persuaded his daughter, Maria Jane, (Jenny) and her husband, Ben Preston, to return to Nevada City and take over management of the household. (Mr. Preston had been employed with the Sacramento Bee.) The Marsh sons lived nearby. Sherman, married to Lavina Porter, resided for a time on Park Avenue, and then moved across the street from the big house. Charles, married to Eva Bishop, lived just above the old home, and John, married to Emma Hothersoll, owned the house below the Marsh residence. Down the hill, on Park Avenue, lived Dan Marsh, his brother and partner. M.L. was certainly not alone during his declining years. His sisterin-law, Maggie Ward Nichols, a widow, visited the big house often, and the two became congenial companions. He even considered marriage, but the younger generation, mindful of the financial involvement it would concur, discouraged it. During the 1890's, the management of the M.L. and D. Marsh Co. was gradually relinquished to the oldest son, Sherman Ward Marsh, but M.L. continued to remain as President to the last. In March, 1905, he suffered a slight stroke, and the Nevada Transcript for the twenty-second reported: “M.L. Marsh, the pioneer lumberman, was attacked with a sudden and severe illness shortly before midnight on Tuesday, the ailment showing some of the symptoms of an apoplectic stroke. At this writing his condition is improved.” On his recovery, he had the insatiable desire to return to his Eastern home, perhaps feeling it would be for the last time, and on October 3, 1905, left for Newton, Iowa, to visit his sister, Maria Jane Anderson.13 Business man that he was, M.L. had the habit of itemizing all expenditures, and a sampling of the following list for his expenses East, is typical. October 3, TickettoSacramento 4.20 October 3, Ticket to lowa 66.80 October 3, DinneratSacramento 1.25 October 3, Hat 2.00 October 4, Dinner on Train 1.00 October 4, Breakfast 50 October 4, Lunch 15 October 5, Breakfast 1.00 October 5, Newspaper 10 October 5, Pair of overshoes 1.50 October 5, Pair of slippers 1.25 A month after his arrival in Newton, Iowa, he was notified by telegraph of the death of his second son, Charles Teterick Marsh, the first death occurring among his children. It was a heavy blow for the aging father. Charles, a millman at one of the Marsh sawmills, had died of pneumonia at the age of thirty-seven, leaving a wife and three little children.14 M.L. looking much older, arrived home, November 8, by the narrow gauge evening train. The funeral services were held in the big house on the afternoon of November 10, 1905. The old English custom of having members of the family act as pall bearers had been followed by the Marsh family for many years, and marked the funeral of Charles Marsh. His pall-bearers were his brothers, Sherman and John, Ben Preston, Arthur and Charles Brackett, brothers of the widow, and a personal friend, Bert Hallett. After the loss of his son, the elder Marsh relied more and more on the younger generation in assuming the business of lumbering. In one of his last diaries, (pocketaize note books) he collected numerous bits of information. On November 29, 1906, he noted: “Took dinner with John M. Marsh and good lady.” (Emma Hothersoll Marsh was his favorite daughter-in-law.) A plan for the building of a lawn swing with slat seats was diagrammed, and there were many reminders such as the one on March 6, 1905 which read: “Set hen under the barn this evening. Will hatch March 27.” Among the numerous notations, he had jotted down the names of his two grandaughters, Emily Lucille Marsh and Helen Eva Marsh. It was Helen who remembers him best. After the death of her father, she spent a great deal of time, in fact, practically lived with Grandpa Marsh and Aunt Jenny in the big house. She recalls the guinea hens, the yard sentinels, whose loud racket or sharp cackle aroused the household. Another attraction were the fire extinguishers atop the posts surrouding the lumberyard. They were small blue bottles in various shapes and designs containing a liquid-fire repellent to be thrown upon uncontrolled flames. Today they are an antique dealer’s dream, and Mrs. Burger is ron