Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 49 1833-34. Besides these parties, there were several trappers, or “lone traders,” in this region during the same period. The attention of the officers of the wealthy and powerful Hudson Bay Company was first specially called to the extent and importance of the fur trade in California by Captain Smith, in 1827 or 8. The first expedition sent out by them was that under the command of McLeod. A short time after the departure of this company a second one was sent out under the leadership of Mr. Ogden, which followed up the Columbia and Lewis rivers, thence southerly over western Utah, Nevada, and into the San Joaquin Valley. On their return they trapped on the streams in Sacramento Valley, and went out at the northern limit in 1830. Thereafter the Hudson Bay Company continued to send trappers into all this region, for a time employing about ninety or one hundred men in thie State. During the months of January and February, 1844, John C. Fremont, then brevet captain of topographical engineers, on his return from his first exploring expedition to Oregon, passed down the west side of the Sierras, and crossed the snow-covered summit to Helvetia ( Sacramento), suffering many privations and hardships. To reach this point they followed down the south fork of the American River. Fremont has published a journal of his trip, describing the experiences of himself and of his men with the Indians and with the usual vicissitudes of western travel, and also of the beauty of the hill and valley scenery and the primeval streams of pure water. The next winter another party, of hardy pioneers, worked their laborious way through the drifting snow of the mountains and entered the beautiful valley, one of them remaining in his snow-bound camp at Donner Lake until returning spring made his rescne possible. The party consisted of twenty-three men, viz.: John Flomboy; Captain Stevens, recently a resident of Kern County, California; Joseph E. Foster; Dr. John Townsend; Allen Montgomery; Moses Schallenberger, now a_ resident of San Jose, California; C. Greenwood and his two sons, John and Brit; James Miller, of San Rafael, California; Mr. Calvin; William Martin; Patrick Martin; Dennis Martin; Martin Murphy and his five sons; Mr. Hitchcock and son, and others. . William Sublette came overland in 1845 with a party of fifteen men, probably by way of the famous “cut-off” named after him. He went East with Clyman and Hastings. James Alexander Forbes, a native of Scotland, lived some years in South America, and came thence to San Francisco about 1830. In 1832 he was acting as a kind of clerk or majordomo for a Mexican at Santa Clara. A year or two afterward he was naturalized. In July, 1834, he married Ana Maria, daughter of Juan C. Galindo, being then twenty-seven years old. In 1836 he was agent for the Hudson Bay Company; elector in 1838; sindico in 1839; and in 1842 he was appointed British vice-consul at Monterey, which oftice he filled for a few years, but without moving to Monterey, as there was little todo. In 1844 he was the grantee of the Potrero de Santa Clara; in 1845-46 he was at San Francisco in charge of the Hudson Bay Company’s property, after Rae’s death, having apparently used his influence against Sutter and Micheltorena, being involved in a controversy with Leidesdorff, and obtaining for himself and wife some beach lots in that place. He disclaimed taking any part in procuring a British protectorate over California, and in the troubles of 1846-47 he took but slight part. Governor Mason declined to permit him as British vice-consn! to import goods free of duties. Mr. Forbes died in Oakland, in 1881, at the age of seventy-seven,’ retaining to the last much bitterness of feeling against many American peculiarities. His children have been Carlos H., residing at Los Angeles, in 1885, with ten children: Martha (deceased), James Alexander, Jr., Michael, Frederick, James Alonzo, Luis Felipe (deceased), Maria Clara, Juan Telesforo, Margaret, Francis H. and Alfred O.