Copyright has not been assigned to The Society of California Pioneers. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Society of California Pioneers as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the reader.
Description
Copyright has not been assigned to The Society of California Pioneers. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Society of California Pioneers as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the reader Autobiography & Reminiscence of Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff, Napa, 1901. The Society of California Pioneers Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff was born in Carver, Plymouth County, Massachusetts September 7, 1821, studied medicine at the Tremont Medical School (Boston) and graduated from Harvard (1848). At news of the gold discovery in California, he took the schooner "Boston" for S.F. on January 25, 1849 stopping in St. Catherine (Brazil), the Straits of Magellan, and Port Famine (a Chilean penal colony). On July 6, 1849 he arrived in S.F. and soon left on the "Olivia" to Sacramento. Arriving on July 16 he went to Beal's Bar to mine, later taking a job digging a canal between the American River and its south fork. In fall of 1849, Shurtleff went to Reading Springs and resumed mining at Middle Creek. Elected to the office of Alcalde he resigned in the summer of 1850 and began a mercantile business. When Shasta County was organized, Shurtleff was elected its first County Treasurer, Chairman of the Board of School Trustees and also County Physician. In 1861 he was elected to the Senate from the district comprising Shasta and Trinity Counties. In 1874 Shurtleff moved to Napa, was elected to the Board of City Trustees (May 1876) and was chosen as one of the delegates to the State Constitutional Convention. In March 1880, Shurtleff was appointed one of the trustees of the Napa State Asylum for the Insane, serving as Board President Autobiographies and Reminiscences of California Pioneers, p. 143-166, Vol. 2. This is a typed transcript, bound into a volume, of the member's autobiographical reminiscence created as an institutional record for the Society of California Pioneers. This reminiscence includes a reference to a photograph of the member in a set of bound volumes, but there is no longer a photograph of this member in our collection. This reminiscence covers Shurtleff's life from 1842-1901, providing family history, genealogy on his ancestor William Shurtleff, and other early families of Plymouth. The text describes Shurtleff's overseas voyage, the Straits of Magellan and arriving in San Francisco. Details about his mining experience include costs for provisions, and anecdotes relating to miners. He was appointed the chief judicial official in Reading Springs and discusses how disputes were settled. Included is an excerpt from a closing speech Shurtleff delivered at the State Constitutional Convention in Sacramento (1878-1879) opposing a motion to incorporate an age limit into the constitution. There is a note endorsing the biography authored by Dr. Shurtleff which notes a change to the date of his arrival in S.F.
Shurtleff, Benjamin, Dr--1821-1911 Shurtleff, William--1624-1666--Descendants Shurtleff family Pioneers--California--Biography Voyages to the Pacific Coast Frontier and pioneer life Gold mines and mining California--History--19th century
Time Period
California -- History -- 19th century
Place
Pioneers California Biography History 19th century. California, Northern.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
