Jefferson County Online
Jefferson County's '49ers


Following the discovery of Gold in California in 1848 and the confirmation of its truth, a group of residents of Jefferson County, Iowa, began organizing and undertook a journey across land to distant California.  This adventure was recorded in a dozen or so newspaper accounts during and following the journey.  Listed below are some of those articles.  We are grateful to Judy Neu for transcribing these articles from Jefferson County Records, Vol. 3 compiled by Mary Prill and published by the Log Cabin Chapter of the DAR.

If you find a name(s) for which you would like more information, post a query on this site or contact the local genealogist, Verda Baird. Please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to:

Verda Baird
2791 - 240th Street
Fairfield, Iowa 52556

She should get back to you in the near future.
 

Make your selection of the article which you would like to read by clicking on the article's name.
In addition to the articles there were also newspaper articles, mostly death notices, relating to people among those who went to California on that journey.  These are shown in the bottom table.

 
Newspaper
Article
Date
The Iowa Sentinel
 "For California"
Fri., Jan 12, 1849
The Iowa Sentinel
"California Company"
Feb. 16, 1849
The Iowa Sentinel
"Off To California"
Apr. 20, 1849
The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, Vol. XXX, No. 3
"Iowa and the California Gold Rush of 1849"
 July, 1932
 The Fairfield Tribune
 "The Argonauts Of ‘49"
 Feb. 24, 1892
 The Fairfield Tribune
"The Argonauts Of ‘49"
Mar. 9, 1892
Fairfield (Iowa) Weekly Journal
"Sulifand S. Ross -- Argonaut"
Jan. 16, 1901
Fairfield (Iowa) Weekly Journal
"Sulifand S. Ross -- Argonaut"
Jan. 31, 1901
Fairfield (Iowa) Weekly Journal
"Sulifand S. Ross -- Argonaut"
Feb. 13, 1901
Fairfield (Iowa) Weekly Journal
"Sulifand S. Ross -- Argonaut"
Mar. 27, 1901
Fairfield (Iowa) Weekly Journal
"Sulifand S. Ross -- Argonaut"
Apr. 3, 1902

Individuals In The Trip To California

Person(s)
Article
Newspaper
Date
 ALLENDER, Jacob H.
Death
The Fairfield Journal
July 31, 1912
BARTHOLOMEW, William Houston
Death
The Fairfield Tribune
June 26, 1907
CASTELL, John M.
Death
The Fairfield Ledger
May 7, 1902
COFFIN, Samuel
Death
The Lockridge Herald
Aug. 1, 1913
CUMMINGS, Wm.
Death
The Fairfield Daily Journal
Jan. 18, 1916
FRY, Simon C. & Martha J. 
Deaths
The Fairfield Ledger
Feb. 4, 1891
GILHAM, Calvit A.
Death Record
Jefferson County Death Record
1917
GILHAM, Calvit A.
Death/Funeral
Fairfield Daily Journal
Aug 13, 1911
GILLHAM, Thomas Cunningham
DAR relationship
The Gillham Family in America
  
GILHAM-COTTLE
Marriage
The Fairfield Ledger
Oct. 6, 1886
HARDIN, Evan T.
Death
The Fairfield Ledger
July 11, 1888
HARDIN, Evan T.
Civil War
IOWA ROSTER OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION
  
HEATON, Hiram
Death
The Lockridge Herald
Jan. 5, 1912
HUTTON, Stephen
Death
The Fairfield Tribune
May 4, 1898
HOWELL, Kate J. 
Death
The Fairfield Ledger
May 21, 1884
KYLE, Charles A.
Death
The Fairfield Tribune
Mar. 13, 1901
 KYLE, John J.
 Death
 Jefferson County Republican &
The Fairfield Journal
 Dec. 20, 1907
Jan. 10, 1908
KYLE, John J.
Death
The Brighton Enterprise
Dec. 21, 1907
MAXWELL, George
Letter
The Fairfield Journal
Mar. 13, 1912
 MOORE, Robert
 Biographical Sketch
The Fairfield Daily Journal
Feb. 4, 1907
NADY, Etta (Moore)
Death
The Fairfield Tribune
Feb. 12, 1908
PIERCE, Abrial R.
Story
History of Jefferson County, Iowa
1879
ROSS, S. S.
Death
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Free Press
June 19, 1921
 SHUFFLETON, Hugh H. 
 Letter
 The Fairfield Ledger
 Feb. 8, 1885
 SHUFFLETON, Hugh Hall, Sr.
Death
COURIER-FREE PRESS, Redding, Shasta County, California
 March 12, 1919
 STOUT, Ephraim 
KIRK, Joseph
COOP, Wm. H.
Old Settlers Day
The Lockridge Herald
Oct. 16, 1914
THOMPSON, Martha C. 
Death
 The Fairfield Ledger
 Feb. 14, 1900

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If you need further information on a listed name ask for a Lookup, post a Query or contact Verda Baird listed under the Jefferson County Genealogical Society.

I am the County Coordinator and the  Webmaster, the one who is responsible for the Iowa GenWeb project for Jefferson County, Iowa.  Please contact me if you would like to contribute to this database or if you note any problems with these pages.

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This page created 06/28/2001. The material may be copied and used for personal purposes but can not be republished nor used for commercial purposes without the author's written permission.