"James S. Russell" Historic Nantucket article from the Nantucket Historical Association

Originally published in the Historic Nantucket, Vol 48, no. 3 (Summer 1999), p. 18-23

James S. Russell: Nantucket Native, California Miner
By Linda McBeath-Van Gundy

COUNTLESS TIMES I LISTENED TO MY grandfather tell how he came to possess the journals of Nantucket native and California miner James S. Russell. Grandpa vividly recalled visiting his aged cousin, Frank Starbuck, and being told to take a shovel and start digging near an oak tree not far from the Starbuck home. Little did Grandpa know what treasure he would uncover! His shovel struck metal, and continued digging revealed a sealed metal can containing sixty-nine daily journals diligently recorded by his Grandpa Russell. In the ensuing years, in conversation with Grandpa, we marveled at the triumphs, tragedies, and trials encountered by Russell during his search for gold. Russell's spirit lives in the small journals dug from the soil where he panned, sluiced, and held on to gold-laced dreams. The legacy written upon the journal pages is a record of Russell's life in his own words. Russell's accounts and recollections are of a truly adventurous period in history. It is a personal story beginning in Nantucket, with reports of gold being easily found along the banks of the American River in Coloma, in El Dorado County, California.

James Sanderson Russell was born May 13, 1830, to one of Nantucket's adventurous whaling families. The only son of Ammial and Eliza (Hussey) Russell, he came of age in the aftermath of Nantucket's devastating fire of 1846 and the whale-dependent economy's decline. Realizing employment opportunities on the island to be few, the rumors of gold in California sparked the young man's imagination! Looking for an adventure and a promising future, Russell listened intently to rumors about the gold.

The December 13, 1848, edition of the Inquirer confirmed reports of gold by publishing Colonel Mason's "California Gold—Important Official Report." In the report Mason wrote,

I struck this stream (now known as Weber's Creek) at the washings of Sunol & Co. They had about thirty Indians employed, whom they pay in merchandise. They were getting gold of a character similar to that found in the main fork and doubtless in sufficient quantities to satisfy them. I send you a small specimen, presented by this company of their gold.

Gold fever spread rapidly and the people of Nantucket Island would never be the same. Russell joined people from around the world in dreaming of their fortune and future to be found in California gold. He joined men in Nantucket racing to gather supplies and reserve space on a ship. In preparing for the trip Russell applied and was granted a Seaman's Protection Certificate in which he is described as being nineteen years old with blue eyes, dark complexion, dark hair, and being five feet, 8 inches tall.

On August 22, 1849, Russell bid farewell to his widowed mother and two sisters and boarded the Fanny and sailed East. The first entries of the ship's log records:

August 22, First part light wind from the S West imployed in geting the ship ready for sea at 1 P.M. August 23, First part light winds from the SW at 1 P.M. came to anchor and furled the sails at daylight made sail and stood up the South at 9 A.M let go the anchor at noon took the anchor and stood out to sea at noon gayhead bore SSE.

The ship moving into the Atlantic Ocean found the sea calm, the wind moderate, and the weather clear. The ship's log reveals the passengers busying themselves "sail making and various jobs" to ready the ship for the long voyage. On September 9, the ship approached the Azores, where authorities tried to quarantine the ship due to a cholera outbreak in New York City. The Argonauts, not to be deterred, continued to sail. At the end of September, light to strong winds blew the ship to the Cape Verde Islands: "Sent the boat on shore for water but soon returned and found but little." At Santa Cruz the schooner U.S.A. boarded the Fanny and "informed us that no water was to be got at Port Grand." Sailing into Port Pavarn the crew successfully brought aboard water, fruit, and vegetables.

Nearing Cape Horn the crew prepared for what all knew to be a treacherous crossing in heavy swells, strong erratic winds, and rough seas. The Fanny fared well passing around the Horn, reporting, "Split to fore top ships gallant sail." On December 22, the ship's log notes the passengers spent the day mending sails. The ship sailed to "Valparaiso Harbor 20 fathoms of water furled the sails and set the watch." December 28 through January 3 the ship remained in port. The crew and passengers went ashore to enjoy the picturesque landscape and other offerings of the port city. Leaving Valparaiso, the sailors found the weather fine and all hands well. To alleviate boredom during the final leg of the trip, "All hands imployed in various jobs." The men took advantage of the time to sharpen picks and axes, mend clothes, check and recheck supplies, and examine maps of the gold areas. At 1 P.M. on February 21, 1850, the Fanny, "Came to anchor at San Francisco 182 days from home."

Russell headed where he knew there to be Nantucket acquaintances. Numerous seafaring captains and their families, having relocated from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, resided on Rincon Hill. Russell settled into a comfortable home for the next four months, while operating a scow shipping freight to shore in the rough, crowded waters of San Francisco Bay.

Leaving San Francisco Russell tried his luck mining on the Yuba River at Downieville, until the drought of 1850 forced him to abandon his claim. In August he relocated to Sacramento. On October 15, word arrived of California's admittance to the Union and Russell participated in the city's jubilant statehood celebration, which ended quickly as celebrants fell ill with cholera. Russell witnessed hasty mass burials and bonfires of victims' personal belongings before fleeing the epidemic.

Russell and his Nantucket friend Benjamin Gardner traveled to Coloma in El Dorado County, where they saw miners working shoulder to shoulder in the American River shoveling and panning for gold. Determining Coloma to be overcrowded, Russell and Gardner followed Weber Creek prospecting for a claim. Where Weber and Sweetwater creeks merged, they found Nantucket natives James and Annie Chase, struck a claim, and began to experience life in the diggings.

Russell spent his days prospecting, wheeling, throwing, washing, and sluicing dirt for gold. He found the days long, the work hard, and the earnings meager. "Washed some this morning and night got about | 25cents-BULLY," and on another occasion, "Towing some this morning and evening, rocking between, got nothing as usual." Russell's entries also make note of good times as well, "Rocking some on the hill got $18.25." After one heavy rainstorm flushed the soil Russell joyfully wrote, "Rocking all day up the ravine got 3 pieces of 6 oz."

The miners with claims on Sweetwater Creek grew into a tightly knit community. Together they and the few women in the area enjoyed singing socials, dances, and picnics. They planted and harvested vegetables from their gardens, grapes from the vineyards, and fruit from the orchards. Hunting deer and geese in the surrounding foothills and fishing in the American River provided the main course for the miners' shared suppers. "Took dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Chase," is a frequent journal entry.

Illness sometimes interrupted the celebrations. Russell recorded, "Down to Edwards he very sick." In the East it would be family members who attended the sick, but out West fellow miners furnished support and medical attention to their comrades. For the following fourteen days Russell fulfilled his obligation to Edwards by providing meals, preparing medications and watching by his bedside to make the sick man comfortable. At last he recorded, "Watched with Edwards last night probably the last I will have to as he is very low." Nicholas Edwards died the next evening at 9:30. The miners gathered and Russell observed, "We buried our friend this afternoon at 4 o'clock in the Jay Hawk Burying Ground. A large attendance, a very good service at the grave. Peace to his soul." Under the direction of Russell, Edwards's tools were brought from his claim to his cabin. Russell sold "Edwards claim and so on." He wrote a letter and sent the proceeds of the sale to Edwards's family.

Amongst the excitement and sorrow of life in the diggings Russell determined one thing to be missing from his life. As women appeared in the mining communities, marriages were celebrated and babies born and Russell wanted the companionship of a wife. During a four-month visit to Nantucket in 1860, Russell assessed the island's economy, visited with family and friends, and met twenty-two-year-old Ellen Brooks. Russell returned to California with new-found determination and the hope of Ellen joining him in the West. He filled his journals with notes of writing to and receiving letters from her. One entry reads, "Out of bed to get letter from Ellen." For eight years the two exchanged letters and pictures. Their correspondence developed into a long-distance romance.

On August 17, 1868, Russell traveled to San Francisco and "bought a ticket" on the steamer Oregonian for a trip home. In Nantucket, Russell visited relatives, friends, and the woman he now called "Dear Ellen." His entry on November 21 states, "Ellen and myself were married this morning by Rev. Mr. Davis. Left soon after on the island steamer." After two days in New York City the newlyweds boarded the ship Henry Chacon for San Francisco. The Russells enjoyed pleasant days at sea, passing the time writing letters to friends and promenading on deck. They arrived in the City by the Bay on December 17 and left immediately for Sacramento and El Dorado County. Arriving in Sweetwater, Russell dropped Ellen off at James and Annie Chase's. Ellen spent the night sharing Nantucket gossip with her friend Annie, while Russell went home to prepare his shanty for his bride.

Ellen dedicated her first months in the diggings to papering and painting the shanty, stuffing the mattresses with hay, and making a rag rug for the dirt floor. She sketched pictures to hang on the walls and send home to relatives. She engaged her husband to build a bookcase, sink, and table. Ellen's womanly touches transformed the small shanty into a comfortable residence. She took an active interest in Russell's mining activities and made frequent trips to his claim, on one occasion recording, "This afternoon down on the claim a few moments then came up to Mr. Gardner's to see them fix some gold to sell." Ellen cherished the time with the other women along the creek. "Down to Mrs. Toby's today to a quilting. Mrs. Robbins, Mrs. White, Mrs. Chase, Coates, Rolfing and myself there. Men down in It was a welcome break from the chores of washing clothes, ironing, cooking, and cleaning.

On November 29, 1869, "Ellen quite unwell, nothing new yet," wrote a worried Russell. The next day he joyfully proclaimed, "Baby born this morning at half past 3. After a hard night of it." They named the child Nettie. Two more children were born to James and Ellen—Frank, born May 24, 1871, and Aggie, born April 2, 1876. Russell actively participated in the upbringing of his children. He stayed with the children when Ellen took trips to town, enjoyed reading to the girls, and taking Frank with him to his claim. Russell proudly recorded walking each of his children to their first day of school. He served four three-year terms as a trustee to the Green Valley School. Russell's responsibilities included hiring and paying the schoolmistress, ordering books, and maintaining the one-room schoolhouse by repairing and moving the furnishings, painting the blackboard, and chopping wood for the stove. He was paid $2.00 per day for his work.

The Russells enjoyed the local social life. The families along the creek hosted parties, dances, candy pulls, sing-alongs, and, as weather permitted, picnics and fairs. While the miners searched for the elusive gold, tragedy struck in the form of cholera, diphtheria, and other fatal diseases. Russell's journals record many adult deaths as well as the children's struggle to survive illness with only remedial medical supplies. As the Russells helped their neighbors along the creek cope with illnesses and mourn their losses, the Russell children also became ill. Russell spent his days helping his neighbors and his nights watching over his own sick children. Day after day he sorrowfully recorded, "My children no better." Finally, Russell recorded, "Thank God the babies seem better tonight." The Russell children recovered and Russell returned to mine on his claim.

Receiving word of his sister being seriously ill, Peter Calyer, Russell's partner, quickly departed California for New York. His effort to see her proved to be in vain: "Rec'd. a letter from Peter in NY reported his sister dead two weeks before he arrived." After settling his sister's affairs, Calyer traveled to Nantucket as he told Russell he would. Russell's mother welcomed him and the chance to hear first-hand accounts of her son. An opportunity was provided for Calyer to meet Sue Tuck. The two enjoyed each other's company, and Russell received letters reporting "Pete having a good time." Calyer and Tuck married at the home of Tuck's father, Uriah, and headed for Sweetwater. On December 23, 1874, the Calyers joined the others in El Dorado County.

Marcus Starbuck arrived on Sweetwater Creek May 31, 1877, bringing news of home to the Nantucket natives. Starbuck immediately went to work alongside Russell sluicing for gold. The sixteen-year-old Starbuck proved to be a reliable, hardworking young man, who grew to be a confidant of Russell's: "Marcus and myself at work in the creek all day." As the years passed, Starbuck bestowed attention on Russell's daughter. On December 31, 1890, twenty-one-year-old Nettie and Starbuck married in a quiet ceremony at the Russell home.

During the 1870s mining continued to be challenging, frustrating, and dangerous. Russell met with only moderate success, "Trying to ground sluice, not enough water." His journal reflects his frustration, "I left alone to consider how things have gone this year past. God grant I may do better the coming one." As a result of homesickness, disappointment, and restlessness Russell's neighbors abandoned their claims, changed occupations, moved to other locations, or returned to their former homes. On January 10, 1871, alarmed by a sense of urgency and concern, Russell reported that Mrs. Chase had received, "a letter warning Mrs. C. and babies to leave for home." Ellen traveled to the Chase home to help Annie prepare for a quick departure. The Russells sadly bid Annie and her children goodbye. Accompanied by her husband she headed for San Francisco to board a ship for the trip home. James Chase returned to Nantucket in September 1871. The Chases were followed in 1875 by Benjamin Gardner, when on July 5 Russell recorded, "Mr. Gardner left for Nantucket today. Awful lonesome." Russell dearly missed his mining partner of twenty-five years.

Russell continued to look for a good prospect. "Still prospecting all day for quartz pockets succeeding in finding one late in the afternoon. Bids to be a good one." A good one it was! Three days later he recorded, "Got 4 !/2 ounces!" But all too often the entries reflect disappointment, "Washing this morn got about nothing." The gold dust and nuggets became ever more elusive during the '80s and '90s. Russell spent long days working hard on the claim. Letters from Russell's aging mother marked the passage of time as she wrote of her wishes to see him and his family:

I can neither read or write in the evening which makes me feel lonesome as the long winter evenings are approaching not meaning to murmur for I have a pleasant home and good children to care for me and that is more than many can say. You say the children were calculating to write with you I should have been delighted to had them done so but did not blame them with the thermometer at 100 in the shade, dear little creatures how they must suffer to take such long walks in such warm weather. I can hardly be reconciled when I think how far away they are and I shall never see the dear little ones. O how we would like to have you all in our mongst to spend the winter with us. I think the time would go some quicker, don't you?"

James and Ellen evaluated their life and goals and decided to stay in California. In December 1889, Russell felt overwhelming grief, '"Rec. a letter tonight from Will giving an account of Mother's death on Thanksgiving Day." He continued to work with high hopes, buoyed by "Picked up a piece of gold weighed 3 oz."

By the turn of the century hydraulic mining companies dotted the countryside. These technological advances in mining promised a quicker and more profitable method to extract the gold. Russell's only son, Frank, hired on with the Natomas Hydraulic Company. On April 15, 1912, Frank Russell invited his father to see the dredger on which he worked. "Quite an invention or way to mine," marveled the older Russell. Five months later the father mourned the loss of his son when Frank was sucked into the dredger, killing him instantly. "Our dear boy Frank killed last night by being caught in the machinery," sorrowfully wrote the senior Russell.

Russell's journal entry of January 22, 1916, reads, "Ellen taken sick this eve about 9:30 P.M. Sent for the doctor at Folsom." Throughout the year Ellen remained sick. Russell struggled with the fact his wife would never again be the woman with whom he shared many years of his life. Journal entries painstakingly record Ellen's deteriorating health, "Ellen very sick, out of her head at times. We only hope for the best." As the hopelessness of her condition became apparent he wrote, "Ellen is no better. I fear she never will be." On January 27, 1917, Russell in referring to Ellen wrote, "God only knows how it will end." The next day he sadly penned, "Our Dear Ellen passed away today at 12:30 noon. Passed to a better home we trust and is now with her loved boy Frank."

Russell mourned the loss of his son and wife but continued to hold to his hope of finding a good prospect: "Began my new project this morning on the claim." Well into his nineties Russell continued to read his newspapers, visit with family and friends, and search for gold. He became a newsworthy personality as one of the last surviving 49ers. Interviews in newspapers throughout California offered the aged miner a chance to recall his early-day experiences. A 1924 newspaper article written by Michael Irving reported:

His home is there at the foot of Pine Hill, a quiet ranch hidden in the trees and brush. The place runs half a mile up Sweetwater Creek. More than one hundred men worked that gulch at one time for the elusive gold he will tell you. Now he alone remains. Ask Russell about the reservoir up the river, near the broad heel of Pine Hill. With twenty one men he helped build that reservoir in the old days, storing up water against the dry season when there were no rains for the running of the sluices. Of those twenty one men he alone is alive. Of those he knew in the early fifties there is not one left.

When reporting about Russell's long life Irving wrote, "never been drunk and does not use tobacco but he will not attempt to draw a moral. He has just lived and worked and intends to continue to live and work."

As the days spent on his claim became less frequent, Russell sought the solitude and peaceful retreat of his home. His small journals became his companion as he passed the time reading and reminiscing. "Looking over my diaries this evening." Reflecting on his long life he wrote to his grandchildren, "I suppose you think ninety years is a long time to look ahead but it don't seem long to me to look back." As the 1920s drew to a close Russell suffered the pains and stiffness of rheumatism. At the age of ninety-nine he limited himself to staying close to home, "My rheumatism not much better consequently at home" and "Put in a very bad night last night. God grant it be better tonight."

During the early days of 1930 it became increasingly evident that Russell was entering the final stage of life. In May, relatives and friends called on Russell to offer congratulations on the occasion of his one hundredth birthday. There was a dinner, a cake with one hundred candles, musical entertainment, and a chance for Russell to recall some of the outstanding events in local history.

It is difficult to determine if Russell ever recovered from the exhaustion of his birthday celebration, for it was not long before the doctor began to make house calls to the Starbuck Ranch to see Russell. As word spread of Russell's declining health visitors sat around his table, listening one last time to his Gold Rush tales. On June 29, Russell died while taking his afternoon nap. Nettie Starbuck wrote in her father's journal, "Grandpa passed away today aged 100 years, 2 months and 16 days." Russell is buried in the family plot at Jay Hawk Pioneer Cemetery, El Dorado County, California.

James Russell never realized his youthful dream of finding a fortune in gold. He did leave for future generations daily journal entries that are a testament to his patience, dedication, and perseverance as a participant in California's Gold Rush.

Source List

California Gold—Official Report, Nantucket Inquirer, December 13,1848.

Journal of Ellen B. Russell, 1869; Journals of James S. Russell, 1861-1930; Letter to Russell Family, 1888, by Eliza Russell; 49-er Still Pans His Gold at 94, by Michael Irving, Newspaper Unknown, 1924. Collection of Linda McBeath-Van Gundy, Sacramento, California

Letter to Russell Grandchildren, 1920, by James S. Russell, Collection of Irma Paulsen,
Walnut Creek, California

Log of the Ship Fanny 1849-1850, NHA

Seaman's Protection Certificate, District of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Quarter Ending 30th of 'September, 1849, National Archives and Record Service, Washington, D.C.

Linda McBeath-Van Gundy has been researching the Russell family for the past twenty years and has given numerous oral presentations on her ancestors. She is the president of the El Dorado Historical Society and a member of the California State Sesquicentennial Committee for Sutter's Fort in Sacramento.