The California Gold Rush

I have spent most of my genealogical research years trying to convince myself that the only two leads we have on the fate of OFD Wilson Sr. didn't make sense. However, history shows us that many people did things that made no sense, in the hope of instant riches during the California Gold Rush.

1.) Mrs. Faye Shankle, a descendant and long time Wilson family researcher, visited the Nevada County, California Court House in 1999. I don't know what her reason was for choosing that particular county. She found several records of interest there. She obviously had found some information that pointed to Nevada County.

One document describes the sale of mining claims located in Grass Valley Township. They were owned by O. F. Wilson, living, on January 6, 1857. This sale mentioned that O. F. Wilson had heirs, but did not name them.

Mrs. Shankle also found a probate record, dated March 25, 1861, for an O. F. Wilson, deceased. This probate described the sale of 13 mining claims in Grass Valley Township to pay the debts of O. F. Wilson. No heirs were named in the probate. That may have been because no money would have been left over for heirs after the debts were paid.

2.) Greta Allen Huit told me personally that her mother said OFD Wilson Sr. had gone to California during the Gold Rush. Greta's mother was a grand-daughter of OFD Wilson Sr.

If O. F. Wilson of Nevada County, California was our ancestor, he died between January 6, 1857 and March 25, 1861. This happens to be a likely period for the marriage of his wife, Nancy, to her second husband, M. Drain. No records have been located to give the date and location of Nancy's marriage to M. Drain. They were living in Montgomery County, Missouri in 1860. I believe they were married there about 1859. Unfortunately, the Montgomery County Court House burned during the Civil War. There are no records from that time extant.

Further research should be done in Nevada County, California during the period of 1851—1861.