Goldmine Newpaper Article
Highlights of an article in San Francisco Evening Bulletin, Nov 19, 1866 (correspondent is from NY Herald) that I recently obtained:
The correspondent visited the 900 acre Portis Gold Mining Co. Gold discovered on land of a "poor shoemaker named John Portis".He had purchased land on credit and unable to pay the sheriff came to "levy an execution".With the sheriff was a miner from Charlotte, who noticed gold particles in the mud between the logs of his cabin. Portis leased the gold rights to various parties, taking 1/4 of the proceeds. John enjoyed his new-found wealth, built a big house and was regularly fined for "harboring disorderly characters".A bill paid by John is described (in possession of Thomas K Thomas, President) and it mentions Mary Portis, Nancy Portis, Betsy Portis, Nancy Tucker, Mary Ann Tucker, Eliza Tucker (relationships not indicated). A story is told of how a passing pedler, Jacob Klaushammer, took 3000 pennyweight ($3000 by my calculation), to be coined at the Philadelphia Mint, but never returned with John's money.
John died in 1850 and "his numerous children could make no amicable settlement" and the mine was sold to Thomas K Thomas of Louisburg. At that time it was estimated that more than 1.5 millions dollars of gold had been taken out.
[This article contains both common elements and discrepancies with other accounts (generally later) of the discovery of the mine that I have found. I suspect that it is more accurate. It is unfortunate that the children of John are not well-documented, but 1840 US census data says that there were 1 male 60-69, 2 males 10-14, 2 females 20-29, 1 female 40-49, and 9 free "colored" persons in the household.]
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Re: Goldmine Newpaper Article
Richard Colbert 4/19/13