Jefferson Baird

Jefferson Baird's headstone in the Plymouth Memorial Cemetery

Jefferson Baird
Born: December 15, 1826 (Perry County, Pennsylvania)
Died: May 12, 1906 (Jackson, Amador County, California)
Interred: Plymouth Memorial Cemetery, Plymouth, Amador County, California
Occupations: Carpenter, Farmer, Miner, Ditch Digger, Lumberman, Justice of the Peace

Jefferson Baird was born in late 1826 in Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1839 his parents moved the family to Iowa. It was in Iowa where Baird learned to be a carpenter, though his primary occupation was working on the family farm. When news of the gold discovery in California reached Iowa, Baird left Iowa and headed west to make California his home for the rest of his life.

He arrived in Sacramento in 1850 and stayed there briefly before moving on to Rough and Ready, a mining town in Nevada County, where he spent a year. From there, he headed south to El Dorado County where he lived in the mountain community of Grizzly Flat. Baird worked in this area digging mining ditches until 1856, when he bought a sawmill and went into the lumber business.

On September 14, 1868 Baird married Mary Ann Brown. Together they had one son, George Milton Baird, who was born in 1869, and in 1898, at the age of 28 years, was killed in an accident at the Ford Mine in San Andreas, Calaveras County.

The Baird family enumerated in the census for El Dorado County's Mountain Township (line 23)


Son George's headstone in the Plymouth Memorial Cemetery

Baird's lumber business was successful and he soon had enough money saved up to buy a ranch in Amador County from Leonard Ballou Sharp, which he purchased in April, 1872 for $2,000. He quickly bought an additional 160 adjoining acres, making the ranch 320 acres total in size. He still maintained the lumber mill in El Dorado County for a few years, but eventually sold that and in 1876, moved to his ranch three miles northeast of Plymouth, where he again made his living as a farmer.

Baird's wife passed away in 1877. Five years later the farm proved to be not quite the success his lumber mill business had been, and Baird was forced to sell the entire 320 acres to James Stillwaggon, which was possibly a move calculated to avoid foreclosure. Baird moved south to Jackson where he remained for the rest of his life.

Wife Mary's headstone in the Plymouth Memorial Cemetery

Baird was active in his community, serving in many positions, such as the Board of School Trustees for the Williams District of Amador County. He also served on the Grand Jury in 1883, and in 1894 was elected Justice of the Peace for Township 5 as a member of the Republican Party.

Baird was a member of the International Order of Gnostic Templars, and when the County Lodge convened in Payne and Richardson's Hall in Sutter Creek on September 18, 1886, Baird attended as a delegate from the Live Oak Lodge.

1900 census for North Jackson, showing Baird as a patient in the County Hospital (line 22)

Baird died in 1906, in Jackson. He was buried in the Plymouth Memorial Cemetery next to his wife and son.

Sources:
History of Amador County, California, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers
The Shenandoah Valley Area of Amador County, California, 1854-1904
1870 Federal Census, Mountain Township, El Dorado County
1900 Federal Census, North Jackson, Amador County

Joseph Ziegler

Joseph Ziegler's grave in Tombstone's Boothill

Joseph Ziegler

Born: circa 1855
Died: November 1, 1882 (Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona)
Interred: Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona
Occupation: Miner

Joseph Ziegler worked as a miner near Tombstone, Arizona. On November 1, 1882 he was working with fellow miner Ed Williams. They were laying track for the ore cars in a local mine when they got into an argument. The subject of the argument is no longer known, but it became very heated and both men were unwilling to let it go. They carried it with them after work and into town later in the day.

The quarrel eventually ended near the corner of Fifth and Toughnut Streets. Behind an icehouse Williams pulled a gun and shot Ziegler to death. Since Ziegler had no weapon on him, it should have been a clear case of murder. But a jury of Williams' peers saw differently. He was convicted on the much lesser charge of manslaughter, which had a maximum sentence of five years.

The view northwest toward the courthouse from Third and Toughnut, two blocks west of the murder


The view southeast from Fourth and Toughnut - the murder took place just right of center in this photo

Sources:
Tombstone's Boothill by Ben T. Traywick (1994)
Essential Guide For Your Tour of the Original Boothill Graveyard - self guided tour pamphlet from the Boothill Graveyard gift shop

Charles Steckler

Charles Steckler's headstone in the Givoth Olam Cemetery

Charles Steckler
Born: March 3, 1824 (Bohemia)
Died: September 3, 1880 (Jackson, Amador, California) - Suicide by hanging
Interred: Givoth Olam Cemetery, Jackson, Amador, California
Occupations: Grocery Store, Saloon and Dry-Goods Store Owner

Charles Steckler was born in Bohemia and migrated to the United States in the mid 1800s, winding up in the small mining community of Jackson. He owned a number of businesses in Jackson and the surrounding communities, including a grocery store (with partners Moses Brumel and P. Vertimer) and saloons in both Jackson and Volcano. The grocery business closed in 1858, the same year his first wife passed away, and he later opened a dry-goods store. In advertisements for the dry-goods store he stated "I sell cheap for cash only".

1860 Census for Jackson, showing Steckler (line 19) and second wife Caroline, with two small children - one from his previous marriage

On the morning of September 3, 1880, at about 8am, Steckler was found hanging in the back room of his dry-goods store in an attempt to commit suicide. It is unknown how long he had been hanging there, but it couldn't have been very long, as he was still alive when found. However, he had successfully injured himself too severely to be saved. He was cut down quickly as soon as he was found and a doctor was summoned, but Steckler passed away within minutes of being discovered. He left no note behind and the reasons for his suicide are unknown. His business was successful and as far as anyone knew, his life at home with his family was also a happy one.

Amador Dispatch, Saturday, September 4, 1880: A SAD AFFAIR - One of Jackson's oldest and best citizens commits suicide! This (Friday) morning about 8 o'clock, Jackson was thrown into a commotion and her citizens enveloped in gloom, by the announcement that Mr. Chas. Steckler, one of our oldest citizens, and most respected and prosperous merchants had, only a few minutes previous to that time, committed suicide by hanging himself in the back room of his store. It is not definitely known how long he had been hanging when he was discovered by someone who cut the rope by which he was suspended, as speedily as possible. And although life at this time was not entirely extinct, yet it was too late for medical aid to restore him and he expired within a few minutes after he was found. He had come down from his residence as usual, about 7 o'clock and partially opened his store, after which he was not seen until found about one hour afterward suspended as above stated and almost lifeless. It is not yet known what drove him to commit this rash deed, unless he was laboring under some form of insanity which has been suspected for some time past, symptoms of which have been noted on several previous occasions. In business he seemed to be prospering better even than for several years past; and his habits were strictly temperate and exemplary. He was one of Jackson's oldest business men and had the respect and confidence of the entire community. He leaves a wife and six children besides hosts of friends to mourn his sad fate. In religion he belonged to the Jewish creed, a native of Austria, and aged about 56 years. He was a member in good standing of the Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Pioneer fraternities in this place. A Coroner's inquest will be held on the body of the deceased this afternoon when some more particular facts in connection with the tragic affair may be elicited. The deceased will be buried in the Jewish cemetery on Sunday morning at 10 o'clock under the auspices of the Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Pioneer societies.

Steckler was a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternal organizations. The symbols for both appear on his headstone in Jackson's Jewish Givoth Olam Cemetery. Buried on his right is Caroline (1834 - September 23, 1860), a Furth, Bavaria native, who was Steckler's second wife. His first wife, Rogasen, Prussia native Hette (d. September 11, 1858), is buried on his left. Following Caroline's death, Steckler had married a third time, to a woman named Dora. He had one daughter from his first marriage, two sons from his second marriage, and four children from his third marriage, one of whom was born on October 20, nearly two months after Steckler's death.

Steckler family plot


Givoth Olam Cemetery


Jewish custom requires mourners to wash their hands after visiting loved ones' graves - a basin is provided at the cemetery gate for this purpose

Sources:
A Traveler's Guide to Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries of the California Gold Rush by Susan Morris
A Few Of Our Friends (In the Amador County Cemeteries) by Catherine A. Cissna and Madeline Church (1994)
Ancestry.com
1860 Federal Census, Jackson, Amador County, California

John Blair

John Blair's marker in Tombstone's Boothill Graveyard

John Blair
Interred: Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona
Occupations: Thief, Cattle Rustler, Outlaw

John Blair was a cattle rustler and member of the Double 'Dobe Gang in southeastern Arizona in the late 1800s. As he participated in a rustling trip he managed to contract smallpox. This was discovered by his cohorts after he had returned to their camp outside Tombstone. His friends found a small shack at a safe distance from camp and quarantined him there. They also found a Mexican woman who had recovered from smallpox sometime earlier and was now immune, and they convinced her to take care of Blair and nurse him back to health.

A week later, the Mexican woman showed up in camp to announce "Se簽or Juan, he ees very dead."

One of Blair's friends rode to Tombstone, where he went to Boothill, selected a good spot for the grave, and proceeded to dig a hole much deeper than was normally considered acceptable. While he was busy digging the grave, another of Blair's friends went to the shack. While standing at the doorway, this man tossed a coiled rope inside the shack toward Blair until he finally managed to get the loop around his legs. Cinching the knot tight, he tied the other end of the rope to his horse's pommel, or saddle horn, and the funeral procession began.

Once Blair's body had successfully cleared the door of the shack and was outside, the rider coaxed his horse into a gallop and wasted no time as he hurriedly dragged the body over the rough terrain to Boothill Graveyard. Blair's body was unceremoniously dumped into the deep hole and the end of the rope that had been tied to the saddle was tossed in after him, then the two men swiftly filled the hole with dirt, sand and rocks.

Later that night as the gang sat by the fire getting drunk, one of Blair's cohorts was overheard musing out loud, wondering how John was going to manage to get the rope off his feet when it came time to stand before the Lord on judgment day.

1880 census for Tombstone showing a John Blair (line 9) - I don't know for certain if this is the same man, but it is likely

Sources:
1880 Federal Census, village of Tombstone, Pima County, Arizona (Tombstone later became part of Cochise County)
Tombstone's Boothill by Ben T. Traywick (1994)

Commodore Young

Commodore Perry Young's marker in the Coloma Pioneer Cemetery

Commodore Perry Young
Born: March 15, 1816 (Hawkins County, Tennessee)
Died: September 19, 1894 (Coloma, El Dorado County, California)
Interred: September 21, 1894 - Pioneer Cemetery, Coloma, El Dorado County, California
Occupations: Miner, Alcalde (Justice of the Peace)

Commodore (his given name, not a military rank or title), born in 1816, was the tenth of twelve children his parents had. When he was twelve years old his father died. Commodore stayed at home with his mother for several years, working the family farm. When his mother moved to Pettis County, Missouri in 1830, he moved with her.

In 1849 he migrated to Oregon on the overland route and by early 1850 found himself in California where he prospected and mined for a brief period of time in the Georgia Slide area. By late 1850 he had returned to Missouri to be with his family again. It was in Missouri where he became a Mason, having been received into the order at Georgetown in 1851.

As he remained a Masonic lodge member over the years, he served in various administrative functions. For four years he was the Master of the Acacia Lodge. He also served as treasurer for a couple years as well as lodge secretary for an undetermined (by me) amount of time.

After living in Missouri for a couple years he again traveled overland for California, this time making El Dorado County his permanent home. He mined for gold in Diamond Springs for a while with a man named M. G. Griffith, then from 1861 to 1864 he tried to make his fortune in Grizzly Flat. Eventually, he moved to Coloma where he served as Alcalde, or Justice of the Peace.

Commodore Perry Young, far right, mining with Charles Johnson, Dan Teuscher and Rufus Burgess -- this photo is from a calendar printed by the Buffalo Brewing Company


1870 Coloma Township census showing Commodore Perry Young (line 24) living with a man named Thomas Perry, possibly a brother


1880 Coloma census showing Commodore Perry Young (line 28)

He died in Coloma in 1894 at the age of 78, and was laid to rest in the Protestant Cemetery, which is known today as the Coloma Pioneer Cemetery. His grave was either unmarked to begin with or the headstone disappeared with time. In 1997 a new marker was placed on his grave, as well as several others in the cemetery which were also unmarked for whatever reason.

Commodore Perry Young's obituary -- Mountain Democrat, September 22, 1894

Sources:
Suzi Mickus
History of El Dorado County, California -- published by Paolo Sioli, 1883
Coloma Cemeteries -- edited by Lynette Mizell, Coloma Cemetery Committee, 1997
1870 Federal Census, Coloma Township, El Dorado County, California
1880 Federal Census, Coloma, El Dorado County, California
Mountain Democrat, September 22, 1894