You Never Know...

My motto in genealogical research is “You never know.” You never know what is around the next corner, the next web page, the next record you look at. You never know who you will meet or what great find is next. Which is what I told the people at the genealogy workshop I presented today at the Simla Library. I am a librarian for the Elbert County Library District and work in the Elbert branch. During genealogy month I’ve given workshops at the 3 other branches.

After the workshop Erin, the Simla Branch manager, said she was excited to start researching her family history and that I had given her many ways to get started. Then she told me that her grandfather’s mother had left the family in the middle of the night when her grandfather was around 5-years-old. She wanted to find out where she went and what happened to her. Erin had called her mother the night before the workshop and asked her what her great-grandmother’s name was. Erin told me the name--Ora Christison or Christenson.

I stared at Erin and asked, “Could it be Orrie?” as I grabbed the notebook I had with me. I had brought my notebook on Ernest Christison to show as an example on how to organize research materials. Thumbing through it, I found the family chart on Ernest that Betty Regnier had sent me. Betty is Ernest’s granddaughter. I glanced at the chart and found Orrie, then turned it over and read the notes on the back. Orrie had been married to Thomas Lyons and they had twin boys--Thomas and James. The twin, Thomas, was Erin’s grandfather.

Erin and I just stood there in shock. We were distant cousins. The woman who had abandoned her grandfather as a child had a background and a family history. My family.

I got on the phone and called Betty Regnier. Betty’s mother and Orrie were sisters. Erin and Betty talked. Unfortunately, Betty didn’t know much more about Orrie than Erin knew. Betty said Orrie had left her family, and the only person she kept in contact with at all was her older sister, Grace.

Erin and I looked through the notebook and found a picture of Orrie and two of her brothers when they were children. Erin saw a family resemblance in the picture. She couldn’t wait to show the pictures to her mother, grandmother, aunts and sisters.

Ernest Christison is Erin’s great-great-grandfather. Ernest’s brother, Lewis, is my great-grandfather. My grandfather and Erin’s great-grandmother were first cousins. Incredible. Our common ancestors are Wilburn and Elizabeth.

I’ll say it again, you never know…

Never Give Up!

Yesterday I returned to the Colorado State Archives. Once again I asked for the file on the Elijah Gibbs trial in Denver. Once again the clerk checked an index and said, "I'm sorry, I don't see it here."

But then he glanced down the page, "Wait a minute! Here it is. They started renumbering the files."

The clerk brought out a small packet of folded papers with a rubber band around it. It was the original papers from the trial. I opened the packet and found a witness list. No Christisons were on it, but several of the names were interesting. The next paper I looked at was the verdict by the jury, filed November 6th, 1874 at 9:30 a.m., "We the jury in the above entitled case find the defendents not guilty." Signed by H.A. Tarpening, Foreman.

Along with the subpoenas for the witnesses, the packet contained the Judge's detailed instructions to the jury. This reveals some of the nuances of the trial, but I had hoped for more information.

It was interesting to hold the papers in my hand and know that the outcome of this trial changed not only Elijah Gibbs life, but the lives of his family and friends. Just one piece of paper that read "not guilty."

1862 Cache Creek

I found a couple of letters in the Rocky Mountain News that describe the mining at Cache Creek or "Cash Creek" in 1862. The writer claims it is one of the best mining regions in the country. He says he saw a nugget taken from the area that weighs "27 dollars." And "the gold is very coarse, the mines easily worked and pay certain. You can depend on the truth of these statements; they are not exaggerated."

What is so great about finding these letters (besides the great descriptions) is that the writer became a partner in a mining company with Wilburn Christison and others a couple of years later.

Internet Connections

I am fascinated by the relationships and social implications of the people in the Upper Arkansas Valley. Men who mined together in the early 1860’s also farmed nearby each other later. Then they wound up on opposite sides of the Lake County War. Two men who ran against each other for the Territorial legislator ended up on the same side. The County Clerk who was run out of office and forced to leave the country became the County Clerk again four years later.

Through the Internet, I’ve come into contact with other descendents and relatives of people who were involved in the Lake County War. I’ve learned more about Elijah Gibbs and the Gilliland family through Brian and Ann Marie. Last week I ran across Vickie, a relative of the Boons who were shot and killed by Elijah Gibbs. Through these people I’ve learned rich details about their relatives which add so much to the history. Details not found in local history books.

Communicating with the relatives have also cleared up some longstanding misconceptions and also keep me from writing new ones!

Gazebo Country Inn

After Deb and I got back to Salida from Cache Creek, I dropped Deb off downtown to go through some antique shops while I visited the Salida Regional Library. Vic Mabus was very helpful in showing me the collection of local history. Before I left, I asked about the Hathaway House, which was owned by Wilburn and Elizabeth’s daughter, Clara Christison Hathaway. The next thing I knew, I was on the phone with Sandy Stewart who owns the house and runs the Gazebo Country Inn bed and breakfast. Sandy invited Deb and I for a tour.

I walked through the door of the Victorian two-story home, stopped and stared in awe at the magnificent hand-carved oak stairway. It is glorious. The rooms are beautifully decorated. Visit the website http://www.gazebocountryinn.com/ to see pictures of the home and a picture of Clara and Al Hathaway. Click on “photo tour” for beautiful pictures staircase and the home. Also click on “rooms and rates” to view the bedrooms.

Cache Creek

Granite Cemetery with white crosses. Cache Creek in the background.

Cache Creek facing east towards Granite.

Gayle with Cache Creek in the background.

While in Granite on December 14, Deb and I stopped in at the Granite Peddler and asked how to get to Cache Creek. This is the mining camp where Wilburn and Elizabeth Christison first settled in Colorado in 1861. The man in the store told us to take Lost Canyon road behind the store. Now, I had seen the road and had no intention of driving up the one-lane road winding around the side of the mountain. When I was a child, my Dad liked to go 4-wheeling in his Scout. One of my memories includes me screaming in the back seat for my Dad to let me out. I never liked the feeling of the Scout tilting sideways with a drop-off down the mountain. But Deb said we should go and if I wouldn’t drive, she would. Reluctantly, I turned the truck up the road and held onto the steering wheel for dear life. Thankfully, the road never tilted and before long we were at the top looking at a sign that read “Granite Cemetery.” Cache Creek lay below us.

With the frigid wind howling from the north and patches of snow around us, we walked through the cemetery. I believe one of Wilburn and Elizabeth’s sons is buried there. 10-year-old Boone Christison died August 13, 1864 at “Cash Creek.” As many as 70 graves are unmarked in the cemetery and there are no written records. Deb and I walked down the trail towards the creek, watching for signs of where cabins stood. Reaching the creek, I stood speechless picturing Wilburn standing in the creek, leaning over a gold pan as he swirled the water and sand watching for small nuggets. I turned and pictured the cabin where Elizabeth cared for their six children. What was it like for Elizabeth to be the only woman in the mining camp? I smiled as I pictured the children running and playing with the Ute Indian children, as Ernest had related to his granddaughter.

After an hour of wandering around, Deb and I hiked back up the mountain to the truck. The euphoria I felt lasted as I drove down the valley. It was amazing to walk along the creek, see the frozen water, and feel the same icy cold wind Wilburn and his family felt when they lived there. Later, I got out of my truck at Salida and looked down to see the brown dirt that fell from my shoes. I caught a glimpse of sparkling specks in it and realized I was walking around with Cache Creek gold dust on my shoes. Perfect for the granddaughter of three generations of gold miners.

For more on the history of Cache Creek click here

Granite

I started writing this blog yesterday at 4:00 p.m., but I decided to check a fact on the Internet. Six hours later I got off the ’net. That’s why I never seem to get any writing done. But I discovered the most wonderful tidbit of information about a theory I have on the Lake County War! It’s a wonderful Christmas present to myself! I can’t share it, but I can’t wait to follow up on the clue. Back to Granite…

Deb and I stopped in Nathrop and Buena Vista, then drove 17 miles north on Highway 24 to Granite. South of Granite, the highway climbs into rocky terrain. Granite is aptly named since it nestles on mountain slopes of rock and sagebrush on both sides of the Arkansas River.

The photograph is taken looking east of Highway 24. The Arkansas River is below the guard rail. The Granite Courthouse where Wilburn Christison practiced law and was a probate judge stood just to the left of the road going up the mountain, about where the red building and trailer are in the photo. It is also the courthouse where Judge Dyer was killed. The courthouse was a long two-story log building. Originally it was built in 1866 in Dayton, then disassembled and moved to Granite in 1868 or 1869 after Granite became the county seat.