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Topic: 'Forty-niner' ancestor to Barkerville (Read 1140 times)
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Lydart
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I've discovered I have an ancestor (John Pomeroy) who went out in 1862 to the Cariboo after gold ... he was buried in Barkerville cemetery in 1913, aged 81. I've traced him on the 1901 and 1911 censuses, so I know he was still in Barkerville then.
What I find so annoying is that I visited the heritage site at Barkerville about 5 years ago before I knew of the existance of this relative !
What intrigues me is that although the gold had run out by the late 1870' or 80's, he stayed there ... I've found the 1863 pre-emption record of his 160 acres on Brigade Trail. Was this a purchase, or a lease ?
Can anyone throw light on what gold-miners (as he is still claimed to be on the 1901 census) might have been doing there then ? WAS there still gold ?
I also found his death 'vital' record; he was unmarried so what would have happened to his 160 acres ? (Its OK ... I don't want them !)
Can anyone recommend any sites (apart from the Barkerville site) or books I can read up about this era, which fascinates me !!
Many thanks ... Lydart
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« Last Edit: Saturday 19 July 08 15:32 BST (UK) by Lydart »
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Dorset/Wiltshire: Trowbridge, Williams, Sturney, Prince, Foyle, Fripp, Triggle ... and more Cornwall/Devon/CANADA: Pomeroy Somerset: Clark(e) Durham: Law London: Poplett Lancashire/Cheshire/CANADA: Stubbs, Walmesley Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Lydart
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Thanks for those sites, J.J. The voters list is a good one, as I've other relatives that went to Canada, and I can use the same site to find them ! Didn't know of it before ! I see on the second list there is another Pomeroy ...
I'm about to sit and read the first two sites you listed for more info ! Many, many thanks ...
How's the weather in Winnipeg ? When I was in Canada I was told its both the hottest and coldest place in Canada !
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Dorset/Wiltshire: Trowbridge, Williams, Sturney, Prince, Foyle, Fripp, Triggle ... and more Cornwall/Devon/CANADA: Pomeroy Somerset: Clark(e) Durham: Law London: Poplett Lancashire/Cheshire/CANADA: Stubbs, Walmesley Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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J.J.
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This may also prove helpful...
http://www.rootsweb.com/~bccaribo/recrdlink.html
Well, it can get hot and humid and extremely cold...but we do get beaten....
I think we just like to hang onto the extrame weather longer!
Gives us something to complain about! J.J.
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Lydart
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Stop, stop !!!
You've given me enough to read for one evening ! MANY thanks !
I'll get back to you when I need more !
I picked up several booklets and a few books when I visited Barkerville itself ... so I have an idea of what that was like. We had an excellent meal in the Wake Up Jake bar !!
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Dorset/Wiltshire: Trowbridge, Williams, Sturney, Prince, Foyle, Fripp, Triggle ... and more Cornwall/Devon/CANADA: Pomeroy Somerset: Clark(e) Durham: Law London: Poplett Lancashire/Cheshire/CANADA: Stubbs, Walmesley Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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J.J.
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I know it adds naught to the results, but always nice to have the census data...1881...Richfield & Barkerville & Lightning, Cariboo, British Columbia
John PORNEVY / 1833 age 48 / Miner / no Marital Status
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griz
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There is a book that is very interesting about that time and place called "They call it the Cariboo" It may be available on a second-hand book site as I have not seen it for a while. There is still a lot of gold in them thar hills ! 
The first place gold said to be found in that general area was at a place called place called 'Harper's camp. ' which is now called 'Horsefly' http://www.horsefly.bc.ca/community/history.html
You turn right and travel over an hour to get to it from a fork in the road south of Williams Lake. Probably between Quesnel and Williams lake, in that area of Cariboo wilderness, are many undiscovered veins of gold and creeks still producing gold nuggets. There are still propectors. It must have been a very hard life with privation, in the winter, heavy snow and frozen ground, but very exciting too if you struck gold. Billy Barker did ok Then there was the Yukon Gold rush.....
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Boyle, Co. Leitrim Boyle, Co. Tyrone, Shaughnessy, Co in Ireland unknown, and Manchester, UK. Pope, Cheshire. Chadwick, Speke, Lancs. Frankish, Hunmanby, Yorks. Brindley, Audley, Staffs and Middlesex.
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griz
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Interesting link, thanks JJ. 
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Boyle, Co. Leitrim Boyle, Co. Tyrone, Shaughnessy, Co in Ireland unknown, and Manchester, UK. Pope, Cheshire. Chadwick, Speke, Lancs. Frankish, Hunmanby, Yorks. Brindley, Audley, Staffs and Middlesex.
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Lydart
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J. J. ... am spending my Sunday afternoon engrossed in all the sites you recommended. My gosh, life was tough !
http://cariboogoldrush.entirety.ca/site/en/index.php
this one doesnt work ? have you got it correct please ?
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Dorset/Wiltshire: Trowbridge, Williams, Sturney, Prince, Foyle, Fripp, Triggle ... and more Cornwall/Devon/CANADA: Pomeroy Somerset: Clark(e) Durham: Law London: Poplett Lancashire/Cheshire/CANADA: Stubbs, Walmesley Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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griz
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Hi Lydart,
there are hundreds of links about the Cariboo Gold rush and little towns that spring up in those times also have their own websites and information. Wells , Quesnel, Williams Lake, Clinton, !00 Mile House, Lillouet, Lytton, Hope, and many more .
Use a search engine with a variety of words . This one has some old photos, and some history, I am sure there are lots more.
http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/upperfraserbasin/cariboo/colonial.html
Some pictures, http://www.magiccarpetjournals.com/Cariboo.htm
There are some people who spend their spare time panning for gold. It is fun, but backbreaking, and you need lined rubber gloves as the mountain streams are very cold.
There are websites about lost mines, some people like to go out and look for lost mines in very rough terrain. There are also many places to pan etc.
I read that during the gold rush of William's Creek/Barkerville, over $50 million in gold was taken out of the area, when gold was $15.00 an ounce.
Your ancestor might have just hoped there would be another gold strike nearby, or maybe he had made friends there and wanted to stay. Shared adversity seems to bring people together sometimes.
You might try looking in 'The Times' newspaper archives in the UK, as I remember seeing a reference to the Gold strike in one of my old newspapers.
It might have been such an article that decided your ancestor to head for British Columbia and try his luck.
A lot of the old California gold rush men headed North too. I can see that for a young man the chance of adventure and finding gold would have been hard to resist.
Getting there was no fun either and one had to carry supplies in the early days. A person would have had to be very determined. I am sure many turned back.The old narrow road through the Fraser canyon must have been treacherous, before the railway came through the Fraser canyon.
Take a virtual drive alone the road that now exists. imagine what your ancestors had to deal with and the first gold rush prospectors. No roads. no railway.
http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/TCH/Hwy_1W_WB.htm
This is interesting re The Royal Engineers: http://www.royalengineers.ca/Journal.html I see some of them stayed in B.C..
You could see if you can look at the area on Google earth. The Cariboo country is still largely wilderness, but some parts may be included.
You might find this interesting. http://www.barkerville.com/cso.htm
Isn't genealogy great! It leads off to so many fascinating tangents.
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Boyle, Co. Leitrim Boyle, Co. Tyrone, Shaughnessy, Co in Ireland unknown, and Manchester, UK. Pope, Cheshire. Chadwick, Speke, Lancs. Frankish, Hunmanby, Yorks. Brindley, Audley, Staffs and Middlesex.
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J.J.
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There were still lots of active mines around Barkersville...enough need was generated to start other town nearby, some which did become ghost towns...
so it was still a vein of activityand home to those who still worked in the nearby mines...by 1911 he is living off his income, it seems to state, so he may have just felt established enough in his old age to remain in a town which he helped to pioneer...Anyone from a small town can tell you there is nothing like closeness of the people there and small-town values...
It is quite dramatic to read about the miner's tent town becoming a fully fledged town...then burning to the ground and then being rebuilt.
excerpt "Barkerville grew up around a large gold strike on Williams Creek in 1862 and continued as a supply town to the local mines up until the Province took over the site and developed a presentation program in 1958. So, the town never did become a ghost town, but because of its authentic nature, it is often referred to as such."
Wonderful piece of history your ancestor was a part of...
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J.J.
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I saw the url not working? It was fully functional yesterday...I was on the site...arghhh....not sure what's what, there...sorry...J.J.
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