NEW ALBANY LEDGER, MARCH 27, 1850

 Article about early Orange County citizens going to California during the Gold Rush of 1849

 “The Californians.  Those of the California emigrants who are to depart today on the steamer Courtland for St. Joseph were busily engaged yesterday in getting ready for the long journey before them and placing their freight, etc. on board the steamer.  Most of those who go on the Courtland are well prepared for the journey.  The greater portion of them will take their cattle from here, as well as their provisions.  Some however, will lay in their stocks of flour and meat at St. Joseph where it can be done probably at as good advantage as here.  Most of the emigrants are provided with supplies of such medical articles as will be most probably needed, both on the route and after their arrival in California.  Of the character and standing of those who are thus about to leave their home for the far West, we can truly say they are, the greater portion of them, among our most respected citizens.  They embrace in their number the various trades and professions, and their absence from our midst will be most severely felt, at least for a time.  We have taken considerable pain to obtain an accurate list of the “boys”, but it is probably that with all endeavors, errors may be found in the list which we publish below.  It is as nearly correct however, as it was possible for us to get them last evening, when we closed our paper.”

 The article goes on to list a large number of men from the city of New Albany and of Georgetown, Floyd County, which I have not included here.   From Orange County—Calvin Leonard, Samuel Clark, Isaac Jackson, Allen Jackson, John Lynch, David C Lindley, Edward Nussier, John Crow, Jos. Lindley, James Robertson, Absalom White, Solomon A Danner, Edward Burgess, Alexander Brown, Haysville.

 (I found mention of this excursion in an obit for an Isaac Murphy who was from Georgetown and on this expedition “under the guidance of Captain David Lindley of Paoli who rode the only horse in the party”.  Haven’t been able to prove it but I believe this David was the son of William Lindley and Amy Chambers, mainly because I believe he was widowed and childless and does not show up in the1850 census (at the time of the excursion) but reappears in1860.

 Posted by Linda Sawyer in Slices of Orange on Facebook.