About The Book
A non-fiction narrative from the University of Oklahoma Press
In 1964, Dr. Thomas Clark discovered a handwritten gold rush diary at the Huntington Library and became intrigued with the material and the author, a clerk named Charles Gray. Twelve years later Clark’s publication Off at Sunrise brought the Newark Overland Company to the attention of history enthusiasts. Though he provided biographical information on both Gray and company leader, General John S. Darcy, Clark had only scratched the surface.
New research reveals that Charles Gray was not exactly who Clark identified, nor was he the only writer among the company members. Personal accounts of a dozen of the participants have been unearthed from private family collections and hometown newspapers, which collectively bring to life the many facets of the shared experience.
"No other publication provides such in-depth detail about a single gold rush company."
Typical of gold rush companies, the group’s membership changed several times before reaching California. Some returned home from Missouri, and some splintered from Darcy’s core group over the choice of stock animals. The mule teams went on to make unprecedented progress, while the oxen teams of General Darcy struggled to reach their destination.
The story of their treacherous journey is laced with the inescapable human nature that emerges under such dire conditions.
The groups reach California at different times where they witness the chaos of an unorganized territory overwhelmed by emigrants and wealth-seekers. Once in gold country, the Jersey men diverge in many directions with the largest number booking immediate passage home. Some remain with Darcy to work a successful mining operation for eighteen months before returning east with comfortable fortunes. A few are enchanted by the resources and opportunities of the golden coast and make it their permanent home where they experience the emergence of California amid unprecedented lawlessness, the controversy of slavery, and the flavor of many nationalities.
Jersey Gold chronicles not only the 1849 journey of the Newark Overland Company but also goes beyond the gold rush to follow the remarkable lives of the significant participants as they become wrapped in the spectrum of events that shaped the nineteenth century from the chaos of the Civil War to the throes of the Industrial Revolution. Personal encounters with historic figures of the era are noted, including John Sutter, Brigham Young, Peter Lassen, E. J. Muygridge, Henry Clay, Leland Stanford, and James W. Marshall.
Readers will learn that the Jersey men were driven by money, touched by personal scandal and tragedy, and associated with progressive women. Similarly, their frustration with Congress, conflict over contemporary racial discrimination, and mixed feelings about religion are timeless and tangible topics. The audience will become acquainted with the characters and, by the last chapter, will know who achieved great wealth, who achieved a unique sports title, and who perished under still-unsolved mysterious circumstances.