Jeff’s Ancestors – Page 4 – Colleen & Jeff's Roots

#52Ancestors: Is Andrew Jackson Gann One of the Gann’s from Gann’s Meadow?

My 43rd entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

I am still playing catch up, from being sick for a big part of this year.

My 43rd ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 3rd great grand uncle, Andrew Jackson Gann (1837-1910). Andrew Jackson was born on 14 November 1837 in Missouri to William Gann (1792-1845) and Leah Gann (1810-1863). He was the youngest brother of my husband’s 3rd great grandmother Margaret Gann (1830-1919), whom I recently profiled in a post about 26 Mile House in Stanislaus County. Andrew Jackson died on 12 May 1910 in Copperopolis, Calaveras County, California.

Gann's Meadow, Ebbetts Pass — The almost missable sign for Gann’s Meadow on Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway. A close up view from the west side.

This post, although attributed to Andrew Jackson since the 52 Ancestors series needs each blog post to profile an ancestor or relation, is really about a location — Gann’s Meadow on Ebbett’s Pass National Scenic Byway (Highway 4), one of California’s trans-Sierra routes. I talked about Ebbett’s Pass and the old emigrant route in detail in my post about Jeff’s 2nd great grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless, who came over the pass as an infant with his family in 1858. Our Harless family’s emigrant group was headed up by a Gann relation, and apparently met up in San Joaquin County with Gann relations who had arrived in California earlier that decade. These Gann-Harless relations can be found living near each other in Castoria (aka French Camp) on the 1860 US Census.

Leah Gann Family 1860 US Census Castoria CA — Andrew Jackson Gann and his brother George William Gann on the 1860 US Census in Castoria, San Joaquin County, California. Their mother Leah is listed here as well. A Thomas Gann, who I have not identified, is listed as the head of the household. Thomas is 9 years younger than Leah, so perhaps he was her younger brother. Leah’s husband William died before the family emigrated to California from Missouri.

While preparing for this genealogy camping road trip, I had come across references to Gann’s Meadow when reading up on Ebbetts Pass. I knew there were at least two Gann connections in our Harless family: my husband’s 3rd great grandmother Margaret Gann (referenced above) and his 2nd great grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann (1858-1946). So I made a mental note to stop and photograph that location on our trip. I had no idea how or if the Gann of Gann’s Meadow was related to us, but I had a strong hunch that we were connected.

Gann’s Meadow is located on Ebbetts pass National Scenic Byway, at mile marker 15.7 if heading east from Arnold or mile marker 45.3 if heading west from Markleeville.

Gann’s Meadow was settled in the 1870s by George, Jackson, and William Gann, who arrived in California from Missouri in 1853. First engaged in the cattle business in San Joaquin County, they eventually acquired a ranch in Calaveras County north of Salt Spring Valley on the old road to Spring Valley (near present Valley Springs). Their summer cow camp, located on the Big Tree and Carson Valley Road, soon became known as Gann’s Station.

The 160-acre ranch was homesteaded by Charles A. Gann in 1902 and patented in 1910. A summer home tract, the 38-Mile Tract, consisting of six lots along the western side of the Ebbetts Pass Road, was laid out by the Forest Service in the 1920s. It later became known as the “Gann’s Trespass,” where homes were built on land sold by Charlie Gann in good faith, but actually on national forest lands.

The three stone and frame cabins on the north side of the road are all that remain of Bailey’s Resort, a popular summer recreation area in the 1920s. The main lodge burned in later years, and its location is now beneath the highway. A modern residence and restaurant were built on the southwest end of meadow in the late 1960s to cater to travelers to the Bear Valley Ski Area, but has been vacant for many years. Once the cattle were removed from the area, the meadow, which had previously been kept open by Native American coppicing and burning, as well as natural fires, filled in with native conifers. (Source: Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway)

The same information, pretty much verbatim, is provided on the Calaveras Heritage Council website.

Gann's Meadow on Ebbetts Pass — The turn off to Gann’s Meadow is on the south side of Highway 4. That brown lump on the ground (left side of the photo) between the trees is the sign for Gann’s Meadow. If you’re approaching from the east, it is very easy to miss. We had to double back.

Determined to try to find a specific connection with our Ganns, I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend researching my husband’s Gann line, trying to find male Ganns with these names, in the right place, at the right time. The names William, George, and Charles are pretty common among our Gann ancestors, so I decided to focus on Jackson, which does not appear to be as common a name. And since both the Ebbetts Pass site and the Calaveras Heritage Council sites identify William, George, and Jackson as brothers, I focused on finding sibling sets in our Gann lines with those same names.

The most likely candidates so far are the brothers of Margaret Gann. Margaret had brothers named George William Gann (1834-1923) and Andrew Jackson Gann (the subject of this post), both of whom emigrated to California. Andrew Jackson may have gone by his middle name, Jackson. Both Andrew Jackson and George William died in Calaveras County, not far from Gann’s Meadow. I do not find a brother named William though who lived to adulthood, just George William. However, I am still putting together all of the siblings’ names. So there may still be another brother I haven’t found yet. Those articles about Gann’s Meadow also reference a Charles “Charlie” Gann, who appears to be from a younger generation (perhaps the son of one of the brothers). I have not identified Charlie either.

Needless to say, I will definitely keep digging more into this part of our Gann family history.

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Finding the Gravesite of 2nd Great Grandparents Leonard Harless Jackson and Pauline Adeline Gann

This is a continuation of my last post, about my husband Jeff’s 2nd great grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann (1860-1938). It also focuses on Pauline’s husband, Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946). Pauline and Leonard were second cousins, sharing the same great grandparents.

The day after driving to Pauline’s birth place, Jenny Lind (in Calaverqas County, California), Jeff and I packed up the RV again, checked out of our Ebbetts Pass campground, and spent the first two-thirds of the day driving down scenic WINDING slow Highway 49, hitting all of the tiny historic mining towns between Angels Camp and Mariposa. Mariposa (in Mariposa County) — one of the gateways into Yosemite National Park — was our next big family history stop.

Fremont's Fort view of Highway 49 — At Fremont’s Fort, looking north back over the stretch of Highway 49 we just travelled.

The Mariposa area is where my husband’s Harless ancestors moved to by the time of the 1880 US Census: 3rd great grandfather Miles Washington Harless died here in 1891, 2nd great grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann died here in 1938, and her husband Leonard Jackson Harless died here in 1946. The internet is flooded with photos of Leonard Jackson and Pauline Adeline’s shared headstone in the old (yet still active) Mariposa District Cemetery located smack in the middle town.

Upon arrival, we did a quick drive through of old town (yes! finally…a surviving historical district!), then pulled up to the Mariposa Museum & History Center. Jeff and Holly hung out at a shady picnic table outside while I toured this very well done museum (wonderful exhibits, incorporating some really cool historical documents) and spent a good hour talking to the super friendly knowledgeable docents (remember me mentioning how one of them laughed when I told him we drove all the way to French Camp?). Silly me thought they would instantly recognize the Harless name (they did not). But they definitely knew the specific locations I had on my list….and that was really really important. Because they convinced me we definitely did not want to try to head out to those spots during such a hot time of the year, and that there isn’t much out there to visit at all (perhaps for another trip).

So they spared my husband and beagle another day (it was the next day’s itinerary) of wild goose chases, and allowed us an extra full day to explore majestic Yosemite National Park.

Mariposa History Museum — Entrance to the Research Library at the Mariposa Museum & History Center. Photography is not allowed inside the museum, but they let me snap a quick photo of the library when I told them I’m a librarian doing family history research in the area. I must come back and spend time here. They will verify the existence of records in the collection and pull them ahead of time for researchers. Wonderful people!

Our final stop of the day before heading through Yosemite to check-in to our next campground was the historic Mariposa District Cemetery located around the corner. The Find A Grave listing for Leonard and Pauline’s headstone identified a specific row, so we figured their plot would be a piece of cake to find. Right. There is no map posted at the cemetery, and no one there to assist with finding specific plots. We spent an hour walking all over the deceptively large cemetery in the insane heat and sun when I told my husband that I was willing to call it quits. I had copies of their headstone from the internet… I couldn’t subject us (and our poor beagle) to more aimless wandering through the cemetery in that heat. I was so upset.

As we headed towards the cemetery gate, my husband saw it…the headstone. We had practically walked right past it upon entering the cemetery. We almost missed it on our way out. After two very long days in the RV driving all over the San Joaquin Valley chasing Jeff’s ancestors, we finally found a tangible piece of family history!

Headstone Harless Adeline — Jeff posing with his 2nd great grandparents.

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#52Ancestors: 2nd Great Grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann, Born in Jenny Lind, California

My 42nd entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

I am still playing catch-up, after being sick for much of this year.

My 42nd ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 2nd great grandmother, Pauline Adeline Gann (1860-1938). Pauline was married to Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946), the ancestor I recently wrote about who emigrated as a baby with his family from Missouri to California in 1858 over Ebbetts pass in the high Sierras. Pauline’s parents were William Chamberlain Gann (1831-1893) and Elmira Tucker (1840-1920). She and her husband Leonard Jackson were 2nd cousins, sharing the same great grandparents.

About Jenny Lind

Pauline Adeline Gann was allegedly born on 4 December 1860 in the mining town of Jenny Lind (Calaveras County), California, which was located on the road between Stockton and the southern mines. “Jenny Lind, located on the north bank of the Calaveras River, was a placer mining town as early as 1849. Most of the placer mining was done along the hillsides above the river – later the river was mined with dredgers. In 1864 the population was said to be 400, half of them Chinese.” (California Office of Historical Preservation) The town became a California historical registered landmark in 1937, and still exists as a small unincorporated community.

I do not yet have a birth record for Pauline.

Jenny Lind 1856 - Calaveras Co Historical Society — Jenny Lind, 1856. Courtesy Calaveras Co. Historical Society, via the Calaveras Heritage Council

When Jeff and I took that genealogy road trip this past July, after crossing Ebbetts Pass, we set up camp in adorable Dorrington just outside of Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We dedicated one entire day of this vacation to what we now call our “ancestor wild goose chase” day, to drive from Dorrington across the San Joaquin Valley and back again trying to find various historical places I have identified on records pertaining to Jeff’s Harless family history. Jenny Lind was on that list of places — along with French Camp (aka Castoria) and 26 Mile House.

Visiting Jenny Lind

Like French Camp, Jenny Lind was not what I expected. Although only 11.7 miles off of Highway 4, the slow drive up Milton Road felt much longer, with views of a whole lot of nothing. But, because the area is still so rural and isolated, it did provide us with a little glimpse of what life must have been like for Jeff’s ancestors here in the 1800s. The route we drove is the same one our Harless and Gann ancestors in that area would have taken any time they had to visit the post office, stage coach stop, or store at 26 Mile House or 28 Mile House.

Milton Road Junction — The Milton Road junction with Highway 4.

Milton Road, Valley Springs — Milton Road, one lane in each direction.

Milton Road — Not much to see other than cattle.

But we were even more surprised when we reached the actual community. There is nothing there. Well, almost nothing. Very few buildings. And really nothing that looked to us like it dated back to the time of Pauline Adeline Gann. We never even found the state landmark. I thought for sure that such a place would have a historical district. After about 10 minutes taking in the entire town, we disappointedly headed back along that long isolated rural road to the main highway.

Jenny Lind, California — Pulling into Jenny Lind.

After finding nothing at French Camp, 26 Mile Road, and now Jenny Lind, I was beginning to feel a bit worried about the additional spots we planned to hit on the rest of the trip.

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#52Ancestors: Looking for 3rd Great Grandmother Margaret Gann Harless’s 26 Mile House 1870 Census Home

My 41st entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

I am still playing catch up, from being quite sick much of this year.

My 41st ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Gann (1830-1919). Margaret was married to Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891), and was mother to Jeff’s 2nd great grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946). This is the family that emigrated from Missouri to California via the old emigrant road, traveling over Ebbetts Pass in the high Sierras in the summer of 1858 when Leonard was an infant.

Following our stop in French Camp (aka Castoria) to check out the locality where Margaret and Miles lived at the time of the 1860 US Census, Jeff and I headed back up Highway 4 to our next Gann-Harless family history stop, in search of 26 Mile House in Stanislaus County. By 1870 the family had relocated from French Camp, backtracking east to North Township in Stanislaus County, which was served by the 26 Mile House post office.

Harless 1870 US Census North Township CA — 1870 US Census, North Township, Stanislaus County, 26 Mile House Post Office. Courtesy of Ancestry.com.

The family is recorded on pages one and two of the census, taken 27 July 1870.

Miles: head, 41 years old, born in Kentucky, farmer (real estate value $1,000)
Margaret: wife, 39 years old, born in Tennessee, keeps house
Sarah: daughter, 18 years old, born in Missouri
Martha: daughter, 16 years old, born in Missouri
Leonard: son, 11 years old, born in Nebraska
Nancy: daughter, 8 years old, born in California
Francis: daughter, 6 years old, born in California
Mary: daughter, 5 years old, born in California
Harriet: daughter, 1 year old, born in California

When I first came across this census, I couldn’t find a modern day town or community named North Township in that area or good references to a town or city that previously went by that name. The term “26 Mile House” is a bit more distinct though, so I started searching for references to that location. All hits described it as a post office and stage coach stop, located 26 miles east of Stockton along the Stockton to Sonora stage coach route.

Have you ever wondered how or why a road or place got its name? In the case of 26-Mile and 28-Mile roads, located north of Oakdale, some believe it to be a reference to their length. This is somewhat true, but not as you might imagine. They originated as stage stops along Sonora Road, which ran eastward from Stockton to Sonora. Simply stated, 26-Mile House was located 26 miles from Stockton; the first stage stop that lay inside the present Stanislaus County line. It was located on the north bank of Little John’s Creek (also known as Johnny Creek) just west of present day 26-Mile Road and Sonora Road. (Source: Oakdale Museum & History Center)

That 26 Mile House post office referenced on the census had just been established on 2 May 1870 (less than 3 months prior), when the settlement was at its peak. It was relocated to the nearby settlement of 28 Mile House (now Eugene) in 1894, and the to the town of Farmington (which still exists today) in 1930.

26 Mile House - Stanislaus Historical Quarterly — Courtesy of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly and the California State University Stanislaus University Library.

North Township Area Map - Stanislaus Historical Quarterly — Courtesy of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly and the California State University Stanislaus University Library.

The Autumn 2012 issue of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly explains that this area, known as the Northeast Triangle Annexation Area was annexed by Stanislaus County in 1860 from San Joaquin County. Newly named North Township (our census district) used to be Emory Township prior to the annexation, and was also referred to as North Precinct. This annexed area extended north, including one mile of the Calaveras River.

At 26 Mile House and 28 Mile House, “stage line horses were changed, and travelers rested, ate, and refreshed themselves” (pg. 417). In the mid 1890s, a fire destroyed the roadhouse and tavern at 26 Mile House, causing residents and businesses — especially after losing the post office too — to abandon the settlement and move to 28 Mile House. 28 Mile House, located at the junction of the Stockton-Sonora Road and Milton Road, was founded in 1850 and changed its name to Eugene in 1890 (pg. 418).

This information helps put the 1870 residence of our Harless ancestors in context. While the census record does not record an actual address to pinpoint the exact location of their home, it does tell us that they lived in this newly annexed Northeast Triangle Annexation Area. And a check on Google Maps shows that Sonora Road, 26 Mile Road, 28 Mile Road, Milton Road, and the town of Farmington all still exist.

So, that was enough incentive for us! These spots got added on to our Harless family history San Joaquin Valley road trip itinerary.

The next stops after French Camp.

Farmington, California. Population 262. We pulled off here (Highway 4 and Jct. 6), figuring that our Harless ancestors might have lived near here, had friends here, or did business here.

Farmington General Store — The Farmington general store. Might this have been here in 1870?

Littlejohn's Creek on East Sonora Road — Littlejohn’s Creek on East Sonora Road. Was this a view experienced by our ancestors?

Alright. Dead end. Guess I should have zoomed in more on Google Maps before sending Hubby in this direction. East Sonora Road at Farmington Lake. East Sonora Road does NOT go all the way through anymore, it is cut in half by the lake.

South Henry Road — Heading south on Henry Road to get around Farmington Lake. I imagine this scenic agricultural setting is what our Harless ancestors saw.

Carter Road — Not what we were expecting! However, Hubby had a blast driving our little rental RV down this bumpy roller coaster of a road.

26 Mile Road, Oakdale — Heading north on 26 Mile Road. Did our Harless ancestors live near here?

East Sonora Road, Farmington — A farm along East Sonora Road.

East Sonora Road at 28 Mile Road. Site of the former 28 Mile House stage stop and post office.

East Sonora Road School — A cool old school, founded 1892. Our Harless ancestors had moved out of the area by this time.

Again, like French Camp, it was a bit disappointing to not find much in the way of 1870s-era historical structures still standing (well, to be fair, not even contemporary structures). But driving through this area still helped us get a feel for what life may have been like for our Harless ancestors at that time. Unlike French Camp, though, we had no expectations ahead of time (from a big fancy chamber of commerce sign) that there would even be anything here.

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#52Ancestors: Hallie “Hal” Corder Haley (1878-1942)

My 40th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

My 40th ancestor is my husband’s great grandfather, Hallie “Hal” Corder Haley (1878-1942).

Hal was born 21 March 1878 in Rome (Smith County), Tennessee. He appears to have been the youngest child (of the four I have identified) of William Jerry Haley (b. 1835) and Matilda Beasley (b. 1839). He, at 3 years old, is listed with his family of five on the 1880 U.S. Census living in the 12th district of Smith County, Tennessee.

In 1897, at about the age of 19, Hallie married my husband’s great grandmother, Gedie Webster (1881-1931). I have not yet found a marriage record for them. By the 1900 U.S. Census (01 June 1900), Hallie and Gedie were living next door to Hallie’s parents, and were already the parents of two daughters under the age of two, Catherine and Margaret. Hal worked as a farmer, and the family had a 10 year old black female servant child named Monsie Taylor.

Haley Hallie Corder Family - Haley William Jerry Family - 1900 US Census - Ancestry - Close Up — 1900 U.S. Census. 12th District, Smith County, Tennessee. William Haley Family and Hallie Haley Family. Courtesy of Ancestry.com.

At the time of the 1910 U.S. Census, Hallie and Gedie lived in the 4th district of Smith County, Tennessee, next door to his brother Comer and sister-in-law. Three more children were added to the family: sons Webster and Gordon, and baby daughter Francis. An adult black “hired man” named Ulus Beasley is also living with the family. Hal and Comer both worked as farmers.

On 12 September 1918, at the age of 40, Hallie Haley registered for the WWI draft in Nashville (Davidson County), Tennessee. On the card, Hal lists Nashville as the city of residence for him and Gedie. He would live in Nashville for the rest of his life. It does not appear Hal ever went back to farming. By 1918, Hallie was working as a carpenter at a powder plant in Davidson. He is physically described as tall, of medium build, with brown eyes, grey hair, and no physical disqualifications from service.

Haley Hallie Corder, WWI Draft Card — WWI Draft Registration Card for Hallie Corder Haley, 1918. Signed by him on page 1. Courtesy of Ancestry.com. Click to view larger size.

The 1920 U.S. Census records the family still living in Nashville, with Hallie working as a carpenter, and owning his own home. He and Gedie added four more children to their large family by this time: sons Norman and Comer, daughter Eleanor, and daughter Rebecca (my husband’s grandmother). On the 1930 US Census, again in Nashville, Hal is employed as a mechanic with the telephone company. By this time, he and Gedie had their final child, a little girl named Nan.

Gedie died the following year, in 1931, leaving Hal a widow with three minor age children. Hallie remarried in 1933, at the age of 55, to Lillian Mae Manning.

Hal, wife Lillian, and youngest daughter Nan (now 18) are listed in the 1940 U.S. Census in Nashville. Hal is still employed as a mechanic with the telephone company. Hal remained in that job for the rest of his life.

On 20 September 1942, Hallie suffered some sort of accident at home that resulted in a tetanus infection. He died from the infection on 13 October 1942. I don’t know if in these last years, Hal ever got to see his daughter Rebecca again and her two oldest children, but he definitely never met her youngest child Betty (my mother-in-law), who was not yet born when her grandfather Hallie died.

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#52Ancestors: Chasing 3rd Great Grandfather Miles Washington Harless to Historic Castoria (French Camp)

My 39th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

My 39th ancestor is my husband’s 3rd great grandfather, Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891). Miles was the father of Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946), who I discussed in my last blog post. Miles, his wife Margaret Gann (1830-1919), and newborn son Leonard Jackson emigrated from Missouri to California, crossing over the Sierra Nevada range via Ebbetts Pass in the summer of 1858. Miles also provides our family’s roundabout connection to the famous Hatfields and McCoys.

Harless, Miles Washington Household - 1860 US Census — 1860 US Census, Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, California. The Miles Washington Harless household. Courtesy of Ancestry.com. Click to view larger image.

The 1860 U.S. Census is the first federal census that records the family living in California (16 June 1860), roughly two years after following the old emigrant route through Ebbetts Pass. The Harless household resided in Castoria Township (San Joaquin County) at this time, served by the Marietta Post Office.

Harless Miles Washington - Ancestry iPhone - French Camp — I plotted notes on a custom genealogy road trip Google Map before setting off on this trip. But, failed to print the map ahead of time and was afraid of what sort of data signal we might encounter that day. So I took a bunch of screenshots of the day’s maps.

A little bit of research taught me that Castoria was another name for French Camp, an unincorporated area that once served as the southernmost regular camp site for the Hudson Bay Company, who traded furs from Fort Vancouver. French Camp is also a California registered landmark.

Here was the terminus of the Oregon-California Trail used from about 1832 to 1845 by the French-Canadian trappers employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Every year Michel La Framboise, among others, met fur hunters camped with their families here. In 1844 Charles M. Weber and William Gulnac promoted the first white settlers’ colony on Rancho del Campo de los Franceses, which included French Camp and the site of Stockton. (California Office of Historic Preservation)

French Camp is located 5 miles south of Stockton, and is considered “the oldest non-Indian settlement in San Joaquin County.” (San Joaquin Historical Society & Museum)

Awesome! Sounds like a cool place with which to have an ancestral connection and to visit! After all, French Camp is just 82.5 miles (1 hour, 40 minutes) from Dorrington, which is where we were camping after crossing Ebbetts Pass. A simple day trip across the San Joaquin Valley.

So the day after hiking in the footsteps of these ancestors on a stretch of the Old Emigrant Trail, my husband Jeff and I loaded up the RV and the dog, and set off for historic French Camp (aka Castoria). A quick internet search prior had revealed a huge sign put up by the chamber of commerce welcoming visitors “to historical French Camp, the oldest community in San Joaquin County, established 1828”. Such a proud well-advertised claim by a local chamber surely meant that there would be a cute preserved historical district, where we would hopefully be able to find at least one or two structures dating back to 1860 when Miles Washington Harless and his family lived there. And definitely a cute little downtown business area in that historical district, where we could grab a relaxing lunch, sit outside on the patio with our dog, and soak in the surrounding history. I anticipated a little museum, where I could chat with a local historian who might recognize the Harless name and be able to point out the current location of the area noted as their home on that census record.

Not quite.

Driving into French Valley, we saw that big proud sign from the chamber of commerce. We weren’t sure where to find the historical district, so we just kept driving. And driving. And driving. In circles. Taking a bunch of different roads through town, and around town. Looking for signs to the historic district. Signs that did not exist. Because no cute little historic district exists. The town looked like any small community that has seen better days. We found one or two old homes, and the California landmark plaque at the school, but nothing else that would ever make someone who hadn’t seen that big fancy chamber sign think this was a town of any sort of historical significance.

And lunch? We spotted two fast food type places. That was it. Lunch would happen somewhere else.

French Camp was a huge disappointment, on so many levels. I really should have investigated more before our vacation, sparing us the 4 hour round-trip drive across the entire San Joaquin Valley for nothing. It did however, provide us a glimpse of where our Harless ancestors lived after crossing over Ebbetts pass (and most likely taking their same route, along what is now Highway 4). So even Jeff admitted the trip was not a total waste. Fortunately, my husband loves to drive, loves road trips, loves country roads full of a lot of nothing, and can find humor in any situation.

I have no doubt my husband knows very well that he will spend many more years going on genealogy wild goose chases with me.

The trip wasn’t a total loss. My husband got to check another Bass Pro location off his bucket list, since Manteca was so close.

Jeff didn’t consider this road trip across the San Joaquin Valley a total loss. Bass Pro Manteca…the only Bass Pro we have encountered that does not allow dogs.

When we headed to Maricopa for the third and final leg of our Sierras genealogy camping trip, I smartly decided to stop at the local history museum first before doing any exploring out that way. What a well done museum! Staffed with helpful, friendly volunteers who are very knowledgeable about the area. When I mentioned to one of them that we recently drove across the valley from the mountains to visit our ancestral home in French Camp, the docent started laughing and asked me how we liked French Camp, and what we found there. Yeah… we all got a good laugh out of that.

Highway 4, Outside French Camp — Highway 4 heading out of town. On to our next Harless stop.

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#52Ancestors: Retracing Leonard Jackson Harless’s 1858 Ebbetts Pass Trans-Sierra Route into California

Old Emigrant Road, Ebbetts Pass, Jeff and Colleen Greene — Jeff, Holly Beagle, and I at the summit of Ebbetts Pass.

My 38th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

My 38th ancestor is my husband’s 2nd great grandfather, Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946). I first wrote about Leonard in a post last year about the anniversary of his birth in 1858. I have also written about his father Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891), who ties us in a round about way to the Hatfields and McCoys, about Leonard’s 2nd great grandfather Ferdinand Harless (1755-1853), and about his 4th great grandfather John Philip Harless (1716-1772), the first Harless from this line to immigrate to the colonies in America.

A few years ago, I learned from published histories that Leonard was born “on the plains” in 1858 while his parents Miles Washington Harless and Margaret Gann (1830-1919) emigrated from Missouri to California. Leonard and his family crossed into California using the emigrant route that scales the Sierra Nevada range at Ebbetts Pass. The pass and parts of that original emigrant route now constitute a 61-mile long national scenic byway that includes Highways 4 and 89. The pass is usually closed November through March due to heavy snow, and vehicles over 25 feet long are not advised to travel the steepest parts of the eastern byway. The byway runs from Markleeville (Alpine County) in the east to Arnold (Calaveras County) in the west.

I immediately wanted to travel this route! Jeff and I are huge outdoors buffs who are in heaven in the Sierra Nevada range. So a road trip up to Ebbetts Pass and back for a long weekend isn’t a chore for us. But, I wanted to put together more of the pieces of the Harless family’s history in their new California homes to make the most of the trip. Jeff and I finally quit making excuses and took what morphed into a 10 day road trip this past July retracing his Harless ancestors’ steps across Ebbetts Pass and following where they migrated to in central California.

These photos are highlights from the road trip across Ebbetts Pass, which pertain specifically to Leonard Jackson’s journey. I am working on a much longer, broader, more detailed write-up of the entire scenic byway for our outdoors blog, GreeneAdventures.com.

Firing up my iPhone’s Ancestry.com app, and taking screenshots of key facts before losing my data signal.

Old Emigrant Road, Ebbetts Pass, Harless — Starting the western climb up from Markleeville. Aside from the paved road, did our Harless ancestors see this same view during the summer of 1858?

harless-ebbetts6 — A stretch of the original emigrant trail. Yes… the VERY trail our Harless ancestors walked, crossing the Sierra Nevada range.

Old Emigrant Road, Harless — A remaining piece of the original emigrant trail. Located west of Alpine lake. It was beyond COOL for us to hike here…walking where Jeff’s ancestors walked in 1858. The wide path through the trees lends evidence to wagons trekking this route for years.

Old Emigrant Road, Alpine Lake, Harless — The original emigrant route used to pass where Alpine Lake now rests. The former river was later dammed and flooded, causing the route (now the byway) to get moved. Jeff soaks in the gorgeous views of this serene lake, looking out over where his ancestors trekked in 1858.

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