Barbara, There is a biography of John Rule, who lived in the Ocean Township of Sonoma County, CA, in "The History of Sonoma County - 1880" This URL will take to there. http://www.compuology.com/cpl/snma1880.htm#r I too have an ancestor who was at the Brown's Valley gold mine, and I once had the opportunity to walk through their pioneer graveyard, even though I have no one there. It's a beautiful spot. Norm Hardin