Doug, thanks for sharing your family's story. I misunderstood your post. I thought you were indicating that "most" Grant County residents migrating to the west took a water route rather than going overland. In my KNAPP lines, three brothers went overland with a wagon train in 1860 (with several other Grant County residents). One remained in Oregon, one remained in central California, and one returned by train in the 1870s. [email protected] wrote: Re: Marine voyage to California for gold rush. Three of my relatives left Grant County by going down the river to New Orleans than taking ships to the gold rush in California. They all returned the same way one lost his arm while in California in some type of Mining accident. Below was written by Barney Malloy's grandson in the 1950s about his grandfathers trip to California. Barney and two others from Grant/Laffayette counties went to gold mine in California. I highlighted the pertinent areas and left the rest for your musing. "While doing research to write this genealogy, it has been interesting to find different spellings of the "Meloy" name on legal documents. Three, in fact. There is no wonder different families spell their names differently. This short research is proof of why they do. Grandfather, Barney Meloy's immigration papers taken out in Sierra County California, July 25, 1855 was "'Barney Malloy'-. In the church record in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, September 28, 1868, was "Bernard Meloy (both names being changed). Grandfather's Homestead papers in Yankton Dakota Territory on March 10, 1883 were issued to ",Barney Maloy','. His obituary was 'Meloy",. The obituary of his daughter, Emily, was "Maloy". The obituary of his brother, Neil, was "Maloy". So in three different States in America he has three different spellings. When he escaped from the British by leaving Ireland, I wonder how he spelled his name. It makes you wonder about the proverbial skeleton in the closet l if it should be disturbed. Let's just say he never used a fictitious name, or alias; he just changed the spelling. The marriage license of-Father and Mother at Yankton County, South Dakota on October 17, 1892, was "Malloy','. M E L 0 Y Grandfather Barney Meloy was born in County Donegal, Ireland (the Emerald Isle) in 1822. He had a sister, Ann, and two brothers, Neil and Peter. He was a friend to the weak and oppressed, and a genuine Boer-- sympathizer. The '-'Boer" were Dutch people driven from the Netherlands in 1652 because of religious persecution who settled in South Africa near the Cape of Good Hope until taken by the British in 1806 during the Napoleon War. Again the Dutch treked North in 1835 and were conquered by the British in 1839. It was during this time the British and the Irish were having trouble - AS USUAL. No doubt Grandfather was not on friendly terms with the British, and to make matters even worse used his -'shille-­lagh" to knock down a long row of flowers on a bridge the British had decorated to be used in a parade (could the flowers have been orange?). Because of this, he and his brother, Neil, left for America as soon as possible. This was the year 1845 when Grand­father was 23 years old. They settled in Lafayette County, Wisconsin -Then they traveled as old "'forty-niners" going to California via the Panama route. On this voyage he and the other passengers suffered from hunger - subsisting on two small crackers a day. While working in the gold mines he was thrown from a lever falling on rocks and broke his left arm. Infection developed and the arm had to be amputated. This was before anesthetics were known - four men held him while the doctor operated. Grandfather was supposed to be just as good a man with one arm as other men were with two. He proved this at different times. He did not pin up his left sleeve so he could use it to hit accurately in the face. It was not known the year his sister, Ann, came to America and married a Mr. Mac Donald. Grandfather's brother, Peter, who 'was left In Ireland, was an Officer In the Kings Army (British). “He sounds like a traitor to the cause." ' When he retired, he received a grant of land in South Africa from the King of England. Was this the land where the diamond mine was supposedly found? Was it Grandfather's brother, Peter, who did not marry and left an estate that is still unsettled because there is no proof of known heirs? Perhaps there is an estate growing into more millions. Could it be that we have something working for us in England after all? Barney Meloy took out his citizenship papers in Sierra County, California, July 25, 1855. After making quite a stake, he returned to Wisconsin in 1855. There he married Isabelle Rooney McGee, a widow with three daughters. Frank McGee, Grandmother's first husband, died of typhoid fever during the Civil War. The three daughters were: Margaret, who married Neil Meloy (Barney's brother). Susan married Michael McManus. Mary married Wm. Cooney." ==== WIGRANT Mailing List ==== If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail me Mari, WIGRANT List Admin at [email protected] *--*--*--*--*--*--*Happy Hunting!!*--*--*--*--*--*--* ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx ========================== Mary Thiele Fobian Genealogical & Historical Research Pacific Grove, California