| Notes |
- According to jpkirkpatrick.com:
(Some of this is quoted from Uncle Sam's letters)
Thomas Gillham Kirkpatrick... married on 24 March 1847 in Grant County, Wisconsin, to Esther Jane Stiles, daughter of Reuben and Eliza Stiles, who was born ca. 1832 in Michigan and died in 1851.
In 1849 came news of the discovery of gold in California. Thomas was one who was fired by gold fever. He told his story to his son Samuel, who wrote it down as nearly as possible as it was told to him.
"...Eventually I was married, and during our second year of married life, [came] the startling news of the great Gold rush to California and of course I was set on going. My wife objected, but I promised to come back in two years with a fortune, or send money for her to join me in California. She finally gave in, but nearly broke her heart when we parted, and so I left this beautiful young woman and a handsome baby boy behind, never to see them again. O dear God, why did I do it?
"Well, when we finally reached California, we were too late for the gold, as all the good ground was taken, and hundreds of claims were staked that were no good. Those that got good ground were taking out millions of dollars worth of gold. Hundreds of men were working for wages, while thousands were in the hills hunting for gold. New towns were springing up in a dozen places, and the big demand was for lumber. That was my chance, there was lots of good timber and plenty of water for power, so I got busy on a saw mill, and by early fall I was operating at full capacity, and really coining money. The climate was ideal. I was elated, the world seemed bright, my future was assured, and I was happy, so began to make plans to get my wife and son to California. I kept on trying to get a letter through to her, but there was no organized mail service. Many letters started on their way East. Some went by boat to Panama where freight was being toted across the Isthmus from the Atlantic, where hundreds of boats were bringing freight from all parts of the states, and during all this time I never got one word from home. I decided, I would have to make the trip East so I made all arrangements for a man to run my business, and the Bank that had opened up, to handle the finances, and made enquiries as to the best and quickest way to make the trip.
"Then suddenly a letter arrived, a letter that was to change my whole life, from a respected business man, to an outcast, a ruined man. I opened the letter. It was not from my wife, but from the old Mason [his father-in-law]. It started off, 'Dear Tom, your wife is dead.' That was all I could read. I got up and walked. My eyes were flooded with tears. It was night time. I walked towards the mountains, I never knew where I went or how far. It was nearly morning when I got home."
He was married to Esther Jane Stiles (daughter of Reuben Stiles and Eliza ???) on 24 Mar 1847 in Grant Co., Wisconsin. Esther Jane Stiles was born about 1832 in Michigan. She died in 1851 in Wisconsin.
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Notes from conversation with Kae Larson (Nana's daughter) at the 2013 Kirkpatrick Family reunion:
About 1922 or 1923 a woman came and saw Nana looking for a Kirkpatrick. Not sure if this is the time, but there is a rumour that TG's granddaughter from his first marriage (the one where Esther Stiles passed away and we never knew where the baby went) came looking for him. Cannot verify.
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Abt 1832 - 1851 (~ 19 years)
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