Abandon ships lay at anchor in the San Francisco harbor in this 1851 photo. Crews abandon the ships and left for the gold fields. Ship Captains and merchants were powerless to stop the stamped of the workers from leaving their jobs for the reported riches available at the gold mines.
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In 1849 Isaac Davis left the east coast for San Francisco. He sailed on the Vistula departing from Boston on June 26th and arriving 175 days later at San Francisco on Jan 13th 1850. Like many shipboard arrivals to SF in 1849, the lure of gold was so strong he apparently abandoned ship and joined the gold rush. By 1851 he was at Bidwell’s Bar when he wrote to his Nephew in Boston.
W. E. P. Robinson
Firm of Briggs & Robinson
27 Commercial Street
Boston, Mass.
Wednesday July 16th 1851
Bidwell’s Bar Feather River Butte County, Cal.
Dear Nephew
The U. S mail which arrives every Monday bought your esteemed favor of the 21st of May last past the day before yesterday, Monday the 14th instant for which received my best thanks. I am truly sorry that I cannot send you a reply that would indicate that I was doing better than I really am. My feelings are sorely depressed for some time past I have made little more than my board. Thousands I presume have done worse. I have enough to pay my way home it is true whilst may others who brought hundreds of dollars into the country with them are obliged to borrow the means of getting home. I am sadly disappointed and sorely down hearted, and it is no relief to know that there are tens of thousands who are worse off. I send you this scroll to show you that any letters directed to me accordingly to the hearing of this will be read without fail. Write often excuse this the depression of my spirits will not permit me to say more. My Love and best respect to all. God bless you my dear nephew. May you never know or conceive one thousandth of the hardships which your poor old Uncle has to contend with.
Yours, Isaac Davis
How hard would it be to write his letter to a relative? Did writing it bring comfort or relief to Isaac Davis by expressing his anguish and disappoint about how his golden dream turned out? Like so many of the personal stories of individuals who got caught up in the gold rush, Isaac Davis was facing his reality of the adventure. He possessed a US Seaman’s Protection Certificate.* The 1860 California Census lists a James Davis at Bidwell, same occupation, sailor, same age and also born in Massachusetts. Could James and Isaac Davis be the same individual since there appears to be much matching information? There is also a Joe Davis, a sailor from Illinois, was found in Bidwell research records, listed as a miner in 1849-50. Davis is a common name and many of the prospectors in the early years of the gold rush were sailors who thought gold mining was more profitable than a life on the sea. There is insufficient information to reliably connect James, Joe or Isaac as the same individuals. The details of Isaac Davis life after the 1851 letter is another of the many missing pieces of the fabric of the gold rush at Bidwell’s Bar.
* Protection papers, also known as "Seamen Protection Papers", "Seamen Protection Certificates", or "Sailor's Protection Papers", were issued to American seamen during the last part of the 18th century through the first half of the 20th century. These papers provided a description of the sailor and showed American citizenship. They were issued to American sailors to prevent them from being impressed on British men-of-war, during the period leading to and after the War of 1812. Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Citizenship and the American Merchant Marine: Seamen’s Protection Certificates, 1792–1940 On May 28, 1796, Congress passed an act (1 Stat. 477) to protect American merchant seamen from impressment. Among other things, the act authorized the issue of seamen’s protection certificates by U.S. collectors of customs. The certificates were used to verify the identity and nationality of American seamen traveling abroad by documenting such pertinent information as the seaman’s name, age, place of birth, and a detailed physical description. Seamen could voluntarily obtain a protection certificate at any customs house by paying a fee of 25 cents and submitting proof of citizenship. Source: National Archives
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