Person:Samuel Erskine (1)

Notes from Dorothy Johansen: CENSUS: 1850 Guernsey Co., Wills Twp. Ohio - #0444677 - Children, Sarah, William,

    Eliza and Margaret on Census
    1860 Guernsey Co., Wills Twp., Ohio P.O. Washington pg. 104 - William,
    Eliza, Margaret, Martha, Samuel I, and Luther
    1870 Nevada County, Nevada City, CA
    1880 Nevada County, Nevada City, CA - Martha, Luther & Samuel at home #1254070

MILITARY: Military records obtained from General Services Adm. 122nd Inf. Co. H

    Entered 10 Sep 1862, mustered out 25 Jun 1865

The family evidently attended the Congregational Church, as several children were married there. Also

    known to be Baptists, living on Park Ave. Length of residence at time of death: 7 mo 16 days

DEEDS: Samuel's name is on property records as early as June 1856, so evidently he came to California

    before his sister-in-law Jane Wakefield Erskine and her daughter Frances.

ELECTORATE: Film 977,082 mentions Samuel, age 55 born in Pennsylvania, occupation farmer, living in

    Nevada Twp. Nevada Co., There is also a Robert listed, age 25, birth Ohio, an age to be a son,     but is not on any census records with the family.

MINING: After moving to Calif. many men in the family engaged in mining for gold, both Quartz (tunnel,

    shaft) and Placer (creek). Their names are found in the mining records from 1876 to 1906.

HISTORY: Congregational Church In April, 1851, Rev. James H. Warren came to Nevada City under the auspices of the American Home Missionary Society. Services were held in the little shake building on Main street, before spoken of, and September 18, 1851, the church was organized with twenty-one members, the only lady being the minister's wife. The shake structure was soon replaced by a frame building, which was thoroughly repaired and fitted up in the fall of 1855. In the great fire of the following year the church was destroyed, together with a very fine bell. The cornerstone of a new brick church, 35 X 55 feet, was laid July 4, 1857, and the church was dedicated the following January. Meanwhile services were held in Temperance Hall. On the morning of the great fire of November, 1863, the alarm was sounded while services were being held, and the minister called after the vanishing congregation, to say that services would be held that evening, but when evening came the church lay in ruins. A new church was erected and dedicated April 10, 1864. It cost $5,000, the money being raised mainly by Rev. H. Cummings, in Sacramento and San Francisco, $500.00 being given by the American Congregational Union. In June, 1865, the church became independent of the Hoomee Missionary Society, and self supporting. The pastors of the church were: -- Revs. James J. Warren, 1851-1858; W.C. Bartlett, four months in 1860; H. Cummings, 1861-1865; R.B. Snowden, 1865-1867; John Frazer, 1867-1868; Alexander Parker, 1868-1870; E. Halladay, 1871-1873; J. Sims, the present pastor, came in 1873. The officers of the church are; -- R. Morrison and J. Marshall, Deacons; J. Dunn, Treasurer, William Long, Secretary. A Sunday School was early organized and has been a prosperous one. In the fire of 1863, it lost a library of one thousand volumes, but has now a new and large one. (Rev. Cummings and Rev. Sims are the ones performing marriages for the family.)

1. ↑ Johansen, Dorothy; Askey geneology.