Photo of Rosemary Freeland by blacksmith Bill Knorr of Yuba City, a blacksmith and wagon master, (O.C.T.A. inside W. H. Fippin Blacksmith Shop on the occasion of a Rough and Ready Secession Day Celebration 1997.
Introduction to Historical Society
By
Rosemary Freeland
I was born in the year 1948 at Rideout Hospital in Marysville, California, “Gateway to the Gold Fields.” My parents, Verna W. Fippin and Clark Wendell Freeland met in the privately owned gold dredging town of Hammonton between Marysville and Smartsville. My mother, her sisters, and cousins would work at the men's boarding house in Hammonton that was operated by their aunt Martha Wheaton-Spencer and her family. My father, C.(Clark) Wendell Freeland lived with his parents, Rose and Clark L., and older sisters Zella and Rita in Hammonton, Yuba County. My father and his father worked in the machine shop making parts and my dad drove a milk delivery truck. My father Wendell Freeland resided in Nevada County most of his adult life until his death in Grass Valley at the age of 73. He worked in the logging industry as a truck driver, heavy equipment operator then Master Mechanic. Our Freeland family, mom Verna (Fippin maiden) dad aka “Windy”, and sister Wendy Rae came to Nevada County when I was a toddler. Brother Dennis was born in 1950 in Grass Valley. My first memory of one residence in Nevada County was on Banner Mountain in the woods where I first learned that bears lived in the forested mountains. Not that I saw one, but since my mother always cautioned me to not venture very far from the house because a bear might eat me alive Being 3 years of age, I figured there was one lurking behind every tree. We moved a lot around the county living in Rough and Ready, and Grass Valley, Nevada City, and as an adult I lived in Truckee. I have resided in Nevada County most of my 62 years other than my infancy in Hammonton and 10 years I spent outside in the states of Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii as an adult. I visited Utah about 1995 and that's where I caught the fever “digging up bones“ after I made a visit to the L.D.S. Family History Library. I found a compilation of written material about the Fippin Family there that ignited the spark that lit the fire in my soul and the quest to explore my roots.
Our family residence in Gold Flat on Pittsburgh Mine Road (mail delivery to Motor Route Box 48, Nevada City) bring some of the best memories I have as a young child romping in the woods and playing on the boardwalks over the flumes and discovering while roaming the Flat remnants of the Narrow Gauge Rail Road tracks as well as all the hikes we did up to the Banner lookout tower and to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain which could be seen from our home in Gold Flat. I attended Gold Flat Elementary school where upstairs I discovered a violin laying on a table. A very “old Dutch German man” allowed me to put it between my chin and shoulder and carefully draw the bow across the strings a few times. Noting my fascination with the instrument he then sent his wife, a “little old German lady” to my home to speak with my mother about music lessons for me. Music teachers, Louise Wanda and Franc Luschen lived off Murchie Mine Rd. in Nevada City. Mrs. Luschen gave me private lessons at home and when I could read well enough and my “tone” improved I was allowed to have lessons in their home. Franc would play great classical works on the grand piano in their formal living roon as I would read the music scores and do my best to play along, listening to chords, melody, harmony, rhythms, crescendos, decrescendos, retards and allegros in the presence of one of the most magnificent musicians in the world . Prior to leaving Germany Franc served Kaiser Wilhelm as his personal musician. At times I was privy to a house concert when a pianist the caliber of Franc, such as June Breen of Nevada City, was able to be in their home to accompany him. He would play classical works on his cello. I'll never forget, as a young child, watching the duo perform on the television in my living room in Gold Flat from Sacramento's public television channel six.Note:
An interesting short history, among others, was written about the Luschens by my parent's friend who I have known since childhood, writer and historian, Bonnie McGuire who presently resides on the former “Republic of North California”on Banner Mountain in Nevada City. Also the story of the Baima family who same as the town 's people of Rough and Ready, did once upon a time secede from the U.S. Government may be read on Bonnie's web site www.mcguiresplace.net in the stories section. Her parents, mother Lilly Belle and step-father Val Baima, were some of the first inductees into the Hall of Fame at the Nevada County Fairgrounds (as was my great uncle cattleman rancher Henry Magonigal). Bonnie has included me in her stories section “Friend Rosemary's Place.” A photograph of a music performance at the VFW in Nevada City with Mr. Luschen conducting an ensemble of three of the Haley children (well known family of Nevada City), myself, and Bonnie's sister, Kathy, and Nedra Self may be seen as well as other images of the Mr. and Mrs.
Back to the Fippin family of Rough and Ready:
My mother, Verna Watson Fippin 1928 to 1997 (born in Nevada City at the sanitarium) was the daughter of Asa David and Emma Annabelle Wheaton-Fippin. When mom died she had possession of the mining paper work I am submitting for documentation. Asa and his siblings which include his eldest brother W.H. (William Henry) Fippin whose name dons the historical blacksmith shop in Rough and Ready town proper were all born and raised in Rough and Ready. My grandfather, Asa David Fippin, married Emma Wheaton (daughter of Allan G. Wheaton and Mary Jane Fraser of Mooney Flat) in 1911 in Marysville and settled in Smartsville where they started their family large family. Asa enrolled in a correspondence course with International Correspondence Schools and became a mining engineer although he had already plenty of mining experience. Circa 1935 he leased and operated the Blue Point Mine in the hydraulic diggings in Smartsville, having much expertise he did all types of mining throughout his life. Other tasks were performed such as ditch tender working the water system for Excelsior and N.I.D. He was employed by the War Department at Beale Air Force Base as a security guard during war time, was a ranch hand repairing fences on the Bonanza Ranch and he was a life-long active member in the lodge- Roses Bar No. 89 Free and Accepted Masons, a Past Master as was my father, Wendell Freeland. Reference photographs captioned with memorabilia appear in the Arcadia books publication Images of America, Smartsville and Timbuctoo authored by Kathleen Smith and Lane Parker. I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents in Smartsville, once or twice accompanying Grandpa to his garden and picking ripe tomatoes and vegetables for the first time in my life, and accompanying him further down the hill to the hydraulic diggings in Sucker Flat where he disappeared briefly into a tunnel and forbid me to follow. To this day I love to cook potato, green bean, and bacon soup with a little Rosemary seasoning in remembrance of him cooking same on their old wood burning stove in the kitchen. The herb Rosemary does stand for “remembrance.”
To make a long story short, these mining papers are from placer and hard rock and drift mines in the two counties, Yuba and Nevada. As this project progresses it would please me to contribute more information about the history of the Fippin blacksmith shop originally built by my great-great grandfather John Single, a native of Germany, who along with his first wife Juliana Mosbach-Single is interred in the historic Rough and Ready cemetery. John Single's “Last Will and Testament” is on file at the Searls with reference to his property, his second wife Catherine (Katarina) and his children from both marriages. He willed his half of the blacksmith shop to his daughter Julia Fippin instead of to her step-mother, since Julia had many young children to provide for. Julia's husband, John Fippin, was already half owner of the building and its contents at the time his father-in-law's death.
Note: My great grandfather Allan G. Wheaton was a Notary Public and his signatures will be found on legal documents in the Searls. He also served as a Yuba County Superintendent. His half-sister, Cornelia Wheaton married Frederick Ayer, an attorney, in 1858 and so Allan was related to the wealthy Ayer family of Boston, Mass., vast land holders and venture capitalists for mining, ranching and agricultural enterprises in Yuba and Sutter counties. The Ayer family had the patent on sarsaparilla and other “pharmaceuticals” of the day.
This was meant to be a short introduction to preface the vast amount of mining correspondence and I have gotten carried away, so I will close for now. Your work to help me record and preserve this mining and family history is very much appreciated! I have gleaned a great deal of family history from both the Foley and Searls libraries as well as at the California Room at the Packard in Marysville among other sources such as yubaroots.comFamily Historian and ancestor of Nevada and Yuba County's Gold Miners
Dating back to 1854 when a son of the Wheaton family of New York sailed around Cape Horn. This man, H.B. Wheaton ,aka “Harry”,
became head bookkeeper in the San Francisco Mint serving for over 30 years as a Federal employee.
He was also President of the Excelsior Water Company. In Smartsville, California and brother to Allan Wheaton aka “A.G.”
Rosemary's great grandfather, Allan Givens Wheaton came to San Francisco, California in 1880 then onto
Smartsville where he leased a number of mines including the world-famous Pat Campbell mine.
See History of Yuba and Sutter Counties California
authored by Peter J. Delay-biographical sketch of Allan Given (s) Wheaton
My great-great grandparents are John Single and first wife Julianna Mosbach natives of Germany
John, a carpenter, is the original builder/owner of the blacksmith shop in Rough and Ready Town Proper. His daughter Julia married John Fippin. The building displays the name of their eldest son, W.H. (William Henry) Fippin to date 03/01/11
It is an historical building presently owned by the R & R Chamber of Commerce.