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Hiram’s Estate
A local newspaper printed the following information in the spring of 1850:1 “Gold Run—On Saturday last, Mr. H. E. Gates and his partners, George A. Hall and W. M. Baldwin took out 10 pounds of gold from a hole 8 x 10 feet. They purchased a 140-foot claim in February for $2,000 and have already realized $19,000 since March 1st…..Mr. Gates informs us that the whole (sic) is unprecedentedly rich…..Gold Run empties into Bear Creek, and is about half a mile in length…”
Hiram employed a builder named William Weiss and commenced building a home for his family on Washington Street in Greenwood (location of the Penobscot Ranch-now called Cool). Penobscot Ranch Headquarters history notes, “Hiram started a livery stable and a way station.2 Emily’s father was a rough and tumble man with a reputation of being a tough man. Mrs. Gates’ father had been opposed to the marriage and did not like Hiram or the idea that he had lost his daughter.”
Holland discovered that between September 1-5), “Elder Rich and fifty returning Saints, left September 5, 1850 headed for Salt Lake City with Porter Rockwell as their guide.” Hiram Gates met his maker sometime between September 1 and September 5-he died either from dysentery or lead poisoning emitting from Porter Rockwell’s revolver.3 Penobscot history reported, “Hiram’s father-in-law was seen in the area and after that Hiram’s body was found on Murderer’s Bar on the American River. The father-in-law was not seen again. We don’t know what happened to Mrs. Gates. The two sons stayed in the area, however, all traces was lost of them.4
On the 17th day of September, 1850, a Mormon by the name of Bradford W. Elliott applied for Special Administration of the Estate. 5 Listed were Bradford W. Elliott as principal and Asahel A. Lathrop (owner of Mormon Tavern), as surety6. Also listed were M. H. Offutt (a partner in Offutt, Wales and Company) and David Bloom (owned a hotel called the Illinois Exchange). They were severally and personally bound unto the State of California in the penal sum of ten thousand dollars, lawful monies of the United States.
Emily’s status as the widow of Hiram Gates is confirmed in a document filed in the Probate Court at El Dorado County, California. Bradford W. Elliot and Emily Gates petitioned the Probate Court for Setting of Administration of Hiram’s Estate on October 10, 1850. (See attachment). Elliot listed as survivors Emily Gates, Widow, Thomas
——————————————- 1 Placer Times, May 17, 1850, p.2. col 3 2 An old document described Penobscot Ranch in 1856: “The Penobscot House was one of the finest Public Houses in the township.” (It has been greatly improved by Page and Lovejoy in 1855). 3 Hiram had just celebrated his 48th birthday. 4 Penobscot Historian say, the above history is recorded in the Mormon Tabernacle in Utah.” We do not have a reference to that document. Question: Is this fact or fiction? 5 El Dorado County Courthouse, Records in the Probate Court of V. Daniels 6 Both Bradfor Elliott and Asahel Lathrop were Mormon.
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Gates and Solomon Gates (minors). The same individual signed all the papers. Of particular interest was the fact that Bradford Elliott and Emily Gates neglected to tell the court that Hiram had other living children: Charles Henry, Harriet Maria Gates Rose, (children of Sarah Maria Sayles—mother of Thomas and Solomon; Frances and Elizabeth—the latter two daughters of Hiram by a polygamous wife, Maryvette Rowe Gee who had divorced Hiram in February 1850 and married Lysander Gee of Tooele).
Apparently there were serious manipulations of the assets of the estate (deemed as considerable) for on November 9, 1850, M.C. Deen, W. Black, J.R. Lemon (Mormon) and George Gallager signed a petition composed by M.H. Oufutt, Esq. and addressed to Honorable Judge V. Daniels in and for the County of El Dorado and State of California. These men charged that Bradford W. Elliot was mismanaging the estate by gambling away the money and, further, they believed he was intent on embezzling the assets. These men requested that Joseph H. Berry (Mormon) be appointed as the administrator.
On October 30, 1850, M. H. Offutt and David Bloom petitioned the court to be released as sureties on the bond for Bradford W. Elliott and deny any further responsibility of an concerning the same. They then petitioned the court for a new bond to be issued which they filed on November 7, 1850.
The Probate Court did not appoint Joseph Berry but instead appointed Caleb Fenner as the Administrator with Martin H. Offutt and David Bloom as sureties in the penal sum of-thousand dollars. On November 19, 1850 M. H. Offutt and David Bloom petitioned the court to be released as sureties on the settlement of the estate. No final distribution was found—reportedly it had been lost.
On Wednesday, November 13, 1850, (the very day that Bradford W. Elliott appeared before Judge Vinal Daniels in California), Willard Richards and Charles C. Rich, visited Herber C. Kimball in his office in Salt Lake City following a 37 day journey from the goldfields.
“Willard Richards and Charles C. Rich, visiting Heber C. Kimball’s in the afternoon to converse on California matters. The brethren, who had arrived from California, gave unfavorable reports about the conditions there. Many murders had been committed for which no punishment had been attempted. On their journey from California to Utah, the brethren had been dogged by the Indians for a distance of over 400 miles. They had found the bodies of Hiram Gates; sons with throats cut by the Indians.” 7
This author read the C. C. Rich Diary and could find no reference to finding the bodies of Hiram Gates’ sons—Rich did report finding three mutilated bodies stuffed in a spring, but listed the names of those men. Both Richards and Rich could not have mistaken the bodies of the boys—they knew them well since C. C. Rich’s property in Nauvoo backed up to the home of Hiram Gates.
———————————————— 7 Journal History, Wednesday, November 13, 1850 |