I have fallen down the rabbit hole of trying to put together Amos Beardsley's life. It started with the seemingly simple objective of finding out his wife's name. My assumption is her maiden name is Foster, but I cannot find anything about her. Maybe Foster is her mother's name??
The search is complicated by the proliferation of Amos Beardsley's in Derbyshire in the 1800s. Not only are their numerous unrelated Amos's, it seems that it was quite a common name within the family (Amos Foster Beardsley had at least one cousin with a similar name).
Here is a quick snapshot of what I have thus far:
I found this resource that indicates that an English surgeon by the name of Amos Beardsley died in 1901. It seems reasonable to assume, for now, that this is our Grandfather.
Sigh...back to the googling...
All sources I have seen agree that Amos Foster Beardsley was born in New York. The only two sources that give his birthplace in more detail disagree whether he was born in Otsego County or Utica.
ReplyDelete(San Francisco)
ReplyDeleteDaily Alta California
25 Dec. 1869
page 4, column 2
"Died"
...
In this city, Dec. 24, A. F. Beardsley, a native of Utica, N.Y., a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and one of the pioneers of California, aged 49 years.
Utica papers please copy
Friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral to-morrow (Sunday), at 1 o'clock P.M. from Masonic Temple, under the direction of California Lodge.
(San Francisco)
Daily Alta California
14 Feb. 1870
page 1, column 2
SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS.
Memorial Notices of George G. Wells and A. F. Beardsley.
At the last regular meeting of the Society of California Pioneers the following reports of committees were adopted:
...
Memorial of A. F. Beardsley.
Mr. President"--Your Committee appointed to report on the death of Amos F. Beardsley submit the following:
It is unusual in this excitable community to meet with a man who devotes his time and thoughts to quiet pursuits. Such a man was Amos F. Beardsley, the subject of this notice. He was born in Otsego county, New York, and at his decease was 49 years of age. He arrived in California from the Sandwich Islands, in the year 1848, and his time since then has been mostly spent in agricultural pursuits.
He loved Nature, and was a cultivated, experienced enthusiastic tiller of the soil. He died in the service of Messrs. Barron Brothers, having had charge of their ranch at Mountain View. He was an honest, earnest, quiet man. He selected his calling from choice and adorned it. His labors were entirely satisfactory to himself and eminently so to his employers. What better memory can any of us leave behind? If life is to be measured by events rather than years--then he has performed the full measure of a man's duty.
In consigning him to the immortal band of Pioneers who have gone before us let us unite with his family and friends in chrystening the memory of a good man's virtues.
(Signed) B. W. Mudge,
D. B. Northrop,
A. C. Taylor, Committee.