At thirteen years of age, James French was bound out by his parents to a neighbor by the name of Hezekiah Morris. James worked for him for three years, at which time Mr. Morris "got the gold fever". With the consent of his parents, James French went with Mr. Morris and many Michigan neighbors (they called themselves "the Wolverines") to California in 1850. He was then only 15 years old. There were 22 schooners, including 100 head of oxen, mules, and cows; Mr. Morris was the captain of the 63 people going west. It took 6 months to cross the plains and prairies to California; they braved many hostile environments along the way. "When James French came into Placer County in the spring of 1850, he was riding a mule which represented three years of servitude with Mr. Morris. It was mouse-colored, with a black stripe down its back." He mined for gold for a couple of years. After his foray into mining, he decided to supply the miners with stock and garden truck. His daughter Albertina Amelia French left some notes about her father's life which can be found in "A History of Placer and Nevada Counties" (1924) at the Placer County Library in Auburn, California.
At thirteen years of age, James French was bound out by his parents to a neighbor by the name of Hezekiah Morris. James worked for him for three years, at which time Mr. Morris "got the gold fever". With the consent of his parents, James French went with Mr. Morris and many Michigan neighbors (they called themselves "the Wolverines") to California in 1850. He was then only 15 years old. There were 22 schooners, including 100 head of oxen, mules, and cows; Mr. Morris was the captain of the 63 people going west. It took 6 months to cross the plains and prairies to California; they braved many hostile environments along the way. "When James French came into Placer County in the spring of 1850, he was riding a mule which represented three years of servitude with Mr. Morris. It was mouse-colored, with a black stripe down its back." He mined for gold for a couple of years. After his foray into mining, he decided to supply the miners with stock and garden truck. His daughter Albertina Amelia French left some notes about her father's life which can be found in "A History of Placer and Nevada Counties" (1924) at the Placer County Library in Auburn, California.
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