Wilcox (William) letter: San Francisco, California, to Mary, East Hartford, Connecticut, January 13, 1858
Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- William Wilcox letter: San Francisco, California, to Mary, East Hartford, Connecticut
- Dates:
- January 13, 1858
- Creators:
- Wilcox, William, d. 1862
- Abstract:
- Extent:
- 1 folder
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
William Wilcox letter: San Francisco, California, to Mary, East Hartford, Connecticut. San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The folder includes letter (1 leaf, folded) from William Wilcox, San Francisco, to his wife Mary, in East Hartford, Connecticut. Wilcox describes searching for, and locating, his brother-in-law Gilbert Hill's grave in Yerba Buena Cemetery, about two miles from where Wilcox's schooner is anchored. Records of cemetery burials burned in a fire in 1854, and many markers had deteriorated or bore no inscriptions. Wilcox has included a hand-drawn diagram of the location of Hill's grave in the letter. Wilcox mentions being in the company of Mr. Sanders, of Deep River, Connecticut. On January 13, he writes that he "is about to sail tomorrow" and it will be "some 3 months before our return."
- Biographical / historical:
-
William Wilcox was a native of East Hartford, Connecticut and worked as a ship's captain for his adult life. He married Mary Hills in 1849; they had at least three children, William G., Fanny, and Ella. Wilcox died March 4, 1862 in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchase, 2019
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Cemeteries -- California -- San Francisco
Gravestones -- California -- San Francisco
Ship captains -- Connecticut
Gravestones – California -- San Francisco - Names:
- Yerba Buena Cemetery (San Francisco, Calif.)
Wilcox family
Hills family
Hills, Gilbert, d. 1850 - Places:
- San Francisco (California) -- Description and travel.
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- January 13, 1858
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
- Preferred citation:
-
William Wilcox letter: San Francisco, California, to Mary, East Hartford, Connecticut. San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center
- Location of this collection:
-
San Francisco Public Library100 Larkin StreetSan Francisco, CA 94102, US
- Contact:
- (415) 557-4567