Nourse (George Francis) Letters, 1848-1860

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Summary

Title:
George Francis Nourse letters
Dates:
1848-1860
Creators:
Nourse, George Francis, 1830-1904
Abstract:
Letters addressed to George Francis Nourse, who came to California from Massachusetts to seek gold in 1849.
Extent:
0.2 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Francis Nourse letters, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The majority of the collection consists of letters written to George Francis Nourse and his brother Joseph Prince Nourse, who also came out to California, from family and friends back in Massachusetts. There are also several letters written by Nourse's partners, Lathiel T. Chase and George M. Hedges, from places in Northern California. The letters contain news of Boston and Beverly, Massachusetts, including descriptions of the temperance movement. The letters also discuss the sale of cargo of the brig Sterling; gold mining in Mokelumne Hill and Rail Road Flat, Calaveras County, California; and Rancho Oasis in Santa Clara County, California.

Biographical / historical:

George Francis Nourse was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in May 1830, to Stephen Nourse and Martha Prince Nourse; he had eleven siblings. In 1849 he moved to California to seek gold. He arrived in San Francisco on the brig Sterling and worked for Ritchie, Osgood & Co. and the Mercantile Hotel. In 1853, he bought the Rancho Oasis in Santa Clara County along with George W. Hedges and Lathiel T. Chace. In June 1863 he married Laura Cooper; they had at least two sons and three daughters. Nourse returned to the mines at various times, and from 1877 to 1886 was again living in San Francisco. He died in Stockton, California, in February 1904.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Edwin Grabhorn, January 1945.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff in the 1960s. In July 2026, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-07-29 10:30:04 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Francis Nourse letters, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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