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Guide to the Thomas Rylan Darnall Papers
MS 19
MS 19
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Table of contents
Title: Thomas Rylan Darnall Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS 19
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1854-1864
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence and business papers of Thomas Rylan Darnall, primarily concerning his mining partnership
with E.W. Morse and the Jesus Maria mine near San Antonio, Baja California, in the mid-1800s.
creator:
Darnall, Thomas Rylan
Biographical / Historical Notes
Thomas Rylan Darnall was born in Clark County, Kentucky in 1828. In 1850 Darnall Came to California to hunt for gold. Failing
as a gold seeker he tried unsuccessfully to run a small farm near Sacramento. He moved to San Diego in 1853 and opened a store.
He was appointed a deputy sheriff in 1855 and twice ran unsuccessfully for sheriff. Darnall served on the County Board of
Supervisors from 1855-1857. In 1857, he entered a business partnership with E. W. Morse. The two purchased a copper mine in
Baja California. After a troublesome incident with Mexican officials, Darnall sold his interest in the mine for $400. He returned
east to his family in 1859 and settled finally in Platte, Missouri. Darnall died in Platte in 1906.
This collection contains correspondence and business papers of Thomas Rylan Darnall, primarily concerning his mining partnership
with E.W. Morse and the Jesus Maria mine near San Antonio, Baja California, in the mid-1800s. These papers include legal documents,
receipts, and payroll. This collection also includes transcripts of letters written to Darnall’s brother, which provide first-hand
descriptions of early San Diego.
Folders are arranged by material type.
MS 144 E.W. Morse Collection.
Thomas Rylan Darnall Papers, MS 19, San Diego History Center Document Archives, San Diego, CA.
This collection is open for research.
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Collection processed by Samantha Mills in December 2016.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Morse, Ephraim W.
San Diego County (Calif.). Board of Supervisors.
Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula)
Jesus Maria mine
Mines and mineral resources