Finding Aid of the Pilsbury Hodgkins Memoir. C058022
J. Davis
Society of California Pioneers
11/16/2012
101 Montgomery Street, Suite 150
Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA 94129
pkeats@californiapioneers.org
Note
B002183 / B-2-1b
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Society of California Pioneers
Title: Pilsbury Hodgkins Memoir
creator:
Hodgkins, Pilsbury, 1825-1892
Identifier/Call Number: C058022
Physical Description:
1 folder
1 Folder( 1 typescript of original diary, 71 pages)
Date (inclusive): 1890-1900
Abstract: The file contains the 58-page typewritten and signed autobiography of Pilsbury Hodgkins, with multiple transcribed obituaries
added at the end, resulting in a total of 71 pages. It is typed on paper that is in good condition, detailing the life of
Mr. Hodgkins, a.k.a. Chips. He was born in Maine on February 17, 1825, and he writes about his time on the family farm, his
move to Boston, his eventual move to San Francisco in search of gold in 1849, and resulting career with Wells Fargo. His mining
operation was in the town of Jamestown, Tuolumne County.
The file contains the 58-page typewritten and signed autobiography of Pilsbury Hodgkins, with multiple transcribed obituaries
added at the end, resulting in a total of 71 pages. It is typed on paper that is in good condition, detailing the life of
Mr. Hodgkins, a.k.a. Chips. He was born in Maine on February 17, 1825, and he writes about his time on the family farm, his
move to Boston, and his eventual move to San Francisco in search of gold in 1849. His mining operation was in the town of
Jamestown, Tuolumne County. After his attempt at mining for gold, he got a job as an expressman for Wells Fargo from 1857
to 1891. Also included in the file is a poem called "CHIPS", a manuscript of a song called "Chips, the Messenger", a typed
manuscript from the San Francisco Chronicle entitled "Chips is Dead" dated September 6, 1892, an account of Hodgkins's death
in The Daily Republican from September 7, 1892, an account of his funeral from The Stockton Independent on September 8, 1892,
and a short obituary from The Seaport News on September 10, 1892.
Pilsbury Hodgkins was born on Februrary 17th, 1825 in Nobleboro, Maine. In 1848, he left for California, working his passage
as a carpenter on the ship "York" of the Pacific Company. He arrived in California in 1849 and worked at a variety of sites,
including Jamestown and Soldier's Gulch. In addition to mining for gold, he went to work as an expressman for Reynolds Express
in 1851, turning tis into his full-time occupation by 1853. From 1857 to 1870, he worked for Wells Fargo on a steamer between
Stockton and San Francisco. From 1870 to 1877, he worked between San Diego and San Francisco. He eventually settled in Stockton
and was a lifetime member of the Society of California Pioneers.
Existence and Location of Originals
The Society of California Pioneers, 101 Monetgomery St., Suite 150, The Presdiio of San Francisco, San Francisco CA, 94129
Donor and Date of acquisition unknown
The Pillsbury Hodgkins Memoir. The Society of California Pioneers
SCP Institutional Records: Obituary, Vol. 2, pg. 131 (Vault); Autobiography Records, Vol. 7, pg. 63 (Digitized online at OAC);
Archives Records, Vol. 2, pg. 201 (Vault). Mortuary Record 1892 - 1906, pg. 10 (Vault).
There are no restrictions on access
Collection Open for Research
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gold mines and mining -- California -- History.
Frontier and pioneer life – California
Pioneers -- California -- History -- 19th century
Gold Discovery - California
Gold mines and mining -- California -- History.
Voyages to the Pacific coast
Wells, Fargo & Company.
Hodgkins, Pilsbury, 1825-1892