Last Seen at Ridley's Ferry, Mariposa County 1858

A man goes missing in 1858. Is this the end of the story? Would his family ever know what happened to him?
Ridley's Ferry was a crossing on the Merced River from about 1850 to 1852.
About 1860 the name was changed to Benton Mills, then in 1890 the town
was renamed Bagby.
Could I find anything further on the fate of this lost man, Austin Orvis? Or did
he, like many others in the rough and harsh world of the mining communities
of this era, die an obscure and lonely death.

----------Man Missing- Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, March 22, 1858.
ON 6th March, a man named Austin Orvis came to Lure's store, at Ridley's
Ferry, and after settling some business left suddenly and has not been seen or
heard of since. From his actions at the time and previously, those best
acquainted with him suppose him to have been partially insane. He has been
long known on the Merced river, having for a length of time worked on
Washington Flat. He came from Wisconsin to California, is a native of Canada, about twenty-four years of age, tall and of slender build. Fears are entertained by his friends that he many have committed suicide, or perhaps roamed off in the hills and died from exposure or starvation- Mariposa Gazette.------------

The first place I looked for this Austin was on http://www.familysearch.org, I
found a fellow that could be him--
Austin ORVIS, Born Aug 8, 1826, Whitby, Ontario, Ontario, Canada. This
Austin Orvis, is given a death date of 1912, and named his parents as Eleazer
Brooks Orvis and Elizabeth Austin.
Oh, this is good news- maybe the missing man from Ridley's Ferry did go on
to live a very long life?
The next step was to search the net for an obituary for an Austin Orvis, who
died 1912. BINGO!
Up popped the obit for Austin and his wife.(you have to love the volunteers
who bring this information on line!)
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wawhatco/obits/obito.htm
ORVIS, Austin (d. 1912)
Austin Orvis died Saturday at his home about a mile this side of Wiser Lake, and was buried Monday afternoon, interment taking place in the Lynden cemetery. Mr. Orvis had attained the age of 91 years, and had resided here for more than 27 years, during which time he gained the respect and esteem of many of his neighbors and fellow citizens, and enjoyed the close friendship of those who knew him best. His death came suddenly, as he wished, and peacefully and painlessly closed the record book of the earth life of a sterling pioneer of the west. Mr. Orvis, while sitting quietly at his home,
and in the act of lighting his pipe, without warning, suddenly fell to the floor and the life gently left the aged body.
The deceased was one of the "forty-niners", who came to the west to seek their fortunes. He crossed the plains with an ox team, settling first in California. During the civil war he was engaged as a clerk in the quartermaster's department, and while not a member of the G. A. R., many old soldiers attended his funeral and paid their last tribute of respect to a faithful friend.
The funeral services were conducted by the Masonic lodge of which the deceased was an honored member, Worshipful Master G. A. Palmer officiating. Many old friends gathered to pay their respect to the memory of one who for more than twenty-seven years was an esteemed resident of the community. Besides his widow, the deceased leaves a daughter, Mrs. Hiram Fuller, and two grandchildren, O. L. Button, and Mrs. Fay D. Searles.

(From The Lynden Tribune, August 1, 1912) Submitted by site coordinator.
ORVIS, Marietta (d. 1915)
Funeral services for Mrs. Marietta Orvis, who died Sept. 29, were held Sunday from the family residence. The Rev. Paul Ashby officiated. Mrs. Orvis is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Fuller. The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Orvis from pioneer days at which time they ran a ferry across the Nooksack attended the funeral. Mrs. Orvis during her long stay in Lynden, made a wide circle of friends, who join with the family in mourning her loss.

(From The Lynden Tribune, October 7, 1915) Submitted by site coordinator.
This is not conclusive proof that the missing man in 1858 and this Austin Orvis are one and the same, but there is enough here to pursue this fellow .
I can confirm that based on a birth index transcription of Whitby, Ontario, Ontario, Canada who the siblings and parents were of the Austin Orvis found at the familysearch.org site:
http://archives-library.quaker.ca/transcripts/O-12-1%20Doc.pdf
Just to really top of the story, I found a photo of the Nooksack Ferry operated by Austin and Marietta Austin that was noted in her obituary.
http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/cpnws/webimages/prj0271.jpg

Now I would really like to think that the same Austin Orvis that was reported lost in 1858 is the same one who went on to live a very full life. But I still don't have the evidence to prove it.......There are other searches to be made which may prove that these are both the same man. But I will leave that to someone who is documenting and researching this family.

Happy Hunting-
Carolyn
 

Carolyn Feroben
Mariposa County History and Genealogy Research
http://www.mariposaresearch.net

To read more about Genealogy by Carolyn Feroben:
Genealogy Archives by Carol Feroben






 

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