Placer
County
Biographies
JAMES MAHON
James Mahon, of Colfax, Placer
County, California, came to the state in 1849.
He was born in Oswego County, New York, in 1832. John and Catherine (McLaughlin) Mahon, his parents,
were both born in Ireland. Leaving
Dublin, in which city they were married, they came to the United States in 1826
and located in Oswego, New York, where Mr. Mahon was engaged as a ship
chandler. There were seven children in
the family, of whom two are now living.
Both the father and mother are now deceased. Mr. Mahon died in 1864, having attained the
age of sixty-eight years, and his wife passed away in 1870, aged sixty-five
years.
The subject of this sketch was
educated in the public schools of his native city. When seventeen years of age he went to New
York City, intending to become a ship carpenter, but on his arrival there he
heard of the great gold discoveries in California and determined to seek his
fortune in the west. With a friend he
embarked on the ship Queen of the West and worked his way around the Horn to
the Golden Gate, the journey requiring six months’ time. On the 12th day of July, 1849, he
landed in San Francisco and on leaving this city went to Sacramento and finally
to Murphy’s Camp. At the latter place he
was paid seven dollars per day for his labor.
He next went to Coloma, where he worked for a short time and then took
up his residence in Auburn, Placer County, where he was engaged in carrying
water to the mines at a salary of five dollars per day. Later he worked in several of the early
mining camps, Michigan Bluff, Forest Hill and Yonker
Jim’s and also had claims of his own, which paid from ten to fifty dollars per
day. Occasionally he found nuggets worth
one hundred dollars. He continued mining until 1859 and then engaged in
teaming, hauling brick to Auburn. In
1863 he became the proprietor of a saloon in Auburn and later was interested in
saloons at Clipper Gap, Colfax and Alta.
He now owns the Railroad saloon at Colfax.
Mr. Mahon was married, in 1873, to
Miss Ellen Ballen, of San Francisco, a native of New
Orleans. They have one son, James Thomas
Mahon. Although Mr. Mahon is a Democrat,
he is nevertheless liberal in his views.
He is a well preserved ‘49er and an excellent specimen of the many brave
sons Ireland has furnished the United States and California.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 764-765. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.