San Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN CORSTEN GRUPE
JOHN CORSTEN GRUPE (commonly
called Charles Grupe) was born in Morsumn, Hanover, Germany, September 18,
1828. His father’s name was Geard H. Grupe and his mother’s name was Harriet
Esdohm. They had ten children, six boys and four girls, and Charley was the
youngest. He was of all the children most ambitious and restless, and at the
age of sixteen, in the fall of 1844, embarked for America on the ship
Charlotte, sailing from Bremen to New York. It being a sail ship they were
twenty-eight days making the journey. He was very sea-sick all the time. On
arriving in New York he hired out as a clerk in a grocery store, and in less than
a year bought a grocery store for himself on the corner of Greenwich and
Robinson streets. But hearing of the gold of California, he left his store in
charge of Mr. Kennable, and January 1, 1849 left in a small schooner for San
Francisco. The schooner was small--only seventy-five tons’ burden--and was
named Joseph Howard. Her captain’s name was Sanders. On board were the captain,
one mate, one sailor, one boy, cook, and ten passengers, all young men. They
came by way of Cape Horn and stopped at Rio Janeiro ten days. At the Horn they
encountered a small gale and for nineteen days the ship drifted at the mercy of
the wind and waves. Here they lost the sailor. They also stopped ten days at
Callao, where they saw the famous bull-fights. When they arrived at the Golden
Gate, they had no pilot, and they came near losing everything by being dashed
to pieces on the bar. However, with the help of all, they managed to steer into
the harbor. They arrived in San Francisco July 17, 1849, and during all the
trip he was not sick.
On arriving in San Francisco the captain
sold the cargo, schooner and all, and with the help of the passengers unloaded.
They all came at once to Stockton by sail-boat, and on arriving in the latter
place they were taken sick and lay in the tules for two days. They then hired
an ox team to take their baggage to the mines, giving 25 cents per pound from
Stockton to Mokelumne Hill. They all walked except two who were sick, and they
paid for themselves 25 cents per pound. In going up to the mines one sick man
died, and they buried him at Double Springs.
On arriving at Mokelumne Hill they mined
in the Mokelumne river for about three or four weeks, and as they were not
successful they separated and he came back to Stockton and hired out to drive
team. He drove for three or four months; then, in company with Henry Meyers,
started from Stockton to Sacramento to buy a team of their own. On the first
day they became tired, foot-sore and hungry, and a man came by riding one horse
and leading another. They wanted to get to ride on his spare horse, but he
would not let them unless they would buy the horse. This they did, for $15.
Night came on them and they lay down on the plains near Dry creek, tying the
rope of the horse to their arms to keep him. The night was cold, and with no
covering, nothing to eat and the coyotes yelling around them, they lay down to
sleep. In the morning they each gave 50 cents for a drink of buttermilk, then
got on the horse and rode into Sacramento, where they sold the horse for $30.
Here they bought a six-mule team for
$1,600, and returned to Stockton.
Meyers took charge of the team and Charles
Grupe returned to Mokelumne Hill, and in company with Henry Kulmos again
engaged in mining. This time they did well; but a lumber was high they began to
whip-saw out lumber, which they sold for $1 per foot. They sawed all winter and
in the spring they mined at San Andreas, and did well.
They then came to Stockton, bought goods
and started a store of their own in Mokelumne Hill. Then a company of them
during the winter turned the Mokelumne river from its bed and took out a vast
amount of coarse gold. They then divided up and sold out their store and he
came back to Stockton.
In the spring of 1852 he went to San
Francisco and took ship for New York, going by way of Panama; from New York he
shipped at once to Germany and in the fall of the same year returned to New
York. In the meantime he had sold his store in New York to his brother, and
after stopping there a few days, started on a return trip to California. This
time he came by way of Panama. In New York he met a number of persons who came
to California with him. Among them was Catharine M. Behuke, whom he afterward
married. The others were Henry Behuke, Hattie and Rebecca Behrmann, Lena Meyer,
John Kulmos, John Wilkins and Henry Meyer,--nine in all; of these four only are
living. They crossed the Isthmus on a mule train, then took ship and came to
San Francisco, and landed at Stockton November 10, 1832.
On December 1 he was married to Catherine
Behuke, and Henry Meyer was married to Rebecca Behrmann, both on the same day.
They went at once to a farm near where he
afterward made his home. Everything was exceedingly high. For a cow he paid
$110; for a pair of geese $10; and a pair of pigeons $5. He soon after took up
eighty acres of land and shortly afterward bought more land; to do so he
borrowed money at 3 per cent a month, and to pay for it was obliged to sell off
his cattle and almost everything else.
During the first years he cut his grain
with a cradle, bound it and hauled it to the mountains, and sold it. It was a
long, hard struggle, but determination and love of home and the dear ones
overcame all obstacles.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 267-269. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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