San Joaquin County
Biographies
JAMES G. NOLAN
JAMES G. NOLAN was born in Ireland, December 22, 1828, son of Michael and Bridget
(Russell) Nolan. In their family there were eight children, of whom two sons
and two daughters came to the United States, namely: Mrs. Mary Coleman, resident of Sonoma County, California: Mrs. Annie Crowley, of Anderson, Indiana; Michael and James G. In 1857 James G. and his
brother Michael sailed from Liverpool, March 1, on Sunday morning, on the sailing vessel
the William Tapscot, belonging to the Tapscot line of vessels. After a rough
voyage of over forty days they landed in New York April 13. The two brothers separated in Pennsylvania, James coming to California, and leaving his brother there; nothing has ever been
heard of him since.
James got employment under the Government
at St. Louis, and took charge of a band of cattle at Fort Leavenworth; after that he got a team of four mules and drove
them across the plains to Salt
Lake, where they turned them out for the winter. Mr. Nolan
was discharged from service at Fort Bridger, and the next fall joined a party on their way to California, taking the southern route and landing in San Bernardino, in 1858. At Cucamonga, in the county, he hired out
to a man and built for him the first house that a white man ever lived in in
that place. After remaining there two months he and a partner named John Dunn
started out to beat their way north. At French Camp they dissolved partnership
and divided their purse of twenty-five dollars, after which Dunn was seen no
more. James came to Stockton and got employment on a ranch, where he received $25
dollars a month; he remained there over two years. He purchased the place he
now lives on in 1862; at the time the whole country was under water, the flood
being then at its height. He has been a continuous resident there ever since.
He was married, November 2, 1862, to Miss
Kate Burns, a native of Ireland, who came to America, landing in New York, in May, 1854. She came to California October 9, 1861. Mr. Nolan is a Democrat, politically. His first vote
was cast for Lincoln in 1864.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Page 383-384. Lewis Pub. Co.
Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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