San Joaquin County
Biographies
WILLIAM H. POST
WILLIAM H. POST. - The large
number of travelers and tourists who visit this State every year will, in many
instances in the course of their travels, pay a visit to the great San Joaquin
valley. Here will greet the eye a vast stretch of country, thickly settled by a
class of people who in point of thrift and economy are the exponents of our
best classes of society; land covered with vast fields of grain, together with
orchards and vineyards which are a marvel to the whole country. The question
will naturally be asked, How came this to be so? In answer to this a great many
things must be consulted and taken into consideration, and underlying all the
main credit must be given to those old pioneers who first emigrated to this
far-off land in the early day. There are none more fitting of special mention,
as a remarkable type of those sturdy veterans, than William H. Post, the
subject of this sketch. He is a native of Southhampton, Long Island, where he
was born March 16, 1821. When he was nineteen years of age he shipped before
the mast on the whaling vessel Nimrod, bound for the Indian Ocean, a
full-rigged vessel with a tonnage of a short 300 tons. While out on this voyage
the ship was filled with oil in thirteen months. William was a stout lad and
could pull an oar with any of the older seamen, and in consequence of this, and
being on good terms with every one on board, was rather a favorite with them.
When the vessel was full she returned to Sag Harbor, Long Island, the port from
which she had sailed. His next voyage was also to the Indian Ocean, on the bark
Gem, commanded by Captain Worth. On this voyage William was given the position
of boat steerer. After a trip of eleven months the vessel returned with 3,200
barrels of oil. His third voyage was on the ship Illinois, which sailed from
Sag Harbor for Kamtschatka, on the Siberian coast, making the voyage around
Cape Horn and being out eighteen months, and returning with 3,000 barrels. His
next voyage was in the same place. They remained twenty-five months, and obtained
a little over 2,500 barrels, some of which was got near New Zealand, on the way
home. While on this voyage, making a stop at the Sandwich Islands, he came very
near leaving his ship and coming to California, before gold was discovered.
Upon returning to Long Island, it was not long before he received the news of
the discovery of gold. A number of his friends who were almost all sailors,
some being officers, organized a company and bought the Sabina, a full-rigged
vessel, and after taking a few passengers, set sail from Sag Harbor, February
9, bound on one of the most interesting voyages he was ever on. After being out
at sea three days they encountered a severe storm, it being so rough that if
the crew had not all been experienced seamen she would certainly have been
lost. By skillful management she was brought safely through, and they made such
repairs as they could until arriving at St. Catharine, on the coast of South
America, where they stopped and gave the ship a general overhauling. August 9,
1849, they reached San Francisco.
As stated before, they were a joint stock
company, and by the articles of agreement were all to stay together and work
for the interests of the company. They had on board a large stock of
provisions, which they intended to open on shore and sell while engaged in
mining. During the three days they stopped in San Francisco they had
considerable trouble in keeping the crew together; finally they procured a a
(sic) pilot for their vessel, and sailed up the bay to the mouth of the San
Joaquin river. Their’s was the first three-masted ship that, up to that time,
had come up so far. While opposite the fort of Benicia they were fired upon and
compelled to lay to, under the pretense of finding whether the boat had been
entered at ‘Frisco. However, the ship remained there, and some of the goods
were taken up to Sacramento in small boats with the most of the crew, leaving a
few behind to look after the ship. At Sacramento they bought six mule teams and
went up to the mines. Our subject was left behind on the banks of the river.
While there, enjoying a bath in the water, he was taken with a terrible cramp
in the stomach, and for some time was very near death, the sickness finally
resulting in chronic diarrhhoea (sic). This trouble continuing with no signs of
improvement, he finally took passage on a ship bound for the Sandwich Islands,
which resulted in his entire recovery. From the Islands he took the position of
officer on the ship Deucalion, bound for Sydney, Australia. After being loaded
with her cargo, she sailed again for San Francisco, where she arrived on the 9th
of August, just a year after their arrival the first time. Mr. Post then
discharged the cargo, remaining with the vessel all winter, up to the following
March. This was the last of his experience on the sea, with the exception of
one voyage to New York, via the Isthmus, in 1851, returning to California the
same way the following May.
In March, 1850, after leaving the ship at
San Francisco, he started for the mines and spent about a year and a half
there. In October, 1853, he settled on the ranch where he now resides,
containing 300 acres, situated on the Cherokee Lane road, nine miles from
Stockton, where he has made his home ever since. In 1883 Mr. Post made a trip
to New York, and spent four months in visiting among his old friends. His farm
is principally devoted to grain-raising, besides having some fine grades of
stock, particularly horses. Politically he was raised as an old Henry Clay
Whig, many of the principles of this party sticking to him yet.
Since the organization of the Republican
party he has affiliated with them.
Mr. Post was married on Long Island in
1848 to Miss Ann White, a native of that place, who came to this State in 1854.
They have a family of two sons, both residing in this county.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 580-581. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
Biographies
Golden Nugget Library's San Joaquin County
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