Catching up on the “52 weeks” challenge, we’re asked to write about someone who was “out of place”. This one was easy; I have an ancestor who was most definitely “out of place” when he died.
This post is inspired by the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” challenge.
My 4x-great-grandfather Peter Timmons died alone in Humboldt County, California in 1879. Years earlier, while he was in his 50’s and after his children were grown and gone, he left his wife back in Madison County, Ohio and went to California. Was he running away from an unhappy marriage? Was he running toward a better life, intending for his wife to join him someday?
His estate inventory suggests he may have been running some sort of outfitting or supply business, perhaps for the local ranchers or roustabouts. He wrote his will leaving assets to his wife, not knowing that she had died months earlier.
It’s all a very big mystery that I’d like to solve someday. I’ve noticed that Humboldt County has a very robust historical society. They’re located in Eureka, California – hmmm, sounds like a good genealogy field trip destination!
I wrote in detail about Peter Timmons and the circumstances surrounding his death in a post entitled, “A Timmons Puzzle” back in 2016.
