Alameda-Contra Costa-San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Obituaries.....Van Gorden, George June 26, 1939
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Steve Harrison raleighwood@juno.com June 23, 2007, 6:42 am

Oakland Tribune, June 26, 1939
"George Van Gorden, 94, Last Of 'True' Pioneers, Dies Here

[Includes portrait of George with "Pioneeer Dies" across top and "George Van
Gorden, the State's 'oldest true pioneer,' died here yesterday [sic]."]

The man believed to be California's oldest true pioneer, George Van Groden, who
lacked only a month of being 94 died here yesterday [sic] at the home of his
daughter, Mrs. Anna Kergan, 470 Ellita Avenue.

As pioneers are designated by the Society of California Pioneers, Van Gorden was
the last of them.  He came West in 1845 as a two-months-old baby and was settled
here before the gold rush.

He was the last surivivng senior member of the pioneer society.

Early Western history, particularly that of Alameda County, was made around Van
Gorden. The party with which he was brought across the plains stopped as the
ill-fated Donner party rolled into the mountains and perished.

A member of the party, Peter Wimmer, who was also a relative was father of the
boy who claimed to have discovered the first gold at Sutter's Mill.  His uncle,
Henry Clay Smith, laid claim to dividing Alameda County off from Contra Costa
County and was the first to go to the Legislature at Benicia from Alameda
County.  Van Gorden's father built their cabin in Redwood Canyon from timber cut
with a hand saw.

Van Gorden was an honored guest when the golden rivet, the last one, was driven
in the Golden Gate Bridge on April 26, 1937.

Ill for six weeks, Van Gorden had made his home with his daughter here for some
time.  His wife, Anne Van Gorden, died last March, just a month before her 86th
birthday.

He is survivied by the daughter, Mrs. Kergan, and by three grand-children,
Durward Van Gorden, Mrs. E.L. Bruck and Mrs. W.S. Street, as well as a number of
great grandchildren.

Friends are invited to attend the services tomorrow at 1 p.m. from the Chapel of
the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, to be followed by cremation." END

See also in obituary list on page 23, column 6 of same issue: "Van GORDEN - In
Oakland, June 25 [sic?], 1939; George, husband of the late Anne Van Gorden,
father of Mrs. H.S. Kergan, grandfather of Mrs. E.L. Bruck, Mrs. W.S. Street and
Durward Van Garden [sic]; a native of Michigan, aged 93 years.  Friends are
invited to attend services Tuesday afternoon, June 27, at 1 o'clock at the
Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland. (Albert Brown Co.)" END

Additional Comments:
"Oakland Tribune" published in Oakland, Alameda county, California.  Monday June
26, 1939, page 13, column 2.  Some confusion about death date but other sources
have June 26 instead of the newspaper reference to "yesterday" and June 25.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/alameda/obits/v/vangorde2945gob.txt

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