Santa Clara-Alameda County CA Archives Obituaries.....Wimmer, Elijah H. June 1, 1914 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Steve Harrison raleighwood@juno.com June 9, 2008, 7:43 pm Livermore Herald, June 13, 1914 “MEMORIES OF THE DAYS OF GOLD ARE REVIVED Elijah Wimmer, Son of Real Discoverer of Gold, Passes at Los Gatos. Elijah Wimmer, a cousin of Mrs. Mary [Harlan] Smith and a pioneer of 1846, passed away at his home in Los Gatos on June 1st. He was aged 86 years, 3 months and 12 days. He came to California in the spring of 1846 and has lived here constantly through all of the 68 years, the last eight years being a resident of Los Gatos. He was the husband of Mrs. Ellen Wimmer and the father of Mary E., John A., Earl E., and Eugene D. Wimmer, and Mrs. Grace E. Wicks. An interesting story is related as having been his experience in connection with an event which really shaped the destinies of California. It stated that during the autumn of 1847 he entered the employ of General John A. Sutter on the latter’s ranch in Eldorado [sic] county. His father, Peter Wimmer, was at the time also employed by General Sutter, at the famous mill near Coloma and that in January, 1884 [1848], he with James W. Marshall were repairing the old millrace at Sutter’s sawmill. On January 24th while so employed it is claimed that Peter Wimmer discovered gold by picking up a small nugget in the millrace. He washed it off and handed it to Marshall, remarking that he thought it was gold. Marshall took it to Wimmer’s cabin nearby where Mrs. Wimmer cleansed it in boiling soapsuds. Mr. Marshall then took it to General Sutter and the latter in announcing the discovery credited it to Jas. W. Marshall. Elijah Wimmer, who has just died, remembered the incident well, having heard his father tell of it repeatedly in the succeeding years. Mrs. Mary Smith of this place [Livermore] was not at Coloma at the time of discovery of gold, but she and her husband [Henry Clay Smith] reached there a few weeks afterward and she confirms the story of Wimmer’s discovery from the reports current at the time. The Native Sons Historical Committee is working on the case and in time Wimmer’s claim will probably be authentically established. The Native Sons committee has recently located the original nugget in Chicago, Peter Wimmer having retained it until some time in the seventies. It passed through various hands and was in this State up to the time of the San Francisco fire. It has finally been located in Chicago but the owner is traveling in Europe at present. The Native Sons hope to secure it and have it returned to this State.” END [It is suggested here that they are talking about the “Wimmer Nugget” at the Bancroft Library in 2008. This nugget is not necessarily the one that James Marshall took to Sutter’s Fort.] Additional Comments: “Livermore Herald” (Livermore, California). June 13, 1914 (Saturday). Elijah H. Wimmer was born February 19, 1830 at Turkey Creek, Steuben County, Indiana to Peter Leboyteaux Wimmer and Mary (Harlan) Wimmer. The Wimmer family were members of the Harlan Party, lead by George Harlan, that traveled across the country via Hastings Cutoff through Utah in 1846. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/santaclara/obits/w/wimmer3690gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb