Columbia State Historic Park (Columbia, Calif.).

Biography

John and Julia C. Conlin were married in Massachusetts in 1855 and moved to Shaws Flat, Tuolumne County, California in 1856, where Mrs. Conlin gave birth to the first of her 11 children:

Mary Ann b. 1856 Shaws Flat d March 14, 1890 Thomas b. May 14, 1859 d January 10, 1930 Andrew b. 1863 Columbia d November 11, 1883 John Philip b. d October 18, 1921 Julia b. October 9, 1865 d. October 2, 1939 Katherine b. October 2, 1868 d. October 12, 1888 George F. b. 1868 d. November 22, 1916 James B. b. September 17, 1873 d. February 1, 1931 Rosa b. 1874 d. November 2, 1889 Charles H. b. September 17, 1876 d. September 27, 1893 Margaret b. d. July 1, 1944

John Conlin, Sr. was killed in a mining accident near Shaws Flat in October, 1877. Julia C. Conlin died in January, 1878. All of their children were educated in Columbia public schools. Tom, the primary assembler of this collection, also studied bookkeeping in Stockton and in 1877 received his state and county teaching certificate. Margaret also became a schoolteacher. Tom operated a Western Union telegraph business in Columbia for 40 years, serving as the third and last Wells Fargo agent, 1884-1914. He was a trustee of the Tuolumne County Water Company until it liquidated, had some involvement with the Columbia Water Company and was an investor in several mining operations, both placer and quartz. An entrepreneur, Tom had interests in several other businesses in and around Columbia. He operated the Fallon Hotel in Columbia in the 1890’s, where he also managed a general merchandise store, and he owned several pieces of property in and around Columbia. Conlin also appears to have had a personal loan operation for several of his business acquaintances and personal friends.

Tom Conlin’s many businesses and investments resulted in an interest in activities in Columbia and the surrounding areas in the 1850,s and 1860’s, and he accumulated memorabilia, memoirs and reminiscences of that period. These first and second hand accounts of that period are a significant part of the collection. He also collected memorabilia, photos, clippings and literature on Columbia, the Tuolumne County Water Company and the local vicinity dating up through the 1920’s. Tom and his sisters, Maggie and Julia, lived together in the Wells Fargo building for many years, and never married. After his death in 1930, Maggie and Julia remained in Columbia, maintaining the collection and continuing the tradition of gathering information and clipping newspaper articles.