Buck, Franklin Augustus, 1826-1909

Franklin Augustus Buck was born in 1826. He grew up in Bucksport, ME, and moved to New York City in 1846. He set sail in January 1849 on the brig George Emery bound for San Francisco, CA. After arriving in California, Buck spent some time in San Francisco and Sacramento before settling in Weaverville as a merchant and part owner of a sawmill. He visited Maine in 1858 and later that year returned to Weaverville with his new wife, Jenny. They lived in Weaverville until Buck began ranching in Red Bluff, CA, in 1867. In 1869 Buck moved his family to Pioche, NV, where he took up ranching and the lumber trade and also ran a dairy. In 1880 Buck moved his family to a ranch near Napa, CA, and he died in 1909. Buck and his wife, Jenny, had four children: Arthur Benson (b.1860), Emma Louise (b.1862), Mary Sewall (b.1868), and Rufus Harry (b.1874).

From the description of Papers of Franklin Augustus Buck, 1846-1966 (bulk 1846-1881). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 228721079

Biographical Note

Franklin Augustus Buck was born in 1826. He grew up in Bucksport, ME, and moved to New York City in 1846. In late 1848 he caught a severe case of gold fever and set sail in January 1849 on the brig George Emery bound for San Francisco, CA, via Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Cape Horn, and Callao (Peru). After arriving in California, Buck spent some time in San Francisco and Sacramento before settling in Weaverville as a merchant and occasionally prospected for gold. In 1855 he and his business partner built a sawmill on the North Fork of the Trinity River, and Buck was engaged in providing lumber for the local burgeoning towns and miners until he returned to the Atlantic States for a visit home for much of 1858. He returned to California in late 1858, settling again in Weaverville, but this time with his new bride, Jennie. They lived in Weaverville until 1867, when Buck began ranching in Red Bluff, CA. In 1869 Buck followed the latest silver mining boom and moved his family to Pioche, NV, where he once again took up ranching and the lumber trade and later expanded his operations to include a dairy. Buck became interested in gold mining activities in Bodie and the Mammoth Lakes region of California in 1879 and tried his luck as an investor but instead accepted a friend's offer to move to a ranch near Napa, CA, in 1880. Buck and his family moved to Oakville, CA, in 1880 and engaged in various agricultural activities, including growing grapes, making wine, producing butter, and raising chickens. Buck died in 1909.

Franklin Augustus Buck and his wife, Jennie, had four children: Arthur Benson (b. 1860), Emma Louise (b. 1862), Mary Sewall (b. 1868), and Rufus Harry (b. 1874).

From the guide to the Franklin Augustus Buck Papers, 1846 - 1966, (bulk 1846-1881), (The Huntington Library)