Hiram Throop Graves was born December 12, 1824 in Batavia, Genessee County, New York. He joined the "Cayuga Joint Stock Company", consisting of eighty young men, and sailed from New York on February 28th, 1849 on the barque "Samuel Barney". They made an eight say stop in Callao, Peru for additional supplies and water and entered the Golden Gate on October 12th, 1849. Once in San Francisco his company sold all their merchandise. Graves mentions that the "Van Ness House" on Stockton Street (since moved) was built of lumber brought out by his company. Mr. Graves spent the first winter in San Francisco, and in March 1850 went up to the diggings settlement of Auburn. He mined successfully there for three months with a partner. Next he moved on to the South Fork of the Yuba River and then to Bear River near Illinois town. He left the mines in September and returned to San Francisco. Mr. Graves entered the pioneer Assay office of Moffat & Co., and when merged into the U.S. Mint, became connected with the Coiners Department of that institution, where he remained until 1859, as Assistant Coiner. From 1859 to 1873, Mr. Graves engaged in the manufacture of wire goods. In 1873, he was appointed Secretary of the Masonic and Savings and Loan Bank. He also served as one of the Directors of The Society of California Pioneers as well as Secretary of the Society.
From the description of Autobiography and Reminiscence of Hiran Throop Graves, San Francisco, 1901. (The Society of California Pioneers). WorldCat record id: 55979218
