Memorials of old Brideghampton - Google Books

*Updated* unfortunately this Jetur Reeve was not the one I was searching for, as Joel's son is buried in the North Sea Cemetery with his father. This Jetur is actually Joel's grandson, the son of Jeremiah. He is also buried in North Sea Cemetery under the name Jeter Reeves, the stone says son of Jeremiah & Maria, died in California, October 30, 1850, Age 20.

I came accross this gem recently in my search for Jetur Reeve(s) grandson of Bethuel Reeve.

Memorials of old Brideghampton - Google Books: "The ship Sabina was purchased by 'The Southampton and California Mining and Trading Company,' which was made up of men mainly from Sag Harbor and the Hamptons and in regard to this company and voyage I have been able to gather much information."

Here's a link to the Library of Congress' copy of the voyage logbook:

http://library.mysticseaport.org/initiative/PageText.cfm?PageNum=1&BibID=33159

One of the best things about genealogy is how it gives history life and makes it personal. This will particularly interest those who have families that began their American History on Long Island, New York. In 1849 the news of gold was spreading accross the states like wildfire. Certainly, we've all hear of the wagon trains of miners headed for California to quench their gold fever. One of my favorite all time movies is Paint Your Wagon, a musical about the California Gold Rush (seriously, Clint Eastwood sings, what could possibly beat that!). So we all know about the Gold Rush, but i'll bet many of you did not realize the impact it had on little old Sag Harbor.

In fact, more than a dozen ships left Sag Harbor for the long voyage around Cape Horn then north to San Francisco. More than 250 sailors and would be miners left from the Hamptons and Sag Harbor, devistating the whaling industry at the time. There were no more crews to man the whalers, so many whaling ships were sold to companies for the voyage to San Francisco. Basically each shareholder paid a fixed amount to the treasury of a mining company like "The Southampton and California Mining and Trading Company". The Treasury was used to outfit the company for the voyage and excursion to the mines once they reached California. One such ship was the Sabine which left Sag Harbor in February of 1849.

Jetur Reeves eluded me for many years during my researching, I had begun to assume he died somewhere without any impact on the world to prove he ever lived. Imagine my shock as a California Native to learn this distant cousin could have met his end and rests in a long forgotten grave in the foothills an hour or two from my home. All that time searching and he was right under my nose.

It is facinating as well to realize ships like the Sabine, were moored and used as store houses, stripped and eventually sank becoming part of the landfill that now makes up San Franscisco's Embarcadero.