John Marsh (pioneer)
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“Doctor” John Marsh was born in 1799 in South Danvers, Massachusetts and died in Pacheco, California in 1856. He was an early pioneer and settler in California, and is often regarded as the first physician in California.
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[edit] Early life
Marsh graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover in 1819. He attended Harvard University from 1819 to 1823 and received a bachelor’s degree. He then studied medicine with a Boston doctor.
Marsh migrated to the West, living in the Michigan Territory, where he opened a school, the first in what is now Minnesota. Marsh became an Indian agent for the Sioux Agency, and took a French/Indian mistress who bore him a son named Charles.
Marsh resumed his study of medicine, with a Dr. Purcell of Fort Snelling. He lived in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he got involved in the Black Hawk War between the Sioux and their rivals, the Fox and Sauk, and was blamed for a massacre of the Fox and Sauk by the Sioux. As a result, he was forced to flee to New Salem, Illinois, taking his mistress and small child with him.[citation needed] Leaving them there, he returned to Prairie du Chien. His mistress, pregnant again and abandoned by her lover, tried to walk for several hundred miles to rejoin him. The journey exhausted her and she and the child died in childbirth. Marsh then gave his small son to a Painter family in New Salem to be raised, and once again became involved in Indian affairs. He was discovered selling guns illegally to some of the Indians and had to flee the territory, this time settling in Independence, Missouri, where he became a merchant. He visited his son once more, then his business failed and he emigrated to Southern California via the Santa Fe Trail.
[edit] In California
In southern California, Marsh found that he was the only person who had any knowledge of western medicine. He presented his Harvard degree to the local authorities. The degree was written in Latin, which none of them could read, so they took his word and granted him permission to practice medicine. Marsh was quite successful in his new profession, but his prices were very high, sometimes as much as a head of cattle to deliver a baby.
Eventually he made enemies in Southern California and moved north in 1837 to the eastern side of Mount Diablo in what is now Contra Costa County. He acquired a large piece of land on what is now called Marsh Creek on the western edge of the town of Brentwood and just to the east of what is now Clayton, California. He prospered here, but he once again engaged in sharp business practices. He began to practice medicine, and again charged very high prices. There is some evidence that he cared for some of the survivors of the Donner Party while living near Mount Diablo. In addition, he paid very low wages to his workers, and many of them hated him.
During this period he began a search for his son, Charles, which proved to be fruitless. In 1851, the Reverend William W. Smith introduced Marsh to Abigail "Abby" Smith Tuck, a schoolteacher from New England, who also served as principal at a girls school in San Jose. After a brief two-week courtship, they were married. Soon after the wedding, the couple moved into the old adobe. On 12 March 1852, she gave birth to a daughter they named Alice.
Marsh soon began construction of a magnificent home built entirely of stone quarried from the nearby hills. Abby chose the location of the home next to Marsh Creek, with a fine view of the surrounding valley and Mount Diablo. Designed by San Francisco architect Thomas Boyd, the Gothic-Revival style home incorporated a sixty-five foot tower and exterior porch supported by octagon pillars. The entire cost of the home did not exceed $20,000. Abby died, however, before the Stone House was completed. Marsh ultimately moved into the new house about three weeks before he was murdered.
Their daughter Alice was entrusted to the care of Mrs. Thompson at Marsh’s Landing, not far from present day Antioch, California. His son and daughter lived in the stone house, and then renters, and finally fell into disrepair and decay. The mansion, undergoing stabilization since 2006, still stands as part of John Marsh/Cowell Ranch State Park which is preparing to apply for status as a National Historic Monument. The Mansion is on the list of National Historic Places, and funds are being sought for restoration.
[edit] Death
Marsh was active in California politics. On 24 September 1856, he began a journey from his land in eastern Contra Costa County to San Francisco for a personal or political appointment. On the road between Pacheco and the present county seat, Martinez, he was ambushed and murdered by three of his "vaquero" employees over a dispute over their wages. A California Historical Landmark (#722) plaque still marks the site of the murder.
According to local tradition, shortly before his death, a young man approached his door seeking shelter from a harsh storm. It was his son Charles, who had journeyed to California in search of his father. They enjoyed a happy, although short-lived reunion. Charles tracked down his father’s murderer, Felipe Moreno, and brought him to justice.
An elementary school in Antioch, California bears Marsh's name.
[edit] Sources
The best source for the history of John Marsh is a book by George D. Lyman, John Marsh, Pioneer (New York: Scribner's & Sons, 1930).
There are several errors in the Lyman Biography. However it is the only existing biography available at this time. A new biography is currently being researched and written. For updates and current corrections to the Lyman biography visit the John Marsh Historic Trust website at www.johnmarshhouse.com To communicate with the authors send e-mail to kmero@astound.net
