| John Marsh | |
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John Marsh in 1852 |
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| Born | 1799 Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.A. |
| Died | 1856 Pacheco, California |
| Occupation | Medical Doctor, Rancher |
| Known for | Early California pioneer |
| Spouse | Abigail Smith Tuck |
“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 although he did not have a medical degree, is often regarded as the first person to practice medicine in California.[1]
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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 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.[1] 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 in 1836 he emigrated, in the employ of the American Fur Company to Santa Fe, New Mexico and thence to Southern California via the Santa Fe Trail.[2]
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 Mexican Government of Alta California. 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. Nevertheless he is credited as being the first person to practice medicine in LA, California.[2]
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. In 1838 he acquired the Rancho Los Meganos Mexican land grant from Jose Noriega 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. Marsh acquired tens of thousands of head of cattle and lived the life of a wealthy ranchero. In addition, he paid very low wages to his workers, and many of them hated him. However, in 1841, when the first American emigrant party, the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, came to California from Missouri, Marsh invited them to be his guests, and thus the California Trail terminated in Brentwood.[3] He worked behind the scenes to promote American statehood and in March 1845 wrote a letter signed by himself and 23 other expatriates, announcing a clandestine meeting for the Fourth of July. This letter has been designated the “Call To Foreigners” by modern historians. While Marsh does not take credit as the author it is universally agreed that it is his work. The meeting’s purpose was to, “promote the union and harmony and best interests of all the foreigners resident in California...”[3]
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, a few miles south of the present city of Brentwood, California. 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.
His son and daughter inherited the ranch and stone house in which they lived, but who apparently let the property fall into disrepair and decay, and eventually became renters. They were visited in May, 1862 by William Henry Brewer and the California Geological Survey.[2] The mansion, undergoing stabilization since 2006, still stands as part of Cowell Ranch/John Marsh Property State Historic 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. It is not open to the public.
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 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.
Alice Marsh was entrusted to the care of Mrs. Thompson at Marsh’s Landing, not far from present day Antioch, California. Alice Marsh married John Camron, one of the builders of Mt. Diablo toll road.
An elementary school in Antioch, California bears Marsh's name.
The California State Route 4 bypass around the cities of Oakley, California and Brentwood, California has been named John Marsh Heritage Highway in honor of Dr. Marsh.