Edward Coleman (1830–1913) was an American mine manager, president, and superintendent during the

California gold rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

in Nevada County. He also served as President of the Board of School Trustees in Grass Valley; and Vice President of the

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNGRR) (nickname: ''Never Come, Never Go'') was located in Northern California's Nevada County and Placer County, where it connected with the Central Pacific Railroad. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Rail ...

. His brother, John C. Coleman, was the railroad's first president; John was also president of the North Star Mine.

Early years

Coleman was born August 28, 1830, in

Walton, Suffolk Walton is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Felixstowe, in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England, lying between the rivers Orwell and Deben. History There is archaeological evidence of Bronz ...

, and he attended school in England. He left England with his parents in May, 1846, for Canada. He lived in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

for a year, and then went to Toronto, where he remained until the spring of 1852, before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

Edward and his brother John left for California in the spring of 1853, arriving a few miles north of Marysville in October. The brothers moved on to Canon Creek in

El Dorado County El Dorado County (; ''El Dorado'', Spanish language, Spanish for "The Golden ne), officially the County of El Dorado, is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, where Edward was interested in mining. In 1855, they moved to Iowa Hill,

Placer County Placer County ( ; ''Placer'', Spanish language, Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer, is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was ...

where they mined together until early in the spring of 1860. In February 1860, the brothers and others purchased the Helvetia and Lafayette Mining Company in Grass Valley, Nevada County. Subsequently, Edward became administrator of the North Star Mine, and John became the President. In 1867, the brothers sold out their interest in that mining company and formed the Idaho Quartz Mining Company, of which Edward was the President and Superintendent until the mine was worked out in 1893. He held interests in the Mohawk Lumber Company.

Personal life

Coleman was married December 26, 1865 to Luisa; they had no children. He was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a Congregationalist. He served two terms as President of the Board of School Trustees of Grass Valley. The Edward Coleman House in Grass Valley on the corner of South Church Street and Neal Street came under protection in 1996 by the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission. The Edward Coleman House in San Francisco, at 1701 Franklin Street, is a

San Francisco Designated Landmark This is a list of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. In 1967, the city of San Francisco, California, adopted Article 10 of the Planning Code, providing the city with the authority to designate and protect landmarks from inappropriate alteration ...

. When Coleman become a widower, he lived in the San Francisco house with his sister. The Coleman Memorial Laboratory at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery is dedicated to John C. and Edward Coleman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Edward 1830 births 1913 deaths People of the California Gold Rush British emigrants to the United States People from Suffolk Coastal (district) English miners American miners