Individual 85: Nathaniel Samuels

Individual Record 85

Name} Samuels, Nathaniel* (Nat)

Family History} Hancock

Title}

Race} White

Sex} Male

Birth: Date} Exa 2 Feb 1855

Place} Gordon Valley, Napa, California

Marr.: Date} Exa 24 Dec 1882

Place} First Presbyterian Church, Napa, Napa, California (Link)

Death: Date} Exa 2 Jun 1911

Place} at his home, Pope Valley, Napa, California

Burial: Date} Exa 4 Jun 1911

Place} Valley Cemetery, Pope Valley, Napa, California

Grave Marker} Yes

Source 1}	63 = 1860 USA cen
Source 2}	44 = 1870 USA cen
Source 3}	51 = Newspapers
Source 4}	52 = 1900 USA cen
Source 5}	245 = Probate rec
Source 6}	595 = 1910 USA cen
Source 7}	219 = Death record
Source 8}	223 = Obituary
Source 9}	1188=Cemetery rec
Source 10}	137 = Biography
Source 11}	259 = Obituary
Source 12}	13 = Family history
Source 13}	589 = Family history
Source 14}	1133=Family history

Parents: } Edmond Samuels & Mary Myrtle Gregory
Relationship No.} 22

1st Household No.}

Occupation 1} Farmer
Occupation 2} Teamster
Occupation 3} Vinegrower

Religion/Church}

Spouses: First} Black, Silva Jane (Sylvia)
Total Number of} 1

Notes: *Given name conflict: Nathaniel's name is spelled with an "e" in 13 of the 14 sources listed at the right. However, on his Cemetery rec his name is spelled Nathanial. We believe the latter and his grave marker are in error.

Nat learned the skills of handling teams of horses and mules from his father. He found employment as a teamster at the Oat Hill Mercury Mine in Pope Valley which was in the northwest part of Napa County. While working there he met and married Silva Jane Black. For a time Nat continued working at the mine and there they made their home. The mine employed 150 Chinese and 115 whites. The little town numbered 350 people living in pleasant homes. There was one company store, a Wells Fargo office, a post office, but no saloons. (The mine workings eventually featured 20 miles of underground tunneling before it was closed. It was the subject of a 1949 investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.)

In Apr 1883 Nat travelled to San Francisco, slept in a room at the Occidental Hotel, and narrowly escaped death there. The gas was either not turned off properly or it leaked from the pipe, and by the next morning he was nearly asphyxiated. Nat succeeded in getting out of bed and opening the room door before he fell in the passage unconscious. Also in 1883 Nat and Sylvia purchased a farm in Lake County, south of Middletown, California. Here their first three children were born in 1884, 1886, and 1888.

In Nov 1889 Nat and Sylvia bought 302.24 acres on the east slope of Howell Mountain, overlooking Pope Valley, in Napa County, California. Here three more children were born in 1891, 1893, and 1895.

In Feb 1897, an additional 70.17 acres adjoining the existing property was purchased. Nat moved the house from the old place to the new place, dismantling and then reassembling it board by board. By 1900 vineyards and an orchard had been established and Nat's occupation was described as vinegrower in that year's U.S. Census. Besides grapes, a variety of crops were grown — including apples, walnut, and figs. All clothing was handmade. The family was self-reliant and very little in the way of foodstuffs was bought from the distant stores. A daughter was born here in 1903.

In early 1910 Nat was handling a horse when the animal's head whirled and struck him on the jaw. This injury became cancerous and Nat suffered an early, painful, and unfortunate death (as had his father) in 1911.

Time of Birth}

Time of Death}

Fraternal/Social}

Baptism Date}

Place}

Confirm. Date}

Photo} None

Immigr'n Date} N/A

Port} N/A

Education: Grade} or Top 2 Degrees}

Military: Service} for the State of}

Health Condition} Horse accident
Cause of Death} Cancer