Mills-Martin Family Records - Person Sheet
Mills-Martin Family Records - Person Sheet
Spouses
Birth18353501, p 19
RemovalFall 1849, San Francisco, San Francisco, California5646, p 1 Age: 14
DeathJun 18893501, p 19; year only,5646, p 2 Age: 54
FatherSamuel Brown FOLGER (1795-1864)
MotherNancy HILLER (1798-1869)
Individual Notes
• In the fall of 1849, the family sent James and his two older brothers to the West Coast to mine for gold. The Folger family had enough money to pay for their passage to San Francisco, but was unable to provide enough money for all three boys to travel from there to the mining towns. Therefore 15-year-old James remained in San Francisco to work for his travel costs while his older brothers proceeded to the mines.
Although commercially roasted coffee was available in New York shortly before the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was still a luxury for big-city dwellers and was entirely unknown to the population at large. As for ground coffee, it was unheard of at the wholesale level.
In 1850, a 27-year-old entrepreneur named William H. Bovee was looking for a carpenter to build his first mill in San Francisco, which he called The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. Since James was skilled in the trade of carpentry, Boyce hired him to erect the mill.
Prior to The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, Californians were purchasing green coffee beans, which they roasted and ground in their homes. Bovee saw an opportunity and inaugurated the production of coffee ready for the pot: roasted, ground, packaged in small tins and identified by Pioneer labels.
After working at Bovee’s mill for close to a year, James had saved enough money to claim a stake and headed out to mine for gold. He agreed to carry along samples of coffee and spices for Bovee, taking orders from grocery stores in the mining country until he arrived in a town called Yankee Jim’s in 1851.
Upon his return to San Francisco in 1865, James became a full partner of The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. In 1872, James bought out the other partners, renaming the company J. A. Folger & Co.5646, pp 1-2
• Founder of Folger Coffee Company.3501, p 19
• On the Folger name; all I have found is that James Folger had the Empire Store in Yankee Jim’s in 1852. Yankee Jim’s was a mining town in the upper foothills of Placer County. He is supposed to be the Folger who started the Folger’s coffee of San Francisco.5645
Although commercially roasted coffee was available in New York shortly before the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was still a luxury for big-city dwellers and was entirely unknown to the population at large. As for ground coffee, it was unheard of at the wholesale level.
In 1850, a 27-year-old entrepreneur named William H. Bovee was looking for a carpenter to build his first mill in San Francisco, which he called The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. Since James was skilled in the trade of carpentry, Boyce hired him to erect the mill.
Prior to The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, Californians were purchasing green coffee beans, which they roasted and ground in their homes. Bovee saw an opportunity and inaugurated the production of coffee ready for the pot: roasted, ground, packaged in small tins and identified by Pioneer labels.
After working at Bovee’s mill for close to a year, James had saved enough money to claim a stake and headed out to mine for gold. He agreed to carry along samples of coffee and spices for Bovee, taking orders from grocery stores in the mining country until he arrived in a town called Yankee Jim’s in 1851.
Upon his return to San Francisco in 1865, James became a full partner of The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. In 1872, James bought out the other partners, renaming the company J. A. Folger & Co.5646, pp 1-2
• Founder of Folger Coffee Company.3501, p 19
• On the Folger name; all I have found is that James Folger had the Empire Store in Yankee Jim’s in 1852. Yankee Jim’s was a mining town in the upper foothills of Placer County. He is supposed to be the Folger who started the Folger’s coffee of San Francisco.5645
Research Needed
• On board the Ship Henry Astor, from Nantucket, September, 1849, are the following passengers: J. F. Alhearn, O. O. Folger. Could this be James Athearn Folger and one of his brothers? Also on board this same ship is James’ 4th Cousin, Seth Folger.5689