Jacob Rosenbaum went to the Gold Rush in 1848

How do you know this?

Hi Howard,

I have a letter which Jacob wrote when he arrived in San Francisco harbor after a difficult voyage around the tip of South America. I have transcribed the text of this letter into my documents file so I could forward it to you in an email if you are interested. Actually the letter is dated October 14th 1849. Interesting because I have a silver goblet which was apparantly a gift to Jacob and Emma from Emma 's mother at their wedding, which is dated 1848. The family story I was told was that Jacob went to earn enough money to marry Emma, but perhaps they were married before he left? My grandmother also gave me at one time a very primitive looking pearl ring which was supposed to be the ring Jacob brought back for Emma. I have since given this to a young relative. Jacob was not a prospector. He and another man (friend or relative?) opened up a dry goods store selling things like boots and shovels and food supplies. My grandmother told the story that they did well, but after their horrific ocean voyage they decided to return home overland. They were captured by Indians who took all they had but they managed to escape. The other man took a spear in his leg and they kept riding out of fear of recapture. The leg became gangrenous and had to be amputated. She remembered her grandfather's friend who had a wooden leg resulting from his injury from that adventure.
She said when that man died he was shipped to St. Louis to be buried with his leg in the Jewish Cemetery there. I'm sorry I don't know his name.

My grandmother told me other family stories as well. Supposedly a Mordecai Rosenbaum died out West in a stagecoach raid and was found with an Apache spear in his chest.

You can email me at yknot@pennswoods.net if you would like the text of the letter.

Best,
Ronnie