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

California gold rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that 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 fro ...

in Nevada County. He also served as President of the Board of School Trustees in

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

; 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 Railr ...

. His brother,

John C. Coleman John Crisp Coleman (August 9, 1823 – March 23, 1919) was a California mining, railroad, and public utility magnate, and served in the California State Senate. He was the first President of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, President of t ...

, 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 in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England, lying between the rivers Orwell and Deben. It is now part of Felixstowe parish. In 1911 the parish had a population of 4226. His ...

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

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...

, where Edward was interested in mining. In 1855, they moved to Iowa Hill, Placer County 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 or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

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 alterations. ...

. 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 land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...

, 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