Joseph Libbey Folsom (May 19, 1817 – July 19, 1855) was a U.S. Army officer and real estate investor in the early days of California's statehood. He is the founder of what is now Folsom, California. Folsom's controversial purchase of

Rancho Rio de los Americanos Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities * Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos A ...

from the heirs of a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

merchant

William Alexander Leidesdorff William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. (October 23, 1810 – May 18, 1848) was one of the earliest biracial-black U.S. citizens in California and one of the founders of the city that became San Francisco. A highly successful, enterprising businessman ...

remained tied up in litigation for many years, eventually reaching the Supreme Court of California after Folsom's death.William Alexander Leidesdorff: First Black Millionaire, American Consul and California Pioneer, by Gary Palgon, Published by Lulu.com, 2005

Early life

Joseph Folsom was born on Monday, May 19, 1817 in Meredith,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. He was the fourth child of Abraham Folsom and Mary Libbey. Descendants of a family that first arrived at

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...

in the seventeenth century, and subsequently moved on to

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, Abraham Folsom and his wife lived in a home near the northwest corner of

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

. Joseph had 5 siblings: Sally T. Folsom, George C. Folsom, Decatur A. Folsom, Charles P. Folsom, and Frank C. Folsom. Abraham Folsom died on Saturday, February 28, 1824, at the age of 46. Joseph was only 6 years old at the time of his father's death. Shortly after, the family moved southwest to

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

Early military career

In June 1836, at the age of eighteen, Joseph became a cadet at the Military Academy at West Point. Four years later, in June 1840, he graduated with honors. On November 3, 1840, he held the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 5th infantry of the U.S. Army. He served under the command of General William J. Worth in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

during the Second Seminole War. In 1844, he returned to the Academy at West Point where he served as an Instructor of

infantry tactics Infantry tactics are the combination of military concepts and methods used by infantry to achieve tactical objectives during combat. The role of the infantry on the battlefield is, typically, to close with and engage the enemy, and hold territ ...

for two years.

California

In the Autumn of 1846,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Folsom left West Point for

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

with the First Regiment of New York Volunteers, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Jonathan D. Stevenson. They sailed for six months before arriving at a port in Yerba Buena (early

) in March 1847. He was promoted to the rank of Captain and held the position of Staff-officer in the Quartermaster's department. Folsom received orders from General Stephen W. Kearny to inspect San Francisco Bay to select an area for the Army's Military Depot. He was also the first Collector of the

Port of San Francisco The Port of San Francisco is a semi-independent organization that oversees the port facilities at San Francisco, California, United States. It is run by a five-member commission, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Supervisors. Th ...

under American rule from 1847 to 1849. Folsom invested in real estate by purchasing land owned by

from Leidesdorff's mother Anna Maria Spark for $75,000 – a controversial purchase which was mired in litigation for years. Increasing land values in California made Captain Joseph Libbey Folsom a millionaire. In 1854, he chose an area of land near Sacramento, which he named "Granite City". In 1855, Joseph Folsom hired Theodore Dehone Judah, an engineer, to survey the area and map out the town. Folsom chose to name the streets of his town after the names of his friends, family, and other important people in California. He became the second president of the Sacramento Valley Railroad. Joseph Folsom suffered from neuralgia, a painful nerve condition, and had symptoms of pneumonia. He died suddenly at the age of thirty-eight of renal failure while visiting friends at

Mission San José Mission San José may refer to: *Mission San José (California), a Spanish mission in Fremont, California * Mission San Jose, Fremont, California, a neighborhood * Mission San Jose High School, a high school in Fremont, California *Mission San José ...

(now Fremont, California) on Thursday, July 19, 1855. In February 1856, the executors of Folsom's estate: Halleck, Peachy, and P. Warren Van Winkle changed the name of Granite City to Folsom, in his honor.

Footnotes

References

*''Genealogy of the Folsom Family'', Rev. Jacob Chapman *''A History of Folsom'', Daniel Da Vigo
''Captain Folsom: Soldier of Misfortune''
by Debi Drake-Maurer
California State Library
by Captain Jim Balance

My California Genealogy

External links

Guide to the Joseph Libbey Folsom Collection, 1848–1859, Archive of California, California State Library
* Joseph Libbey Folsom Collection. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Folsom, Joseph Libbey 1817 births 1855 deaths People from Meredith, New Hampshire American pioneers United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from California Military in the San Francisco Bay Area People from Folsom, California People from Merrimack County, New Hampshire United States Army officers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War