Dates
Biography
James S. Tolles (1826-1908) delivered mail, ran a general store, and grew fruit after settling in California and Nevada.
James Stewart Tolles was born on 2 August 1826 in eastern Tennessee. His parents, Abraham and Harriet Tolles, moved seven years later to Rushville, Illinois where they raised eight children. In 1849, at the age of twenty-two, James set out for California with his father and younger brother, John. With the exception of a married daughter, Mabel, the entire Tolles family eventually left Illinois and settled in the West.
James tried mining in California but found more success delivering mail. He operated “the James Tolles Express from the Feather River to San Francisco” until 1852. He also ran a general store. Five years later, in 1857, James married Martha J. Herring. They had three children: Luella, Stewart, and Linda.
James moved his family to Reno, Nevada in 1862. He pursued fruit farming and remained in Nevada until sometime between 1880 and 1900.
By 1900, James was a widower and had moved to Butte County, California to live with his daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, William Beard. James passed away on 24 July 1908 at Placer County, California.
Citation:
Overland Trails Biographies, via WWW, Nov. 21, 2017 (James S. Tolles, 1826-1908. James S. Tolles was born on 2 August 1826 in eastern Tennessee. His parents, Abraham and Harriet Tolles, moved seven years later to Rushville, Illinois where they raised eight children. In 1849, at the age of twenty-two, James set out for California with his father and younger brother, John. With the exception of a married daughter, Mabel, the entire Tolles family eventually left Illinois and settled in the West. James tried mining in California but found more success delivering mail. He operated “the James Tolles Express from the Feather River to San Francisco” until 1852. He also ran a general store. Five years later, in 1857, James married Martha J. Herring. They had three children: Luella, Stewart, and Linda. James moved his family to Reno, Nevada in 1862. He pursued fruit farming and remained in Nevada until sometime between 1880 and 1900. By 1900, James was a widower and had moved to Butte County, California to live with his daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, William Beard. James passed away on 24 July 1908 at Placer County, California.)
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1576
Scope and Contents
Collection contains correspondence of the Tolles family and James Tolles' overland diary from Rushville, Illinois, to California in 1849. Also included is a handwritten copy of the diary made by Tolles' granddaughter, Doris Beard, in 1933. Tolles traveled to California by ox team with his father and brother, Abraham and William Tolles. Daily entries are detailed and describe the nature of the journey and distances traveled. Tolles' company of 40-odd men traded with a group of 2,000 Dakota...
Dates:
1849-1875
