Benjamin Franklin Appleby was born August 30, 1832  (we find other records saying 1833)  in

South Carolina.  He was a very small boy when he came with his family to Alabama.  Among the

things that we have learned about him was that he was very well educated by tutors brought from 

South Carolina or England.   He obviously learned several languages,  much history and religion.

   At the age of sixteen he appeared to have either tuberculosis or an asthmatic condition.  His father

 permitted Benjamin Franklin and a slave, who had grown up with him to go out west. The slave was 

educated, as Peter Ridley had required his slaves to get an education. 

    They left Macon County with two pack mules, rifles, and pistols.  The pistol that Benjamin 

Franklin carried was a Colt .44 cap and ball serial #11-R.  (Ralph Appleby has learned that the Colt

Company made 100 pistols for the Czar of Russia.  For some reason they were never delivered.  

Ralph now owns this pistol.) 

   Benjamin Franklin Appleby traveled through Mexico,  which is now Texas.  We know of one

incident that occurred on his way to California.   While he was sleeping, a Mexican tried to steal his

rifle.  Benjamin Franklin awakened and with his pistol shot the Mexican.  He went to California and 

met a Mr. Bert, and they became partners.  Benjamin was to later name a son Bert.

   They discovered gold in California.  This mine was in the mountains of Northern California and

became a very productive mine, so much so, that they needed gold mining equipment  that was only

available in Boston, Massachusetts.  Benjamin Franklin traveled by boat around Cape Horn  to 

Boston.  There he bought $200,000.⁰⁰   worth  of mining equipment.

   We have this version of an incident occurring on the return trip.  Passenger quarters on this ship

were on the top deck.  The ship ran into a major storm.  The wind and fierceness of the waves caused 

Benjamin Franklin to go below and find a hammock in the crew's  quarters for a place to sleep.  The 

next morning they discovered the sleeping quarters and everything else on deck had been swept 

overboard.  The crew managed to refit the ship and sailed on to San Francisco.

   The mining equipment was moved to the mining site and we are told some time later the mine

petered out, so they left the mine.  Our information here is very sparse as to what they did next.

   History tells us the gold rush in California was slowing down.  There was a rush to Australia 

where gold had been discovered.  Benjamin Franklin, his partner, and the slave who had been with 

him all of the time, went to Australia to search for gold.  Cornelia Appleby Shavers told of his going 

to Australia to search for gold.  If he struck gold or how long he stayed there, we do not know.   A

recent newspaper article verifies the fact gold was discovered in Australia at that time.

   During Benjamin Franklin's time in Australia, the Civil War to the U.S. was beginning.  The men

returned to California with the intention of joining the Confederate Army.  They joined with a group

of about forty men, all of them loaded with gold and provisions,  intending to come back to the South 

to join the Army.  However, there were Federal troops blockading all roads leading from California 

to prevent such happenings.   The men managed to escape from an ambush around California, but

somewhere around Phoenix, Arizona, they were attacked and only Benjamin Franklin and one more 

man managed to escape and they fled to Mexico.  It could have been Mr. Bert that managed to escape 

with Benjamin Franklin, but we think it was the slave because when Benjamin Franklin returned to 

Alabama, the slave was still with him.  (The slave was now known as Frank Appleby.)  Benjamin 

Franklin Appleby spent several years in Mexico before returning to Alabama near 1870.

Continued Next Page 7

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31 July 2004