William METCALF : Short Biography

William METCALF was born in County Wicklow, Ireland in November, ca. 1839. He was the son of Peter METCALF, a miner and Elisabeth “Bess” HENNESSEY[?] of Ballymurtaugh, County Wicklow, Ireland near Avoca. The Metcalf children were  baptized at Old Castlemacadam parish church—(Church of Ireland).  The Metcalf family left Ireland for North America ca. 1847/1848  during the Great Famine. According to the family Bible,  William’s mother, and two sisters died in 1847.

One record relates that Samuel Metcalf brought his eight-year-old brother, William to North America  [possibly with other family members] and entered the U.S. at  Port Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA.  By the time of the 1850 U. S. census William. age 11 was listed in the household of his brother, Edward Metcalf, a miner, age about 25 living in New Diggings, Lafayette County, Wisconsin, USA.  Other family members in the home were William's father, Peter Metcalf, Sr., about 50, and brothers: Samuel, age 19, Henry, 16, and Peter, Jr., age 8.  

William Metcalf declared his intention to become a citizen at Lafayette County, Wisconsin in 1852. Most likely inspired by tales of the California Gold Rush, the Metcalf brothers, Samuel and William set off for California about 1852 and then settled in Plumas County, California about1856 where they continued mining.

As a young man living in the mountainous Sierra Nevada region of California, William Metcalf “was a bold and fearless snow shoe racer and attended all the races and won many prizes.” [Source: William Metcalf Obituary, Plumas Ind, Quincy, CA,  December 25, 1919]

By 1870 William Metcalf and his brother, Samuel were both  prosperous hotel keepers in Washington Township, Plumas County, California. William  married Elizabeth "Eliza" (KELLEY) DRUMGOLD in 1873. By 1885 William Metcalf was the superintendent of the Plumas Blue Gravel Mining & Lumber, Co. His wife died in 1897 and by 1910 he was living in La Port, Plumas Co, California. He died in Oroville, California on December 10, 1919. William Metcalf was buried in Quincy Cemetery in Plumas County, California next to his wife, Eliza and his beloved brother, Samuel. 

William Metcalf’s obituary described him thus:  “’Uncle Bill’ had a generous heart, spent his money freely and had sympathy for any one in sorrow or distress.”

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The Peter METCALF family of 19th-century County Wicklow, Ireland brought their mining skills with them and were able to find gainful employment soon after  they emigrated to the United States ca. 1848: The father, Peter Metcalf, Sr. was employed mining lead in Wisconsin; Sons, William METCALF and Samuel METCALF were copper mining in Michigan, lead mining in Wisconsin and later gold mining in California; Peter METCALF, Jr. was mining gold in California; Edward METCALF was copper mining in Michigan and lead mining in Wisconsin; and Henry METCALF was mining gold and silver  in Unionville, Montana.

Photo Credit:  Photograph of William Metcalf, Superintendent of Plumas Blue Gravel Mine, Nelson Point, California ca. 1920 [cropped] Courtesy of Meriam Library, Chico, California.  Photographer, Gustave H. Schubert. Note: Copyrighted, permission required for further use of this image.

Sources: Obituary: “Wm. Metcalf Goes to his Last Reward,” Plumas Independent, Quincy, California,  December 25, 1919, p. 1.

Note: Of interest is that the William and Ellen (CARR) TRACY family [also from Ballymurtaugh, County Wicklow, Ireland were listed next to the Edward Metcalf family in the same 1850 U.S. Census of New Diggings, Lafayette County, Wisconsin, USA]. The Metcalf's were thought to be cousins of the Tracy's.