On This Day: General Sutter laid to rest

The account of General John Augustus Sutter’s funeral was covered On This Day in 1880 in the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. General Sutter’s died on 18 June and his funeral was 24 June 1880.

He was known for a discovery of gold in California. He had been president of the New York Society of California Pioneers for many years.

Many notable people flocked to his funeral. His remains were laid out in the front parlor of his home in Lititz, as was the norm in that day. The funeral processed to the Moravian Church in Lititz where services were conducted by Rev. Charles Nagle.

Sutter left behind a wife, two sons (John A. and Emil) and a daughter (Mrs. Dr. Link). John was the US consul at Acapulco, Mexico. Emil was the consul of Greece at San Francisco. The daughter also lived in Acapulco.

Sutter had been born 15 February 1803 in Baden, Germany, just miles from the Swiss border. He immigrated to America, coming to New York. His wife and four children, according to a local history of the man, had stayed behind while Sutter sought to create an empire. He experienced the ups and downs associated with starting fresh. In January 1848, his perseverance paid off. One of the men working at his saw mill discovered gold nuggets.

His family finally joined him in 1850. In 1865 his land burned to the ground, he found solace in Lititz and its healing Lititz Springs. The Moravian Schools were another attractive feature for his grandchildren. He and his wife are buried in the Moravian Cemetery.

Source:

Lancaster daily intelligencer. (Lancaster, PA), 25 June 1880. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress.

On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.

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