Looking for Henry Villa references
From: Lynn Schroeder
My family is interested in finding out more about a gentleman named Henry Vella who accompanied the Big Four on the first train ride from Sacramento to Reno in the 1860s. Have you ever heard of him?
Thought you might have run across that name. Much of what we have in a letter from him is written in the book by Albert Richardson and we are curious as to who penned it first. ...
—Lynn Schroeder
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 8:56 AM
2 Comments:
From: "Chris Graves" caliron@cwnet.com
There are two Henry Vella's that appear on the 1870 Federal census:
Henry W. Vella, born about 1840 in Mass., living in San Francisco, Cal., and Henry Vella, born in Hanover, Germany about 1814, living in Newark, New Jersey. Also shown is a young fellow, most likely the son of the Vella in New Jersey.
—gjg
From: "Lynn Schroeder" lynnsc95060@yahoo.com
Thanks to both of you. I got the census info already but was hoping for more railroad connection. It is a mystery. My great grandmother received a letter from him describing in detail a lot of the journey and we are confused as to why some of this is word for word in Richardson's book.
We may never know.
I am assuming he is the born in Mass. fellow that moved to SF and had one son.
—Lynn
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