Re: Palen Mine,Riverside County California
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In reply to:
Re: Palen Mine,Riverside County California
10/20/00
Thank you for your response.Since posting this query, I have learned much about Palen Mountain and how it relates to my ancestor, Mathew Palen.It is written up in
Gunther, Jane Davies.Riverside County, California Place Names, Their
>Origins and their Stories.Rubidoux Printing Company, Rubidoux
>(Riverside) California:1984.
>
>"PALEN DRY LAKE, MINE,MOUNTAINS, PASS, WELL. In theabsence of
>verifiable information it mustbe assumed that these desert features
>werenamed for Mathew Palen, a miner, as he isthe only one of that
>name known to havemined in what is now Riverside County.Palen, a
>native of Ireland, received hisnaturalization papers at the age of
>34 inSan Bernardino in 1875 (SBC GreatRegister 1866-1880), but is
>known to havebeen mining in the Mojave Desert regionsas early as
>1863. He also mined in theCajalco area and in the hills around what
>are now Riverside and Arlington withDaniel Sexton and others in 1873
>and againin 1876 (SBC Misc. Bk. A pp.475, 477,478, Bk. B pp.
>195-197."
There is more discussion in the book about Mathew Palen, stories, etc.If you are interested, I can send you the entire article.Mathew married the daughter of Daniel Sexton, Anna, in 1776 and had four children: Mathew, Neola, Daniel and John.Mathew died in 1889 at Colton, San Bernadino County, California.
I am looking for information regarding Mathew's parents, siblings and descendents.He was reportedly born in Lisburn N. Ire. in 1837, '39 or '41, emigrating to Ontario Cannada when young.He mined in California and Arizona during the 1860s-70s.Any information would be appreciated.