Austin Miles Daniels was born in Virginia in 1812. By the 1830s he was in Missouri and in 1851 he brought his family to Benton County, Oregon, "by ox team", according to his daughter, Emily's obituary. Sometime after 1860, Austin left Oregon and moved to Northern California, among the beautiful redwood forests, the tallest trees on earth.
Austin was counted on the census of 1880 in Powellville, Humboldt County, California. He was 68 years old, disabled, and living alone. Powellville's name has since been changed several times. It has been called Blockburger's, Blocksburgh, and Larrabee, but the name it has kept since 1893 is Blocksburg.
Although he was counted on the census in Powellville, I don't believe he actually lived in Powellville (Blocksburg). In the voter registers for 1877 and 1880, he was reportedly living at "Camp Grant". This camp was established during the Civil War, in 1863, and was abandoned afterwards, in 1865. Powellville (Blocksburg) is about 15 miles from Camp Grant, but because the voter register shows Austin was living at Camp Grant on August 21, 1877 and on December 1, 1880, it seems safe to assume that Camp Grant residents were counted in the Powellville district on the 1880 census taken on June 5, 1880.
The vicinity of Camp Grant is shown here on this 1866 map:
You can have a look around to see the trails, rivers, and forests Austin Daniels lived in the late 1800s. The marker is set to the approximate location of Camp Grant, according to my estimations. There are remnants of structures on the property, but there are more on the property to the east of this one. This one, however, seems would be a more strategic location for a military camp, at the tip of the river bend, in my opinion. (Zoom out, zoom in, and have a look around. Let me know what you think in the comments below!)
On the 1888 and 1892 voter registers, Austin was reported as living in Rohnerville, which can also be seen on the 1866 map above. It was just 16 miles northwest of Camp Grant. Austin may have gone to live with his daughter, Maggie Bryan, in his old age. She was counted on the 1880 in Rohnerville, Humboldt County, California (now Fortuna County), and was still there in 1900. The 1892 register provides more details about Austin:
Age: 76 Height: 5'11" Complexion: Light Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Light Occupation: Farmer Residence: Rohnerville
Austin was not counted in the Bryan home or anywhere else in 1900, however, so he appears to have died between 1892 and 1900. I vaguely remember years ago finding a burial record of an Austin Daniels buried near Mount Shasta, but I can't seem to find the information again at this time.
Maggie may have been the only one of Austin's children to move to California. Thomas, Emily, and Susan remained in Oregon and William removed to Washington State. I have yet to discover what became of Andrew, Nancy, Harrison, and Jonathan.
If anyone can help solve these mysteries, of what became of Austin's four other children and when and where Austin died, or where he is buried, please comment below or contact me.
For additional reading, see:
Humboldt County, California [Wikipedia]
Blocksburg, Humboldt County, California [Wikipedia]
Camp Grant, California [Wikipedia]
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