Harriet Newell Jackson Ralston was born in 1828 in Elmira, Chemung County, NY at the time her parents, Reverend Aaron [1798-1868] and Asenath Hill Jackson [1799-1849] resided in nearby Waverly, Tioga County, NY. She received a formal schooling in New York and Boston, MA, and in 1848 she moved with her parents and her sister, Mary Amelia, from Ithaca, NY to Quincy, IL where her father was assigned to the Baptist Church. It was in Quincy where her mother died in 1849 and she first met attorney, judge, and IL legislator James H. Ralston [1807-1864], 21 years her senior. Judge Ralston had just returned to his hometown after being discharged from the Army as a Captain and Quartermaster serving in the Mexican American War at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. In 1850, Ralston traveled to California, settling in Sacramento, and in 1852 the three members of the Jackson family moved from Quincy to Richmond, Staten Island, NY where Rev. Jackson was assigned to the North Baptist Church.
Harriet and James stayed in touch and in the summer of 1853 Judge Ralston traveled by ship, via the Nicaraguan Isthmus, to New York as one of two appointed delegates from California to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World's Fair, held at the Crystal Palace. On October 20, 1853, Rev. Jackson presided at the wedding of James and Harriet at the North Baptist Church. The Ralstons returned to Sacramento the day after their marriage and where, in 1857, their son Jackson Harvey Ralston [1857-1945] was born. A year later the Ralstons had a daughter, Mary Aurora "Rory", who died from scarlet fever, January 31, 1869 in Ithaca, NY.
In late 1860, the Ralstons moved from Sacramento to Virginia City, Storey County, NV where Judge Ralston was again active for a time in politics and the law. In 1863 the family moved to Austin, Lander County, NV. In On April 30, 1864, Judge Ralston became disoriented and lost on a trip from the family home to their small ranch 16 miles south southeast of Austin on Birch Creek and died 10 days later in the desert.
Harriet and the children returned for a time to Virginia City where they lived with her sister, Mary Amelia, who married attorney Thomas Sunderland in 1855, the first law partner of Judge Ralston in Sacramento. In 1868 Harriet and Aurora lived with Harriet's father in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, while Jackson was in school in San Francisco. After Aurora's death, Jackson joined his mother in Waverly, NY then they both moved to Rochester, NY in 1871 were Jackson was a printer's apprentice. They then moved to Washington D. C. in 1873 where Jackson was employed as a clerk in the government printing office, and a year later, Harriet as a copyist in the U. S. Attorney General's office, a job she held for nearly 20 years. Harriet would remain close to her son in the Hyattsville, MD and D. C. until her death in 1920. After graduating from Georgetown University Law School in 1876, Jackson went on to become a noted international and tax lawyer. For most of her married life, Harriet enjoyed the fine arts to the extent her location allowed and later in life she became a noted published poet. Her works included "Centennial Ode", "Fatherless Joe: A Christmas Story","Decoration Day", "The Spectral Feast", "Columbus and Isabella...", and "The White Cross of Savoy" for which she received a note of appreciation from King Humbert of Italy.
Note: James H. Ralston first married Jane Alexander in Quincy in 1832. She died in San Antonio in 1847. James and Jane had four children only one of whom, Elizabeth Jane, survived to adulthood.
Harriet and James stayed in touch and in the summer of 1853 Judge Ralston traveled by ship, via the Nicaraguan Isthmus, to New York as one of two appointed delegates from California to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World's Fair, held at the Crystal Palace. On October 20, 1853, Rev. Jackson presided at the wedding of James and Harriet at the North Baptist Church. The Ralstons returned to Sacramento the day after their marriage and where, in 1857, their son Jackson Harvey Ralston [1857-1945] was born. A year later the Ralstons had a daughter, Mary Aurora "Rory", who died from scarlet fever, January 31, 1869 in Ithaca, NY.
In late 1860, the Ralstons moved from Sacramento to Virginia City, Storey County, NV where Judge Ralston was again active for a time in politics and the law. In 1863 the family moved to Austin, Lander County, NV. In On April 30, 1864, Judge Ralston became disoriented and lost on a trip from the family home to their small ranch 16 miles south southeast of Austin on Birch Creek and died 10 days later in the desert.
Harriet and the children returned for a time to Virginia City where they lived with her sister, Mary Amelia, who married attorney Thomas Sunderland in 1855, the first law partner of Judge Ralston in Sacramento. In 1868 Harriet and Aurora lived with Harriet's father in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, while Jackson was in school in San Francisco. After Aurora's death, Jackson joined his mother in Waverly, NY then they both moved to Rochester, NY in 1871 were Jackson was a printer's apprentice. They then moved to Washington D. C. in 1873 where Jackson was employed as a clerk in the government printing office, and a year later, Harriet as a copyist in the U. S. Attorney General's office, a job she held for nearly 20 years. Harriet would remain close to her son in the Hyattsville, MD and D. C. until her death in 1920. After graduating from Georgetown University Law School in 1876, Jackson went on to become a noted international and tax lawyer. For most of her married life, Harriet enjoyed the fine arts to the extent her location allowed and later in life she became a noted published poet. Her works included "Centennial Ode", "Fatherless Joe: A Christmas Story","Decoration Day", "The Spectral Feast", "Columbus and Isabella...", and "The White Cross of Savoy" for which she received a note of appreciation from King Humbert of Italy.
Note: James H. Ralston first married Jane Alexander in Quincy in 1832. She died in San Antonio in 1847. James and Jane had four children only one of whom, Elizabeth Jane, survived to adulthood.
Harriet Newell Jackson Ralston was born in 1828 in Elmira, Chemung County, NY at the time her parents, Reverend Aaron [1798-1868] and Asenath Hill Jackson [1799-1849] resided in nearby Waverly, Tioga County, NY. She received a formal schooling in New York and Boston, MA, and in 1848 she moved with her parents and her sister, Mary Amelia, from Ithaca, NY to Quincy, IL where her father was assigned to the Baptist Church. It was in Quincy where her mother died in 1849 and she first met attorney, judge, and IL legislator James H. Ralston [1807-1864], 21 years her senior. Judge Ralston had just returned to his hometown after being discharged from the Army as a Captain and Quartermaster serving in the Mexican American War at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. In 1850, Ralston traveled to California, settling in Sacramento, and in 1852 the three members of the Jackson family moved from Quincy to Richmond, Staten Island, NY where Rev. Jackson was assigned to the North Baptist Church.
Harriet and James stayed in touch and in the summer of 1853 Judge Ralston traveled by ship, via the Nicaraguan Isthmus, to New York as one of two appointed delegates from California to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World's Fair, held at the Crystal Palace. On October 20, 1853, Rev. Jackson presided at the wedding of James and Harriet at the North Baptist Church. The Ralstons returned to Sacramento the day after their marriage and where, in 1857, their son Jackson Harvey Ralston [1857-1945] was born. A year later the Ralstons had a daughter, Mary Aurora "Rory", who died from scarlet fever, January 31, 1869 in Ithaca, NY.
In late 1860, the Ralstons moved from Sacramento to Virginia City, Storey County, NV where Judge Ralston was again active for a time in politics and the law. In 1863 the family moved to Austin, Lander County, NV. In On April 30, 1864, Judge Ralston became disoriented and lost on a trip from the family home to their small ranch 16 miles south southeast of Austin on Birch Creek and died 10 days later in the desert.
Harriet and the children returned for a time to Virginia City where they lived with her sister, Mary Amelia, who married attorney Thomas Sunderland in 1855, the first law partner of Judge Ralston in Sacramento. In 1868 Harriet and Aurora lived with Harriet's father in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, while Jackson was in school in San Francisco. After Aurora's death, Jackson joined his mother in Waverly, NY then they both moved to Rochester, NY in 1871 were Jackson was a printer's apprentice. They then moved to Washington D. C. in 1873 where Jackson was employed as a clerk in the government printing office, and a year later, Harriet as a copyist in the U. S. Attorney General's office, a job she held for nearly 20 years. Harriet would remain close to her son in the Hyattsville, MD and D. C. until her death in 1920. After graduating from Georgetown University Law School in 1876, Jackson went on to become a noted international and tax lawyer. For most of her married life, Harriet enjoyed the fine arts to the extent her location allowed and later in life she became a noted published poet. Her works included "Centennial Ode", "Fatherless Joe: A Christmas Story","Decoration Day", "The Spectral Feast", "Columbus and Isabella...", and "The White Cross of Savoy" for which she received a note of appreciation from King Humbert of Italy.
Note: James H. Ralston first married Jane Alexander in Quincy in 1832. She died in San Antonio in 1847. James and Jane had four children only one of whom, Elizabeth Jane, survived to adulthood.
Harriet and James stayed in touch and in the summer of 1853 Judge Ralston traveled by ship, via the Nicaraguan Isthmus, to New York as one of two appointed delegates from California to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World's Fair, held at the Crystal Palace. On October 20, 1853, Rev. Jackson presided at the wedding of James and Harriet at the North Baptist Church. The Ralstons returned to Sacramento the day after their marriage and where, in 1857, their son Jackson Harvey Ralston [1857-1945] was born. A year later the Ralstons had a daughter, Mary Aurora "Rory", who died from scarlet fever, January 31, 1869 in Ithaca, NY.
In late 1860, the Ralstons moved from Sacramento to Virginia City, Storey County, NV where Judge Ralston was again active for a time in politics and the law. In 1863 the family moved to Austin, Lander County, NV. In On April 30, 1864, Judge Ralston became disoriented and lost on a trip from the family home to their small ranch 16 miles south southeast of Austin on Birch Creek and died 10 days later in the desert.
Harriet and the children returned for a time to Virginia City where they lived with her sister, Mary Amelia, who married attorney Thomas Sunderland in 1855, the first law partner of Judge Ralston in Sacramento. In 1868 Harriet and Aurora lived with Harriet's father in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY, while Jackson was in school in San Francisco. After Aurora's death, Jackson joined his mother in Waverly, NY then they both moved to Rochester, NY in 1871 were Jackson was a printer's apprentice. They then moved to Washington D. C. in 1873 where Jackson was employed as a clerk in the government printing office, and a year later, Harriet as a copyist in the U. S. Attorney General's office, a job she held for nearly 20 years. Harriet would remain close to her son in the Hyattsville, MD and D. C. until her death in 1920. After graduating from Georgetown University Law School in 1876, Jackson went on to become a noted international and tax lawyer. For most of her married life, Harriet enjoyed the fine arts to the extent her location allowed and later in life she became a noted published poet. Her works included "Centennial Ode", "Fatherless Joe: A Christmas Story","Decoration Day", "The Spectral Feast", "Columbus and Isabella...", and "The White Cross of Savoy" for which she received a note of appreciation from King Humbert of Italy.
Note: James H. Ralston first married Jane Alexander in Quincy in 1832. She died in San Antonio in 1847. James and Jane had four children only one of whom, Elizabeth Jane, survived to adulthood.
Gravesite Details
Mary Amelia Jackson Sunderland [1834-1902], Memorial # 82038246
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