George W. Gazley
George W. Gazley4 (Joseph Gazlay,3 John Gazlay,2 John Gazlay1)
Parents
| Father | Joseph Gazlay (24 November 1771 - 29 June 1821) |
| Mother | Annie Marshall (10 April 1772 - 17 April 1841) |
Personal Information
| Record Created: 26 May 2022; Last Edited: 5 June 2022 |
| Person ID | 12377 |
| Name | George W. Gazley |
| Gender | Male |
| Born | 1804 in New York1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Married | to Harriet E. _____ |
| Died | 26 September 1861 in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California1, 5 |
| Buried | in Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California1 |
Biography
Identification of George as a son of Joseph and Ann Gazlay is tentative, subject to further evidence. His name has not been associated with any other Gazlay/Gazley families. Joseph and Ann Gazlay’s family composition, based on analysis of the 1810 and 1820 US Censuses for Clinton, Dutchess County, New York, suggests they had son born around the birth year associated with George W. Gazlay.
The first mention of George W. Gazely is as a founding member of the Palmyra, NY, fire company, 23 May 1827.6
He moved with his family to California probably between 1850 and 1852, shortly after the discovery of gold in 1848 by John Sutter, in Colona, California. Gold was also discovered in nearby Placer County, where George settled.
Within a few years, he was the owner of a popular hotel in Auburn, CA, as shown in the below advertisement:7
COTILLION PARTY.
THE undersigned, proprietor of the “American Hotel and Golden Gate Saloon,” at Yankee Jim, will give a Cotillion Party on the evening of the 23rd inst. His hall is large and commodious, and no pains will be spared to make the party the best of the season.
GEO. W. GAZLEY.
George was later the proprietor of other hotels in the Auburn area, including the Grizzly Bear House and the Junction House.8
Person/Family
| Spouse 1 |  Harriet E. _____ |
| Born | ca. 1812 in New York |
| Married | to George W. Gazley |
| Children | of George W. Gazley and Harriet E. _____: |
| 1. | George Henry Gazley |
| Born | 1828 in New York |
| Married | 10 November 1856 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan to Henrietta Lucretia Papineau |
| Died | 12 October 1865 in Rio Vista, Solano County, California |
Sources
- Find a Grave (website). Oak Hill Memorial Park, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, George W. Gazley, born: 1804; died: 1861 (from record, which indicates his burial plot is with George H. Gazley).
- U.S. Federal Census, 1850, New York, Wayne County, Williamson, Page 274, George W. Gazelly, 45, New York, shoemaker; Hariet Gazelly, 38, New York; George Gazelly, 22, New York, shoemaker; Charles Pepper, 19, New York, shoemaker; Frederick Thurstin, 54, New York, shoemaker; Margaret Combern, 20, Michigan.
- California State Census, 1852, Placer County, Image 130 of 886, G. W. Gasley, 47, NY; G. H. [or N.] Gazley, 25, NY.
- U.S. Federal Census, 1860, California, Placer County, City of Auburn, Page No. 6, George H. Gasley, 32, N.Y., hotell keeper; Henrietta Gasley, 24, N.Y.; George W. Gasley, 55, N.Y., hotell keeper; Hariet E. Gasley, 47, N.Y.; plus several dozen hotel employees, shop keepers, etc.
- Daughters of the American Revolution, California State Society, La Puerta de Oro Chapter, San Francisco, California, Vital records from the Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco, California, Page 288, 3 October 1861, Deaths: In San Jose, Sept. 26, 1861, George W. Gazley.
- Landmarks of Wayne County, New York, Edited by Hon. George W. Cowles of Clyde, N.Y. Syracuse, N.Y. D. Mason & Co., Publishers. 1895. (Available at archive.org). Page 184.
- The Placer Herald, Auburn, Placer County, California, available at Chronicling America (chroniclingamerica.loc.com), 6 September 1856, advertisement for a Cotillion Party at the American Hotel and Golden Gate Saloon, Geo. W. Gazley, proprietor.
- The Placer Herald, Auburn, Placer County, California, available at Chronicling America (chroniclingamerica.loc.com), 11 September 1858. Ball at the Junction House, Mr. G. W. Gazley, proprietor.