Whiskey Run FAN Club: Andrew Hubert

Genealogists often create a FAN club to learn more about their ancestors: that is, they learn about the Friends, Associates, and Neighbors who interacted with their ancestors.¹ In my research on Randolph, I am creating a FAN club of men named in stories about Randolph at Whiskey Run. Membership in this club requires a direct tie to Whiskey Run between 1852 and 1855.

Founding members of the club include the Groslouis brothers and their associates. There at least a dozen other men who qualify as members of the FAN club membership and, as my research progresses, I expect to discuss each of them. Today, I nominate Andrew Hubert, a member of the discovery party, as a member of the Whiskey Run FAN Club:²

Although different from other stories that date the discovery of Whiskey Run gold to before May 1853,³ the above story is significant because it names men in the Groslouis discovery party.

Below I discuss why Andrew Hubert qualifies for FAN club membership, whereas Captains Tichenor and Smith, and Ben Wright, do not.⁴

Questionable associations

Although the news story reported that the Whiskey Run mines were discovered by “Capt. Tichenor”⁵ in May 1853, writings by and about William Tichenor do not associate him with the Randolph gold.⁶ Likewise, historians have not tied Captain Smith to the Randolph gold.⁷

While it’s possible Ben Wright traveled north from Siskiyou County, California, to Port Orford, Oregon, with the Groslouis party,⁸ I’ve found no records to indicate he mined gold at Whiskey Run.⁹ William Packwood said that Wright mined gold with “some half-breeds” at Cape Blanco (see map below) in November 1853.¹⁰ Perhaps the “half-breeds” referred to the Groslouis brothers and their associates, although I’ve found no records supporting that possibility.¹¹

Although some stories refer to Tichenor, Smith, and Wright in the history of Randolph, historical evidence instead ties them to military activities near Port Orford, rather than the Randolph gold. In sum, historical mentions qualify them as affiliates, but not members of the Whiskey Run FAN Club.

Andrew Hubert (1828 – aft. June 1856)

Andrew Hubert appears to be Andre Hubert, son of French Canadian fur trader, Joachim Hubert, and his wife, Josephte.¹² Although Chalk Courchane’s biographical sketch for Joachim Hubert does not mention Andre, an entry in the St. Paul Mission Register explicitly identifies him as Joachim and Josephte’s 14-year-old son.¹³ About the same age as Peter Groslouis, Andrew would have spent his childhood traveling with the fur trade expeditions or living at French Prairie.¹⁴

I’ve found one other official record for Andrew: his enlistment in the Port Orford Minute Men, in June 1856.¹⁵

In an earlier post I cited William Packwood’s story that named Andrew as a member of the discovery party. In that story, Packwood goes on to say that Andrew mined gold at the Sixes River¹⁶ and died in a snowstorm when leaving the Sixes mine to return to Port Orford:

Except for Packwood’s story, I’ve not found any records about Andrew’s life after his military service, nor about his death. Due to his shortened life and lack of heirs, he faded into obscurity.

Conclusion

Andre(w) Hubert qualifies as a member of the Whiskey Run FAN club.

Born into the close-knit French Canadian fur trade community, an age mate to the Groslouis brothers: Andrew was a childhood associate of the brothers. The muster roll card and Packwood’s story about Andrew’s death show him to be in the Port Orford area at the same time one or more of the Groslouis brothers lived there. Overall, the above evidence supports the early stories that place Andrew with the Groslouis brothers at the discovery of Whiskey Run gold.

If you have other information about Andre(w) Hubert, please contact me or leave a comment below.

End Notes

1. The “F” in FAN can also refer to Family and “Frenemies.” ↩︎
2. The Port Orford Post (Port Orford, Oregon). 1880, December 30. “Mines and Mining,” p. 2, Historic Oregon Newspapers, University of Oregon, Knight Library. https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/2024240276/1880-12-30/ed-1/seq-2/ ↩︎
3. The gold rush at Randolph began in the Summer of 1853. The Groslouis party had been secretly mining at Whiskey Run since 1852 or, maybe, earlier. ↩︎
4. I expect to write about “Frank Purrier” in a future post. ↩︎
5. Please note: Captain William Tichenor is distinct from Randolph Tichenor, another early resident of Port Orford who did mine gold at Whiskey Run. ↩︎
6. See Tichenor’s own writing published by Truwe; also, the Tichenor family story. ↩︎
7. See biography posted to rootsweb; also, a wikipedia entry. ↩︎
8. The 1852 census for Siskiyou County, California lists Ben Wright and Peter and Joe Groslouis. Wright’s name appears on page 2 of the census, recorded on 13th and 14th of July. The Groslouis brothers’ names appear on page 11, recorded on the 12th of August. Their names were recorded a month a part, while the enumerator traveled through the region. The temporal distance suggests physical distance: that is, Wright did not live near the brothers in the summer of 1852. ↩︎
9. Wright achieved infamy as a vigilante killer before his 1854 appointment as an Indian Agent in Port Orford. For biographical information, see Wright’s wikitree profile or “Wright Was Might Among Oregon Indians.” ↩︎
10. Lockley, Fred. 1919, September 11. “Impressions and Observations of the Journal Man,” The Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon), 1902–1972, p. 12. Historic Oregon Newspapers, University of Oregon, Knight Library. https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042444/1919-09-11/ed-1/seq-12/ ↩︎
11. Also, since Packwood knew (or knew about) the Groslouis brothers, he could have specifically named them when referring to the miners at Cape Blanco. ↩︎
12. Josephte’s surname is recorded as “Kanhopitsa” (denoting Colville Indian descent), or “des Chaudieres” (a french term for Kettle Falls, located near Colville, Washington). ↩︎
13. From Munnick, Harriet Duncan. 1979. Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest: St. Paul, Oregon, 1839-1898, Volumes I, II, and III. (Translated from French to English). Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, M-9, Vol I, page 52, verbatim entry (italics added): Joachim Hubert and Josephte of the Chaudieres. This 2 August, 1842, in view of the dispensation of three bans of marriage granted by us Vicar General between Joachim Hubert, domiciled in this place, SON OF IGNACE HUBERT and of MARGUERITE Charlot Charles, on one part, and Josephte of the Chaudiere born of infidel Indian parents, on the other part, nor any impediment being discovered, we priest undersigned have received their mutual consent of marriage and have given them the nuptial benediction in presence of Andre Picard and Joseph Pin, witnesses before whom the said spouses have legitimatized the following children, namely; Andre aged 14 years, Baptiste aged 23 years, Elizabeth aged 9 years, Archange aged 7 years, Adele aged 1 year, Lisette aged 16 years, Josephte Boucher aged 29 years. The spouses as well as the witnesses have not know how to sign. F N Blanchet, priest miss. ↩︎
14. The Early Oregonian database identifies Andre as the son of Joachim Hubert and estimates 1828 as his birth year. The source of this information is the St. Paul Mission Register entry which recognized the Catholic marriage of his parents on August 2, 1842 (see below). ↩︎
15. He enlisted at Port Orford, indicating that he lived in the area in June 1856. See also, Victor, Frances Fuller, and Frank C. Baker. 1894. The Early Indian Wars of Oregon, Compiled from the Oregon Archives and Other Original Sources, With Muster Rolls, 687. University of California Libraries. ↩︎
16. Most historic gold mining at Sixes occurred at it’s mouth (on the ocean beach) or at the mouth of the South Sixes River (the present-day recreational area). ↩︎
17. Lockley, Fred. 1919, September 10. “Impressions and Observations of the Journal Man,” The Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon), 1902–1972, p. 10. Historic Oregon Newspapers, University of Oregon, Knight Library. https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042444/1919-09-10/ed-1/seq-10/ ↩︎