A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for Henry Lambert (Noah Eastman) Ford
He was born Noah Eastman Ford, but after deserting from the U.S. Army when he was young, he assumed the identity of his brother Henry, who had died. He played an important part in the California Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, and there is a great deal about him in a series of articles by Fred B. Rogers titled "Bear Flag Lieutenant: The Life Story of Henry L. Ford (1822-1860), with Some Related and Contemporary Art of Alexander Edouart" in the California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 29 Nos. 2-4 and Vol. 30 Nos. 1-2 (1950-51). He first met the Wilson family when he was part of a rescue party helping them and other groups through the mountains of northern California in late fall and early winter of 1849. He had a ranch in Colusi Co., CA, and was elected to the state legislature from there.
From the concluding section of "Bear Flag Lieutenant: The Life Story of Henry L. Ford (1822-1860), with Some Related and Contemporary Art of Alexander Edouart (Concluded)" by Fred B. Rogers (California Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 157-175, June 1951):
Ford entered the valley on July first, intending to drive some stock back to his reservation. The next morning at about nine o'clock, while the saddle cover was being placed on his horse, a pistol attached to the horn of the saddle was accidentally discharged, and the ball which struck Captain Ford in the neck killed him almost instantly.
There, in a small frontier burying-ground in the valley of Nome Cult, between the Sacramento and the Mendocino coast, was interred the body of Henry L. (Noah Eastman) Ford.
Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson
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