LESLIE, George Frank

LESLIE, George Frank (1837-1865) was born in Lowell, Massachussets in 1837. On September 25, 1862 in Santa Barbara he married Nancy Ann Nidever (1842-1917), daughter of John Marion Nidever (1796-1872) and his wife, Mary “Polly” King Vernon (1808-1871). John Nidever was the older brother of famed otter hunter, George Nidever, thus George Frank Leslie was his nephew. The Leslies had one son, George Grant Leslie (1864-1937) who was only a year old when his father drowned in the Santa Barbara channel.

February 20 1865 [SFDEB]: “A sorrowful event occurred near Santa Barbara a few days ago. Late in the afternoon of Sunday, the 12th of February, George F. Leslie, who was for several years in the employ of Santa Cruz Island, started in an open boat with three men from Santa Barbara for the island, some 20 miles distant. Shortly after he left, it came on to blow very fresh, in consequence of which one of the gentlemen connected with the business on Santa Cruz went down to the beach to order the return of the party, but was too late to signal them. On the day following, Captain Trussel, of the schooner Ana Ellen, coming from the island, was hailed by some object floating about in the channel. After much difficulty he found that the noises proceeded from a Portuguese seaman who was clinging to a boat which had been upset. He immediately, of course, rescued him from his perilous situation, and at that time he was nearly dead from exposure and the violence of the waves. It appears that the remainder of the party after the upsetting of their craft—viz. Mr. Leslie, Porfirio Vasquez and a Portuguese seaman—were washed off the boat to which they had clung, and were drowned; and the survivor only saved his own life with great difficulty till rescued by the good luck of Captain Tressel hearing his voice, which had become piped to a very feeble wail after struggling in the water for 12 or 15 hours. The old sailor is said to have had the fortune to have been twice before rescued from shipwreck. He has been lately engaged with his two lost companions, Vasquez and a brother Portuguese, in salting fish on Santa Cruz and other Channel Islands. The bodies of the three drowned men have not as yet been discovered, ad it is likely many days will elapse before they are found, as the currents off shore are very strong and the accident took place six or seven miles from land. Mr. Leslie was about 27 years of age and had for several years past lived on Santa Cruz. He has left a family. His death is deeply regretted in the town of Santa Barbara, as he was a worthy and excellent young man. He was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. At the time of his death his wife was waiting his arrival on the island to remove over to the mainland.”