Description

William A. Long (b. 1853 - d. 1932) was born in Pennsylvania. His father was named Long (no other information), mother unknown.

William was a master printer, placer miner, and frontiersman.

He traveled to California as a young man and settled in the area known as Mission Hills. There he made a lifelong friendship with a family named Thorne who taught him to ride and round up cattle. The Thornes later moved to Yavapai County, Arizona and located at the Albertson ranch, later owned by Mr. Williams. In 1879, Mr. Long followed the Thorne family to Yavapai County and lived with them for some years.

In May, 1919 William purchased a placer mine on Lynx Creek with five others for the sum of $500.

Although William had become an expert printer and at times followed this trade, it rarely lasted long as he would return back to placer mining, forever searching for lost channels of placer gold on Lynx Creek, Arizona. In his later years, he was appointed by Ms. Grace Chapman, county recorder, to serve as registration officer for the Massicks, Dewey and Humboldt areas. On his trips up and down Lynx Creek he would often stop at Orchard Ranch, the home of Sharlot Hall's family, and talk to Sharlot's father about the past. He took pride in showing an old ink bottle which he carried in his pocket and into which he dipped the pen with which he made out the registration papers. He said that it had been carried by an earlier ancestor of his who helped do the first surveying in eastern Pennsylania, and that it was said to be similar to the ones used by George Washington and other traveling surveyors of colonial times.

Mr. Long frequently visited the old Governors Mansion which was administered by Ms. Sharlot Hall. In 1931, he donated this treasured memento to the old home of Arizona' first governor. He presented the ink bottle to Sharlot because he was getting on in age and was afraid that when he passed, no one would know what it was and it would just be thrown away. Knowing that Sharlot had visited Mount Vernon in 1925 and had seen an ink bottle much like the one owned by Mr. Long, he believed she would prize this and share it with the public.

William was listed on the Yavapai County, Arizona Voting Records from 1890 through 1930.

He married Martha E. Appleg on August 28, 1889 in Merced, California. William's wife and son spent some time with him on Lynx Creek but later relocated to California.

Handwriting on photograph reads: W.A. Long-Lynx Creek".

William died in Yavapai County on January 17, 1932. He was interred at the County Cemetery.

Source: Arizona, Yavapai County Voting Records 1875-1930; Prescott Evening Courier 1-18-1932 and 1-19, 1932 (both written by Sharlot Hall); Weekly Journal-Miner 5-28-1919.