Biography

Ezra Schooley
Born: May 23, 1806 (Ovid, Seneca County, New York)
Died: May 15, 1850 (Coloma, El Dorado County, California)
Interred: Pioneer Cemetery, Coloma, El Dorado County, California
Occupation: Livery stable owner

Ezra was born on May 23, 1806 in Ovid, New York to William and Anna (nee Miller) Schooley. On December 20, 1827 he married Nancy Bennet in Seneca County, New York and together they had nine children, all born in New York: Adeline, Evaline, William, Lucien, Helen, Henry, Amanda, Matilda and Samuel.

At the beginning of the California Gold Rush, Ezra headed west in hopes of making a fortune. He left his wife and children behind, intending to eventually return to them. He would never see them again, though, as he died shortly after he arrived in Coloma, where he owned a livery stable. After his death, his wife and several of their children moved to Northern California and Nevada where they settled. Some of their descendants still live in the area to this day.

Ezra was buried in Coloma's Protestant Cemetery, which is now known simply as the Pioneer Cemetery.