Overview
All names are in bold for ease of reference.
James Ollier was brother to Charles Ollier the publisher, they were in business together as publishers in London in the early part of the 19th Centuary, later on in his life James becomes a bit of a mystery. It is known that he never married and that at some point after April 1841 he travelled to Boston, U.S.A. where he was known to have worked for The Boston Evening Transcript, a local Boston Newspaper. The next sighting of him is when his body turns up in Panama in 1851, the evidence to date strongly suggests that he died in attempt to cross the Isthmus of Darien on foot, this would most likely be the route from Chagres to Panama City. There is no evidence to date to suggest in which direction he was travelling ie: East to West or West to East.
Nothing is known either as to what he was doing there, there are a few possibilities which I will briefly outline:
1 He was on a personal adventure.
2 He was on a journalistic mission to do with his last known employers (The Boston Evening Transcript) or to do with his brother Charles Ollier back in London.
3 He was on some kind of business to do with the McKinnon family, Charles Ollier published a book by Lauchlan Bellingham McKinnon R.N. Charles was known to be a friend of his. Lauchlan was known to have sailed to Panama at some point, also Lauchlan's farther William Alexander McKinnon was involved around that time with a venture called The Atlantic & Pacific Union Company which was formed with a view to constructing a canal across the Panama gap.
4 He was on his way to or back from the Calafornian Gold Fields, the Calafornian Gold rush took place in 1849, the route from Chagres to Panama City and then by ship to San Fransisco was the most common route taken at that time.
Below are the transcripts from several documents found to date.
Note: I am much grateful to Professor Charles E. Robinson of the University of Delaware for his research and contribution on James Ollier.
Panama Star, Panama City, Panama. December 7th 1851
Deceased Americans
An article from the Panama Star Newspaper, as transcribed.
"The following named persons (American citizens)) have died in this Consular District, with a few exceptions which are noted, since Mr. Corwine, the present incumbent, has been in office, commencing January, 1850. Of this number, only four were residents of Panama. There are, doubtless, a few others who have died here, and those deaths have never been reported to the Consulate. The list comprises those who died in the harbor, on board the steamship Panama, in August, 1850, of cholera, as well as those who were landed from that vessel in a precarious state some 16 in all.
Allen, Henry - New York ... Allery, Captain - Newtucket (sic) ... Ausborn, Martin - Missouri ... Anderson, Briggs - Illinois ... Barker, John - Pittsburgh ... Bricby, Alvin - Andover ... Bannan, G. S. - Mass. ... Brown, Benj. F. - N.Y. ... Brady, Hugh - Phila. ... Brogans, Wm. - N. O. (New Orleans) ... Bales, Josua - St. Louis ... Comfort, Alex. - N. Y. ... Crocker, Chaney B. - Con. ... Clark, S. S. - N. Y. ... Clark, Silas - seaman, - U.S.N. ... Clark, An. S. - Delaware ... Chase, Isaac D. - Michigan ... Coon, Wm. P. - N. Y. ... Daily, James E. - Phila. ... Dean, Richard - N. Y. ... Dean, John W. - unknown ... Everts, John - N. Y. ... Ellis, Charles B. - N. Y. ... Escrror (sic), John - Mass. ... Eastbrook, S.W. - Phila. ... Gordon, James - Vermont...Goles, Dr. H. - Vermont ... Goodwin, John - Tenn. ... Hutchinson, Alex. - Maine ... Hedges, Isaac, G. - Mass. ... Hutt, John M. - unknown ... Howell, J.M. - Ohio ... Harris, Oak R. - Mass. ... Hatfield, James - Ky. ... Harrage, Henry - seaman - unkown ... Harragan, Geo. W. - Ill. ... Hackett, Jessie - Ill. ... Henley, James - N. Y. ... Johnston, Norman C. - N. Y. ... Jones, Thomas - Maine ...J ones, Thomas - unknown ... Lee, H. A. G. - Oregon ... Lockwood, R. - Con. ... McLinchey, John - Ohio ... McCourlandi, James - Mass. ... McMurphy, James - N. H. ... Manchester, Geo. B. - Mass. ... Martin, Geo. B. - N. J. ... Marshfield, A. - seaman - unknown ... Meader, George - seaman - unknown ... Mitter, Geo. S. - N. Y. ... McAdow, J. A. - at sea - Missouri ... Mardell, Nathaniel J. - R. I. ... Moore, Capt. F. - R. I. ... McArthur, Lieut. W. P. - U.S.N. ... Mitchell, Theo. E. - Phila. ... Mershfield, Samuel - N. Y. ... McAfee, Daniel - Michigan ... Marshall, George - at sea - Illinois ... Malicanno, Dr. F. A. - N. O. ... Mallert, Henry - seaman ... Moun, Dr. - Penn. .... Olanstead, Hny. W. - N. O. ... Ollier, James H. - Boston ... Pafi, William - Illinois ... Perry, ______ - New York ... Priesler, Thomas - Phila. ... Parrlin, Albert - A. Y. (?) ... Patterson, Hugh - Penn. ... Parsons, Peter L. - N. Y. ... Ridley, W. W. - New York ... Ridgley, Jos. S. - Baltimore ... Roper, Dr. Louis - Phila. ... Ringgold, Geo. - seaman ... Robinson, W. P. - Mass. ... Reid, C. - seaman - unknown ... Roe, Mitchell - W. City (Washington, D.C.) ... Rankin, A. - New Orleans ... Reed, James - seaman - unknown ... Rogers, Captain Richard - Mass. ... Sutton, Geo. - N. Y. ... Snyder, John -N. Y. ... Stanton, James M. - Illinois ... Short, A. A. - Iowa ... Sheeter, Joseph B. - N. Y. ... Shey, James - N. O. ... Thomas, Wm. - Indiana ... Taylor, John M. - Iowa ... Tracy, Henry - N. Y. ... Wiggington, John - Miss. ... Weld, John - N. Y. ... Williams, Charles - N. Y. ... Wainwright, Capt. J. J. - New York ... Williams, Dr. - New York ... Watson, E. H. - New York ... Wolf, Charles - drowned - New York ... Warden, Simon G. - Murdered -Boston - Mass."
Note: From the heading it assumed that this list comprises those that died on or overland as well as those associated with the steamship Panama during the period quoted. James Ollier was known to have been in Boston, Mass. prior to his adventure to Panama as per a letter from GPR James to Charles Ollier. See below:
Transcription of a letter from A. B. Corwin, U.S. Consul, Panama to Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, U.S.A.
No. 54 [sequence of letters to USA from Corwine]
Consulate U.S.A.
Panama, Nov. 17, 1851
Since I had the honor of addressing you last the following named citizens of the United States, have died in this place.
James Henley, late of Buffalo, New York.
James H. Ollier, Boston, Massachusetts.
The former died possessed of Forty-one Dollars ($41.00) in cash, which was appropriate to pay funeral expenses. The latter left no effects.
I am, Sir, very Respectfully Your obediant servant
A. B. Corwine,
U.S. Consul.
To
Hon. Daniel Webster,
Secretary of State,
Washington, D.C.
The following is an extract from a letter that Charles Ollier wrote to his friend Leigh Hunt on November 26th 1853 from his home at Bute Street, Old Brompton, Chelsea.
"My brother James perished in a foolish attempt to walk across the deadly Isthmus of Darien, but my mother died of asthma; so did my elder brother, and so did the brother two years younger than I, I am the last. Am I too going into the dark?"
The following is an extract from a letter written by G.P.R. James who was living at Stockbridge, Massachusetts when it was written to Charles Ollier who was GPR James's agent, the letter is dated 16th February 1852:
"Your poor brother James! I grieve seriously for his sad fate. I had hoped to meet with him in America and asked for him at Boston but could hear nothing of him. Little did I think that he was wandering afar in that fatal climate of the Isthmus."
It is probable that James Ollier died whilst attempting to cross the Isthmus of Panama from Chagres to Panama City. The steamship The Panama had arrived at Panama City by or just before 30th August 1850 have contracted the outbreak of cholera at a stopover at Acapulco during the 16th / 17th of August that same year, she was en route from San Francisco to Panama and was carrying amongst her cargo almost $2,500,000 in gold dust. I have no evidence to date that would suggest that James had ever been to California. It is not known where he is buried. The overland route across Panama was well known as a dangerous and disease ridden place during that time, the route from Chagres to Panama City and then by way of ship to San Francisco was used by the "forty niners" and those that followed during the Californian Gold Rush which started in 1849.
The death notices for James Ollier were printed in the columns of the following papers:
From The Boston Daily Atlas, (Boston, MA) Thursday, December 04, 1851; Issue 133; Death notices:
"At Panama Oct. 28th. Mr. James H. Ollier, of Boston, 56. Mr. Ollier was a practical printer and a most worthy man, and for several years was connected with the book department of the Boston Transcript, as a proof reader."
From The Weekly Herald, (New York, NY) Saturday, December 06, 1851; Issue 49; Death notices:
"At Panama Oct. 28th. Mr. James H. Ollier, of Boston, 56. Mr. Ollier was a practical printer and a most worethy man, and for several years was connected with the book department of the Boston Transcript."
It is not clear why James Ollier was mentioned with a middle initial, his baptism record has not been found yet, it is possible however, that the surname of Ollier was being confused with that of Hollier and that the "H" was meant to be part of the whole. Mr. Corwine's notes clearly show that he is recorded as James H. Ollier, both in the article to the Panama Star and in the official records of his prescence as consular now preserved at the National Archives of America. Another possibility is that he took Henry as his middle name in honour of his brother Henry who died very young.
The Ancestors of Charles Ollier - Author & Publisher of London
The Ancestors of Richard Ollyer (Ollier) - Brewer of Holborn London