[1] On July 13, 1846, a 33-acre (130,000 m2) fire broke out in Nantucket's business section and burned the works and ship and 11 year old James helped in the reconstruction.
[citation needed] James decided to stay in San Francisco instead of heading to the gold fields as a result of the high wages being offered.
James and Eleanor had three other children; John Athearn m. Nancy Try (née Slaughter), Ernest Randolph, and Elizabeth.
Abigail was murdered in 1969, by members of the Manson family, along with her friend, actress Sharon Tate among others.
He died June 26, 1889, at the age of 54 and is buried in the Folger family plot at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.