Come hear author Laura Emerson tell the story of California’s forty-eight “founding fathers” on Sunday, August 25th at 2 PM at the Dana Adobe Cultural Center. The talk is $5 per person and free for DANA members and children. Copies of the book, “The Delegates of 1849” will be available for purchase, before they are available in stores, and Laura will be signing copies at the end of her presentation.
Talk Synopsis: Captain Dana made the acquaintance of a young man in 1849 who would become a lodger in his home, and later marry his daughter, Maria Josefa. His name was Henry Amos Tefft and he had just arrived in San Luis Obispo, having abandoned his plans to become a gold miner when he saw the beautiful Port of San Luis. Captain Dana was likely responsible for Henry being elected San Luis Obispo’s delegate to California’s first Constitutional Convention that benefited from the young lawyer’s education and oratorical skill. Laura Emerson, author of The Delegates of 1849: Life Stories of the Originators of California’s Reputation as a Bold and Independent State, will inform and entertain us with more details from Henry’s life and the forty-seven other men she refers to as California’s “founding fathers.” Do the names Dominquez, Larkin, Ord, Halleck, Sutter, Hastings, Pico, de la Guerra, and Vallejo sound familiar? How far back do you think California was first recognized as a bold and independent state? The 1960s? The 1940s? The 1920s? California’s reputation as a bold and independent state began in 1849-out of self-preservation.
About the Author: Laura Emerson studied creative writing at UNC-Chapel Hill. She writes short stories, and her human interest articles have been published in national magazines. This is her 1st nonfiction book.