Descendants of Carson's founders learn about relatives

Louise Inman said she was picked to find the descendants of Carson City's founders because of a determination that recently helped her track down the only known picture of one of those founders, Benjamin Franklin Green.

"The man can't say he never had his picture taken," she said, "especially because he was arrested once."

Inman, 65, used the same method to find the descendants that brought her to the picture of Green, searching libraries and old newspapers so she could invite the descendants to the city's 150th anniversary party Saturday.

Green, Abe Curry and John Musser all have descendants living in Nevada or California. Francis Proctor doesn't seem to have any left, though, Inman said.

She's going to give them a tour of capital, the Carson City Mint and Curry's old house.

Many of the descendants had heard about the possibility of being related to the founders, but weren't sure until they got the call from Inman.

Joan Buffington, a descendant of Curry, said her father told her his mother talked about the possibility of being related, but she and her father could never find out for sure before.

"We made several stabs at it," said Buffington, who lives in Reno.

Frank P. Musser, 85, of Antioch, Calif., didn't realize his relative was one of the founders of Carson City until he visited Carson City about 50 years ago and noticed Musser Street.

He went into the library and researched Musser, but didn't think he was as important as other founders.

"I am quite surprised they are making such a splash out of it," he said.

Cheryl Green-Pinard of Orangevale, Calif., said she had never heard she was a relative of Green until Inman called, but is excited to come to the party Saturday to learn more.

"It sounds like fun," she said.

But Joni Villa, a relative of Green's who lives in Wisconsin, is working on a booklet on her family and she's known about her relation for a while. She has even found an old newspaper ad he took out for a gunsmith store he had while in Wisconsin in the 1840s.

It contained a special message apologizing for an unnamed "sin."

"He was probably a reformed drunk," she said.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.