- William Bernard
William Bernard was a 19th-century
sailor ,miner and resident ofSan Francisco , better known as the notorious "Barnacle Bill" of American yore whose fictionalexploits are chronicled in the ribalddrinking song "Barnacle Bill the Sailor" -- itself adapted from "Bollocky Bill the Sailor", a traditionalfolk song originally titled "Abraham Brown".Cray, Ed (1992). "The Erotic Muse: American Bawdy Songs". University of Illinois. ISBN 0-252-06789-4.] (Neither MGMcomedy titled "Barnacle Bill" has anything to do with Bernard.)Bernard first sailed into the
San Francisco Bay aboard the ship "Edward Everett" onJuly 6 ,1849 , just as theCalifornia Gold Rush was heating up. Intent on striking it rich, he set out the next morning across the bay, accompanied by a shipmate named Mr. Phelps. They stopped first at present-dayYerba Buena Island , where the treasure of a lostSpanish galleon was rumored by local sailors and dockworkers to be buried, but they found it deserted except for a small colony ofdomestic goat s. They did, however, discover the ruins of a large Tuchayune fishingvillage on the island's eastern shore, and reported seeingcremation pits strewn with human bones where the villagers ritually burned their dead. After camping for a few days on the small island, the two men moved on, exploring what is now Oakland before heading to thegold mines to seek their fortunes.Boyes, Marcia Edwards (1936). "The Legend of Yerba Buena Island". Berkeley: The Professional Press.]Little is known about Barnard's fate. He returned to Yerba Buena Island at a later date, if only to dry out, and lived there for a time before moving on again in search of fortune and fame.
References
External links
* [http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hbybi.htm San Francisco History: Yerba Buena Island]
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