George Chorpenning, the second of the seven children of George Chorpenning and Elizabeth (Flick) Chorpenning, was born on June 01, 1820 in Somerset, Pennsylvania, United States. His first American ancestor came to North Carolina with the French Huguenots in colonial days.
Career
As a young man Chorpenning assisted his father in various enterprises and became manager of a store. When the United States mail between Salt Lake City and California was to be established, young Chorpenning and Absalom Woodward joined in offering a bid for the service. A contract was made with them which provided for a monthly service over the emigrant trail at $14, 000 per year.
They at once went to California and on May 1, 1851, set out from Sacramento with the first mail. Great obstacles were encountered in crossing the Sierras. For sixteen days they struggled through deep drifts, beating down the snow with mauls. Throughout the summer Indians threatened, and in November Woodward and several of his men were killed by them. The winter of 1851-1852 brought renewed difficulties; horses were frozen and carriers endured frightful sufferings. For some years thereafter the mail was carried from San Francisco via Los Angeles and the Mormon Trail to Salt Lake City.
Indian depredations continued, and Chorpenning made an appeal to Congress which in 1857 resulted in an appropriation for his relief. In 1858 he changed from pack-horses to coaches and improved the service to a weekly schedule. The following year he changed to a more direct course across the Nevada desert—the route now followed by the Lincoln Highway. Friction with the Department developed and resulted in the annulment of his mail contract in May 1860. Thus ended nine years of pioneering from Utah to the Pacific Coast over three different routes. Chorpenning now went east to present his claims.
When the war broke out he assisted in recruiting and organizing two Union regiments in Maryland and was commissioned major of the 1st Maryland Infantry, June 11, 1861. But in order to remain in Washington and prosecute his claims against the government he tendered his resignation and was discharged from the service in September 1861.
Now began his long attempt to obtain compensation for the losses sustained in his overland mail service. Congress responded in 1870 by ordering an adjustment of the claim and in conformity therewith the postmaster-general awarded him $443, 010. 60. Just before this was to be paid it was assailed in Congress as fraudulent; payment was suspended and then revoked. Testimony given at a criminal case in 1878 indicated that the persons primarily responsible for revoking payment were extortioners. The matter was again presented to Congress and was still unsettled when Chorpenning died.