In March of 1898 a small group of men from Denison joined the throngs that fled to find gold in what was then the Canadian Yukon Territory.

Among them was Thomas William "Tom" Boldrick Sr., born 23 November 1846 in Thurlow, Hastings, Ontario, Canada, the next-to-youngest son of eight boys and one daughter born to John Boldrick, Sr, a native of Ireland, and Dora Atkins/Atkinson, also native to Ireland; all of the children are born in Canada.  As a young man of approximately 20 years of age, Tom immigrated to the United States in 1866 [Source: 1900 Federal Census]; following the Civil War Tom owned and operated a hardware business in Dodge City, Kansas as well as being postmaster.  four years later (February 24, 1870) Tom married Mary Jane Duffin in Hastings, Ontario who was a native Canadian and daughter of Robert and Dorah Duffin.  Within five months Tom, aged 25, and Mary, aged 20, have moved to Grinnell Township, Poweshiek Co., Iowa where he is engaged in farming.  Mary Jane died after they moved to Iowa but before 1875.
Approximately five years later, by May 1875, Tom Boldrick is living in Grayson County, Texas.  There he marries Mary Elizabeth "Eliza" Borden on Tuesday, 11 May 1875 in Denison at the residence of the bride's father, Judge Borden.  Following the dinner,Tom and Mary leave for their new home in Sherman. [Source: The Sunday Gazetteer, May 19, 1895].  
But the young couple return to live in Denison in 1876 and Eliza operates a millinery and dress making business at 106 West Main Street.  The first of their three sons, John Erwin "Jack" is born April 7, 1878.  Tom's father died in Canada just a little over a month after his grandson's birth, and his mother dies 11 months after her husband.  The Boldrick family reside on the south side of Gandy Street, between Fannin and Mirick avenues.
Tom becomes a miner and resides in Pitkins, Garrison Co., Colorado in June 1880; he lists his marital status as "single".  Tom returned home from Colorado by early 1881; Tom and Eliza's second son, George Francis Boldrick, is born  12 February 1882 in Denison.   Their third and last son, Thomas William Boldrick, Jr., was born in Denison 27 February 1884.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, September 27, 1885
Anniversary Edition
pg. 7
BOLDRICK, THE SHOE MAN
This gentleman has the largest boot and shoe house in Denison, is located on east Main street, nearly opposite Murray's Steam Printing House.
He carries the most complete stock in Denison.  Mr. Boldrick purchased his stock from the manufactures and consequently can sell boots and shoes cheaper than any house in the city.  He has boots and shoes suitable for any trade, from the finest French calf to the common stoga.  He is prepared to give superior bargains to country merchants who may wish to purchase.  Boldrick can do as well with you as St. Louis houses, in fact, he will compare prices.  To the city trade he will say, come and see me, my stock is complete.  I have the most elegant stock of ladies shoes ever offered for sale in Denison, and they are sold at a very small profit.  Farmers should call at Boldrick's as he can fit them out cheaper than elsewhere.  There is a repairing shop connected with Boldrick, with Mike Yawman in charge.

By 1887 Tom operates Boldrick Shoes at 226 West Main and resides at 620 W. Day, at the corner of Barrett Avenue in Denison.  Three men, brothers Ed and John Leeper, along with Tom Leeper, begin construction on the Boldrick/Leeper Building, later known as the Security Building.  After going bankrupt in 1896, Tom opened his shoe business in his son's name, J.E. Boldrick.  [Source: The Sunday Gazetteer, March 21, 1909].  At the age of 52, Thomas has set off on his adventure seeking gold in the Canadian northwestern Yukon Territory by mid-March 1898, leaving his wife and three sons behind in Denison to operate the family business.
The 1903 Denison City Directory shows that Thomas is a clerk for his son in the family business.  The group of six men, including John S. Knaur of Denison, choose to begin their journey into the Yukon gold fields at Dyea, in southeast Alaska. [Klondike Gold Rush Maps]


By 1900 Tom's occupation is listed as Shoe Merchant on the 1900 Federal Census; his two older sons are working in the store alongside of him, while the youngest is in school.  Eliza is listed as a milliner and the family has a single, 22-year-old boarder, Rosa Curline, who is also a milliner, possibly assisting Mrs. Boldrick in her business.


However, Tom's nephew, S.J. Boldrick, who had worked in the business with his uncle, took over the shoe business and moves the business to 314 West Main St. by 1901 [Sources: The Sunday Gazetteer, January 17, 1897, pg. 4; Denison City Directory, 1901]  Eliza operates her millinery business out of the same location while Tom and his two older sons clerk at the shoe store.
The 1907 Denison City Directory lists son John E. Boldrick as proprietor of Boldrick Boots & Shoes located at 314 W. Main; John resides with his parents at 730 West Day street.  The last City Directory showing the family business operated by John and with Thomas and George as clerks is 1911.  Samuel is a partner with William L. Swan in Boldrick & Swan.
By 1920 Thomas & Mary have moved to San Diego, California along with all three sons and their families where they open the Bolderick Shoe Company.  Thomas died in California on December 11, 1920; Mary died 5 March 1929 in California as well.


Sources:
1880 Garrison Co. CO Federal Census
1900 Denison Co., TX Federal Census
1920 San Diego Co., CA Federal Census
World War I Draft Registration, 1917
California Death Index, 1905-1939
Denison, Texas City Directory, 1887
Denison, Texas City Directory, 1901
Thomas Boldrick, "Chechako' in the Klondike Gold Rush: His Letters and Diary of 1898," as told by  Jack Boldrick, in The Wrangler (quarterly publication of Westerners San Diego Corral, San Diego, California), vol. 21, no. 3 (1988).  Pages 1-8