This is a interesting tale I came across this morning.
Additional research showed that Robert Prior Boss was born in Newport, Rhode Island on February 21, 1804. He was the son of William Boss and Edith Dickinson Prior, one of 14 children. Captain Robert lived in Boston in 1839 when he married Hannah Sampson, born in Charlestown to Daniel and Hannah (Dingley) Sampson. The couple first lived in Charlestown and had at least two children there; Robert P. Boss Jr. and William Henry Boss. Information about Captain Robert’s early career is not easily obtainable, but in 1849, Captain Robert seems to have become involved in the California Gold Rush. In May, 1849, Captain Robert P. Boss of Charlestown sailed out of Boston on the ship New Jersey, carrying over 175 passengers (reports vary about the exact number). The ship was owned by the Suffolk and California Mutual Trading and Mining Association; transcriptions of the passenger list show that Captain Robert was a member. They arrived on October 12, 1849, and, as described in the Boston Evening Transcript [Feb 24, 1890 reminiscence], "as soon as the port of San Francisco was reached, little heed was paid to contracts or agreements, and all made a rush for the gold diggings." Discovering whether or not their venture was a financial success would require more research, but soon afterwards, Captain Robert changed careers. An 1851 birth record of George W. Boss, born to Robert and Hannah, shows that the family was living in Acton by then. (Charlestown was written as their residence and crossed out.) Robert was listed as a farmer. As far as we can tell, Captain Robert spent the rest of his life in Acton. The 1860 census listed him there with Hannah and their two youngest sons. His Acton death record listed him as a retired sea captain.