In 1860, the Plummers decided to move to California, and Marston went with them, arriving in San Francisco in May 1860. Upon his arrival, he was made a captain and hired out to sea. His initial voyages were in the coastal lumber trade which stretched from California to Puget Sound in Washington.
Marston joined the Plummers in 1860 and moved to California, where he set foot in San Francisco in May of that year. He was then promoted to captain and embarked on a career at sea, initially working in the timber trade that connected California to Puget Sound in Washington.