Hiram B. Flagg

Sacremento Sacramento City Apr 4, 1850

Dear Sister I think most time to answer soome [some] of your letters I received one this morning from you and one from Ellen Feb 13 and Dec 31 and was happy to here [hear] you were all well, and I suppose you will wish to know how I am, my health is tolerable good at this time yet I have sceen [seen] soom [some] hard times the past winter the scurvy and rumitism [rhumatism] come very near doing me up brown I left the mines two weeks ago and traveled down to this place with my blankets on my back distance 75 miles it is the first time I have left the mines since I went into them last Aug I shall go back into the saim [same] in a few days and stop until I leave for home if I can tell where that is I have not don [done] so well the past as I did last fall but I going to give it one more trial Gold is hard to be obtained in California the face of things is changing fast in this Cuntry [Country] crimes are on the increse [increase] the men that were killed last winter wer [were] from New Orleans they were at woork [work] just below me we went after them and the law brought them back before they got to Stoctown Stockton two were shot down the rest had one hundred lashes a piece and thare [their] heads shaved and ears cut off and ordered to leave the Cuntry [Country] the Indians are getting soome [some] what bad of late the miners have killed a few and will soon finish the rest when they are over at it, thare [there] is considerable sickness at present and as the warm weather increses [increases] quit [quite] a number of the Everetts Co are dead

new comers continue to come in quit [quite] fast many stopt [stopped] down at San Francisco the past winter a grate [great] many are waiting for the water to fall in the river up back in the mountins [mountains] so that they can work but they will find it a hard life to lead, two of the men that come out in in the Edward Everett have worked hard ever since they comenced [commenced] and two weeks ago had not five dollars worth of Gold The day after they found a peach [piece] worth over six hundred dollars so you can see what uncertin [uncertain] buisness [business] Gold digin is a Lottery after all. The next letters that you writ [write] direct them to San Francisco I shall be more likely to get them the letter that brother Charles wrote me last Aug [August] in New York I got this spring soome [some] time the last of March you can see how uncertin [uncertain] they are in gitting [getting] to me there is a express that brings my letters to me in the mines frome [from] San Francisco Sacramento City is rather out of the way of the Southern mines where I shall continue to work for a while I think soome [some] of seteling [settling] down Calaforna California or down in South America but I shall come back to Old Mass once more if I am a live [alive] and that I think next fall you need not look for me until you see me I suppose you will doubt of my being capable of settleing [settling] down in any place I think so myself at times I want you to tell brother Charles to write to me for I believe that he has forgot himself This letter must do for all of you in the New England States for writing is a task

Sister Ellen I must acknowledge your letter of 20 Jan tell Bradford to hamemer [hammer] a way at his pegs and not think about Gold digin [digging] and a life in Calaforna [California] is not what it is talked of I think a few years will change me in this Cuntry [Country] a honest Old Back to a Grizly [grizzly] bare [bear] or soome [some] thing worse but thime [time] will will tell if you could have peep at the Natives it would be worth forty caravans but I must prase [praise] them to highly for I help make up the number I should like to send home soome [some] money but the risk of loosing [losing] it is such that will prevent me This Cuntry [country] is getting to be one of the most vilinous [villainous] placeses [places] I ever was in what Gold I get I am obliged to cary [carry] it about with all the time to prevent its being stolen They mind a hangin [hanging] or shoting [shooting] matter no more than going to the watch house for a night but such things will not interest you so I will tell a boute [about] the past winter The rainy sesom [season] set in the last of Oct the month of Nov it was rain two thirds of the time Dec about half of the time Jan rain hail and snow all the time a few days excepted Feb 14 days good wether [weather] March two weeks of rain this was up on the Mokelumne and Calaveras rivers among the mountins the Northern mines I have not ben [been] into the seson [season] is very short in the Northern and it is very sickley [sickly] I shall probely [probably] work in the Southern mines which consist of the Mokulumny [Mokelumne] Calavares [Calaveras] Stanislaws [Stanislaus] Mersead [Merced] Towollemy [Tuolumne] and Mereposens [Mariposa] rivers which include several hundred miles at any of these mines I shall

about sixty to one hundred miles from Stocton Stockton when even any of you went direct to San Francisco I want soome [some] of you to send Belinda a blank sheet of letter paper pen ink and wafer as I suppose than is nown [known] Cambriadge [Cambridge] that is the reson [reason] I have not heard from her but I will finish if Brother Charles come this summer try and make him stop until I get back, tell Mr Gove his son is upon Fether [Feather] river I herd [heard] was doing well give my respects to all enquiring [inquiring] friends

H. B. Flagg to Harriette A Flagg Lawrence Mass