Jared Comstock Brown

[Illustration across the top of the page] [caption under illustration] View of Coloma, the place where the first gold was discovered. Published by Forrest & Borden.

[right side below illustration] Coloma Aug 11^th/51 [1851]

Dear father

I receiv'd [received] your letter by the Last mail Ths [this] Answer to the one that I wrote from San Francisco I have not got Any yet I was glad to hear from you I send you this plate of Coloma you will find the Mill Down on the river to the right hand where gold was first Discovered and on the Left hand on the hill is the Jail I have Done over 8 hundred Dollars worth of work in it & get my pay in county script it will be good some years hence I have mark'd [marked] the Mill and the Jail my shop is in the centre [center] of the town this small place hass [has] created all the excitement through the World for gold thousands of all nations are here thousands of Chinese I was glad to hear that you all were well and that you were doing so well and attended the Lodge I am Glad to hear that Charles Martin is Doing well tell him to write to me tell David I was glad to hear from him and got that card he sent

I send him a peace [piece] of gold to keep for me I have been Doing very well since & got so I could work when I began work I was in Debt about 1500.00 Dollars I have paid since for board and other expenses with shop rent over 500 Dollars I have got about 800 Dollars in County script and have got 100 Dol [dollars] in money and owe now about 400 Dollars I have paid all But 400 hundred and have got 40 times as many tools as at home one of my anvills [anvils] weight is about 300.. Any tools and chance here is worth one thousand Dollars cash here I shall send some money as soon as I get out of Debt to you I shall not come Home with out anything if I never come I expect a letter from Morgan to knight [tonight] I have done a great Deal of work more than any one man you ever saw since the time since I was Sick When I have been scorcely [scarcely] able to stand to my anvill [anvil] I have made 16 & 20 lbs [pounds] sledges & 8 lbs [pounds] pecks & 20 lbs [pounds] ground gears for watter [water] wheels out of 1 inch square iron it is some work where the thermometer stand from 90 to 111 and is the heat some times Beyond endurance I sent Amy 2 papers By the last Mail and you two by this mail those of Amys was the first printed in this town therse [there] haz [have] been only 4 printed I shall send two by every mail once in 2 weeks Write every mail once in twoo [two] weeks it is 4 weeks since I heard from Morgan I expect to hear from him to knight [tonight] he was unwell when last I heard from him he sends tru [through] all My iron and coal I have sent over 700 Dollars to buy iron & steel and Coal My coal costs here 125 Dollars per ton So Cast teell [steel] one dollar fifty cts [cents] per lb [pound] and 5 cts [cents] freight per lb [pound]

I get 8 Dollars for horse shoing [horseshoeing] I can beat any thing in this country on shoing [shoeing] I plated a horse sunday [Sunday] morning for running and he run right away from the others Sunday is the Day all racing is Done I Do most as much work on Sunday as all the rest of the week if you could see calafornia California as I have seen it you heart would sicken at the thought of it gambling Drunkeness [Drunkenness] Carousing Robery [robbery] horse steeling [stealing] Murders and the most Abomanable [abominable] vices that ever was thought of are here pract [practiced] there is immense amount of gold here but it takes a great Deal of labor to get it I have not mined but one Day Since I have been here I shall stay in the shop as long as it will pay me 4 Dollars per Day Clear and if i get Less than that I shall Leave I have Done from 10 Dol [dollars] per day to 700 70 Dol [dollars] for some Days my expecs [expenses] averages 300 per week I shall soon be out of Debt I could of left the country with 1400 hundred but I can not Leave with out paying My honest Dues where I have Received so much assistance as I have here I shall Bo [be] in the States in June 52 [1852] if I have my health and nothing happens I have not receivd [received] that Card from the Lodge yet I want it I probily [probably] shall go to oregon Oregon and Sand with Witch Islands Sandwich Islands before I come home & I think some of going to China if I Do I shall have been nearly round the world. When I once more get home I think I shall stay some time I have seen most Enough of this part of the world to Last me for some time to come you wrote that you had heard from uncle Levi I am glad to hear from him write to him tell if he is doing well to Stay there and not come to California

3

Write to him as soon as you get this for there is a good many coming in now from the plains they suffer a great Deal I would Like Charles Martin hear [here] to work with me in the shop but he would under go what he never experienced before give my love to him tell him to write to me all the things he can think of write every oppertinit [opportunity] posttage [postage] is not only 6 cts [cents] paid in advance or 10 paid at the end of the line I Hardly know what to write that what will be interesting to you I am so busy I can not write any more at present there is work waiting to be Done so good by for the present Yours in G bS and T.

Jared C. Brown to his father Charles Brown

PS this Peace [piece] of gold I send to David Edward is wort [worth] 50 Cts (cents) tell him to keep it to remember me

Jared. C . Brown Remember Me

Eldorado County, California

Coloma, May., 28/52 [18652]

Dear father

It is with the most heart rendering thoughts that I seat myself to write these few lines to you Little Did I think when I pen those last lines to you the next would be of such a carrater Character the clipper ship Northern Light has arrived and the Purser – of the Brig Philenia which Charles Martin sailed from Panama on board of came through this Place a few days ago he reports that Charles Martin Died on board the Brig Philenia about 3 weeks from Panama and that he had the best of Care from the Doctor he reported that he was taken with the Panama fever and also 7 others he said that the captain took his things and delivered them up to the American Consul at Acapulco I have wrote Down to the Consul and if I do not get a Satisfactory answer I shall sail for Acapulco on the arrival of the answer I cannot hardly credit the news although it has come direct but the Mate told me that Charles Martin was at Acapulco and the Purser says he is mistaken for he took care of him I have become resigned to the Loss although it has been the most trying time I ever saw Little did I think I was sending him to his grave when I sent for him to come to this country if it is so I live in hopes that it may Prove a mistake but if not I shall close out and Leave for home as soon as Possible if it so it is for the best for the Almighty has taken our brother an [and] Son from us so that we May Refrain our Minds for our final Dissolution The ways of Provedence [Providence] is Mysterious