Gold Rush Era Collections

Sacramento March 14ᵗʰ 1855 Dear Brother

yours, of Feby 2ⁿᵈ duly received which I was much pleased to receive as it was the first and only one I have recd from home since leaving with the exception of Nancy. El has written every Mail, I wrote Father last mail, was not very well then but have been getting better ever since and feeling well now am a little weak yet but have a good appetite and am gaining daily although we have had bad weather to recruite in being very wet and rainy, the River is now as high into about 18 inches as it was in Hoboken times and still Raining and riseing some fear an overflow but I hardly think we will shall have one, nothing doing in the fishing way except a few Perch I think the Salmon business will be better this Year than it has been for several Years there has been none sold yet under about 8¢ good Netts are selling for $50 Wils Tilden made $50 one night near three weeks ago I think they will be plenty when the River falls a little and from what I can learn there are not half the number engaged in

[Sideways on left of letter] I have written Nancy this Mail and send Father a Paper, tell me in your next how Belle gets along and if she rubbs her tail out any on her mane

think it will others think not. it is a very bad time to sell now immediately after all the Banks have all suspended, broke and stopt, there is but little money in circulation and every thing paralyzed by the effect, but the country will soon recover as the Mines are all doing well and have a plenty of Water in a claim about 200 yards from Jim Fannous old place they took out $400 in one Pan one day last week, and I dont think the Mines were ever yielding more Gold than at the present time and as soon as it gets generally into circulation things will improve Real Estate with other things, what could do with $8000 home if we sold the Store we could get 7 per cent per annm $560 per Year here we get from $2000 to 2500 Nett over and above Taxes &c it therefore appears better for us, to keep the Store and let it decreas in Value $1000 per Year we would then make at the lowest figures $440 each Year by keeping the Store I therefore think it best for us to hold the Property until we get the $9000 I should not know then where to put my part to have it earn me anything, I can let every Dollar I can get here at 3 per cent per month and where I can get it when I want it although there is much more risk than in renting a building I think renting building at 2 per cent would pay better in the end than loaning at 3 per cent, 7 per cent looks to me like a small Interest. the late Rains have been very beneficial to Leetes Crop of Wheat and think probably he will be able to pay us when it is Harvested. I think I shall buy some Houses and Wagons and run Fish to

[Sideways on left of letter] I wish you to tell Wheeler that in Edward Stannards Chest is my Hammock a Plaid one which I sent Home I believe you know it

to the Miines as I shall then be able to settle up with Webb & Pearl and possibly sell some of my Netts if I get the Lot I made the offer for I have collected $195 on the old pour on weak netts we had here and Davie yet owes me $95 which he will pay as soon as Fish get to running I had to make a deduction of $10 on them as they fell so much short of what I expect it is now. to late to make the Bass netts for Sandy as they only runn in the fall, you said you had some big Clams that you would like to exchange for a Salmon dick says Lord S^ill[Silliman], give him a Drag load for them, Mitchel and his brother then had $2000 in at Page & Bacons where they stoped but I think they will eventually get it all as they open again very soon, Mitchel thinks strong of going to Reva River down in the Southern part of the State there is much Excitement about the late discovered mines there but I presume the accounts are much exagerated, Elbert & Dick are well Elbert has written home this mail to his Father Uncle Lay & Father can enjoy talking about fishing which is next to catching. there, Wheeler Sent me a Paper of an Attorney to settle up E^d Stannards matters but I cant do anything until the Salmon fishing commences, I have not settled with Wells & Fargo yet for Richard Bushnells amount but think I should if I had not been sick my Love to Father & Mother Cornelia and the Juveniles Your Brother Saml. P. Bushnell

Sacramento June 29ᵗʰ 1855

Dear Brother,

yours of May 28ᵗʰ came duly at hand and I am pleased to learn you are all well and comfortable. but you should do something for your Cough or it will certainly disease your lungs in time no ones lungs can long withstand the exercises of severe coughing but some will not give way as easy as others but depend upon it that after awhile disease will set in, have you tried Ayers Cherry Pectoral I have found it very good and in many instances it cures in case I failed to check it I would take a trip out back in the country go to Uncle Davids or to Niagara or some place interior as it most always cures me to change air frequently not over 100 miles or so will prove beneficial Miller the Fikeman whom you recolect says he was compelled to return here on account of his cough after stopping the Chill that he could not check it at home, but by retiring it stopped entirely and he is not troubled unless he takes cold he had Chills a long time and very hard ones, the assessments for Taxes are made out here in the Spring and payable

in October at which time Dick paid ours while I was Home I spoke to you several times about them and thought you fully understood it the Taxes were heavy and I thought I could have got a deduction had I have been here but Burton and MacCarty second door above paid the same as we paid and their Lot is but 80 feet deep and I have but 70 ft but they could not get any deduction I find on referring to my accounts that I had charged you previously for putting in the Water Pipes but they presented their Bill to Dick and he paid it while I was home and took a receipt from them but i am under the impression that I had paid it before or I should not have charged it to the Store as I made it a rule never to charge on credit anything to the Store until I had paid on rec'd it. I wish you would look over my papers for a receipt for same you will find it I think in among some papers in my large Leather Trunk upstairs, you will also find some papers in my Ward Robe in the West Room and a few in my Writing Desk on the Table in the Front Room, as you open the Desk they are in the first apartment of the thick part of the Desk with some Letters that I rec'd last Summer from Dick and others. I will refund you what I deducted for pipes and Ed Stanards account I think Wheeler must have said something against me from the tenor of your Letter and

think if he had you would have told me where when and what he said, and wish you to write me what, and all he said. I wrote him a short time ago saying I could not collect the accounts from Webb but that I had sold the Bark and was promised the money the middle of July and I thought I should get it then and if so would send it to him immediately. You seem to have altered your opinion of him for some reason I spent a week out at Jordans and recruited rapidly and am going out again in a few days I shall go down to the Bay this afternoon or tomorrow and try and collect Dick Bushell a/cs at Wells & bring also our order from Hartford if I can find the man. Leetes Crop will turn out better than I expected and as there is much Wheat ruined by Rust Smutt Grasshoppers &c. think I will get enough to pay us in full or nearly so unless some accident happens Lete is in fine spirits think he will more than pay off my Law expenses or expenses up and down the River but I shall of course if there is any thing to pay with but I have to write El and must close good Bye Love to all in haste your Brother

Sam'l P. Bushnell

tell Gertrude I will write her next mail hers rec'd with yours, shall go to the Bay this afternoon

Sacramento February 3/56

Dear Brother,

Yours of January 28^nd came to hand yesterday and am happy to hear you are again mucho Bueno may you so continue regret to hear Cornelia is so unwell but Suppose there is nothing dangerous and hope to hear she has recovered next mail what is the reason you say nothing about the new member of your family, what cognome is he known by or has he not proceeded that far yet, I suppose however it will be Senator John, Father writes me that he is not quite as well and is a little fearful that his flesh is inclined to bloat up again, I shall write him next mail. I wrote Mother last one in rather low spirits as I was nearly discouraged trying to check my cough but I have benefited it very much by the use of Onion Syrup and feel somewhat improved, but I think it very doubtful as to the effect the change of going home may have on me it will probably bring out my bilious complaint and all my friends here say the cold water cure will eradicate it will it in about

[Sideways on left of letter] the grain at the prices I took it from Leete did not pay us in full with our expenses it fell about $495.00 it was the profit that paid us

Ten days I hope such may be the case I shall give a fair trial if I have the strength, I have at least got the Leete affairs settled up and credited you and John Post your portion of the same it pays the note and interest in full and a small proffit besides it has paid well for holding it so long, but if I haven't had anything but a plesant time in the matter until I got the Crop off the Ranch every one of Leets creditors was a trying any and every way to get hold of something either mine or his. I thought much about being as wise as serpents and harmless as a Dove, but actually felt about the disposition of a fretted Ratnelsnake and as nervous as an old setting Hen every hour on the Ranch was questioned and pumped in every way to find out if they could not possibly learn something whereby they get five dollars but I fought my way through and at last have come out all right, but I will never fight another one through again under similar circumstances, our original note was $998.94 and the interest on same amounted to $484.48, makeing the whole amount $1483.42 giveing cash $494.47 they proffit on the Grain make $54 more to each of us but there is a waggon maker who has a little Bill also or Blacksmith which reduces it to about 30 or $35 I think I intended to have sent you home this mail what I owed you but did not get the money on the first note of $2000 due on the Store yesterday but

$500 and the balance in a few days I have taken the time paper and credited to you and will pay the 7 percent on the same as long as I keep it which will not be very long as I intend to leave here in two months but possibly may not until the following Steamer. Jordan thinks now he shall not go but send Silvia by me or with me, I shall go to Marysville again in a few days. Webb promised me some money when he got his pay in Marysville but he came in and drew the money and spent it for a lot of old netts and Boats if they were good for anything I would attach them but it wont pay to do so. My horse sprained or hurt his shoulder one night about two weeks since so badly that he could not use the left fore leg at all and I did not think he would even be worth a Dollar but he is now getting better and can beare his weight on it when he walks but I doubt of its ever being entirely sound again. I shall turn him out to grass as soon as it gets high enough to give him sufficient nourishment, so in all probability I shall never get anything for him I could sell him at any time for a few Hundred Dollars but I wont do it unless he gets all right I shall never dispose of him or until I have had him a Year or so longer I suppose I could give you an Order or El arent due you as I think he owes me sufficient but am not certain as I cannot find out from him whether he

ever got any pay for the Wool or what it bought, although he has said in most every letter that he would send a/c sales in the next, he wrote me about eight months ago that the note was due in a few days and he thought it would be paid. I shall never write for it again if I never hear from it, a small portion of it was Grahams and he had instructions to forward him the proceeds I cannot learn of his ever doing so. I can hardly think that his being short of money is the reason as he never mentioned any such thing to me which he would have done had such have been the case when I have sent orders he has attended to them closely and paid for them without saying anything about the funds, if he is short and wants money that he cant raise home at a reasonable interest, I would help him any time to from 10 to $15,000 but don't think he wants it and I can get three per cent for it here. Were you to be in New York before the next Steamer leaves I wish you to ascertain the amount the Wool brought if he got the money and if he sent Graham his amount he sent me at last the account sales of the Solomon

[Sideways on left of letter] My love to you all Your Brother Saml P. Bushnell