Gold Rush Letters of Henry A. Parker

ing of a duel which was fought here last week & resulted in the death of one of the parties .. Mr. Edwd Gilbert [Edward Gilbert] senior Editor of the Alta Californian the oldest paper in California He was a young man who until this affair was highly respected by all. The Sermon I liked very much & it really seemed as though I was at home again. It was the first time I had attended church since I left P. [Pepperell] I will now lay aside my letter & finish it just previous to the sailing now of the Steamer

Dear Brother Friday 13th As the mail closes this evening I will now write you a few words while I have an opportunity. I still enjoy good health & am getting along tolerably well. I have written to Esq. Jewett to send me money enough to make up 1500 dollars with what I have already had to & after I receive it I think I shall be able to do a good business.

I should like to be at home with now & sustieule awhile & enjoy once more the comfort of home but it will probably be some time before I shall be to do so.

I suppose your garden is looking finely & that your melons & things in the fruit line are beginning to be fit to eat. & that chickens are just beginning to crow & that your dove house is nearly filled with doves & the yard with young ducks. All these things I want you to write about, also what is going on in Pepperell & C, Melons & Fruits of all kinds are quite plenty here but they bring a large price Water Melons 15 to 20 cts per pound is called a fair price & many are so large that they come to 7. or 8 dollars nothing is sold here for less than a bit that is 12 1/2 cents 10 ct prices go for a bit - Francs pistenuns & all such prices for 2 bits 5 frame pieces for 1.00 & so on. Copper coin is not used. I must now close Give my love to all my friends and wrote to your brother Henry.

On left side, vertical in margin: Saturday 14th The mails arrived here last evening bringing news from N.Y. to 10th July but brought no letters from any of you which I very much regretted but as you have probably received my first letter by this time I am in hopes to hear from you by next mail. H. A. P. [Henry A. Parker]

San Francisco Aug 21st 1852.

My Dear Mother, Sister & Brother,

I once more have the pleasure of seating myself to write you a few lines & to inform you that I still continue to enjoy good health & I hope you are all well & happy. This is the fourth letter I have written you since I arrived here, as I have written you by every mail Steamer one of which leaves the 1st & 1 the 15th of each month. The first letter I wrote you I sent by the mail of the 15th July which I hope in this you have recieved [received] & that I shall now hear from you by every mail from the States. I begin to think you have entirely forgotten me as I have not heard a word from any of you since I received the letters you wrote me last May & sent by Samuel P Tucker which to me were the greatest treat I have had since I left my distant home -- the home of my childhood -- which you all remember was the 25th of Feby. last. When I read your kind letters I felt as though I was still near my friends & I then flattered myself with the hope that I should hear from you by every mail that is once a fortnight. Since that time however four mails have arrived from the States. but not a single letter have I recieved [received] from any one of you & I think I have good reasons to believe that you have all forgotten me or that you don't care enough about me to write & if that is the case (which I do not believe) I am going to try & get one more letter from you in this way.

I will write you by every mail until you get tired of

of hearing from me so often. so that you will be obliged to send me word to stop writing so that I shall have a chance to hear from you once more at least .. But I have made up my mind that the reason why I have not heard from you along regularly since I arrived here is this .. that you probably thought you would write once & then wait until you heard from me as until you did hear you would not know whether I arrived here in safety or not & if I was at the bottom of the ocean then would be no need of writing me & directly to San Francisco. but as I arrived here safely & wrote you by the mail of the 15th July which you ought to recieve [receive] in twenty eight days after, & if you then answered immediately. I can reasonably expect a letter from you by the middle of September & not much before then & until that time I suppose I must content myself by writing you which affords me great pleasure & calls to mind pleasing associations connected with that kind home which I have left far behind me together with my best friends who I hope to meet again soon & to find them enjoying health & happiness.

In my last letter I wrote you that I commenced business & that the only drawback so far was the want of capital & I also wrote you that I had written to Esq Jewett to send me out 800 or 900 dollars & I wish you would be so nice as to intercede with him in my behalf & I think you will be willing to try & help me when you know that I am working hard to help myself which I am now doing & if a person by economy & hard work can lay up money I think I shall do so. Since we commenced I have not spent a single cent except for board & washing & I live on 2 meals per day & I think that it is as economical as

any one can live in this or any other country. I have drawn the 400.$ from Turnbull & Walton which with what I had amounted to 590$ Out of this I paid my expenses up to the mines & back which amtd to about 50$. & I paid for 4 weeks board 60$ washing extra I also put about 400$ into our store which included Fisks [Fisk's] share so that he gave me his note for 274.$ which is paying me very good interest as legal interest in this state is 10 per cent per annum & I have spent about 15.$ or 20$ rather foolishly since I arrived here & before I commenced business. The above is a true statement & now I am making all I can & saving what I make which at present is not a great deal but I hope it will be more soon.

I like this country very much as regards climate facilities for making money &c. but society is nothing comparitevely [comparatively] speaking & if I had a plenty of the dust I would soon be in New England in the good old town of Pepperell where I have already spent my happiest days. Speaking of the climate here I must say it is beautiful. Since I have been here we have not have a drop of rain & you can always during what is called the dry season depend upon fair weather & the only thing at all disagreeable is the fog which blows into the city toward night from the sea. This happens however only about two months during the dry season & the rest of the time the weather is beautiful & the temperature of the air warm & even with no sudden changes from hot to cold & cold to hot. It is in San Francisco not what you can call real hot but is warm in the morning & towards night a breeze springs up so that the evenings are quite cool. Back in the country where we went they have neither rain nor dew for months together & the weather through the day is what you could call hot the thermometer often standing at 120 [degree symbol]

San Francisco Aug 21st 1852

My Dear Mother, Sister & Brother,

I once more have the pleasure of seating myself to write you a few lines & to inform you that I still continue to enjoy good health & I hope you are all well & happy. This is the fourth letter I have written you since I arrived here as I have written you by every mail Steamer one of which leaves the 1st & the 15th of each month. The first letter I wrote you I sent by the mail of the 15th July which I hope in this you have recieved [received] that I shall now hear from you by every mail from the States. I begin to think you have entirely forgotten me as I have not heard a word from any of you since I received the letters you wrote me last May & sent by Samuel P Tucker which to me were the greatest treat I have had since I left my distant home -- the home of my childhood -- which you all remember was the 25th of July last. When I read your kind letters I felt as though I was still near my friends & I then flattered myself with the hope that I should hear from you by every mail that is once a fortnight. Since that time however four mails have arrived from the States but not a single letter have I recieved [received] from any one of you & I think I have good reason to believe that you have all forgotten me & that you don't care enough about me to write & if that is the case (which I do not believe) I am going to try & get one more letter from you in this way. I will write you by every mail until you get tired of