Gold Rush Letters of Henry A. Parker

as they afford me the greater part of my enjoyment & I hope you will keep your promise that is to write me by every mail if it is but a few lines just to let me know that you are all well &c I am aware that you are at this season very busy but hope you will find time to write me a few lines every fortnight. Tell Charles & Hattie to write me also as their letters are very interesting & are perused with pleasure. I shall write you by every mail as I have done since I arrived here & I shall also write a few letters to Brother & Sister often. Please tell them that when I do not write them personally that they may claim an interest in your letters & that I hope they will answer them. I intended to have written them by last mail but neglected doing so but shall write them this afternoon as I received from them a week ago today very acceptable letters & I hope I shall continue to receive letters from them often. Small favors thankfully received & larger ones in proportion .. -- I shall send by this mail which leaves here Tuesday morning a draft on Esq Jewett payable to H. A. Walton New York City & shall draw the money of Mr Wm. Walton [William Walton] of this City. Please accept my thanks for your kindness in helping me about my business as you have done from time to time & rest assured that I will endeavor to return it. Probably before you receive this letter Mr Chas Milkins [Charles Milkins] will have arrived at Pepperell on his return from California having I understand met with very good success since he came out here the last time. I was glad to hear the P. news & to hear from my friend Miss Jennings but sorry to hear of the illness of her brother. I had previously heard of the birth of a young Parker over the river but it interested me but little & you need have no fear of my being obliged to father any of these Smelts as you call them. As I have filled my sheet you must now excuse me from writing any more & I will commence a letter to Sis HaP [Henry A. Parker]

[written vertically in the left margin] From your loving Son H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

San Francisco Nov 28th Sunday.

My Dear Mother,

Your kind letter dated as East Pepperell Oct 17th was recieved [received] last Sunday --

I was happy to hear of the continued good health you have enjoyed the past summer & the present Autumn

Hope you will continue to be blessed with health and prosperity, together with Charles, Hattie & all my friends

My health is good & has been so ever since my arrival in this golden country, which is to be prized above gold. Next to good health the greatest blessing allowed me is the privilege of hearing from you all every fortnight which I have done thus far since the 20th August. & I hope I shall continue to do so as long as I remain in this country & I shall endeavor to write you by every mail even if (as you say) I do not write, but a few words. You can have no idea of the pleasure it gives me to fenese a kind letter from my now distant home, & more particularly when recieved [received] from my best friend on earth -- a kind Mother whose kindness towards me I hope I may yet be allowed to return. Since I last wrote you I have changed my lodgings from the store which I formerly owned to a little room near my place of business & I now have two roommates. Samual P. Tucker & a young man by the name of Eli Harrison who formerly lived with Appleton Lawrence in Pepperell, & we enjoy ourselves first rate

over

(text on left border) Tuesday Eve. Nov. 30th Am well. The mail close at 10 O'clock. I have not had time to write to Charles or Hattie but shall send H. a paper. Hope you are all well and that you will write me often, shall expect a letter from you the last of this week as the as the mail is now nearly due. Your Loving Son H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

at least as well as we could expect to. Sam has now got to be quite smart & has just now seated himself by my side at the same table & is writing a letter to his mother. Perhaps it would not be altogether uninteresting to know how we look at the present time and as you cannot peep in upon us I will endeavor to give you a faint idea of our apartment as it now appears.

First imagine yourself standing in the door, which leads directly out of doors. Looking in you first see Mr Harrisons bed on which he is now fast asleep having sit down on it a half an hour since. To the left of his bed stands the table on which Sam & myself are writing to our kind mothers. The candle sits between us & in front of me lies the contents of my writing box consisting of Paper & other little things which you fixed up for me so nicely just before I left home Your Miniature together with that of Sis & myself also lies on the table together with the letter recd from you by the last mail also letters recd from Andrew Lewis, H. A. Walton & Esq Jewett. To the left of me as I now sit stands my bed which consists of a cob & a straw mattrass [mattress]. My bedding includes the nice blankets you gave me, (which are now not quite so white as the driven snow) & two old coats with a bag which I made stuffed full of dirty clothes for a pillow. At the foot of my bed is some shelves filled with my clothes & little knicknacks [knickknacks], while at the head of my bed stands a chase cupboard minus the chase. I am seated upon a stool made of rough boards & Sam is seated upon a box. Partly behind me is the fire place & on the same side of the room is a

door leading into an adjoining room. Coming back now to the side where the door is situated where you must fancy yourself standing, is a window which nearly completes my description. One side of the room is of iron the other sides of wood & the ceiling over head is of cotton cloth & the floor is formed of Fifty Four distinct pieces of board although the room is only about 9 by 13 feet. I will now leave you to judge of our appearance & of the appearance of our rooms.

For the last three days we have had beautiful weather but this evening is dull & rainy & for a month past nearly every other day has been stormy & old settlers predict a very wet winter, that is that we shall have a great deal of rain before Spring, which although rather unpleasant here with us will be of great benefit to the miners. Last Thursday was Thanksgiving in this state & I believe the same day was set apart for Thanksgiving & praise in the state of Massachusetts. If so how pleasant it would have been could we have all met once more & devoured the Turkey & all the good Fixins together which we have always done every year until now, & if I ever felt homesick I felt so last Thursday I would have given almost anything could I have got home on that day. You will probably remember that I had been absent from home just nine months at that time Nov 25th, I was invited to partake of a Thanksgiving dinner which invitation I accepted & had a nice dinner of Roast ducks Puddings &c. Every one could not afford a Turkey dinner as Turkeys sold at from 10 to 18 dollars each while ducks & geese sell for 3 dollars per Pair. -- I hope you were all well &

& that you had a nice dinner & enjoyed it which I have no doubt you did do. Shall expect to hear all the particulars in a few weeks. It is now past nine Oclock [O'clock] & as I shall have a chance to write a few words tomorrow evening I think I will now lay aside what I have already written & retire to bed. So Good Night. H.A.P. [Henry A. Parker]

Monday night 11. Oclock [O'clock]

After a dull rainy day we are now having a pleasant night as it has cleared off cool & clear. Am very well as are all of my California friends & I hope you are also well. Suppose your work for this season is now completed that is your out of door work, & I hope you have got every thing arranged to your satisfaction & as Charles takes so much interest in the work think it must make your share of it much lighter than it would otherwise be. Please give my love to C. & Hattie & tell them I shall not be able to write them by this mail as it closes tomorrow & I have so much to do through the day that I find no time to write. Tell Hattie that the few lines she wrote me by last mail were very acceptable & that I am in hopes to hear from her often. Tell Charles to write me also as often as he can

From you I shall expect a letter by every mail if it is only a short one. The few lines which you enclosed in your letter I destroyed as soon as I read them & I find that your ideas accord with mine with regard to my being connected in business with F.

As it is now nearly midnight, think I will close, by wishing you, a good nights repose.

My love to friends from Your affectionate Son H A Parker [Henry A. Parker]