Gold Rush Era Letters

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Gold Rush Letters of Henry A. Parker

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Pepperell Mar 1852

Dear Henry.

I receivd your letter of 29th. Feb. was happy to hear the prospect of your having a comfortable & pleasant voyage. Concerning your money think your plan of obtaining it from Mr. Walton a very good one I have called on Esq. Jewett immediately after I receivd he has a very favorable opinion of the matter says he will write Mr. H. Walton soon Mr. Tucker [Joseph A. Tucker] & I answered your first letters we receivd [received]; they did not reach N. Y. in time for you to get them & were returned sent back to us. You wished to know what was said about you

At first some of the Blakes imagind [imagined] you lived up in Mr. T's house. When they found out how the matter was Martha Ann was in a terrible stew -- She had enough to say -- She says "If Henry Parker had been of age & could have had the handling of his money he would not gone off he would have staid [stayed] home & married Lizza -- and he is not coming until he can have his money & do as he pleases & go where he pleases with Lizza & not be dictated he will have 7000 dollars when he is of age. His mother is not fit to be a woman" all of this the little nasty son gets off & much more

All they think of is money they care nothing about your person even that little dwarf of a Ferd. "Says he hopes Henry Parker will have Lizza for he he has got a lot of money & then he shall have some

Martha Ann says she is sure of you You have engaged to have Lizza & you cannot get away from it. Therefore if you are going to maintain the whole of that good for nothing extravagant tribe you must not return until you have draind [drained] California of gold & then if you should live a few years you will be an occupant of Mr Peacocks sky marlon

Last edit almost 3 years ago by California State Library
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At 4 Oclock P.M. we took the boat to San Francisco where we arrived Sunday morning after having been gone a week having made about $40. out of pocket We went directly to our old boarding place Mrs Millers & it again received us a little like home. I will now inform you with regard to my money affairs &c. When I arrived here I had $189. I received for my cards $66. & I shall have after paying this weeks board $100. I have lent Friend Fisk 57 dolls so that my expenses have been $98. & I am now living as economical as possible. I have as yet found nothing to do but shall in the course of the week. One thing is certain. If I was now in the States making a good living & knew what I now do about this country I should by all means stay there & I would not advise anyone to think of coming out here, but as long as I am out here I shall stop a while & try and do something.

I have not as yet Seen Saml Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] although I learned from Mr Walton that he came down here from the mines while I went up there, stopped here a day or two & then went to some other place but where I cannot learn. Give my love to all my friends & I hope & trust that one of you will write me a good long letter by every mail as a letter from a New England home & friends is acknowledged by all to be the greatest luxury and goes farther to make one happy than any thing to be found in California.

I remain as ever Your Affct Son & Your affct & loving brother H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

P.S. Bro Charles Please write me and give me an account of your school of your focols, garden &c. What do you think of common hens bringing $40 per doz & Eggs $2.50 per Doz. (The mail for Cal. leaves the states on the 5th & 20th of each month.

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her since I have been in California. The first last & only one should I remain here twenty years --

I will now tell you why I think myself innocent of the charges you preferred against me in your letter of Aug 31st. When I wrote you the 7th of July that I intended to conduct myself differently & to have nothing more to do with Lize T-r [abbreviated last name] I was sincere in what I wrote & I was in hopes you would have had no reason to doubt me. & the only way I deceived you at that time was by not telling you that I had received a letter from her among others which I received on arrival here & found at Mr. Waltons but if I remember right I did not say that I did not receive one from her which I did do & received another last Friday the 8th inst. but I have not received one single line from W. Ames.

I wish to have you understand that I had written her before I wrote you & that before I wrote you what I did I had firmly resolved to try and atone for past misconduct which resolution thus far remains unbroken. When I first read your letter of the 31st Aug however, I felt miserable enough & for some time could not see why you should accuse me so hard while I thought myself innocent, but I now think you did not fully understand me but I hope & trust that the above explanation will prove satisfactory & that you will no longer have reason to doubt me & you may rest assured that I shall endeavor to do as you wish to have me do so far as I can & any advice you may give me from time to time I will try and profit by to the best of

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say that after working a month for Shipley living during the time on nothing at all scarcely. I came across an acquaintance of mine from Boston who owned this Meat Stall & as he was in want of a Bookkeeper he proposed to me to work for him a few days which I agreed to do & after working three days I bought in with him & we do the business in this way. He does all the buying & selling & I take all the charge of the Books pay & collect all bills &c & I have a very comfortable & easy time of it & I now live first rate but whether I shall make money out of the operation or not time must decide.. at any rate I mean to keep enough by me to get me home at any time & so long as I have enough for that & continue to enjoy good health, I shall not borrow trouble, certainly not as long as I continue to hear good news from you all.

Last night it commenced raining for the first time for nearly six months & it has continued to rain throughout the day today & as it came unexpectedly but few had made preparation for it cosequently [consequently] it came down through some of the houses in torrents. It will now rain here probably most of the time for four or five months during which time it will be muddy & sloppy enough. Mud & water in winter & Fleas, dust, sand & Fog in Summer. This forms the delightful & beautiful climate of San Francisco or California.

Dear Mother it is now getting late & I will now bid you Good Night & retire to bed & finish my letter between now & Monday next when the mail leaves for the Atlantic States.

Saturday Eve. Oct 301th

Am well as usual & in good spirits. Have just returned from my days labor & thought I could improve a few

Last edit almost 3 years ago by California State Library
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[written upside down on top edge:] P.S. Monday Evening Nov 15 Am well. Mail closes soon. Good Night.

Your Son H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

Saturday Eve Nov 13th 1852, San Francisco

My Dear Mother

Your kind letter dated at Pepperell Sept 31st was received last Sunday morning & I was happy to hear that you were all well at the time you wrote & I hope you still continue to enjoy health and happiness. I have thus far received from you five letters since my arrival in California, dated at Pepperell May 18th Aug 18th Aug 31st Sept 12th & Sept 31st, all of which I have read & reread with great pleasure, & I hope I shall continue to recieve letters from you by every mail from the Atlantic States.

I still continue to enjoy the best of health as usual & hope I shall do so as long as I remain in this country, for to be sick at home among friends is bad enough but to be sick in a strange land among Strangers is doubly worse & as you say if I lose my health I lose everything therefore I shall endeavor to retain it. Since I last wrote you I have been pretty busy my business requiring me to be on hand from about 5. O'clock A.M. until 6 Oclock P.M. but as my work is light & I live well &C [etc.] I think I ought not to complain so long as I remain away from home & friends which I hope will not always be. It is now nearly nine months since I left home & a longer time than I was ever away before & I can hardly realize that I have been through what I have since I left the good old town of Pepperell but should I be allowed the privelege [privilege] of again meeting you all & finding you all the same as when I left I shall be

Last edit almost 3 years ago by California State Library
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