Gold Rush Era Letters

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]

& 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]

of health & am getting along very well considering that I am in California. Since I wrote you last I have again changed my Lodging room having been obliged to move into a chamber in the same building where I was before & I think I shall remain where I now am the remainder of the winter.

Sam Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] rooms with me & we try to enjoy ourselves as well as we can but after all we often wish we were once more at home among parents relatives & friends but as we have brought ourselves into our present situation we can blame no one & must try & make the best of it. The greatest pleasure we can enjoy in this country is afforded by the reciept [receipt] of letters from our kind friends at at home, & I hope we may continue to recieve [receive] them as regularly as heretofore & that we shall hear good & favorable tidings from you all. Mr Tucker wrote me a very acceptable letter of 8 Pages wherein he wrote that his health this fall has been rather poor so much so that he thought he should give up his store. I was very sorry to hear it & I hope he will speedily regain his health. The news which most surprised me was the marriage of John V. Ames & Jane Wolcott. It is the last match I should have thought of but if they are suited I suppose it is all right, but I think John V will find her a little different from his first wife. I was sorry to hear of the death of Martha Ann Sawtelles little boy whose death she must have felt severely

There are now about sixteen Pepperell folks in this country & most of them are at the mines & how they are doing cannot tell Hope however they are doing well as I should not wish to have any of them return & be dependent on their friends for support although some of us may be obliged to Still I hope not. There is at the present time a great deal of poverty & suffering even in this golden country & there are now I might say thousands who would be glad to return to the states had they the means of doing so. Flour in some parts of the mines this winter has been as high as 1$ per lb Potatoes 50 cts per lb & all other provisions in proportion A great many have died having I suppose starved to death or almost. In fact it has been one of the hardest winters known in California --

I wrote a few lines to Charles but forgot to mention one thing to him which I meant to have done & I wish you would just speak to him about it

Tell him that I want him to send me his Miniature which he can do through the Post Office by doing it up in a nice compact form. I will pay all expenses & will be much obliged to him if he will send it & I wish you would tell him to be sure & do so. As I have nearly filled my sheet will now close Please remember me to all my friends. "That we may yet meet & be reunited & a happy family as when we were young children is not only the sincere wish of my kind mother" but also of her affct [affectionate] Son H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

San Francisco Cal. Feb. 10th 1853.

My Dear Mother,

Your kind letter date Jan 1st was received last Sunday, & I was very happy to hear that your were all enjoying good health. I was also please to hear that the present year had opened with so much brighter prospects for your future happiness than did last year. That you "felt truly wretched in mind" one year ago the 1st of Jan. I can judge from the letter you wrote me about that time. But I am glad, very glad, to know that you are much happier than you were last year, owing to the change in my conduct & you may rest assured that I shall continue to conduct myself as I ought to do. For your sake. For the sake of brother & Sister, friends & relatives & last but not least for my own sake. I have resolved to do as I ought in every respect so far as I can. I find it just as easy, yes, easier to do right than to do wrong & conduct myself as I did a year or more previous to my coming to California -- ---

All such stories as you say, are circulated about home Vis "That I am married to Lizza & paying her board at H. Blakes, you will not believe or take any notice of of course after what I have written you & that too sincerely. To the best of my recollection I never paid for but one meal of victuals which she eat in my life & that is one too many. I guess you have not