Gold Rush Era Letters

San Francisco July 22nd 1852.

My Dear Mother, Sister, & Brother,

I now sit down to inform you of my doings &c since my arrival at this place & although it is but a short time since I wrote you I hope that a few lines now will be acceptable.

I have thus far enjoyed very good health & am as happy as I could expect to be under existing circumstances. I believe I wrote you in my last that I was going to try my luck at the mines where I hoped to meet S. P. Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker]. Acting accordingly I took the Steamer for Stockton Saturday afternoon the 10th inst & arrived at S. the next morning after a ride of 120 miles. We spent the Sabbath there & the next morning took the stage for Angels Creek a distance of 70 miles when we arrived at 5. Oclock. We then took our valises blankets & I started off on foot for Murphys Camp a part of the diggings situated 7 miles from Angels Creek. We proceeded about 20 miles when one of our party was taken sick & we we were obliged to camp in the woods for the night. I rested very well although we heard wolves barking around us several times during the night. At 3 Oclock in the morning we resumed our journey and arrived at Murphys at sunrise pretty well tired out. The first building we saw was a sawmill driven by steam when they charge 12 cts per foot for sawing lumber. It is owned by a company from Maine & they will get rich in a short time

San Francisco Jany [January] 28th 1853

My Dear Mother,

Your kind letter of the 15th Dec. was recieved [received] in due season, & I was happy to hear that you were all enjoying such good health & getting along so nicely this winter. Hope you will all continue to be blessed with health & happiness "Heavens choicest gifts" For my part can say that I am smart as usual, but do not think I am enjoying myself however as I should do were I at home but as I am not there nor cannot be at present shall try & pass the time as pleasantly possible during the remainder of my absence which I hope will not be long S. P. Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] & I room together & for the past two weeks have done our own cooking & a part of our washing & we find that we can get along very well & at a cheap rate, Do not know however how long we shall continue to live so, as we may may make some change in our business affairs which will make it inconvenient to live in the present style Almost every time we sit down to eat we cannot help laughing to think of the difference in our manner of living at the present time & the manner in which we were want to live while at home & which we did not then appreciate. How I should like a few of your nice apples (which you wrote about.) They would relish nice

San Francisco Cal. July 27th 1853

Dear Mother,

I have just finished writing a few lines to S. P. Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker], & as the mail leaves here again for the States next Monday, thought I would commence a letter to you so as to be in time to have my letters go through more regularly than they did while I was at Natchez [Natchez Creek]. Your dated June 17th was recieved [received] the 18th inst. when you wrote that you had not received a letter from me by the previous mail, the reason of which I can easily account for. When I was at N. I wrote you. I think, the 9th of May intending it to go by the mail which left here the 16th May but I did not have a chance to send it down here until about the time the Steamer sailed so of course it could not go until the 1st of June, but I suppose you have recieved [received] it ere now. I was indeed happy to hear that you were all well & very glad to know that you got over your lameness so easily & soon for a "rusty nail" I think is the very worst thing any one can wound them selves with

My health remains good & I have been engaged the past week in fitting up a place to commence business again in the company with a young man from Bangor, Maine by the name of Wade. I can inform you of our success better by 9 by "poco tempo"

I received a letter from S. P. Tucker [Samuel P.Tucker] the 19th inst. the first I had heard from him since the 2nd of May

[seal]

San Francisco Sept. 12th 1853

The few lines you wrote Aug 3rd were received the 7th inst. -- bearing the unwelcome intelligence of Charles's severe illness

In the previous letter, you wrote that he had a bad cold & was quite unwell, but I was in hopes to have heard of his recovery -- "but sad reverse" to hear that he was so sick -- ere now however a change has probably taken place -- for better or worse -- I sincerely hope for the better. Were he in this country I should have but little hopes of his recovery, but under your kind care I think he will regain his health. as I know you will do everything in your power to bring about that "happy change" & I hope to hear by next mail of his entire recovery.

My health remains good & I believe all the Pepperellites now sojourning in this "Golden Country" are enjoying the same blessing. I have not heard from S. P. Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] for several days but presume he is well There were no letters for him by last mail nor did I receive any from Mr. T. family

I received a letter however from Mr. S. A. Jewett & was happy to hear that he & his father were rather more comfortable & I hope their health will continue to improve, so that they may again enjoy good health

success while I have been in this country, but never mind, I expect "better times are coming."

By the mail of the 20th inst I not only recieved [received] letters from you and Harriet but also one from Mr T. two from Mrs T. two from Miss Lizzie Lewis & one from Miss Lydia C. Tucker all of which were very acceptable & I was very happy to hear that they were all enjoying good health at the time they wrote, a blessing which I hope they may long be favored with, It appears that, Mr & Mrs T. & Miss L. wrote me by the mail before the last but for some unknown reason I did not recieve [receive] their letters until the last mail arrived consequently I did not write them the 15 inst but shall do so today. ---

Friday Sept 30th. This is a lovely morning much the same as you experience at this season of the year

I am as well as usual & I hope you are all well & happy. Daniel Wright came down from Columbia yesterday (where he has been at work with S. P. Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker]) & he will leave here, for Pepperell tomorrow morning

I suppose you know his family, (Mr Abel Wrights.) They live over at the south part of the town.

Daniel, goes home on account of feeble health & will return again in th Spring if he regains his health. He has kindly offered to take a letter to you if I wished him to, so I think I will send it by him as you might be glad to hear from me by some one who had seen me. Sam Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] is well & will remain at the mines during the winter ---