Gold Rush Era Letters

Sam's health is now quite good, & I hope he will be troubled no more with the Fever & Ague. I think his health has not been better since he came to this country that it is at the present time.

Besides the letter recieved [received] from by last mail I recieved [received] long & highly interesting letters from Mrs. Tucker and Mrs. Lizzie Lewis giving a glowing description of their Thanksgiving & I think they had a rich time of it & I would gladly have been in P. that day myself. Sam & I thought of & spoke about you all often & as often wished ourselves with you but our wishing seemed to do no good & we finally came to the conclusion that we ought to be thankful that our situations were no worse & that we might consider ourselves lucky if we were permitted to spend our Thanksgiving in 1853 at home with our friends. I do not know as I can write you much news as I do not know of any of any consequence.

Mr. John Griffin arrived here about a month since from Pepperell but could give us but a little of the P. news as he had not been living at home for 3 or 4 years.

He seems to like the country very well thus far.

Mr. Shipley & all of the P. folks remain about as usual of which there are now about a dozen in this county but we hear but little of those who are in the country.

Hope however they are all doing well as I should not wish to have any of them return home any worse off than they were when they left as I think that the majority of the Pepperell citizens have enough to do to take

on my voyage out here. I was somewhat surprised to hear that Friend Sarah J. H. hopped off so sudden at last but after all if she was bound to get married perhaps the sooner she done so the better & have it done with. The newly married couple have my best wishes for their future welfare & happiness. Suppose that Henry Loring & Miss Francis Tarbell also Mr Phelps & Miss Therise J. Wright are now married as Miss Lizzie Lewis wrote me that they were calculating on being married about New Years Hope they all fell [feel] better

I had heard of the destruction by fire of Chichering Piano Forte establishment previous to your writing

Saw an account of it in the Boston Journal which I received the 5th inst It was truly a sad affair, & I was very sorry to hear that the Piano which you had engaged for Harriet was burned but hope you will succeed in obtaining her another one soon. I am thinking that you mean she shall have a pretty nice one when she haves any, an idea which I like myself for if she can't have a good one she might about as well have none. I suppose she felt somewhat disappointed when she first heard the report of the fire but as you say she must learn with the rest of us "to take things as they come"

S. P. T. [Samuel P. Tucker] continues to enjoy good health & is now writing letters home John Griffin has now been out here about two months. He has got a room in the same building with us & we have some quite social times

14th John & William Keep are at work mining on the Feather River. H. Leighton & his father I suppose are at Auburn. John Griffin & Silas Stone are here in town as also is J. Spaulding Elliott, Henry Bowen (Jack's son) has been out here & have now gone home again & his brother Sampson has come out, so you see there are quite a number of us out here who know something about Pepperell

I was glad to hear by your letter of the 1tth April that you had got such a nice lot of wood into the shed again in good order for the coming year, & I hope you will succeed as well with all your out door work throughout the year, was also glad to hear by your last letter that you were all well (although H. had but just got well of a severe cold) & I hope you may all continue to enjoy good health

I believe I wrote in my last that I had miss Harriets letter dated April 17th & I shall try & answer it by this mail --

You wrote that you received a call from Miss Jennings & Mrs S. J. Billings --- wish they would call upon me ---

When you see them again please give them my kind regards, & tell them I was hoping to hear that they had not forgotten me. Remember me also to Nelly Z. who you will remember gave me the ring about a month before I left home, & which I have worn constantly ever since, nearly 17 months. --- You say I am dismissed which was the first I had heard of it & the letter of dismissal you spoke of has not as yet been recieved [received] but probably will be soon & I shall preserve it for you. Her maneuvers are very interesting I think, & I suppose she will soon pick up a new beau. Hope he will be as fortunate as I was.

several letters to him which I took from the P.O. here, (from his eastern friends).

A gentleman by the name of Blanchard returns home by the Steamer which leaves here tomorrow. He came out here with John Griffin last December but owing to his wife's ill health returns again to his home in Milford N.H. after making but a short stop in California. He said he should visit Pepperell & I asked him to call on you as I thought you would be glad to see him as he could tell you all about me &c.

I became acquainted with him soon after he arrived here & find him to be a very fine man

He is related to Mr Griffins family in P. [Pepperell] & will pay them a visit soon after he arrives home --

I am happy to hear that Mrs C Lewis is so agreeable a neighbor, as it will make it much pleasanter for you even if you do go out but little.

The descendants of Dea Blake, I understand are becoming quite numerous & from all accounts, I think the population of P. [Pepperell] is gradually increasing even if some of the boys do get strayed off to Cal --

{I suppose now that "Eliza dear" has "dismissed me" she flashes around to a great rate. But no matter.}

I will now close Please accept my sincere wishes for your welfare & excuse the bad looks of this letter as I have written it hastily. -- Your affect Son

H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

I received a letter from Sam Tucker [Samuel P. Tucker] this morning. He wrote that he was well and got back to Columbia safely the second day after he left here --

John Griffin left here last Saturday for the mines, so now there is no one left here in San Francisco but Mr Shipley, Mr Stone and myself who can claim the honor of being Pepperellites.

Mr Noyes [Ephraim Noyes] is as well as usual and wishes to be remembered to you.

We continue to get along first rate together and our business also continues good. Our profits today will probably amount to $25. or $30. with our expenses at $4.50. Since we have had two stands we have had to confine ourselves closely to our business, but still we do not mind it much as long as we get well paid for our pains, for after we get through our business at night we feel much better than I used to, when I was around the streets throughout the whole day in the winter of 1853 -- Give my love to Charles & Harriet, and my kind regards to friends

Wishing you all continued health & happiness

I remain, your affct [affectionate] Son, H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

To A. H. E. & C. F. Parker E Pepperell Mass