Gold Rush Era Letters

& I do hope that I shall sooner or later be again permitted to share the enjoyments, of home with you, although I am now comfortably situated for which I ought to be thankful. As for enjoyment however there is but little to be had in this country. Society here is nothing when compared with society in New England. There are theatres &c [etc] here to be sure but I have had no desire to visit them & have been inside of a theatre here but once & that was in order to attend a Concert give by Miss Catherine Hayes a gentleman having given me a ticket of admission wishing me to attend. This is the only time I have visited the Theatre in this country. I was pleased to hear C & H were enjoying such good health this winter & that they attended church so regularly & constant & they seem to take so much interest in your work that it must make it much easier for you to get along through the cold weather. But as you say if you had not seen to H. she would have been kept to school as long as she could sit up, but it takes mother to manage things she knows right from wrong, & knows how affairs should be managed & when she says anything she means it.

I was very sorry to hear that Esqs & Augustus Jewette [Augustus Jewett] were so lame & feeble. Should not think Clarence would feel like remaining away from home a great while if they continue to be so feeble. They indeed as a family are sorely afflicted. It seems hard for a worthy young man like Augustus to be deprived by sickness from taking any enjoyment whatever of Life. But so it is & so it must be. It is sometimes hard however to realize that all these

[written on left side:] Tuesday 15th How do you all do this evening? I am well & should be glad to know that you were enjoying the same blessing. I saw Henry Shipley [Henry Shepley] today. He looks nice & well & has enjoyed good health since he arrived here. The first inst. if I remember rightly you were 52 years old, that being your birthday I wish I could have passed the day with you as you intended I should have done last year, but my wishing seemed to do no good. Give my love to Charles & Hattie & tell C. to be sure & send his miniature.

H.A.P.

I think as you do that Chas [Charles] ought to improve his times at School as well as he can for as you say he never will have another such a chance & in a very few years he will see the importance of "knowing a thing or two" even if he remains in the quiet town of P. [Pepperell]

Sunday Eve July 31st

I have delayed finishing my letter until it is now too late to get it into the mail, so I shall send it by the Nicaragua Steamer via San Juan.

I am well as usual & I hope you are all enjoying good health & will continue to do so. I have just seen Henry Shipley -- he is well & Wm. [William Shipley] also ---

No news has transpired since I last wrote you that I think would prove interesting, & for a change think I will send you a little blank paper -- perhaps it will be just as acceptable as though I filled it out. At any rate think I will close as it is getting late. Give my love to Chas [Charles] & Harriet & tell them to write whenever they can conveniently do so

With many wishes for your health happiness & general welfare I remain

Your affect [affectionate] Son, H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

To Mrs Ann Parker East Pepperell Mass

a good mining claim & what is still better 112 hens & chickens & five turkies [turkeys] which they intend to eat between now & spring. After relating the above I will leave you to guess whether or no they will not have a nice Thanksgiving dinner but after all I am afraid that I shall be unable to accept of their kind "invite" as it is quite a journey from here to Columbia "but I" hope they may have a nice dinner & enjoy it too, although I fear they will not enjoy themselves quite as well as they would do in P. were they there ---

You wrote that you should like to know if Henry Shipley was married in answer to which I can only say that last spring while on a visit here from Sacramento he said that he was to be married soon to a young lady & was then going across the plains to the States. A few weeks afterward I saw him again when he told me that soon after starting on his proposed trip his wife died & that he concluded to return back again -----

He exhibited no signs of grief, & did not wear mourning for here, which is all I can say of him.

Judging from his stories, he has made many quantity of money in this country & is in a fair way of making still more. Now you can judge for yourself, I understand that Pepperell folks think that Wm. E. Shipley has made himself rich out here & that now they want him to come home right away.

I rather think that if the truth were known that