Gold Rush Era Letters

probably remain here for the present & I can invest money here so that it will pay from 3 to 5 per ct per month. In answer to this letter please write what you think about it. I feel sorry to hear that they (Esq J's family) continue to suffer so severely from lameness &c & I sincerely hope the warm weather will prove beneficial to them & that they will be able to go about again. Their sufferings are truly great. I suppose you have already written me, how you have arranged your farm work for the coming year which I should be pleased to hear all about & I hope you & Chas will write me from time to time how you get along farming.

You say J. A. Tucker has sold out his store to C. Lewis. Lizzie wrote me about the middle of Mar that Mr T. was then taking an account of his stock of goods & expected to sell to Mr Lewis, since which time I have not recieved [received] letters from them although there are several for me here in California & I expect some of them are from Mr Tucker's family, so when I recieve [receive] them I shall probably get the particulars of the Sale I think Mr T. has done very well there & by close & undivided attention to business has made money & from what little I know of Mr L. do not think he will succeed as well as his predecessor has done although I may be mistaken in my ideas & I sincerely wish Mr L. success in his new place of business.

I suppose you will continue to trade there to the same amount as you have done heretofore

Do you not miss Mr Tucker somewhat as he writes me that he is now permanently located in business in Boston & visits P. [Pepperell] but twice a week & will you not miss his family when they move from P. as they probably will do soon if he intends remaining in Boston. For my part I should miss them very much were I to return to P & find them gone for I consider them true friends to me, & I can assure you that the many letters I recieve [receive] from them tends to make my present situation more pleasant & excepting Mother, Sister & Brother I have no better friends in this world than Mr T. & his family. I have recieved [received] letters from some of them by every mail I believe since my arrival here & I have also written him by nearly every mail in return & I hope our correspondence may continue on uninterrupted. Perhaps, you may find Mr. C. Lewis to be as kind & obliging as Mr T. & himself & wife (which I suppose he is now blessed with) to be as good friends & agreeable neighbors as Mr T's family, & I hope you may.

You must write me about how you think Mr Lewis is getting along & whether or no [not] you trade there as much as formerly. I think by close application to business & hard work Mr T has done very well there & perhaps I might have been better off had I remained at home & taken the store of him as I probably could have done so. But I trust that all's for the best. H.A.P. [Henry A. Parker]

[written vertically on the left over the main text] June 15th I am as well as usual, although we have had a hot day I shall say but a few words this evening as I wish to write a few lines to Harriet & to Mrs Tucker & the mail closes at 10 Oclock [O'clock]. I have no news to write excepting the loss of the Steamer Sea Bird. She was wrecked while endeavoring to assist the Clipper Ship Carrier Pijion [Pigeon] which arrived here a few days since from Boston but unintentionally she ran ashore & is now a complete wreck as well as the Steamer. No lives lost.

Give my kind regards to all my friends & love to Chas & Hattie

Your [illegible] Son H. A. Parker V