Gold Rush Era Letters

The markets are now well supplied with fruit & vegetables of all kinds being brought here from all parts of this State as well as Oregon Chile & the Sandwich Islands. In the way of fruit we have Oranges Limes & bananas from the coast of Chile & the S.I., Apples, Pears, Water melons musk melons, Peaches & Grapes which are now grown in this State. Peaches & Grapes have been in market but a few days & were at first retailed, the former for $1. each & the latter for $1.50 per pound!! In a month however Grapes will come in from all parts of the country & will then sell for 12 1/2 cts per pound & then I think I can afford to eat a few. Oh, how I wish I could step into your garden in about one month from now, couldn't I have a rich treat, after having been so long deprived the privilege of helping myself to fruit & all the luxuries of good living & a good house which I may never return to again --

I was glad to hear that your haying was done & that you were so well satisfied & I hope you may have good success in all your farming operations --

The grass you say on the upper mowing was very good this year & sold tolerably well which is good news --

As for A. & W. Woods they & all others like them are a curse to any place, & to their neighbors particularly.

They neither try to get along themselves or to help others but on the contrary it seems as though they liked to live off from other people. They will borrow money & never pay & obtain credit then fail, lay idle &c &c

The mail Steamer instead of leaving the 1st proximo as she was expected to do is advertised to leave the 29 inst. for what reason I know not

You will please give my love to Charles & Harriet & tell them that I am glad that they are getting along so finely shop keeping, studying music &c -- & I hope they will continue to enjoy good health throug [through] the winter & be able to attend school regularly --

Tell them that if they have leisure time to write me if they write only a few words & also tell C. that papers are to me very acceptable & that I hope he will send me one occasionally.

Wishing you health & happiness, I remain Your affct [affectionate] Son H. A. Parker [Henry A. Parker]

To Mrs. Ann Parker E. Pepperell Mass

P.S. Friday Dec 30th. I am as well as usual, & as the mail does not close until evening thought I would write a few words more. I have not as yet recd [received] a letter from Sam, consequently am unable to say anything with regard to his affairs at present presume however that he is as well as usual

I shall send you a very small sample of the "Golden Sand" which is found on the sea beach on the coast of Oregon. It is very fine but quite rich.

Please remember me to all my friends & write often to your Son, Henry [Henry A. Parker]--

Since I last wrote you, this coast has again been the scene of a large number of melancholy disasters

The most shocking one of all occurred the 15th inst at which time the boiler of the Steamer "Secretary" exploded, killing instantly about thirty persons and badly scalding and mangling a large number besides among which number were several ladies.

At about the same time the Steamer "Gazelle" plying on the Columbia river in Oregon exploded her boiler instantly killing twenty persons.

Within the past week two schooners one bark and a clipper ship have been wrecked at only a short distance from this city. With one exception no deaths have been caused by these shipwrecks, but this one instance has occasioned a frightful loss of Life, as you will see by the following --

The bark Walter Claxton left Mendocino (a port sixty miles north of San Francisco) loaded with lumber having on board beside several passengers, which with the crew of the vessel amounted to sixteen persons

Soon after leaving port, she encountered a severe gale which caused her to capsize, when those on board of her managed to get onto her bottom, but the heavy sea soon washed these off and as yet only four or five out of the sixteen have been found and probably never will be. The clipper ship "Golden Fleece" of Boston got ashore last Saturday when going out of this port, at a place called Fort Point

[written upside down and backward in the top margin] she will write me a good long letter too. It is now just a month since I wrote her that I should like to have her send me her miniature and in six weeks or two months more I shall expect to recieve [receive] it

He thought he was a great deal better but before night he was down again worse than ever, and had to give up business again. I saw him yesterday when he was comfortable.

I think he will now take a trip to Oregon for the benefit of his health, as he had a cousin there on a farm who would like to have Noyes [Ephraim Noyes] make him a visit, and perhaps a little out-door exercise on a farm would do Noyes [Ephraim Noyes] more good than any thing else he could do.

I hope he will soon get well for it is bad for him as he is obliged to have a man in his place, and it is also bad for me for I have more care on my mind and more work to do than I should if he was well and able to look out for one of our stands, but still as long as I continue to enjoy good health I can get along very well alone, although I do not find it so pleasant when Noyes [Ephraim Noyes] is away as I do when he is here, I have now been at the stand on Davis St one year today, which is the longest, that I ever remained, at one thing

night he complained of feeling rather uncomfortable again, and the next day he was sick again so that he left the stand and went to Capt. Galacar's to stop awhile. He remained there without getting much better until last Saturday, (day before yesterday) when he left, and started for Oregon, where he will probably remain a month or more, or rather I expect he will be absent from here that length of time as he will be a week or two on the passage there and back so for a while I shall have business enough. Mr N. [Ephraim Noyes] has a cousin in Oregon who owns a farm there and he thought the exercise he should be able to take there and the sea trip both ways, would do him good, and I hope it may.

To tell the truth. I think that since trade began to grow rather dull, Mr Noyes [Ephraim Noyes], has felt rather homesick. He has a wife and child at No. [North] Bridgewater and I dare say his wife has written him to come home, and if his health is no better when he returns from Oregon I do not know but he will go home.

He always haves [has] his mind upon his business, and allows it to worry him more than he ought to.

[written on left margin:] The enclosed slip "Life in California" tells the truth, so thought I would send it to you.