Gold Rush Era Letters

Saint Louis May 8th 1851 [Written in pencil] (Should be 1852)

Dear Sister

I have got this far on my journey without any accident and very little delay I arrived in Buffalo on friday [Friday] the thirtieth of April where I stayed all day and had plenty of time to look around to see the City. Business at the present time there is very Brisk there. in the afternoon I engaged a passage on the Baltic for Toledo for which place we sailed at Eight in the evening. at Daylight on Saturday the first of may [May] we arrived at the town of Erie where we lay two hours. we touched at Snadusky Cleveland a [at] seven in the evening touched at Sandusky at Eight o clock [o'clock] on the morning of the second and arrived at Toledo at ten o clock [o'clock]. here we were to have taken the Cars but the track had been washed away with the late rains so we had to go to Munroe where we landed at three in the afternoon. we stayed in Munroe all night an [and] got on board the cars for Michigan Sapos La Porte in Indiana Stopping at all the principal places the names of Which you will see by refferring [referring] to the little Guide book you have. we got to Laporte [La Porte] a Six in the evening and stayed until the next evening at the same hour when we took the stage for Michigan City. got there at Eleven o clock [o'clock] and found the cars ready to take us to Chicago where we arrived at two o Clock [o'clock] on the morning of the here

[At very bottom of page] cousin consen

Cambridge City, Indiana Oct 6th 1852 Indiana

Dear Nice I received your letter of Sep 12 1852 which gave me a grate [great] deal of Pleasure to hear from you and all the Rest of our folk little did I expect to hear the death of both of them Charles Martin & Amy Both I Had so not Expected the deat [death] of Lane & Saley than them boys But so it is we no [know] not the hour we are Cald [called] for I am sue a poor written on I kould [would] write moore [more] than I do you wanted to no [know] whether I was mared [married] I am not mared [married] whether I Even shall be I think thT I shall stay hear [here] this winter I heve [have] a tolerable Good Chance in making Hats sene [since] I was at your house I have ben [been] a good many thousan [thousand] miles I was up the mis une to Indindis last summer and was agoing to ever the plains to Caleforne [California] but my helth [health] wernt [were not] good a nif [enough] I like to see diferent [different] Parts of the cuntry but I mus [must] stop & settle down some whare [where] for I getting in years lona [long] I Had littl [little] thats of your out living all your sisters & Brothers I have wrote you a few lines In answer to your letter if yu [you] wrote me it is hardly leghal [legal] I shall Close thise lines By saying By Saying I remain your afichenet [affetionaate] loving uncle Levi Brown I shall send you 2 Papers for you to Read Give my Love to them all as soon as you receive Write Rite [right] By a next mail

Levi Brown