Manuscripts
B.C. Drey letter to "Dear Dode,"
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C.E. Pickett letter to "Dear Crawford," : Tumwater, Wash
Manuscripts
Letter from C.E. Pickett, a Washington miner, requesting the assistance of Crawford with some business and personal matters. These matters include clearing debts, requests for personal items and new goods, and other monetary concerns. Pickett also briefly describes his activities in Tumwater, Washington.
mssHM 70162
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J. Call letter to "Dear parents, brothers and sisters,"
Manuscripts
This letter was written by J. Call from San Francisco. In it, he describes his overland journey from the East coast to California. He details a cholera break out that killed many, a buffalo hunt, trading with Native Americans, and his arrival to California. He also describes life in California and the mines.
mssHM 83170
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Theodore Johnson letter to "Dear Sir,"
Manuscripts
Johnson requests the carte de visite of the unnamed recipient and his fellow office workers, and describes an intended office Photograph Album. He also describes the schooner Sacramento and asks after mutual acquaintances.
mssHM 72268
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"John" letter to "my dear aunt,"
Manuscripts
Typescript of a letter sent from "John" to "my dear Aunt," written while he was at sea heading to San Francisco on board the steamer Tennessee. He writes of leaving New York on the steamer Cherokee, canoing across the Isthmus of Panama, the scenery and native people of the area, and conditions on board the Tennessee. He concludes the letter on April 16 after his arrival in San Francisco, and briefly describes lumber and mining prospects.
mssHM 73059
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George Fitman letter to "dear uncle,"
Manuscripts
George Fitman writes to his otherwise unidentified uncle that he has recovered from a severe case of "tifoid fever" that came close to claiming his life. As a result, he is in a bad way, out of money and unable to work. He gives a description of San Francisco, and describes the plights and experiences of the gold miner.
mssHM 19476
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Peter Frederick Hummel letter to "Dear Wife & Children,"
Manuscripts
In this 3-page letter, Hummel describes his overland journey to California from Illnois. He talks about arriving in Fort Laramie and describes in detail the bad weather he encountered, the deaths of mules, cattle and horses along the way, and the physical landscape of the desert and the Sierra Nevadas. He also talks about his life in Sacramento, the gold he has found at Sutter's Mill and the difficulty of gold mining. Hummel gives prices for items and suggests that his wife and children come to California to be with him and states that they "could get rich in 2 years time." The letters is on letterhead from "J. M. Hummel Wholesale and Retail" in Sandwich, Illinois.
mssHM 70759