Humphrey Griffith letters to family | Collections | The Huntington

Humphrey Griffith letters to family | Collections | The Huntington

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James Humphrey addendum to James Humphrey's Book of forms
Manuscripts
In 1568 James Humphrey assembled and copied out a miscellany of models, forms, and calculations which were in use at the time, to serve as a working manual for other clerks and administrators. Sometime after 1580, Humphrey transcribed materials for this second Book of forms. Some of the contents duplicate sections in the 1568 book, but some sections are new. This manuscript contains ten pages of tables for computing costs of cheese, beef, and herring in varying quantities, and table of allowances for victualing ships. It also contains forms for pressing and recruiting mariners (giving specific dates, places, and names), and where and when to report for duty. New to this manuscript includes forms for searching and salvaging ship materials, for recording identities, destinations, and cargoes of merchants and mariners, for recording names of murdered men and their murderers, as well as cause of death, weapon used, and other details.
mssHM 80802
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S. S. Haws letter to his family
Manuscripts
In this letter addressed "Dear Wife & Children," S.S. Haws describes his five-month journey. He stops at the Bay of All Saints on his way around Cape Horn, breaking up a potentially deadly quarrel between the ship captain and mate along the way. He arrives in California on September 15, 1852, and makes his way to Sacramento, where he began mining, and then on to San Francisco. Of the current condition of mining, he writes, "It is true much gold has been and is still being dug but when you take into consideration the numbers engaged and the vast amount of toil privation and suffering performed and endured to obtain it dwindles down into mere nothingness." He writes of the fire that very nearly consumed Sacramento in its entirety, and the ensuing effect on prices of goods. He also gives news of mutual acquaintences who have also made the journey from New York to California, and reports he has "become quite a practitioner in various diseases," owing in no small part to the continuing growth of the California cities.
mssHM 17476
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Griffith Evans journal
Manuscripts
The journal that Evans kept during his travels to Fort Stanwix and Fort McIntosh. There are also some miscellaneous accounts, promissory notes, etc., dated April and May 1785.
mssHM 608
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Stephen Woodlin letters to family
Manuscripts
Set of 14 letters sent by Stephen Woodin to his family in Genoa, New York, from 1849-1853, while he was traveling to or living in California. The majority of the letters were written to his wife and children, and one to his brother George Woodin (HM 19382). In the first letter, Woodin describes his lodgings in Panama City, including the food available with prices and his observation of religious ceremonies. After arriving in California, Woodin mined for gold near the North Fork of the American river, and in the next four letters (HM 19370-19372, and HM 19382) he describes his travels from Sacramento to the gold fields, working at gold mining (he wrote to his brother that he averaging making $5 a day), his provisions and the costs of goods, and his surroundings and impressions of California. The remaining 9 letters (HM 19373-19381) were written from 1852-1853, beginning when Woodin was on his return journey to California. He writes of traveling from Aspinwall (Colon) to Panama City, where an American flag was displayed for the Fourth of July. He also notes that he encountered "Mr. Booth, a theatrical performer [and his] two sons," probably referring to Junius Brutus Booth and his sons Edwin Booth and Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. (HM 19374). From San Francisco he writes of keeping his hotel, which he liked "very well, all but the selling rum" (HM 19476), of his expenditures, of various steamers that arrived in the city, of duels and executions, including that of "three gamblers...what a pity it...won't be three hundred, for they are the greatest pests there is in this country" (HM 19378), of a Dr. E. White, who was lecturing on spiritual rapping and "making a perfect fool of himself in this business while his wife supports the family by working" (HM 19375), of widespread flooding in January 1853 (HM 19378), and of his favorable impressions of the Chinese in the city, noting that "the Chinese all go by the name of John here, they are a harmless, industrious set of people possessing a great deal of ingenuity and many of them are good businessmen and far more advanced in some of the arts and sciences than our own Americans" (HM 19380). He also writes of his wishes that his family could join him in California, and in April 1853 worries that his partner had left the business and Woodin did not know how to get out of it himself (HM 19379). The final letter was written in June 1853, when Woodin was recovering from a bout of typhoid fever (HM 19381).
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Chauncey Edgar Stearns letters to friends and family
Manuscripts
This is a series of letters written by Chauncey Edgar Stearns, describing his experiences during his journey from Illinois to California. The letters are written to friends and family at his home in Vermont, but many are written to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah Stearns. The first letter, HM 21283, is dated 1855, October 19, and Chauncey Stearns writes that he has traveled by boat up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario. He became seasick during the voyage, particularly upon reaching the lake. He has gotten work as a clerk at a local store in Lockport, Illinois, but does not know how long he will stay. Of the town, he writes: "although it is a good country it is to sickly I say sickly it is not so with folks that live hear." He urges his brother Henry to stay at home. In HM 21285, dated 1855, December 6, he writes of homesickness: "If I had thirty Dollars and was back to Vermont I would never say any thing more about the West." He begs his parents "do not tell anyone that I want to come home for they would laugh at me when I get home." Stearns was in Iowa in early 1856, and stayed with various friends and relatives in Wisconsin during the spring and summer of 1856, where he worked at farms to save money to finance his travels to California. He writes that he prefers Wisconsin to Illinois (HM 21294, 1856, June 1), and says "I could make up my mind to go home but I shall not at present for the reason I can do better out here than in old Vermont & for that reason I shall stay." By 1858, Stearns has earned enough to buy his own land (HM 21295, dated 1858, November), and by early 1859, he is on his way to Pike's Peak in Colorado (HM 21296, dated 1859, March) before finally heading for California. Stearns seems almost resigned of going to what he calls "the new El Dorado", for as he writes, "there is Gold there without a doubt but not of a sufficient quantity to pay a man for going." By late 1859, he is in Sacramento (HM 21298, written 1859, September 30), and writes that wages are fine, when work can be found. He is very impressed with the bounty of California and its "fertile vallies." However, as he writes in April, 1860, "the society I am mingling with does not harmonize with my feelings" as "gambling and rowdyisms are the principal productions of the mining towns in California & thus it is why so many young men are ruined for life from character as well as health." Of the money made from mining, Stearns remarks, "it is very easy to spend it as fast as it is dug out," but he has not succumbed to the temptations offered in Sacramento. By late 1861 (HM 21303) Stearns declares that California will be his home for the rest of his life, and relocates to San Francisco, where he enlists for three years as a soldier because he believes "it would be better for my health" (HM 21302, dated 1864, August 23). He has had a change of heart, as he writes "should I be fortunate enough to out live the term of my enlistment I shall come home never to leave the Atlantic States again while I live." Regarding his enlistment, he tells his mother not to worry, as "Soldiers here have no fighting to do." In 1866 (HM 21306, written April 17), Stearns writes to his brother "exsposure & hard work has made an old man of me in some respects." The final letter is dated 1867, October 7, and Stearns writes from San Francisco that "I think my health will never be very good again California has been a very hard country with me at times." He laments, one last time, the separation from his family.
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Solomon Gorgas letters to his family
Manuscripts
This is a series of letters written by Solomon Gorgas to his family during his overland travels from Missouri to California during 1850-1851. Nine of the letters are addressed to his wife, Mary Frances Gorgas. HM 2183 is dated 1850, May 1, and was written outside of St. Joseph, Missouri; it is the birthday of Elen, one of the Gorgas children. He is doing well, and assures Frances there is nothing to be worried about. By his next letter (HM 2184; 1850, May 12), Gorgas has reached Fort Keaney in Wyoming after a laborious journey through lonely and beautiful country. He is in good health, and all in his party are getting along. Their next stop is Fort Laramie, 400 miles away. HM 2185 (1850, May 27) sees Gorgas at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, about one third of the way to California. He and his party have seen Indians and their wigwams on several occasions, but have had no trouble with them. Gorgas' next letter (HM 2186, dated 1850, July 31) comes from Sacramento, California, where he has arrived safely and in good health. He describes the city with all its splendor and poverty; provisions are abundant but expensive. The longest letter of this series is HM 2187, written 1850, September 9 from Placerville. In it, Gorgas describes his ventures into the wild country seeking gold. He reports that three-fourths of the miners he has met "hardly made their boarding" while the other fourth make between five and twenty dollars per day, with just a few finding their fortune. In HM 2188, dated 1850, September 11, Gorgas addresses his four children, Elen, Albert, Emma, and Laura, urging them to attend school and listen to their mamma. He sends each a small piece of California gold, and hopes they will write to him. In the final letter (HM 2194, dated 1851, January 27), Gorgas writes that he has had enough of mining, and will be leaving aboard a ship traveling to New York via the Panama Canal.
mssHM 2183-2194