Beschreibung:

Title: Archive of thirty-six letters and notes written by brothers John and Thomas Emery from California during the Gold Rush, to their family in New Brunswick, Canada Author: Emery, John or Thomas Place: California Publisher: Date: 1855-1858 Description: Handwritten in ink, mostly on blue paper, between one and four pages, with three notes on half-sheets. Three envelopes present. Accompanied by the 19th century vintage tin box, wherein the letters were stored for much of the last century and a half. Important archive of letters sent by Canadian brothers John and Thomas Emery, from California during the gold rush, to their brother Hamilton Emery and their father and mother, in Woodstock, New Brunswick. The very legible letters span about three and a half years, and present an insightful and uncommon perspective of the great tableau that was the California Gold Rush. Like their brethren to the south, the young men of Canada were only too eager to leave their difficult lives as farmers and merchants for the lure of quick and easy riches to be found in the Golden State, only to be faced with unforeseen hardships and futility. On May 24th, 1855, Thomas Emery writes to his father, “I wanted to send some money to you but it is impossible for to send it yet for there is not one Banking House in this State but what has failed…” and relays that he was paid $120 a month to see to the reservoir being filled with water at night for the miners to use. His board was about $30. On July 15, 1855, John Emery writes to his father and mother that he went 20 miles into the mountains for three weeks, and “Got broke and went down to river, got hired $78 per month, will work long enough to get grub and go mining again. Robert Hamilton is working a claim with 2 Germans and may not make a cent.” On August 26, 1855, John again writes, “... there was a Chinaman died here a few days ago as it was Sunday we attended his funeral they dug a hole upon the hill 2 feet deep and put him in they buried 10 lbs of rice some sugar a pick shovel and from 2 candles a pipe and a bottle of whiskey with him As you never saw a Chinaman I will tell you about them they are almost as dark as an Indian they shave the forepart of their head and let the hair grow on the crown they never cut it off. I have seen some of them with it dragging on the ground. Their pants are made with the seat coming down to the ground almost and a big hat like a corn basket on their head. I have not seen a woman or girl since the 20 of may you said you heard we were going to starve here and that father was going to send money to me to come home...” September 3, 1856, from Shaw’s Flat, John writes to his brother Hamilton, “There is no water and nothing doing. We have been getting timber for some flumes at $8 a day. Tom and some of the other boys had 10 c per feet. They cleared $200 in 24 Days. I will send mother a ring by the mail. I dug the gold myself. The ring is worth $11.00. I will send it in a board something like a Daguerreotype.” November 3, 1857, from the North Fork of the Tuolumne River, “…it seems as if all the Desperados and reckless men in Tuolumne County had collected about here there is hardly a day but there is a fight in fact not a Sunday but there is several and not with fists but with pistols and knives there was a Frenchmen killed last week by an Italian and last Sunday they were shooting and stabbing but only was man was hurt every man about here carries weapons such as pistol, rifle, shotgun or Bowie Knife and very few words make them use them there is but few Americans here but plenty Italians Austrians Suedes Spaniards half breed Cherokees French and Mexicans and a few Irish…” List of the letters: Columbia. May 24 , 1855. Dear Father by Thomas Emery (4 pages) Shaw's Flat. Jun. 1, 1855. Brother Ham by John Emery (2 pages) No. 1 No. 2 and No. 3. Hartman's Bar. July 15, 1855. Middle Fork of Feather River. Dear Father and Mother by John Em