Lot
501 
Brig Funchal off the coast of California, 27th Jany 1830, datelined on folded letter addressed "Messrs Fredk Huth & Co., London" [England], written by Scottish trader Stephen Anderson, writing about a shipment of 16,400 hides he was sending to London on the Brig Funchal to obtain insurance for the shipment, the ship's captain John Hart, added a note on the interior upon his June 4 arrival at Rio de Janeiro, "I have to inform you that the "Funchal" putting into this port after a fine passage of 121 days from California. The highs are in excellent condition as far as can be seen under the deck where they have been settled. We should leave this in eight days for London and hope to have a quick passage", carried privately, docketed on reverse "1830, Stephen Anderson, California 27 Jany, John Hart, Rio Jano 4 June, rec'd 9 Augt, Answd", light toning, especially at folds, still, F.-V.F.Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
A VERY RARE EARLY LETTER WHICH ORIGINATED OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA IN 1830.
As discussed in "Mails of the Westward Expansion" by Frajola & Walske on page 58, this letter is yet another "duplicate" to the one discussed in that book, sent to ensure communication.
Current Opening Bid: $750
Lot
502
Chilian Camp, Tuolumne County, California, Tuesday, 3d Mo [Mar] 23 [1850], dateline on four-page bluish paper letter (no cover) from a gold miner writing to his sisters, in part, "…I suppose there is letters in Stockton Post Office for me, which I should recd. ere this but for the mismanagement of the Express which brought our letters. I have taken my name from their books & shall send for my letters this week by private conveyance…your appeals that I must start immediately for my Home in New England, and leave these beautiful, sequestered shades of California, these beautiful green vales with their flowers of a thousand different hues, these elevated mountains whose tops are so romanticly capt with snow these swift majestic Rivers whose deep waters bound swiftly, forming and dashing towards the broad, blue & placid Pacific…wild independent life of a miner who has no cares to assail him no troubles to grim him & no girls to plague him, or steal his heart away; think you I can leave this beautiful land without a feeling of regret. No Dear Sisters be assured I cannot without feeling deep regreat when I shall take leave of these familiar scenes where I have spent in peace & tranquility eleven months of my life undisturbed and unmolested by any human being& in a land too reported by you as so famous for murders & Robbers & crimes of the deepest die…The past week I dug out fifty seven dollars. After realizing such wages it must appear hard when we get home to work for four & sixpence per day yet I hope there are enjoyments to make up for this dificiently." signed Charles [H. Church] and dated to 1850 as it is from the correspondence of the Curtis Creek, Upper California letter also offered in this sale, Very Fine.Estimate $200 - 300.
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Current Opening Bid: $100
Lot
503
Contra Costa County Letters, two letters (no covers) with detailed contents regarding farming & life in Contra Costa County, the first is datelined "Alamon Valley, Contra Costa. Cal., Nov. 20th, 1856" and the second datelined "San Ramone Valley, Contra Costa Co. [California] Oct 18th/ 57" with interesting contents, in part, "…It is a mountainous country, filled with valleys of all sizes and of the most productive kind. The timber is only sufficient for fire wood. The whole country looks like an Oat field. The soil on the Mountains is as same as the valleys…We have no cold and tedious winters here. our winters will compare with Sept. in the States. For months in the summer we have a clear sky. The days are warm the nights are cool and fine for sleeping and no Mosketoes to sing you to sleep…As to land, Most all the valley land is settled by squatters most the whole country is claimed under Spanish Grants said to have been given by the Mexican government but the most of them are forgeries and are being contested by the settlers…This whole country has by some convulsion of nature been I hoisted up out of the Pacific ocean…We live about 6 miles from Mount Diablo one of the highest peaks in Cal. there is a few Grisley Bear on the Mount that occasionally catch the farmers hogs. There is what is called here Kiota they are like the grey fox that catch pigs and hens.", F.-V.F.Estimate $150 - 200.
Current Opening Bid: $80
Lot
504
Curtis Creek, Upper California June 1850, dateline on four-page letter only (no cover) from a gold miner writing to his sisters, in part, "…I am not disappointed in any respects as many are in regard to this Golden land as it is termed; in fact it far exceended my expectations in regard to everything except the Gold the climate is more healthfull, and agreeable the appearance of the country is beautiful, romantic and sublime, but the Gold is not so easily obtained as many people imagine or so speedily; in fact there are thousands in California who labor dilligently and do not more than earn suficient to pay their board; and from what I can see and learn people do not average more than 4 or 5 dollars per day. I mean to include the whole mumber of people at work in the mines. I think the old mines average proberbly 12 or 16 dollars per day, I know old miners who have made 500 dollars per month since I have been in the mines, yet this is very rare, much depends upon luck, more than upon hard labor, in fact it appears that those who work the least obtain the most, and I have often heard it remarked in the mines that those who spend this time and all their money in drinking and gambling rarely fail of meeting with good luck in the mines, but I think I shall not resort to this method in order to procure Gold. Drinking & Gambling is carried on to a great extent here in the mines and thousands of young men are ruined in consequence of these vices, but I intend to shun these vices (as I would a Rattlesnake)…The extent of the mines is some 4 or 500 miles in length and the Lord only knows their width…brother truly, C.H. Church", Very Fine.Estimate $200 - 300.
Current Opening Bid: $100
Lot
505
Formans Ranch, San Joaquin Co. [California] September the 26 1857, dateline on three-page bluish paper letter only (no cover) relating first-hand graphic account of an Indian massacre, in part, "…I arrived in heare on the 20th the trip across the plains was not as hard as I expected to find it…the Indians comenced depridations in thousand spring valy and hot spring valy that is stealing and runing off stock…down on hurnbolt about one hundred and fifty miles above the sink I saw one of the most horrable hart rending seens I ever witness or hope I ever will again…the next morning the Indians about thirty in number made a charge one them killed three men, two children and one baby and wonded another man and skelped Mrs. Holloway and left her alive. There was two men made there excape. They striped the cloths off the dead and robbed the wagons of everything…the two little children laying close togather, the girls head was split open with a tommahawk, the rest of them their bodys were mangeled shot and cut all to pieces, Mrs. Holoway was standing over the dead body of her husband with the blood streeming down her face and eyes. We berried them all in one grave and then about sixty of us followed the murders…James Ferguson", F.-V.F.Estimate $500 - 750.
AN UNBELIEVABLE WESTERN LETTER WITH INCREDIBLE CONTENTS.
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Current Opening Bid: $725
Lot
506
Iowa Hill, Placer Co., California August 3rd / 56, dateline on bluish four-page letter only (no cover) with excellent contents discussing vigilante justice, in part, "…We have had very exciting times in Cala for the last 4 months the citizens of San Francisco have been compelled to take the law into their own hands on account of the unjustice of the execution of the law by the officers of San Francisco & in fact the whole of Cala. there is hardly a criminal in the State that ever has received his just punishments this is the cause of the organization of the Vigilance Committee which I presume you have heard of by this time. There was a man by the name of King shot dead by a man named Casey, the people then rose up & formed a vigilance Committee, this Committee has taken the law into their own hands and are still holding it, they hung Casey & a man by the name of Cora in May & last week they hung two more murderers by the names of Hetherington & Brace, they have driven a great many blacklegs out of the State…", the letter goes on to discuss politics, the nomination of Buchanan, etc., slight oxidation (whitening) of the bluish paper in corners, Very Fine.Estimate $500 - 750.
AN IMPORTANT CALIFORNIA LETTER WITH HISTORIC CONTENTS REGARDING THE VIGILANTE COMMITTEE.
See also lots 560 & 575.
Current Opening Bid: $250
Lot
507
Longs Bar, Feather River (California) Feby 22rd 1850, dateline on folded cover with light red-orange cds "San Francisco 27 Feb" with "40" integral rate within cds addressed to Lancaster, Ohio, contents read, in part, "…I have made several thousand dollars and think I will have enough to cum home in the fall…I have put some gold in the (wax) seal…Edward P. Jenner"; numerous spots of ink discoloration, two vertical file folds, F.-V.F., Very early Feather River mining letter with the miner affixing gold in the wax seal (which has been pried loose).Estimate $300 - 400.
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Current Opening Bid: $150
Lot
508
Nappa, California Feb 23d 1850, two folded covers from Nappa, California to Fayette, Missouri, first is datelined "Nappa, California Feb 23d 1850" on four-page folded letter mailed with red "New Orleans La. Apr 11 10" integral rate (10¢) datestamp, letter reads, in part, "…I task myself this morning with the pleasure of writing in reply to yours of 19th October '49, which I received yesterday - the only letter since I left the border…The dreams & hardships that gold hunters undergo is lost to the Mindelheim & Kirchheim until a return home…write if you have sent any to Sacramento so that my hand got them, we all have made some money & now could spare you one hundred & fifty dollars were there an opportunity to send it to you…F.D. Willis"; second folded cover with similar dateline of April 10th 1850 and is postmarked with red "New York 10¢ts" integral rate cds, some cover faults, Fine.Estimate $300 - 400.
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Current Opening Bid: $150
Lot
509
Oroville (California), March the 2, 1862, dateline on letter with great contents which read, in part, "…Sacramento has three times been flooded the Legislature & Governor have gone to San Francisco to finish the session. Oroville at the head of steam navigation on Feather River had her share of water no serious damage done, but few small wooden buildings went down stream…You seem to have the idea that California is so far away that news is stale before its arrival. News was first transmitted by the regular mail steamers, in these days a lightning steamers are snails. Next the overland mail was established which brought letters in eighteen days this at last proved a slow coach. Then come the Pony express bringing letters in ten days the people of California then thought they had reached the night of speed, great celebrations took place on the arrival of the first Pony & rider but, a length the Pony became crablike in its movements & the people become dissatisfied. Now comes the telegraph in the space of three hours in favour of Californians & they are satisfied, we get the war news the following day of every battle…", included is original 1853-55 10¢ Nesbitt entire (U9) uprated with 1861 10¢ green cancelled by waffle grid & postmarked Oroville, Cal. Mar 4 cds to Pennsylvania, cover with edge wear and tears, F.-V.F.Estimate $300 - 400.
A WONDERFUL LETTER DESCRIBING THE EVOLUTION OF NEWS AND MAIL DELIVERY FROM THE EAST TO CALIFORNIA.
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Current Opening Bid: $150
Lot
510
Placerville, Eldorado County [California] May 6, 1851, dateline on four-page letter only (no cover) with interesting contents written by a semi-literate gold miner, in part, "…I Arived in san francisco on the I8th of sept after a long and tedious voyage of 8 months on the raging billows. We past through 7 different temperature of wether by crosing the tropicks on the Atlantick, we had to induear intencely hot wether and also on the Pasifick wen we were off Cape horn we had some hard and trying times for 3 weeks we had head winds we war beating against the wind for 10 days and lost 15 miles during the time the wind as blowing a gail our ship became almost unmanageable the rudder post got rect we lost our third mate over board he fell from the yard arm at night he was ingaige in takeing in sail we had a sevear storm the win was chainging and the sails struck him and knock him off. The wether was very cold off cape horn it snowed, we some times had 6 inches of snow on deck, some of the passengers froze their feet we got so far south that some imagined they see the south pole. we were as far as letitude 67.30 we could see the sun north of us about 3 hours and ½ a day it rose just above the horizon…I have become reconsild to Calliforny working moderitly every day digging the precious mettle waiting for luck. The mineers are makeing on and average about $6.00 per day here. I average per day last week. Wages is from $6 to 8 per day. The rivers and reveans are preaty well dug out all over and they are now searching the hills and mountains they have found new digins 2 miles from this place in a side hille they have to dig from 30 to 35 feet deep and then drifting under ground the is all taking and claime some are doing very well some of the claims are paying $200 per day…Cornelius DeWitt", Very Fine, a nice early miner's letter.Estimate $200 - 300.
Current Opening Bid: $100