| Title: | John Orr, Sacramento, To Rev. John Orr, Portaferry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2021 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Orr, John M/19 |
| Year | 1850 |
| Sender | Orr, John Malcolm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | miner (gold digging?) |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Sacramento, California, USA |
| Destination | Portaferry, Co. Down, USA |
| Recipient | Rev John Orr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | Copyright Retained By John McCleery, 80 Circular Road, Belfast, BT4 2GD. |
| Archive | The Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9702139 |
| Date | 13/06/1850 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 10:02:97. |
| Word Count | 884 |
| Genre | |
| Note | N.B. John Malcolm died in 1851 (Did various jobs and decided to go west where he expected to do some kind of business) |
| Transcript | [Post Mark] SACRAMENTO 14 JUNE CAL. Rev.d John Orr, Portaferry Co. Down Ireland Sacramento City, Cal [California?] 13 June 1850 My Dear Father I arrived here on Saturday from the southern mines and was in hopes to find some letters from home but was disappointed. I know that you have written but what has become of the letters I dont know nor can I find out, since I arrived in California, I have got but one letter from Jane Ellen, dated about the last of Aug 49, and one from Thomas Warnock dated 29 Jany in which he says you were all well the last that he heard and that Mrs Chermside was dead, this is all the news that I have got from home for 13 months and I am a little anxious to hear from you soon, Thomas W [Warnock?] in his letter says that he will come here if he can get our old business settled up in time, and that he would remit the balance of my money to you as soon as he could sell the boats &c. In such a place as this has been I presume you would think that without laws or government a state of anarchy and outrage would be unavoidable, but such has not been the case, a more peaceable set of people is difficult to find, and if any crime was committed and the criminal caught, he was generally strung up as soon as his guilt was proved, there have been some little disturbance with the Indians on Yuba & Feather rivers, but some companies of US troops and some miners went out and chastised them pretty severely, killing 300 to 400 while they only lost 3 men killed. With regard to our own mining we have done about an average falling of course far short of the expectations we entertained before coming here, we have made since I may say the middle of Jany about œ125.0.0 clear without any capital invested, and the next three months I can do a great deal better cutting hay that is what we have come up here for; if we can get 50 Tons each we can make at least $150, per Ton clear profit and perhaps more for feed is a scarce commodity 3 months from this time. In my first letter I gave you a description of the City since I left all the tents have disappeared and good farm buildings have been put up in place it has alas grown a large place, some 10,000 people; just think of it, one year since then there was not 500 here, there are some 12 or 15 steamboats running every day besides any quantity of schooners &c, but it is an awful place in winter at least 3 feet water in the streets and all over the plains except a few low hills they have to go in boats from one house to another, such a state of things continues some six weeks, thousands of oxen were drowned and great numbers of houses, several houses have been floated off their foundations and turned sideways to the streets, a tax of $250,000 has been voted for to levee the bank of the river so that there will be no danger of its over flowing again, the weather is getting warm but there is a fine breeze every day, it is astonishing what numbers of emigrants are arriving with every boat. The latter part of last years emigration across the plains who wintered at Salt Lake are arriving now, also some of those who have left the Missouri this year with pack mules have already got in, being only 60 or 70 days on the road, a great number of those who came this year will wish they never had left home as they will be terribly disappointed, indeed several who have come round the Cape have gone home before they were a month here, gambling is carried on to great excess here, many of the young men who have not been used to hard work as soon as they come from the mines with a few hundred dollars set up a Monte table & set to gambling, this class of emigrants will undoubtedly be spoiled in California for they are too idle to do any good, and men must work here, if you hire a man to work it costs about $10,00 a day, as I will be here for some time to come I will write very soon again. I will also write to E & R K [Swigh?] of San Francisco to enquire them if there be any letters for me. I hope those that I wrote arrived safe, my partner Griggs just received an answer to the letter that he sent in Nov; I should like to hear the Fresh news very much I suppose very exagerated [exaggerated?] accounts reach you of the scarity of Provisions, sickness &c, provisions are still high but not scarce potatoes are yet worth 25 cts [cents?] per lb. I must now fill up the remainder of this page by assuring you that I am well and brown as an Indian, and hope that this will find all at home in same state, in regard to health as also all other friends and acquaintences [acquaintancees?], give my love to mother, Sisters & William Henry. I remain Dear Father Yr [Your?] affect [affectionate?] son John M [Malcolm?] Orr |
