| Title: | John Orr, California, to Rev. John Orr, Portaferry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2025 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Orr, John M/30(2) |
| Year | 1850 |
| Sender | Orr, John Malcolm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | doing business with hay, expects to open a store at the mine |
| 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, Omagh. |
| Doc. No. | 9701191 |
| Date | 27/10/1850 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 15:01:97. |
| Word Count | 1122 |
| 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 | Sacramento City 27th Oct 1850 My Dear Father I have about half an hour since Received the third letter since I came here from home, dated 15th Aug and written by yourself Jane Ellen & Margaret & I should have got it two weeks since, but the fool at the post office thought it was Mr John Malcom, Esq - instead of Orr I heard some time since - that you were all well from T. Warnock, and am happy to hear it is so from yourselves. I am also glad that you have received the first remittance from Bentley as T. Warnock & I were both a little apprehensive that something was the matter, he not having heard from Bentley since he left - I am sorry that Thomas could not find it convenient to sell out for cash when he left, & that our business wound up so unfavorably, especially for him as I sold out half my Int. [Interest?] to Bentley for its full value the other half to Thomas on conditions, he however got city lots which will be always improving in value as Chicago is increasing most rapidly. The next payment I shall probably send you myself. Thomas got James letter here. I have seen James Livingston, he received letters from his father a short time since he & W. L. are at Rough & Ready in the vicinity of Deer Creek, they I believe intend to return in spring I had a note from T Warnock a short time since he was troubled with bile, but was getting better. Archy was quite well & at work, I am going where they are in a few days, on the Mukelamne, where we got so ducked last winter, please direct to Stockton, where my letters will find me or I will find them. The mining opperations [operations?] of this summer have as a general thing paid badly many companies who had done well last winter went to turning the courses of the rivers & washing out the beds, this is expensive & laborious work and not more than one out of ten paid. I was at Coloma on the South fork of the American (sic) a few days ago, and examined a most gigantic undertaking a company of forty men are making a tunnel through a mountain about 3/8 of a mile long in order to turn the stream through it, different members of the company have been offered $5000 for their chance but would not accept. I wish I had been one of them, I should certainly have pocketed the change. I have had diarrhoea though not very severely for two or three weeks, it has reduced me in flesh some 21lbs I only weigh about 10st instead 11st 7lbs. I am now quite well Griggs & I are closing our hay business, in order to start a store in the mines. we took a large lot of Hay to the mines, which put several hundred dollars out of instead of into our pockets, had it not been for that we should have made a right good summers work even for California. we wont do bad as it is. Cholera has appeared here though not to a great extent yet, some 8 to 12 cases a day in a city of 10,000 who is Edward Lamont that Jane E. [Ellen?] mentions is in San Francisco I cant recollect him, Portaferry and the neighbourhood are well represented here. I see by the last news that California is now a state, there were great rejoicings here on the occasion. Sacramento has grown a great place, almost everything to be found at New York is got here, failures have been frequent here lately, from $100,000 to $300,000 scarcely cause as much talk or excitement as they do in the old states. Provisions are reasonably cheap this fall, but a slight falling off in the imports would have an immediate effect on the price, as the supply in the country is not at present equal to more than sixty days consumption, cloathing [clothing?] is cheap, except Boots, I gave an ounce of gold dust, for a pair a few days ago, good strong blue & striped shirts are also high, white ones are not in general use except among the gentlemen (gamblers) and merchants of the [city?] as it costs about 2/6 to get one washed. The Gambling houses in town are very numerous and splendidly furnished, several of them have orchestras and the best music that can be procured, they will give from $25 to 50 per night to a good violinist & the same to a good singer, there is a young german playing in the [Humbolt?] saloon, whom all the judges of music say is the best violinist they ever heard, he was getting $100 a month in New York when he left at a Theatre. gambling has of late fallen off greatly, houses that crowded a few weeks ago are now comparatively deserted, when a new establishment is opened it gets most of the custom for a short time, you may judge of the numbers attending the debut from when they take frequently on the first night from one to five thousand dollars for drinks at the bar, they keep two sets of bartenders, one for day the other for night. Boarding in the city is from $15 to $25 per week. Lodging extra. I have seldom had anything softer than the soft side of a plank or the ground with a Buffalo skin on it for a bed since I left Chicago, I dont think I could sleep as well in a bed now as I could on the floor, its nothing when a man gets used to it. I never have had a cold since I came here. The weather is now getting cool that is the Thermometer does not go over 75 degrees but till a few days ago, we were melting under a heat of from 85 degrees to 105 degrees every day. I am like the sailors wear a flannel shirt all the time, a pair of pants, two shirts, Boots & Hat with a silk sash is all that a man wears here in the days, coats are not in fashion till after sundown. I am a little surprised at Pat Bowdins having gone to sea, I wonder what Jane Ellen would think of me when she says he should use the razor rather more than he does. I shaved once since I left Chicago, but it is six or seven months since, the sheet is about filled now, so I must finish, my love to all at home, and best respects to all my friends. I am DR [Dear?] Father Yr [Your?] affect [affectionate?] Son John M Orr |
