| Title: | James Williamson, California, to Robert Williamson, Co Armagh |
|---|---|
| ID | 3352 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Williamson, James/20 |
| Year | 1853 |
| Sender | Williamson, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | gold miner |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | California, USA |
| Destination | Richill, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Williamson, Robert |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 2680/2/7: Copied by Permission of W. P. Williamson, Esq., Ahorey House, Richhill, County Armagh. #TYPE EMG James Williamson, Paradise, California, U.S.A., to Robert Williamson, Richhill, County Armagh, [Ireland?], 4 July 1853. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007157 |
| Date | 04/07/1853 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 31:07:1990 S.C.#CREATE created 25:10:1990 GC input |
| Word Count | 1368 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Robert [Williamson, Richill, County Armagh?] From: Paradise July 4th 1853 My Dear Robert As this day is the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence the United States which is more general[?]y taken as a holy day [holiday?] I take the opportunity of answering your very kind & welcome letter which I received last night It give me the greatest satisfaction to learn you were all well at home & getting along so nicely I am in good health at present as is W[illia?]m & Artemisia and doing pretty well W[illia?]m has sold out his interest here & gone about 15 miles farther up to a place called Michigan Bluffs he is not got settled yet but that wont take him long I have not had an answer to the letter I sent to John yet W[illia?]m has had 2 or 3 from him but I believe has not answered them Now that wish which I expressed in Johns letter was not (believe me) from any mercenary motive but if I may say more from Curiousity [Curiosity?] than any thing else nothing would be more against my feeling than to take anything from you in that way or any of the family more than I have had I am well acquainted with most of the demands you have to meet in the shape of rent cess poor rates & everything else of the kind not to know that you must have trouble sometimes to meet these demands. As regards that £20 I wont take it but if you divide it between Mother, Sally, & Frances equal[l?]y it will give me some gratification & it will be easier for you to pay it. I have been mining since I last wrote you except one month's work at a saw mill for which I got $75 I didn't like the Co[mpany?] that owned it so I left that place & came up here I have been to work on a Claim for the last 3 weeks which pays about $200 per month it is coarse gold in flat Chunks weighing from 25 cents to 45 dollars we have to strip off about 4 feet before we come to the pay dirt it takes a little more than half time to strip it the pay dirt is of a dirty white & the bed rock lays in Edges & full of seams & part of very soft it looks a good deal like the rock opposite the low mill door we get the best pay on the rock & in the seams it is altogether different from what I was to work in last winter. There was good diggin[g?]s found here last spring where a Co[mpany?] of 6 men took out $5000 in 2 days W[illia?]m owned 1/2 a share in it. It is very warm here the thermometer stands in the shade sometimes as high as 120 degrees There is no rain here in the summer whatever the grass is all withered & dry there is no dew at night but generally a refreshing breese [breeze?] this is in general a very healthy Climate with some of the most beautiful prospect you ever see in your life. I can go on some hills here on the south lays the great valley of the Sacramento & the Coast range of mountains far in the distance it looks a good deal like standing on Rockmacraney [Rockmacreeny?] & looking towards Belfast only the distance is much greater on the north lays the Sierra Nevada Mts [Mountains?] the tops of which are covered with snow the y[ea?]r round the appearance of the County is very hilly & Covered with pine live oak chapparell, Mansineta & poison oak. Which keep green always the hills average from 200 to 2 & 300 feet high it is hard work to lug a lot of blankets & the few duds a fellow has over one of them. But there is good roads this time of the year to any part of the mines I have had no letters from any one in bonus since I left there I had a letter from Jo[hn?] Taylor Jr [Junior?] from placeville he stated he had a letter from home that they were all well there Jno [John?] Sinclair had got married to Betsy Taylor & G. Erwin to Sarah Walker some of the Boys stole a wheel of Erwins Carriage on the day the wedding was to take place so that he had to put it off for 3 days longer. I am Glad the mill was not much damaged by the fire but that trough happened to be in the right place that time You want to know about erecting a spade mill There is some places where the[y?] might be put up but it would be in my opinion a useless speculation for 2 reasons first there is no small rivers that run water steady all the year on large rivers they are subject to arise so rapid that they sweep all before them 2 they [the?] people here would not use such spades as you use nor shovels either they use nothing but shovels here what they cant dig they use the Pick You ask my advise as to coming here to settle? I would not advise you to come here but if I was in Ireland again & had they [the?] best farm that you know of in my possession I would sell it & go either to Ill[inois?] or Iowa & buy a place or farm at Gov[ernmen?]t price You Could buy better farm & stock & farming tools for £600 there than they can produce in Ireland This is some of my own Calculations when I get money enough ahead (which I hope wont be long) to do so. would like to have W[illia?]m Birches address if you can get it for me I suppose Jacob Bain intends remaining at home now I would give my old Boots to see him Does Jack McArdle live on top of the hill yet How does your bees get along I am glad Hugh & Sally are getting along so well in the Butter business I am Glad to hear that J Aston & Catharine are all well with their family & Richard. does he have the rheumatism as often as he used to what name does mary give her son I suppose she Calls him her own [?] How is Mrs Tuft & her Partner what is the matter that she never has written to me since she got married You want to know how I spend the Sabbath This is the most difficult question you Could have asked among a thousand it is a General Rule in the mines to transact all Public business such as meetings to form laws for the protection of miners Claims Settling accounts of the past week Cleaning Gold or any business that Can wait for sunday I have not got much to say for myself I keep as quiet as possible on sundays & as for Bibles since I came to Cal[ifornia?] I have seen two & one testament There was preaching here last week I will give you some Idea of the place Where the preaching was going on It was in a Bar Room on one side was the bar containing all sorts of Liquors on the other side was a large table with a pack of Cards laying on it the Congregation consisted of about fifteen persons some laying out doors smoking & taking not much notice of the ceremony when the preacher was gone they were playing Cards & Checkers as brisk as ever There is no robbers in this neighbourhood & we would tuck them up might [mighty?] quick if there was Joaquin confines his predatory excursions generally amongst the Chinese they are a peaceable race of beings there is three or 4 thousand dollars reward for him dead or alive It is no use to send any papers here we never Can get them I Must Now Conclude & believe me to be your afft [affectionate?] Brother Jim Williamson Give my love to Mother Mrs Williamson Jr [Junior?] & all the rest of the family |
