Dr. B. B. Allen to Dr. Charles H. Carothers of Missouri February 19, 1869

An 1869 letter

Freeport Sacramento County California

February 19, 1869

Dr. C. H. Carothers—

Sir—I presume that you will be surprised by the receipt of this letter, but I hope you will reply and I hope that this will be the commencement of a long and friendly correspondence. I am well ‘posted’ about the troubles in your country and rejoice when I reflect about the honor of ‘war’, and know that I escaped just in time to avoid the strife between the north and the south. I would have been classed with the Southern sympathizers and probably lost all of my property, if not my life, and sir, I was suspicious before leaving Mo that this would be trouble consequently, and my influence to persuade my brothers in law to immigrate with me and I do not regret it.

It is true, I am not as well contented as I have been in other countries, but I am living in the most delightful climate in the world, and have a good home and a good reputation. My practice amounts to about $2000 per year. I am living within 7 miles of Sacramento city. My practice extends about half way. You would be delighted with this country. We have no winter—our farmers plow and plant seed at all times of the year. All of the tropical fruits grow to perfection. If you move to this country, you will not regret it. You could do well in Sacramento City.

You are aware no doubt, that there is a great change in the treatment of nearly all ? Breeding, purging and starving our patients is to a great extent ‘played out,’ the physicians in this Country use but very little Calomel or Bluemass. Our treatment is from principally dimitres (?), drop(?) and tonics, --Quinine is used to excess in nearly all cases of fever. We have a great deal of Fever on Sacramento River or I might say in the Sacramento Valley.

As to mining, it is just in its infancy. New mines are being discovered daily and will be for the nest 500 years. The mineral wealth of this country is not known. George H. Parkson studied medicine with me graduated San Francisco and is now practicing in Dutch Flat.

Jos. Parkson is now reading with me and will attend lectures next summer in San Francisco. Sandy Parkson is going to school in Healsburg California.

California is ‘fast country.’ We have ‘fast’ men, ‘fast’ women and ‘fast’ horses. Our currency is Gold and Silver. Those who are so fortunate as to have any, spend it freely.

If you wish any information about this country, I will be happy to give you the [?] information. If you reply and promise to correspond with me regularly, I will write you long letters and give you some idea about the country, mines & c. & c. Do not come to the [?] that we differ politically and refuse to write. I am a conservative man and do not care but very little about political matter.

Consequently, we will leave politics out of our correspondence. Let me hear from Mr. Himik your father in law. Also Highwood and Simon Himik. Are you practicing medicine now? Do you do any that belongs to the duties of the profession now; ‘ on an empty stomach? Be sure to write me soon and I will write you interesting letter in reply.

Yours, B. B. Allen.

P.S. Let me know your opinion about Dr. Himik’s practice of medicine. Also Wook Lake Practice.

1846-48 MISSOURI MISSIONARY LETTERS

Two letters to family members from Rev. Charles D. Herbert. An 1848 letter to his mother is datelined Harmony Mission, and completed in Warsaw, MO where the writer went to preach at a funeral. The other is an 1846 letter to sister Charlotte in Ellsworth, Maine, from Parkville [Platte County] MO. In this letter he includes a copy of his letter to a Mrs. Morgan in Hartford, CT with description of religious work in the west.

Highlights and excerpts:

1848 Harmony Mission; Warsaw, Mo - "You ask about the name Osage. The Indians pronounce it Wa-Sha-She...The Harmony Mission was abandoned in 1837 at the time the Indians were pressed to go beyond the bounds of the state. They were always rather wild & untamable & the liquor of the whites & the influences of the Govt agents was always vs. the Missions. Those who made farms were obliged always to support the whole tribe while their corn lasted & then go & hunt in their turn & so it was rather discouraging."

"The Christians here do no know much about Christ...They are so cold & lifeless. If they can have one great 'big meeting' as they can it...& make a great noise once a year they can sleep all the year after..."

1846 Parkville, Mo - Thanks Mrs. Morgan and ladies of Hartford, CT for the donation box which was passed out at a St. Louis gathering. He describes the hardships endured by the missionary families and their great need....ague, open cabins, long rides on the prairie. He comments on the ignorance in some communities who, "admire an ignorant ranting preacher" who advocates intemperance.

"There is a little band of brethren here on this utmost border of the state of Mo. in the Platte Purchase lately made of the Indians. I sometimes tell my friends not to look for one location in 'the far west." nor....in the midst of the 'great west'; but beyond....where we may see the fires & hear the wild voices of the red man on the opposite shore...In this new country there is much to be done."
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Letter by gold rush seeker James C. Ferris, May 9, 1864 Independence, Missouri, to sister Mrs [?] Frances M Knapp, Lock Hollow, Cayuga County, New York. Although his spelling is poor, the overall meaning of his letter is easy to understand. Ferris writes that they are breaking the mules and will head out on the 10th. "Captain Tuttle is agoin croast with us." He's in good spirits and health and plans to come home again in three years with "my pocits full of gold." He also comments on the colery [cholera] - "very thick" in Independence and there were cases of it on the road. One steamboat was brought up with thirty bodies. Although he's impressed with the local cornstalks, 8 to 10 feet high, he also mentions that there were three men shot in Independence before they arrived and one man since, but they don't do anything about it. He likens the place to a nasty, drunkards hole. "I would advise you that if you can [?] see the country hear you would stay thare."

Ebay Item number:230389846661

Benton Barracks, Missouri 1862

Letter from James Burnett, Benton Barracks, Missouri., Dec 14, 1862. Says he has had some problems with boils, but is fit as a fiddle now., we are all under marching orders ., some of the paroled men have arrived., a great many have been exchanged and many have gone home....it seems we will be having some good battles soon..he plans on sending up a photograph of himself, once the weather has cleared.

Ebay Item number:300340812673

1942 Family Tree Letter to Martha Hansen, British Columbia to Missouri

Letter: Fort Hammond, B.C.
Feb. 17, 1942
Mrs. Martha S. Hansen
402 Pierce Street
Kirksville, Mo.
Dear Cousin Martha
-------
Let me say 1st that it is a matter of history (& you may know it) that a
group of 50 families left Saxony, Germany, something over 300 years ago &
were settled by the British Govt. in the South of Ireland, which was
almost entirely Roman Catholic. These 50 families were so persecuted by
the Hun of that day that they were forced to flee for their lives as the
Jew is today. I will just mention 3 families: Sparling . . Ruckle . .
Heck . . (I am not sure of the spelling). A Miss Sparling married a
Ruckle & their daughter married a Mr. Heck - - who emigrated to America
in or about 1760. This Barbara Heck, according to the Methodist Church
history, was the founder of Methodism on this continent.
My father informed me that John Wesley preached to this Protestant group
& organized a Methodist Church, & that it was under the Ministry of Jno.
Wesley that this group left the Episopal Church to become Methodists.
In 1842 Jno. Sparling & his wife Mary Williams left Ireland with 3
children: Ann, 7 yrs. old; my father, James W., 4 yrs.; and Robert W.
about 2 yrs. old. Jno. William, when he was about 1 yrs. old (still
living in Ireland) was left in the care of the nursemaid, & through some
neglect the child fell off the nurse’s knee, sustaining injury which
proved fatal. The father settled in the township of Blanchard, taking up
a homestead which is today the site of the city of St. Mary’s, Ont. He
was Magistrate for this town for many years.
Joseph Walter was the 1st male child born in this township - - You will
understand from this that the country was really just a forest & they
were among the 1st settlers.

A few facts about the 1st 9 – I understand that Ann, Mary Jane, and
Elizabeth never married. Margaret married a Mr. Latimer, & died in
confinement. Her daughter Susie was raised by relatives, & married a
Methodist Minister by the name of Arthur Coone. They had 3 children. The
oldest died at 8 or 10, the remaining 2, a boy and girl, live in
Vancoouver, B.C. Miriam is a Registered Nurse, & Adrian works in the P.O
in the city. Mr. and Mrs. Coone are buried in Vancouver.

Now for the male side. - - Jno. William lived 1 yr. James Wyndham married
in October 1858 and was the father of 9 children. His wife was Margaret
Gilpin, who left Ireland when she was 25. She was 6 yrs. older than
father & lived about 20 yrs. after his death. My father died on Nov. 11,
1901.

These 9 children were raised & they all married & had families. Robert
William married my mother’s sister, & they had 10 of a family. They all
married but the oldest boy, who was a graduate of Toronto University and
died of appendicitis at the age of 30.
Joseph Walter married Susanna Kerr and from the union there were 4
children.

William Henry married & had but 1 child. Joseph & William (bishop in M.E.
church in Canada) were Methodist ministers and great preachers of their
day.

When I was in Los Angeles, Calif., some 30 years ago, spending the
winter, I met your Uncle Harvey Hutton and had lunch with him. I
understand his family live in that city today. ----

Do you ever come to Canada? It is out of the question for a Canadian to
get a chance to travel south unless you have good reasons—but we honor
your dollar by allowing you 1.10 for every dollar. That should be quite
an inducement for the American to travel. Of course, British Columbia is
the finest of the 9 provinces of the dominion--Should you take the trip
this summer, make it Vancouver. You need not be afraid of the Jap. We can
fix him as well as Hitler.

I trust you are in good health. I am Yours very sincerely,
W.J. Sparling

Notes: Not sure who Martha or W.J. are; this letter was given to my grandmother, June Sparling, by her father's cousin Shirley Sparling. I think my grandmother's family is from the Chillicothe, Missouri area.

Submitter: Celia Emmelhainz celia.emmelhainz@gmail.com

1903 Kansas City, Missouri Letter

1903 Kansas City, Missouri Letter Item number: 200172634566

A personal letter by the Clerk of the Criminal court addressed to “My old friend Billie… you stick so close to Pony, [Missouri] now, don’t think that I don’t like Pony, and Pony people, infact I have wanted to come back to Pony ever since I left… why don’t you come to Butte once in a year, and call a fellow up and have a few more ‘bunches of rye’ together. One cant get lonsmn out here for there is an missalaneous croud dropping in here … as any Bohemian quarter in Paris.“ He then writes about his brother in law taking a “trip down the Mazoo” which will be a failure as “money making scheme.” “I will spend the late fall and all of winter in Southern California, Utah & New Mexico…I have seen some very bum prize fights… there has only been two good ones.” Etc… Signed “Chas Renick”.

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