John Ryerson

Buesness [Business] plenty to occupy my time but lobor [labor] not hard with out buesness [pbusiness] plenty I would not be contented here long the letter that I write to my father I told him to send it by Peter N if he was not up himself and let you all see it if I send any dust to the goshen [Goshen] Bank let it go on my account till all straight which I calculate to send in small sums so they cannot be much loss to any boddy [anybody] at one time so Keep good courage for as yet all my plans has done nearly as well as I Expected before I started from home and In hopes it may continue the same till I arive [arrive] safe home then I think I will be satisfied to stay there the rest of my Days long or short I Now Board at a tovern [tavern] in San francisco San Francisco Board is high in a good house twenty five dollars a week But plenty to Eat and that that is good wild geese & Ducks & vennison [venison] & Bears, meat is plenty in market all the time most of articles like pork & flour and almost Evry [every] thing is as cheap add the freght as in New York it is a wonderfull [wonderful] country for Improvement the like I suppose is not Knowen [known] in the world Cittys [cities] grow up soon evry [every] thing goes with a perfect rush Either up or down so It requires a sharp look out for Rent & Expences [expenses] is so hight [high] But we Keep up our end for the chance we had as yet tell your Brother Mathew & uncle John & Your Mother & sisters & Brothern laws [brother-in-laws] to write & Mine two [too] so that I can hear from their hands how they get along you told me the buildings was Inshured [insured] which was as it should be you told me in your letter that Beam Demerest was there to stay this winter use him well for he is a good man if he cannot do so much work for god will prosper his work let him be where he will show to Amos Munsen & Betsy & catharine & let my ams Read it over & ove [over] again & do All that is rite [right] with all & all will be well Give My love to all My Neighbors and frends [friends] and I Remain your afectionate [affectionate] Husband & friend

John N Ryerson

they find none Peter Recd a letter from dela this mail and I Received on from catharene & I ntended to write to dec Rertrou this mail But am tired of writing tonight and the mail starts tomorrow so do not write only to you and my father in New York tell munsen he may look next mail for a letter I Expect Peter has written tell Nicholas N Ryerson to leave that money for the dust on my account in the goshen Bank I was Sorry that he did not send all the Butter But it is two late now I donot want any thing more sent to me for it may be two late here & before I come home Amos M Ryerson I am Inhopes you will be good boy in my absence and attend to busness like a man I am In hopes you have been to school this winter and learnt Something to benefit you Remember that all you do is for your self B;ut I cannot give you any direction what to do your [?] must all do as well as you can for your own intrests I Expect Nicholas has made some thing out of the Butter that he did not send here if it Brot over cost show Nicholas & his Wife and lorenda and all this letter and tell some of them to Write to me I have Expe ted letters from some of your folks a long time but have received none I will write to you as they all can hear from me and see my tethers and I am in hopes the rest will not think hard of me not writing to them for it is tiresom to write more that one goo long letter to you being they dont write to me I Rec Nicholas letter With the Bill of the Butter in it O how I should lik to be home a little while to see you all and have the children hanging a bout me and asking me questions But I try and make Myself contented as I can we have good living here and I take my share of that But N Feather Beds I have N D Direct all your letters to Sacremto Citty Calaforna

But We have had a serrous time here and Sacremento Citty with the cholra thousands died with it But we had good health through it and I am as fleashy as I was at home Ever since I got over My panama Sickness I understood by your last letter that I had left my gold Batches under the Bed & [?] had put them in carpet Bags I wish you both to have good health I can see you both face to face Name it Anna By all means tell hannah & ellarry & Betsy to Kiss you and the baby for me and tell them if I live Eight months from this time if nothing turns more than I Know of just now I will star to divide Equal what we make in the country Except for our own make of Butter I am at sanfrancisco the most of the time to Buy the goods and buisness at Sacremento is [?] on in his name But we are to divide Eequal what we made from the time we started from home we are doing quite well I think we have made some money and if we keep good health & have No Bad luck we may get Paid for our labor tell I save R bar gelder that I was much Pleased to Receive his letter that Ihave made up my mind that I would not Reccomand any man to come to this country for fear that they might have bad luck and thenm they might blame me I have seen more misery here Since I have been here than Ever I seen before it is a hard country to be sick in here is to all others Nor famailys to take care of them But here is some men that make money verry fast by trading and diging two some has dug up fortunes in a few Days But they are few and far between But Hard working and steaddy men can dig on most of the rivers from four to Eight dollars a day common labor in the citties and towns are about five dollars a day and not much Work at that here is a great many men are hunting for Work & say

CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY Ryerson, John N.

Sanfrancisco March 13th 1851 Dear Wife & Children I sit down this night at Sanfrancisco this nightto write a few lines to let you Know that myself & Peter I Broun is Well hoping these few lines may find you all the same I was In hopes this mail to have received Some letters from some of you But Received none I Inclose in this a Setificate from Adams Express for two thousand dollars in gold dust and also I sent in my letter of the 1st of Mach a Sertificate for one thousand by adams Express line Both to be delivered to the goshen Bank and when you receive them tell Mr Murry to get it Put in coin and make Out of it as much as he can and and put it to my credit and I Expect to send some the nxt mail and I Expect if we live which I have Written in my other letter that myself and Peter Will be home as soon as July if we can get our buisness arranged as some as May or June things looks now as though we would be through as soonas that we have sold our store house that we ocupy and Expect to wind up our buisness in the course of a few weeks things looks quite favorable at present as if we had made some thing they are this week just unloading the third lot of Butter at Sacremento Citty so three lots are safelyu landed at Sacremento and if it all turns out as well as that I have seen it Will make I think myself that it is the Best lot of Butter take it all together that has Ever arrived in calaforna I have seen a great deal & We have Got and sold a good deal of Butter within three months and this Brings from 15c to 25 cents a pound more than any I could buy [?] is verry low here almost all Kinds of goods loose money for them that send them here from home Almost all articles like Boots and Shoes & pork pails flown [?] is as cheap here as at home so the loss on some is

verry heavy But Butter that comes here nice makes money so I am In luck with that so far But of late I have got a little homesick and I think Peter has also so we have made up our minds to come home as soon as we can close our buisness to a good advantage this Winter has been a most butiful winter here Just cool a nough to be comfortable a little white frost now and then I think I have seen Ice about as thick as a pain of glufs But hardly any rain which is not common in this country they say But they is a severe summer coming to be without Rain for Eight months to come may make hard times for hay and graps hay sells here no for $100 to $120 per ton or from 5 to 6 cents a pound I want you to show this to all for I cannot write to Each so they must Excuse me I Was glad to hear that abraham had been up to see amos last fall I am in hopes they will - both of them be good boys for their own sake I cannot give many particulas in this letter for when I write so often I cannot hardly fill them up with new things so not to write one thing over two often But I am Inhopes soon to see you all face to fase then I can tell more than I write soon I Am boarding at the National Hotel at Sanfrancisco where I have boarded almost all the while I am at Sanfrancisco at $25 a week for Board and lodging the Board is quite good But no fether beds here I have not slep on a feather bed since leaving new York I have not seen one I cannot give any directions But do as well as you can for your own sakes and all will be well Peter Received a letter from John Brown that the speccimens of gold that was sent to you and delia and catharen had arived Safe to paterson and I am Inhopes you have received them Before you receive this No More so good Night give my love to all my friends and Kiss all the children a good night for me you affectionate Husband John N Ryerson

CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY Ryerson John N.