Letter Gallery 1855-1859

Arrival In California - 1/15/1855

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I am here and will and hope these few lines will find you and the children well and comfortable.

I have had a first-rate passage. I enjoyed it well. I have directed a letter to father today giving some description of the journey, which you will see, the fare on living on the boats for deck passengers was very bad viz salt musty beef and pork and sea biscuit for a meal then coarse cornmeal mush and poor molasses for another, then boiled dried apple hard bread another. Bean soup another and so on, pretty hard fare but one can get along with steerage fare and I should advise any man who wants to save 100 dollars to lay in from five to ten dollars in bread and cheese dried beef and [c] then he can come along comfortable. It cost me more than 25 dollars for what I had to buy of the steward, 25 cents for a piece of soft bread so large as your four fingers, and everything at the same rate. Still, they throw overboard good bread and meat and [c] the leavings of the cabin fare, they won’t give the deck people even a crust that is left, they drive to buy. But when I get ready for you to come with the children we will take cabin fare if you conclude to come. I think I  shall like the country well but can tell better after the trial the weather is September like here the wild geese and ducks are plenty. 

we had some for dinner today we have first-rate living here salmon and all kinds of fish plenty,

we start for the mines at 4 o'clock today. Stonecutters get seven dollars per day on the Custom-house Building I think I could get a chance there but must try the mines first. I don’t know where I shall stop, but am going North first, near the Yuba I shall write when located. I want you to write once a month at least, and remember that you and the children are with me every day and night Tell Willie I shall want him to come out with me next time I come so he must go to school and get his Learning cause there is no chance here Kiss Lis. for me a dozen times and say good night for me, I shall try and make enough to square up with all my friends as soon as possible you shall hear from me as soon as possible, tell George to write to me direct to Sacramento Cal I can get Letters By Express from any post I may be in. Tell Lucian I shall write to him and wish him to do the same by me give my Respects to Father and Mother Alesancar and tell all the folks that I hope to see them again in good Spirits. I have some things to get before we go which is in 2 hours by steamboat so good Day.

A Miners Life Illustrated (Michigan Bluff) - 7/04/1855

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Michigan Hill July 4th

Dearest friends. I received lots of News from Hartland to Jay by letter and verbal by Mrsrs Stocker and Labaree. Fredd Bagly was down with them from Rough and Ready. I was much surprised to see them and very glad. They brought my dear wife and children along. I think Dear Jane you must be very thoughtful in fulfilling my wishes I think you all look well first-rate the children look better than when I saw them and you look quite as well, I am obliged very much. You will be obliged to find my Likeness in some of the cuts on this sheet for the present but the reading don't [illegible] my case yet. I have not repented yet, these Cuts Mining Life and Scenery are very true I think it may please the children. My visitors dined with us in our cabin and what do you think we had for dinner,  New potatoes (are plenty), pork, oysters, lobster, green corn and peaches we got up a very good dinner. They had a good time coming out and are all well and in good spirits I should say. Fred. B. think our claims are good ones when we have them properly opened. I think I shall sell them and [illegible]in them they go back as far as Land hill tonight and up in morning R.R. we have been prospecting our claims by running tunnels for the last 5 weeks a part of the time I took a small job making a ditch for a Co we worked three weeks on it and made about six dollars per day on it, our prospects are very good for rich digins on or in the Hill. I am bound to stick a while longer.

We have dry weather here, you would think everything is dry as husks, we have had no rain since the last of April, fire will run over our green and flowery hills of April, the grass is hayed standing, the cattle live on it and cut it themselves, a week before last the glasses were up to 120 degrees and not lower than 105 through the day, the sun is very hot but in the shade, we get a cool breeze the nights are all cool so we want our woolen blankets before morning (So we get up clear headed and bright in the morning) it has not been so hot for a week past only about 100 above the weather agrees with me well, have worked every day and felt well, we had a pound of hard sperm candles lying on the shelf in the cabin. They were melted and ran away one afternoon by the heat of the sun, July 9th Mr. Stocker has been down today and bought an interest in our claim of me, I expect F. Bagley will come down to work it for the present but am not certain they think of going into the Quartz business at Grass Valley in [illegible] Mr. L. goes up in the morning tomorrow. We have hit some very rich dirt in one of our drifts what dirt one man took out last week yielded fifty-two dollars we expect to find plenty more of the same sort or better it will be a lead as we call it. The water has failed where F. Bagley has been. I don't see how John H, can content himself to settle in Hartland he must have some attraction, there is a good lot of Cal. widows there perhaps, I hope his health will be good. give him my best if you please and all the Best of the good folks. I will close for tonight and write some more tomorrow 11 o'clock here

July 11th I have been drifting today the gold is growing thicker perhaps we shall get a pile yet but its hard to tell. Mr. Bagley has not come yet Mr. Stocker said he would come to work the interest he bought but he may not. I have wrote all I think of now so I will tell. Bill and Liss a story about the Indians. One day about two weeks ago when we was working on the ditch about one mile from the cabin when we went to wash after dinner. We saw two Indians sitting in the shade of a big Oak tree they were most all naked they had lots of bows and arrows, they have sharp stones on their arrows. They will kill a man a good ways off but they don't shoot men now, they used to fight among themselves one showed me how far he killed an Indian last Sunday near our cabin some of them can talk so we can understand them, we got to talking with the Indian under the tree and one of them says (to one of the Boys), where you live he told them down yonder on the hill, pretty soon they drifted off and I expect they came directly to our cabin and stole a pretty good lot of shirts and they took a pair of shirts, coat, pants, Belt and a money purse with about two dollars from me, and some other things from the others. If we had caught them we should have strung them up and given them a good whipping the Indians that live about here don't steal it is them that a good ways off, I think I have received all your letters over here the last two months. I have written every month to you Jane, you ought to have a letter dated at Marysville write me the dates in your next, Yours Ever N.A. Chandler to J.M. Chandler

Claim Jumpers - 02/02/1857

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I have this day received a letter from you also from ? glad to hear from you all Em’s letter was James’ punishment if not more, I was surprised to hear that John got ? to they, but it is like him, I wish much happiness may attend them, and all our friends ? east. I have been well, as usual I console last, but have had bad luck in the minerering. Business I’ve had some claims in December that were hanging as very well but a rowdy party went on to them and drove us off. They were the strongest party and a fear murder and robber party, so we concluded best not to fight them but the law to recover our claims we have commandeered a suit but I am about tired of it already it is hard to get justice in a court here and lawyers fees very large we have paid and we are just commencing the suit we have had one trial before a justice and five jurors  The result was four of the jurors would have given us $2000 damages which one was against us which made the trial of no account, it is hard to get justice.  In Pala expect to shoot or hang the rascals, but I had ? of all resolvable it was In the mountains when the snow off in some places they say it is 15-20 ft deep at the eastern ledge it was eight feet week before last no slacker was down here then they had suspended work until the snow settled some so as to move for the engine A Bayler was at grass valley when Mr ? was here I mean to stay in Pala until I make some money If i have good health I know I can do better here than home I think I will get a claim up in the mountains in the spring and settle down for a time if pays well, I like the country here and it must suit any ? for you can live here under pleasant sky and comfortable weather you can have the snow neck deep and plenty of ? but not such cold weather as you have at home over her I should make some permanent location for the time we stayed as soon as possible and rendezvous to have you come as soon as convenient I think you would like mining but it is dangerous for a man to have his wife here for the often leave their husbands and join the wicked world in the cities or villages  and show off in silks and velvets for a season but that class of people come from the southwestern states and are generally built on ignorant ways of being

We have many good women here and families that are very respectable I have recovered a letter from my old pastor I think I would go home as he did when he found his wife and children all well and thinks he that come back here I think if losing is consolation as is able to come out here it would be the best thing he can do almost all who are deciding receive their health in these accounts, it will be better in the spring give my love to Father and Mother and all the good folks.