Subject: Indians
From Boxes 1 & 2

-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Corte Madeira [California], May 28, 1854. Dear Parents                         Have most joyfully recd. [received] some letters from home once more, Yours of March 25th & Will’s mailed Apr 2nd, with one from [K?]ate, & one from Le [Levi] at his ranch near Sacramento reached me last Monday evening.  Think I shall be able to get all the letters that come to San Francisco for me.             Am sorry to hear of Pa’s poor health hope he will not be troubled with sick headache long, I sent a letter to Will last mail telling him all about our farming &c. don’t expect to make much here every thing is cheap as you hear flour 12 dols barrel old potatoes 12 1/2 A bushel in town, costs three times that to get them there, new ones are worth 3 cts pound now, not many large enough to dig, ours are not Can tell when we get through whether we make or lose not now.  We have cut & sold about 40 cords wood pay 1.50 for it standing & sell it for 7,00 costs nearly .50 cts cord for team to haul it so we clear $5,00 cord have also burnt a pit of coal, have 378 sacks nearly 2 bushels in sack, expect to get six bit or a dollar sack next fall its only worth from 4 to 6 bits now, sell it in the city where they […] it to cook with &c. Levi Johnson was here & helped us a little about burning it, he is not dead nor likely to be though he might as well be for all the good he will ever do any one, he is a drunken worthless fellow, he came here first Feb. grunting & whining round pretending to be sick with only 6 1/4 ds telling over his hard luck (all of which was caused by his drinking) & tried to borrow money of Ethan to go home with but E. [Ethan] had none, he then wanted all of us fellows from that part to each lend him a little, but we knew ‘twas the same as giving & did not feel disposed to do it, so he had to go to work lived here with us & burnt a little coal pit & chopped a little wood with our help & by the first of this month had about $75 clear & went to town to go home Ethan went with him to help him off, he could have bought a ticket the Nicanager route for $50 which would have left him 25 in N.Y. [New York] but he would not go, said he wanted more money, expect wanted Ethan to give him some more, but 25 is just as good as 2500 for him he would spree it away on the boat home, he has been over 200 dols expense & Eat. In this country now in one way & another, the last we heard of him he had started for Humbolts bay in Oregon & I hope it is the last we shall,             That piece of land of Mr Pendletons is just what I have thought a hundred times I would like to have added to ours but never expected there would be a chance to get it without the lower meadow too, if I was to have our farm I should take that by all means.  I know it seems bad for me to be out here & leave Pa & Ma alone, if I had money enough to go home & take the farm would like to do it, & live with you, but I can never think of going there to work for 12, 15 or even 20 dollars a month to pay for it, nor would I want to buy it,& 80 to work on it to pay for it, & give any great price, if I can get money enough here to satisfy you for the farm before I get off the notion of going home, shall like to go & have the farm, & that of Mr Pendeltons with it, If you want to buy that land you can take what money I have sent home to pay with & give me your note, & when I get some more will send it along till ‘tis paid for, & then if I ever have the farm you will have the use of the land for the interest of, the money & if I shouldn’t have it should want the money & interest of course.  We are on a creek about a mile from San Francisco Bay, there are a double of packet boats one of which goes from here to town each day & returns the next fare 2 dols each way Hart & Capt [Vandrum?] had a steamer running here to town this winter but it did not pay & Hart has sold out, must have lost considerable Don’t know how much on the boat.  We have, been reckoning up to day how much Hart is probably worth & make out that he cant be worth anything in this country, if he has 8,000 at interest at home as he says he has, he is probably worth That clear, we don’t know for certain but have good reason to think so. we are in the village of Corte Madeira [California] there are two boarding [houses?] & [seven?] dwelling houses besides ours Is my life insured yet? I never had better health such a thing as cold or cough is not known here There are some Indians around not but a few & plenty of Grizzlies though we can never get sight of one.  The boys hunted for them considerable this winter but could see none although fresh tracks were plenty, they are harder to get near than [boxes?]. I have never seen one yet.  There are five women in this village all married bloody Irish Hart has a river claim & is […] this summer Levi has always been an honest, timid, true hearted friend to me & as good a fellow as I would wish to come here with. Ethan is the same though a little inclined to take things [aisey?].  Tomorrow I shall be your 23 your old. R. E. Burr [Ralph E. Burr] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- [Addressed to]                        Mrs. Elisabeth Grant                                     Mill Brook                                     Connecticut             Marysville, Dec. 26, 1852. Dear Mother,             Day before yesterday I went to Parks Bar, & was rejoiced to find a letter from Joel & one from John, inclosing a half sheet written by you.            You may well suppose that it was a comfort to hear from home and more as nearly six months had passed since we had received any intelligence. I do not suppose that it was long between times of writing with our friends at home, but the letters were in some way lost.  As you will now direct to Parks Bar, I have strong hopes that we shall receive your letters.  So far they are very accommodating at that office. I was surprised to learn that Joel had gone to Ill. [Illinois] again, & to the same unhealthy place he once occupied.  I can no more conceive why he has done so, than he can why I prolong my stay in this country.  I suppose he has reasons for so doing that I cannot understand, as I have for staying here that he cannot understand.  You must not think dear Mother that because we see trying times that the dangers we escape are greater than we should or at best might have to undergo nearer home.  Truly the time of cholera was very trying, but there are trying scenes of the same nature in the Atlantic states.  Joel states that “death has been busy” in Lockport, & no one knows but we might have fallen victim if our residence had not been changed.  But this is foolish speculation. *I wish I had something to write that would be pleasant for you to <hear> read, but I have nothing except that my health <has> is good. The rains set in this year with a good deal of fury, & continue at the same rate.  But a short time since we were very anxious for rain, now we are overwhelmed with it.  There have already had two freshets, <the> both of which the water was higher than before since the white population have inhabited this country.  Today has more appearance that we may have have some pleas-ant weather, than we have seen before for some weeks.  Snow is very deep in the mts. [mountains] John wrote that he expected to visit home at Christmas, so I presume he is at home today, How I wish I was there too. I am now at a ranch about six miles from Marysville.  I came here from the Bar nearly two weeks since & have been prevented from leaving <on acc> by the rains. All farm or public houses in this country are called ranches, also an indian village is called an indian ranch. I am going into the Mts. [mountains] to make shingles as soon as the travelling will admit. I went to the Bar day before yesterday & saw Marcus.  He is enjoying good health.  I dont wish you to tire yourself writing to us.  There are enough to write that are better able, if they only will <if> do it.  Caroline wrote often about the time Ralph left home.  I don’t know how often she has written since.  I have received nothing since R. [Ralph] arrived from her nor but one letter from home. Heard nothing of R. [Ralph] in a long time, have written to him, but perhaps he did not receive it. Saw James Allen about four weeks since he was well. Suppose from what you wrote that Abby is stopping with you a-gain.  It seems too bad for her to wade through the snow to school, to that old barn of a schoolhouse. We shall one or both of us go home I think within a year, & I presume both of us. Don’t worry at all about us but remember us in your prayers. Your affectionate son, Daniel Grant -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Lockport, Ill. [Illinois] Dec. 4, 1854. Dear Parents,             I am happy to be able to report to you again that we all <continue> are in pretty good health, and that we have met with nothing particularly unfavorable since I last wrote you. We are somewhat encouraged with reference to Willie, who for a few days past, has had his fits in a modified form, and not so frequently as formerly. His general health is very good – he grows very fast, and is fleshy. He does not talk very much as yet, but is learning rapidly. His musical powers develop more rapidly than any thing else but he seems to be sufficiently bright in all particulars.             As to medicines for his relief, it seems probable that we shall never be able to secure any. We have prescriptions made every day <from> by persons who profess to have been similarly afflicted, or to have had friends who were. Some of these prescriptions are curious enough. One woman says a string of beads made of Lima beans and worn on the neck will cure, another says that a like string of the rattles of the rattlesnake, has cured her son. While yet another says, that a prescription given by an Indian Doctor cured her brother wh. [which] Prescription was to cut off the head of a mud turtle, and let his blood run into brandy, and give the mixture. Yet another, (a Mr. Savage, brother of the Rev. Mr. Savage, who is, or has been, Agent of the Tract Society in Ct. [Connecticut]) says that an Indian Doctor prescribed for his daughter Camphor dropped upon sugar, some six or eight drops every morning, and that it was successful, though he thinks the fits had injured both constitution and mind before they tried it. We know the daughter, and though she is not very bright, and is weak in constitution, yet her capacity is very respectable, and her character very lovely. Mr. Savage resides in a neighboring town about six miles from us. Yet another person, (a lady who represents herself as having been a sufferer) says that black Cohosh is a cure. (The article is one found in the ships but I know nothing of its origin or character.) Besides this we have had Peony root prescribed, and various other articles that I will not stop to mention. We have tried the Peony root, the spirits of camphor dropped on Sugar, & are now trying the Cohosh though we have recently learned that the lady who recommended it did not have epileptic fits nor fits of another kind. From all this however we derive this comfort; that as some persons have had fits, (perhaps epileptic, & perhaps not) and recovered from them, we may hope that Willie will recover. In medicine we have very little reliance, but in that vigor of constitution wh. [which] he now seems to be gaining we have much.             When I last wrote I had the Jaundice somewhat severely. I have now recovered from it, several pounds lighter in flesh, but not otherwise affected. My recovery has been rapid, much more so than those acquainted with the disease judged possible. I took no medicine except the Homeopathic. Whether my rapid recovery is due to its operation or not I cannot say, but think I should resort to it again if I had an attack.             We received a letter from Marcus, dated Hamilton California, Oct. 18, last Wednesday Nov. 29. He intimates that his intention to return was providentially frustrated. If he had secured all the money due him, he should probably have taken passage in the Yankee Blade, and perhaps have gone to the bottom of the sea, or reached shore without friends or means.             The dairy during the summer furnished him a support, i.e. his food, medicine & [ . . .] about $30  more. It was his expectation [ . . .] he and Daniel, with James Allen, would together work a mine about 18 miles north of Hamilton. He was then working for $40 a month near Hamilton, though temporarily laid aside, by poisoned feet.             The last news from John arrived Dec. 1, and was dated Nov. 4, at Padua in Italy. He was well and apparently improving his time to good purpose. Our village paper has not been issued for the two past weeks in consequence of the illness of the publisher, and some other difficulties. It will be a good deal behind hand in publishing John’s letters. I think there is a marked improvement in his communications, and though many deficiencies appear, yet they are so much better than the first that I feel encouraged. Meager as the first and second were, I put in a good part of them on my own responsibility, being unwilling that such a mere skeleton should appear in print. I took care, however, not to modify facts. The succeeding letters were published almost as he wrote them, as <he> in future they will be.                                                                                     Your aff. Son,                                                                                     Joel Grant -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---