Guide to the Bancroft's California Gold Rush Digital Collections

Account of the author's experiences during his voyage around the Horn to California on the ship, Daniel Webster, his stay in the San Francis co vicinity, and his return to Boston via Panama on the steamer, California. Also includes typed transcript of journal. Hollingsworth's account includes much detail, including a list of the provisions required for passengers, and the cost of each item; names, ages and professions of passengers; incidents of the voyage; descriptions of Valparaiso; details of financial transactions and business in San Francisco (mostly relating to slate, shingles, and the retailing of provisions); the rapid growth of San Francisco; nearby cities such as Benecia; the return to Boston, with descriptions of Acapulco, Panama and Cuba.

Journal of an unknown passenger aboard the ship Capitol documenting a voyage from Boston to San Francisco via Cape Horn during the California gold rush. Handwritten, dated entries provide detailed descriptions of conditions and daily life aboard the ship including confrontations with the captain, Thorndike Procter, over the state of rations, raucous dance parties, treatment of stowaways, descriptions of fish and birds encountered, etc. Several song lyrics included in the text are attributed to another passenger, likely Benjamin Franklin Whittemore. Also contains 9 finely rendered pencil drawings by fellow passenger Chester Cooley Hosmer, depicting various features and events encountered including the ports of Rio de Janeiro and Valparaíso, the ship Capitol leaving Boston and during a storm at sea, the shoreline of "Staten Island" (that is, Isla de los Estados, Argentina) and Cape Horn, the Brig Mary Stewart and the William C. Hackstaff pilot boat, and an albatross at rest. The last three pages of the journal is a 14 verse song titled, "A Song dedicated to the Officers of the Ship Capitol," recounting the ship's exploits and hopes for finding gold, signed "By W.T. old friend" [likely passenger William.T. Hubbard].

Fair copy transcript of a journal written by Henry H. Hyde, Jr. from February 2 to September 19, 1849. Copy signed and dated at end by George E. Hyde, Oct. 8th, 1873, Framingham, Mass.

Pages prior to entry for 4 March 1849 contain information on preparation for voyage from New Bedford to California on the ship Charlotte. Record of voyage around the Horn, with names of passengers included and description of stop-over at Valparaiso; arrival in San Francisco September 16; description of the city; purchase of provisions and equipment for mining; experiences mining, using quicksilver machine; return to San Francisco to seek employment. Last journal entry 16 April 1850 records decision to return to the mines. The rest of the volume is a summary of events from July 1850 when he decided to leave California, including the return to the east via the Isthmus in 1851 and life in Pittsfield to 1878.

Describes account of New Englander's travels from Boston to California from 1850 to 1853 on board the steamer Empire City from New York to Chagres, Panama, his accounts of Panama including his crossing of the Panama isthmus by canoe and mule to board the Northerner for San Francisco where he headed to Oregon Bar on the Mokelumne River to mine. The account is written as a journal and a memoir written years later in 1862 especially the portion on his experiences in the gold fields. Transcription (volume 2) prepared by James Guynn, great-grandson of Henry Hallet, in 2003.

Bound personal journal of a sea captain containing dated entries for two ship voyages he captained, one for the ship Audubon and the other for the ship Gertrude. The Audobon voyage (November 20, 1850 to March 6, 1852) included a leg from New York to San Francisco around Cape Horn, carrying primarily women and children passengers going to the gold rush. From there the Audubon sailed to Manila and New Bedford, Connecticut. The voyage on the Gertrude (August 3, 1852 to April 2, 1854) sailed from New York to Canton, Calcutta, Macao, Singapore, and New Bedford, Connecticut. Interspersed throughout the entries are 28 finely rendered pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings of ships sighted and several landfalls.

Voyage to the Pacific Coast in 1849 on steamer, Tennessee, on which he was surgeon; experiences as physician in San Francisco; return to employ of Pacific Mail Steamship Company; professional life in New York; and current visit to California. Recorded by Henry Cerruti. Preceded by letter from Chapin, San Francisco, May 2, 1874. (1 p., A.L.S.)

Brief sketch of L.H. Bacon, who came to California in the ship, Henry Lee, and his experiences in the gold rush. Following this: Memoir by Fernandes Periera, recorded by McLaughlin. A Brazilian's recollections of his wanderings and adventures, including experiences on the steamer, Tennessee, on her first voyage to the Pacific Coast, and his subsequent experiences in California.

Voyage to California in January 1849 as member of a joint stock company formed in Boston, and experiences mining.

Journal of E.A. Ingalls of Lynn, Mass. records an 1849 voyage aboard the ship Henry Ware from Boston to San Francisco, experiences in San Francisco and mining in the gold country, and his return trip through the Isthmus of Panama.

One of two bound journals of Charles Henry Bennett of Pennsylvania who journeyed to California via ship, worked in the gold fields of California, and then sailed as a passenger on a freighter to Hawaii before his eventual voyage back home around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. Volume one begins January 14, 1849 with five pages of entries to February 7, 1849, aboard the brig Osceola describing the beginning of Bennett's ocean travel around Cape Horn to San Francisco.

A day by day narrative of life on board the Merrill, bound for the gold rush with George E. Kellum, Master. Details names, ages, place of origin, and character traits of all the passengers on board, many of whom were Irish immigrants leaving Boston for the California gold fields. Describes stops in Rio de Janerio and Valpariaso, Chile, as well as deaths and burial at sea, drunken brawls between passengers and crew, a celebration after crossing the equator, and their arrival in San Francisco.

Volume by Cunningham concerning his travels from New York to California and life in Chile from Sept. 12, 1852 to Aug. 3, 1854. He provides a detailed account of his voyage via Cape Horn, Sept. 13, 1852-Mar. 12, 1853, including weather conditions, a list of crew and officers, ship activities, and geographical sites. He arrives in San Francisco and visits sites of the city (including gambling halls, Chinatown, and ships recently arrived to the city), contacts old acquaintances from Boston, and seeks work as an engineer. Employment, mining, and business ventures take him to other Calif. cities, such as Sacramento, Shasta, and Colusa. Finally, Cunningham sails to Valparaiso, Chile, on the clipper-ship Spray, lands a job as a surveyor, and travels throughout the country. Portfolio includes several loose items from journal.

Bound travel diary of L.E. Shurtleff, traveling from upstate New York to the gold regions of California via Panama containing 77 pages of handwritten, dated entries. Shurtleff and a traveling companion, E.L. Sanderson, board the ship, Empire City, in New York City on November 30, 1849, arrive at Chagres, Panama on December 11, cross the isthmus of Panama and continue to San Francisco aboard the ship, Norman, arriving on February 21, 1850. The entries contain details of the voyage, descriptions of Panama towns, people, and customs, and various incidents along the way. Also includes six receipts of Shurtleff's that had been stored in the back pocket of the diary, and a typescript of selected excerpts from the diary.

Diary kept daily while on journey to California aboard the ship Hannibal out of Boston on Nov. 21, 1849 and arriving in San Francisco on May 6, 1850. Dutiful log of activities aboard ship including helping with repairs, and a list of passengers and crew. Diary included gold leaf. Portfolio 2 contains transcript (37 pages).

Record of a journey, 1849-1850 (64 pages), with a party of Americans from Tampico to Mazatlán, via San Luis Potosí and Tepatitlán [de Morelos]; then via ship to San Francisco. Records brief stay in San Francisco, then travel to gold mines near Jacksonville. Account of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution copied from an unknown source. Written from the back: notes and accounts. Loose item (2 pages) in separate folder.

California Gold Rush era journal diary account of a man traveling to the San Francisco Bay area from the East Coast by ship via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, crossing Nicaragua, and continuing by ship to San Francisco and eventually working as a gold miner in Tuolumne County, California. Dated entries describe the trip in great detail including rampant sickness on board the ship to Central America and identifies deceased travelers whose bodies are cast overboard. Other details include names and descriptions of traveling companions, crew members, purposes of stops made along the way, the names of towns, rivers, islands passed, other ships encountered, observations and descriptions of churches and religious activities in Central America and sailing weather. The diary also include descriptions and results of his gold mining activities and mining life in and around Stockton and Sonora, particularly on the Stanislaus River. The travel and gold mining portion of the diary is dated March 5 to November 4, 1850.

Journal kept by a carpenter from Gloucester, Massachusetts during an 1849 voyage aboard the barque Izete (with Eben Higgens as master) departing from Gloucester and arriving in San Francisco in 1850, detailing his experiences in San Francisco and the gold regions. Describes his employment in a San Francisco store, building boats, bouts of dysentery, packing shingles to Stockton, taking on a boarder, and travels to Trinidad and the Klamath River in search of gold. Ends with a detailed description of a Chilean picnic which he joined by chance. Journal probably by Theodore Kimball, whose name appears in the rear of the journal.

Written by an unidentified man from Philadelphia, possibly a manager at a local shipyard, containing handwritten entries for each day of the year plus 4 pages of recollections concerning his trip to San Francisco via Panama. Most of the daily entries are from Philadelphia and include weather observations and the amount of money he spent each day. On Friday, October 19, he writes of purchasing passage to San Francisco for $150. On November 11, he leaves home to begin his journey departing the next day from New York aboard the steamship, Crescent City, and arriving in Chagres, Panama on November 22. From there, he pays for passage across Panama by canoe, arriving on the west coast in about a week, departs Panama aboard the steamship California on December 6, and arrives in San Francisco on December 29. The last two entries find him and his friend Sam walking around town and being offered work at $16 dollars a day. The four pages of recollections cover Panama, San Blas and Acapulco, Mexico, and San Diego, California.

Concerns Dyer's travels from New Sharon, Me. to Columbia, Calif. Dyer left Me. on 30 Jan. 1854, traveling from Boston to New York, and then by the steamer Northern Light to Calif. Dyer describes life aboard ship during the month long voyage. Dyer makes several mining claims near Columbia, Calif., and writes of his successes and disappointments with gold mining. Dyer also discusses life around Columbia, Calif. including crime and relations with Mexicans and South Americans. The diary ends in July 1855 when he left his claims.

Contains daily log of a California gold miner including his voyage from Connecticut. Corbin mined in Mariposa Creek, Mormon Bar, Agua Fria and Guadeloupe as well as other camps, keeping track of gold found and the expenses of mining. Includes descriptions of encounters with other miners including Mexican miners and Native Californians. Diary included 4 gold nuggets attached to pins.

Goldrush journal; an account of a voyage to California via Panama and of time spent in California before returning east : on January 1, 1849, Grymes left Gibson, Arkansas; he took the steamer, Crescent City, from New York arriving in Chagres February 14, and spent some days there, arriving in Panama on February 20. Took the steamer, Oregon, to San Francisco on March 8, arriving there after a 99-day total passage and went to the North Fork of the American River on the schooner, Empire, almost immediately. He returned to Sacramento in 8 days. On March 24, 1850, he left California for the East Coast. The earlier part of the journal is more detailed than the later; the last entry is June 5, 1850. Book includes miscellaneous accounting.

Journal of a voyage, under Captain James McGuire, around Cape Horn to San Francisco, being a straight forward and humorous account at the start of the Gold Rush. Describes the crew, other ships, Neptune Ritual at the equator, detailed description of Rio de Janeiro, rough weather conditions, geographic features of the shoreline, and customs of people in San Francisco. Volume two contains a transcript (52 pages).

Bound journal containing dated, handwritten entries of a man traveling from Maine to San Francisco and the Sandwich Islands [i.e. Hawaii] aboard the ship Quoddy Belle with Captain [Enoch S.] Fowler. Divided into two major sections and a summary section, possibly made at a later date. The first section, from Eastport, Maine to San Francisco, covers the period from Nov. 27, 1849 to June 3, 1850.

Handwritten account of an ocean voyage from New York to San Francisco, California via Chagres, Panama aboard the steamship, Crescent City. Dated entries, from departure on June 30 to arrival on August 18, 1849, include details about other ships encountered along the way, conditions aboard ship, weather, etc. Signed, Wm. A. Macondray. Also includes a typescript transcription of the journal (volume 2) and a one page summary of significant journal entries.

Manuscript logbook kept by William R. Potter, captain of the brig Emily Bourne, recording details of a voyage made by the Emily Bourne Company from New Bedford, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California. The voyage took 182 days from February 8, 1849 to August 8, 1849. The dated entries include weather and ship locations, sail riggings, and descriptions of people and places along the way including stops in Rio de Janeiro, the Straits of Magellan, and the Juan Fernández Islands (including a visit to "the celebrated cave of Robinson Crusoe").

Journal of a man on an ocean voyage to San Francisco via Cape Horn during the California gold rush. The approximately 65 pages of handwritten entries, from November 22, 1849 to May 4, 1850, cover the entire trip and include two loose bifolia laid in at the end. Entries contain details of events, scenery, shipboard life, and persons aboard the ship, including the tragic death of a young man, Jeremiah Martin of Portland, Maine, who fell from the main mast after climbing it on a whim one Sunday morning. Other observations include persons making items to be used while seeking gold such as gold scales. The first page of the journal has a stenciled watercolor of a parrot, possibly inspired by four women on board who were traveling with their pet parrot. The second page has a stenciled watercolor of a version of the second Chilean coat of arms from 1818 and the Chilean national motto. On verso, the title, "Supliment [sic] to the Proceeding [sic] Journal on board of the Brig Kate Heath," with two watercolor drawings of shipboard views of Chilean land masses, Cape Horn and the Diego Ramirez Islands. The preliminary portion also contains a table with entries for each day of the trip listing the latitude and longitude, and distance sailed. The main title page itself (page 7), "Journal of a Voyage From Boston to San Francisco by Jona Marston, Jr. on board of the brig Kate Heath of Boston, Thomas F. Wood, Master," also includes a list of passenger names.

One of three diaries of Gold Rush miner, Charles van Houten, describing his travels from Sunbury, Ohio to Marysville, Calif. via Panama and experiences in California. Diaries provide details of travel, costs, dates of departure and arrival at various stops, money and gold nuggets sent home, and gold miner life.

Detailed travel narrative about an ocean trip around Cape Horn (Fall of 1852-February 1853) that included a fire on board.

Voyage to San Francisco via Cape Horn in 1849, gold mining, business in Santa Barbara from 1873. With this: additional dictation and questionnaire and comments of the agent, H.C. Brownlee.

Describes his early life and arrival at San Francisco via Cape Horn in 1849; gold mining to 1850 and ranching in southern California from 1854. Included also: letter to The History Company, July 20, 1887. (1 l.).

An account (partial, missing last three pages) of a man traveling with three companions by ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco, Calif. Extensive descriptions of events and sights with dated entries, some very brief, that include weather observations and latitude and longitude coordinates. The journey begins at Albany, N.Y. on the steamship Issac Newton to New York City, N.Y. where they board the clipper ship Sovereign of the Seas. He gives details of an arduous journey that includes several encounters between the captain and crew members some of whom are whipped in front of the passengers and are kept in irons. The last journal entry is for Nov. 14, "This we hope is the last Sunday at sea."

Calendar book recording daily activities sailing from Boston to San Francisco and working in the gold fields near Marysville. Bulk of entries relate to mining.

2 drawings and 2 pages of accounts laid in (in separate portfolio). A record of voyage to Chagres on steamer, Falcon, experiences in the mines and return via Nicaragua. Considerable mention, by initial only, of the Rensselaer County Exploring Company of which Pierce was a member. Published with title, A Forty-niner speaks ... (Oakland, 1930).

Incomplete or unfinished memoir describing trip to California in 1852.

Handwritten list of an all-male company of passengers, stewards, and cooks, bound for California aboard a refitted whaling ship, the Audley Clark. Titled "The Sand of Gold", the list begins, "The following persons sailed from this place on Thursday last in the ship Audley Clark for California" followed by a numbered list of the 70 men on board. Six of the passengers are listed again as "Officers [i.e. Officeholders]" of the company, president, treasurer, secretary, and three directors. On the verso are the names of four stewards and cooks

Charles Hilton came to the California gold mines in 1850 from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, via Panama. In 1855 he returned to California, via Nicaragua, with his wife Mary and son Charley, to settle in Centerville, California.

Regarding his voyage to California on the Duxbury.

Letter written by WIlson to his brother [Bill?\ concerning his experiences in Panama.

Letter written by WIlson to his mother concerning his experiences in San Francisco after sailing on the bark Equator.

Letter of 1852 June 26 from Harry to John Sessions describes his journey from Conn. to Calif. via the Isthmus of Panama. Typed transcript of this letter is available here: http://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/277266

Letter contains a detailed account of their voyage and trip to California via Panama with a brief added note signed by his wife Lydia.

Letter contains a detailed account of their voyage and trip to California via Panama with a brief added note signed by his wife Lydia.

Letter of 17 March 1850 - 8 May 1850 written while enroute to San Francisco to a Mr. Allen in Ohio, has the character of a letter-diary and describes the voyage from Cape St. Lucas to a port south of San Diego. The letter is full of the trials and tribulations of the passengers such as lack of food, lack of coal, difficulties in obtaining wood, hostile fights among the passengers, their disagreements with the captain and other events of his journey.

1852 Feb. 28 from Alexander Elder to Uncle James Elder describing the trip from New York to Grass Valley via the Isthmus of Panama. Also contains a page written by Sarah.

Describes voyage on the U.S. Navy Flag ship "Independence" from Rio de Janeiro around Cape Horn, and the economic consequences of the California gold rush in Chile.

Unsigned handwritten letter to sisters Stella and Ada describing events on a man's trip to California by way of Panama where he spent two months. He describes the climate, plants, and people of Panama.

Letter from a man writing to his parents while aboard the Steamship Columbus docked near Taboga Island waiting to leave the next morning for Panama City en route to California. Contains numerous details about the Columbus's crew and observations of their character and comments on local laws concerning who doctors are required to treat. He describes one political incident with local authorities because the doctor on board refused to go ashore to treat native people injured in a fight.

Gold Rush letter offers sometimes humorous details of a journey by land and sea to Paradise Valley, via Mazatlan, San Francisco and Stockton.

Contains letters written by different members of the Chamberlain family to family back east. Topics include a voyage to Calif. from Boston aboard the ship Hannibal, gold mines, and life in Calif. including education and church.

Two handwritten letters (5 p.) from husband on his way to, and in, California to his wife in New York. One letter, dated Feb. 15, 1853, written on board the steamer Georgia, is a very brief account due to the heavy rolling of the ship making it very difficult for him to write. He writes that he is well and estimates that the ship is about 12 hours from Aspinwall [i.e. Colón, Panama].

Handwritten letter from man in the "Redwoods" of California to his brother in Austinburg, Ohio giving details of his trip with companions to the West Coast, including places and dates of departure. He recounts leaving New York on Feb. 9 and arriving in Greytown [likely Nicaragua] on Feb. 19. They then took a boat up river to cross the Isthmus leaving San Juan, Del Sur on the Steamship Cortez on the morning of the 23rd. He writes that he saw whales on the trip and arrives in San Francisco on March 7 where they stayed the night at the Commercial Hotel. The next day they left by stage coach for "the redwoods" where they had "no trouble finding the boys" who were working in a steam sawmill and told discouraging stories about the state of mining. He asks that his brother tell the young men in his town to not bother coming to California due to the difficult economic conditions. He requests that a return letter be directed to Woodside, Calif. Includes a photocopy of the original mailing envelope addressed from Woodside, Calif.

Handwritten letter from a gold miner to a friend giving details of his voyage from New York to California and his work in the gold mines. He gives particular attention to Native Americans in the area that call themselves, " Diggers," and describes them in racist terms.

Two handwritten letters addressed to Jones P. Veazie in Bangor, Maine, from persons traveling aboard ships in the Pacific containing details of their trips, conditions on ship, and observations of ship traffic and the market for commodities in California. One letter (4 p.) is from W.N. Young, dated December 28, 1849, aboard a ship off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile on the way to San Francisco, Calif. Young describes a long tedious ocean passage of 128 days and gives other details of ship life. The other letter (4 p.) is from James Martin, dated May 16, 1851, aboard the ship Brant in Honolulu, Sandwich Islands (i.e. Hawaii). Martin describes difficult conditions on the ship battling sickness, fever, and mosquitos. He also gives details of ship traffic and market conditions for various commodites in San Francisco.

Recounts his sea voyage to California, arriving on the 17th of February in San Francisco, and subsequent events, including purchase of a mining claim. Includes transcript.

Describes trip from New Orleans to Vera Cruz where he worked in a water saw mill and a sugar mill and then his trip through Mexico including his relations with indigenous Mexicans and finally by steamer to San Francisco in order to mine for gold.

Handwritten letter from a California gold miner to his brother. Answering his brother's questions about returning home to work in an iron mine, Matthew writes that the offer is "flattering but I think my chance of making a big pile is better than yours but make all you can and I will do the same here." He also writes that it is not a good time to be traveling across Panama calling it "the sickly season" and recalls his own difficult journey to California. "There is only one season to cross and that is April and May."

Handwritten letter from A. [Amos] J. Ellis, addressed to two men at 20 Wall Street, New York, with details of his voyage to San Francisco. Ellis writes that the ship is 200 miles from Chagres, Panama and that most of the time on board involves playing high stakes poker games and having gin drinks. The letter has an integral address page and a steam ship stamp for 30 cents. Also includes a recent handwritten transcript of the letter.

Handwritten letter to a wife from her husband regarding his voyage to and life in San Francisco, and the possibility of her joining him in San Francisco. He explains that the boat took a new route "via San Juan de Nicaragua" instead of Panama.

Handwritten letter to "Father, Mother, and Sisters", penned aboard the Mining Company ship, the "Loo Choo." Written on two separate dates, June 7 and June 13, the first section concerns his experiences aboard ship before landing at Valparaiso, and the second part concerns his time while in Valparaiso. Berford describes how many times he has seen land since leaving New York on March 8, 1849, and that there has been "all kinds of weather since we left. Storms and Calms in abundance." He writes from Valparaiso that he heard that the "gold news [is] all confirmed."

Handwritten letter from Panama during a prospective miner's journey to California to his father. Belcher writes that he decided to leave New York because "the gold fever has taken me," and if the gold news he has heard is "1/4 part what they are represented to be they will exceed my expectations." He traveled from New York on the SS Falcon, and is joining the SS California for the final leg of the journey, the latter being one of the first steamships to arrive in San Francisco.

Three handwritten letters from a man to his friend at home back East. Details his difficult journey from Panama to San Francisco aboard the Steamship California, and his assessment of finding work in San Francisco. Describes Toole's journey east of San Francisco is search of finding a claim to mine.

Handwritten letter penned on the February 12, 1849 National Observatory of Washington circular for the "Owners of Vessels engaged in the Whaling Business," which Wilcox, Cushman's agent, discusses in the beginning of the letter. Addressed to the Ship Congaree on the Pacific Ocean, Care U.S. Consul Payta [i.e. Paita, Peru].

A man [possibly an acquaintance] writing publisher George Merriam that he has been offered an expenses free trip aboard the ship Lucy bound for San Francisco, California around Cape Horn and will be leaving on August 15th with stops in Rio de Janero and Valaparaiso. He writes hoping the publisher "might make up a package or two of books that were unsaleable here but which would do for the Miners to pour [sic] over." Other details include the number of passengers the Lucy can hold (25) and the price charged for freight. He ends with news of personal details from "Bro. David."

Chamberlain describes the voyage around the horn as a crew member and includes a detailed account of entertainments and indoctrination rites for those first crossing the equator.

Reminiscences and notes from his diary, 1846-1848, sent to H.H. Bancroft in installments, Apr. - Aug., 1872. Recollections of the Mormon Battalion and the journey to California; experiences in San Diego; journey to Sutter's Fort; work on Sutter's mill and the discovery of gold; prospecting on the American River; journey of the Mormon wagon train from California to Salt Lake. With information concerning members of the battalion, J.A. Sutter, James W. Marshall, Samuel Brannan, the Donner Party, conflicts involving Native American groups, and emigrant parties including that led by Joseph B. Chiles, 1848.

Contains a bound volume diary of Willis's overland trip to California along the Platte River. Willis traveled from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri by river and then by land across Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada, reaching Sacramento, California in four months. The Idaho passage included a new route pointed out to them by another man that claimed to save 300 miles. Daily entries mostly include details of weather and miles traveled, other teams encountered, etc.

Brief account of his overland journey with information on encounters with Native Americans, the number of graves along the way, etc. Diary entries end before arrival in California. Bound with this: table of distances from St. Joseph to Placerville, Calif. (14 p.); accounts for gold dust and provisions, Sept. 1849-June 1850 (16 p.); miscellaneous travel notes at end (6 p.).

Contains original journal (107 p.) of Aaron D. Riker's overland journey in 1852 from Champaign County, Ohio to California during the gold rush, his time in California, and his return home the next year via Nicaragua,

Experiences on overland journey to California, May 1849, especially conflicts with Native Americans; comments on Native Californians.

Partial record of his overland journey to California in 1849 from Indiana, via Mexico, as a member of a joint stock company. The narrative covers the trip as far as Durango. With letter of transmittal, Apr. 8, 1872, to H.H. Bancroft, explaining reasons for not completing the manuscript.

Diary describes trip from Ohio overland to California during the gold rush. Volume two contains typed transcript (57 pages).

Kept while crossing the plains from Wisconsin to California (Apr. 20 - Oct. 6, 1859) Later entries record experiences in the mines. Portfolio 1 contains a typewritten transcript.

The journal appears to be a transcription, into journal form, of the letters sent by Sumner to his family. An (empty) envelope included bears the title "Letters from Uncle Cyrus" in what appears to be the same hand as the transcription. Describes an overland journey from Grimsby, Ontario to above Sutter's Fort on the Bear River in California. Written in epistolary form to the author's brothers and sisters. Relates encounters with other travelers, Native Americans, military troops, Mormons, and Donner Party survivors, and details of daily life on the trail and in the gold fields. Portolio 1 contains a typewritten transcription.

Contains one leather bound journal (80 p.) of an Army surgeon assigned to Captain William H. Warner's expedition to the Sierra Nevada. Entries were recorded in two parts. The first part was recorded at the time Hewit was actually with the expedition and covers the period, August 1 to September 3, 1849. It contains dated entries with observations on illnesses, Native Californians, including their diet and enslavement by white settlers, Captain John Sutter, gold mining, bears digging up graves, emigrant trains, and his own long recuperation in Hawaii from a lingering illness. He resumes the second part of the journal on March 16, 1850 while recuperating in Hawaii by recalling the rest of the events in the expedition. He gives numerous details of being ill and notes that a rumor of Warner's death was confirmed on Oct. 6, 1849. The journal also contains 9 pages of surgery notes, dated 1845(?), concerning wounds to the head and tongue, and neuralgia.

Leatherbound diary with brief dated entries by a man traveling with a company of men, the Bath Cal Company, from their home in Summit County, Ohio to the gold rush region of California. The first pages of the diary contain dated lists of accounts and provisions being gathered for the trip. Trip entries cover the period, March 18 to July 16, 1850. Entries give details of miles traveled, location, and conditions encountered. Also includes a few pages of dated entries in the back of the diary made May through August, 1852. The 1852 entries are lists of expenses for provisions and dollar amounts of [gold?] "took out" by the Bull Crives Company.

Diary of a California gold rush miner originally from Illinois. Dated entries contain brief descriptions of daily events, weather, lists of goods and prices, and other personal observations. The first diary, from 1850, covers App's journey from his home in Pekin, Illinois to California but ends just before his arrival in the state.

Incomplete journal describing journey of an unknown man from Missouri to California during the California gold rush. Diary begins in Wyoming near the Platte River, going through Fort Bridger, Utah, Nevada, and ending in Yuba Valley, California.

Handwritten diary of a man traveling with a small group of men from El Paso, Texas, through Mexico, to the gold fields in California. Entries are mostly in ink (92 p.) with some in very faded pencil (34 p.). The journal begins with a list of names and home states in the party titled, "Roll of Recklass Fellows [sic]", followed by dated entries containing details of a long, difficult and ardous trip by horsback through the southwestern United States and Mexico border to California, and by ship to San Francisco and the gold fields. Details include descriptions of towns and terrain traveled through, dim prospects for gold in the Gila River, assaults, betrayals, robberies, deprivation, exhaustion, being lost, and conflicts and encounters with Native Americans. Includes his eyewitness account of men being attacked and robbed by their former leader of the first part of the expedition, Parker E. French, who was badly wounded in the conflict. Four men were killed in the assault and Salter writes that he thinks it is likely that French will also die from his wounds. Threatened by Native Americans, Salter's party decides to team up for a short period of time with another company led by William Miles, who was also part of the original expedition led by French. In other entries, Salter describes being lost and rescued by Native Americans who give them food rations and guide them to the correct trail. In another incident he writes of the company being attacked at night by 50 Native Americans who they fight off in hand to hand combat. Also includes details of his arrival in San Diego, his boat trip to San Francisco aboard the brig Victorine and his friendship with Captain Joseph Lamson, descriptions of San Francisco and its harbor, and gold mining in Sonora, California. Throughout the diary, Salter comments on the nature of men and the foolishness of anyone leaving the comforts of home for a harsher journey than they can ever imagine in return for so little reward.

Describes his journey from Ohio to California to prospect for gold.

Detailed travel narrative about his time residing in California during the Gold Rush era

Handwitten dictation notes of Masterson written by his daughter [before 1898] containing recollections about his journey on the Overland Trails and early California life.

A commonplace book featuring letters written to a friend from Hopkins Creek, California and journal entries describing mining experiences, economic conditions, and social life and customs. Also included is an incomplete record of his overland journey to California, assorted expense accounts, and a state-by-state vote tally for the 1860 presidential election.

Cyril Hawkins (May 6, 1832-June 21, 1902) was born in McConnelsville, Ohio. He was the younger son of Colonel William Hawkins (1796-1868), a Democratic politician from Ohio who served in the Ohio state senate. Cyril traveled to California in 1851 and worked as a gold miner, sign painter, grocery clerk and civil servant, including as a clerk for the California Secretary of State.

An autograph statement and a dictation from William Squire Clark. Reminiscences of journey, 1846, in party led from Missouri to Fort Laramie by Col. W.H. Russell, and thence to California by Lillburn W. Boggs; incidents of the Bear Flag Revolt; San Francisco, 1846-1870, and his land holdings; the discovery of gold; and experiences at Mormon Island.

Correspondence between Dr. Aquila B. Massey and Anne R. Massey concerning Dr. Massey's overland journey to California in 1849 during the gold rush.

Letters written during the travels of William O. Armsted, as he makes his way from Ohio to California.

Written on McDiarmid's overland journey from Wisconsin to California, May-October 1850.

Written on McDiarmid's overland journey from Wisconsin to California, May-October 1850.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Letter from Dr. N.L. Angier to his wife, Elizabeth, written during his overland trip to California and his early days in the state.

Handwritten letter from a "practicing attorney" camped near Fort Smith, Arkansas to former law associates in New York providing details of his experiences as he journeys overland to San Francisco The writer describes the difficulties and disillusionment among the party as they have traveled and where they have been camped for some weeks as they round up mules more suitable than the "40 wild Mexican mules" that had been arranged for delivery to them by a previous purchase. He notes that their romantic vision of adventure has been replaced by hard work which he is glad for because it keeps his mind occupied away from his difficulties but that some others in the party have given up and returned home. He ends the letter describing his being interrupted by the common calls of "mule loose" and "all hands" and that he is writing the letter on the top of his hat while sitting "tailor fashion." He requests that they write him back in one and two months and direct the letters "to San Francsico where both letters will probably arrive long before I shall." The stationery has an embossed seal in the upper left corner of a circular design with flowers inside of it, postmarked from Fort Smith, Arkansas dated April 29. It is addressed to R. Fayweather Esq. [or?] Edwards Pierrepont Esq., Attorneys at Law, New York.

Handwritten letter from a man journeying overland by wagon train to the gold fields in California. Contains details of the train's progress and describes a difficult journey, at times, with widespread sickness, river crossings, and witnessing large numbers of sick and dying people all along the trail. Also includes the original mailing envelope postmarked from Fort Leavenworth, Missouri on July 17 and addressed to Mrs. Matilda J.[?] C. Ellis, Alexandria, Clark County, Missouri.

Handwritten letter from a gold miner working 60 miles north of Sacramento describing the ordeal of crossing the plains to California, the large loss of livestock he witnessed all along the way, and his gold mining work. Postmarked from Culloma, Alta California (i.e. Columa, California). Letter and postmark show the month and day only, September 27, but was likely written in 1850 due to a reference in the letter about news of the recent death of General Zachary Taylor. Includes a typescript transcription.

Gold Rush letter offers sometimes humorous details of a journey by land and sea to Paradise Valley, via Mazatlan, San Francisco and Stockton.

Describes journey from Indiana to California thus far to Independence, Mo., discussing the preparations for travel in a wagon train and getting to the gold fields.

Describes journey from Virginia to California to near St. Joseph, Mo. detailing traveling by wagon train to the gold fields of California.

Sterling, Illinois,1849 Mar. 21. Handwritten letter (4 p.) to mother, Agnes Woodburn, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. George W. Woodburn is about to embark on an overland journey to California to search for gold. Gives reasons for his decison and plans including the use of oxen drawn wagons. Woodworth Camp, California, 1849 Sept. 7. Handwritten letter to brother Colonel William H. Woodburn about having just arrived in California. Gives details of the trip and his hopes for success in finding gold. California, 1850 Mar. 12. Handwritten letter to mother, brothers, and sisters giving details of his life as a gold miner and possible plans for returning home.

Describes trip from New Orleans to Vera Cruz where he worked in a water saw mill and a sugar mill and then his trip through Mexico including his relations with Indigenous people of Mexico and finally by steamer to San Francisco in order to mine for gold.