[CALIFORNIA - GOLD MINING] -- [CIVIL WAR]. A collection of letters, mostly from James Newhouse of Eldorado County, CA to James Knots of Magnolia, OH, incl. discussions involving California, gold mining, and experiences during the Civil War.

ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, Eldorado Co., CA, 11 August 1853. 3 pages. Discusses prices of food and supplies in California. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). 19 October 1853. 4 pages. Opinions on California and how he has made out so far. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, [CA], 18 January 1854. 3 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. "I se [sic] lots of miners that has bine [sic] heare [sic] ever since forty nine that ante [sic] worth five dollars, and I se some that has just come out this Spring, are as home sicke [sic] as you ever saw a set of boys or elce [sic] love sicke and fur [sic] my parte [sic] I can't tell whitch [sic], but to tell you the trouth [sic] a man that comes to this cuntry [sic] has no biseness [sic] of ever thinking of home all tho [sic] it is harde [sic] to kepe [sic] from it fore [sic] my parte when ever I think of home I just be gine [sic] to whistle and sing and dige [sic] like the devel [sic]..." -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, Eldorado County, CA, 10 March 1854. 3 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. "I think thare [sic] is lots of men heare [sic] that ant [sic] a making thare board. You may thinke [sic] that strange but it is even so I do asshore [sic] you, thare is one out of a hundred that is a making a forchin [sic] and that is a bout [sic] all." -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, Eldorado County, CA. 20 March 1854. 4 pages. Addressed to integral leaf. "I think frome what I cane [sic] heare that youns [sic] has as good a show to make money as us calaforna [sic] boys has if not beter [sic] all the diference [sic] I can see is that we have nothing but the hard stuf [sic]." -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, CA. 18 April 1854. 3 pages. Addressed to integral leaf. Newhouse discusses women. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, CA. 9 June 1854. 4 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. Newhouse discusses women, including graphic descriptions of sex. In part, "You said that some of the girls was a waiting for me. Just tell them to wait a few day longer...for you know James that I ame [sic] a grate [sic] fucker and myty [sic] fond of it all tho I hant [sic] had the pleasure of fealing [sic] a girls cock for the last year...I do think that I could fuck twenty fore [sic] ours with out uncunting." -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, Eldorado Co., CA. 5 July 1854. 4 pages. Newhouse discusses "girls" of various ethnicities. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). Georgetown, Eldorado Co., CA. 10 September 1854. 3 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. Newhouse describes a wedding. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). [Georgetown, CA]. 10 November 1854. 3 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. "Time in Calaforna [sic] is hard at present thar [sic] is know [sic] water for the miners to work and know appearence [sic] of rane [sic] soon." -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). [Georgetown, CA]. 24 December 1854. 2 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. Newhouse discusses the cost of provisions. -- ALS ("James Newhouse"). [Georgetown, CA]. 20 March 1855. 2 pages. Addressed on integral leaf. Newhouse discusses the difference between winter in Ohio and California. -- Together, 12 letters written by James NEWHOUSE to James KNOTTS, discussing mining, women, and life in California.

[With:] Unsigned letter to James Knotts. "State of California," 7 August 1853. 2 pages. "I will now give you a small scetch [sic] of mining in our canion [sic] there is but three or four small partys [sic] to work non [sic] of them is doing as well as we are. Mining, James, is a good deal like some of those cursed hoors [sic] cock there is but few places that there hant [sic] been a pick stuck in and prospected..." -- ALS ("John Michael"). "Clearcreak township Huntington Co Indiana," 18 January 1854. 4 pages. Michael writes this rather crass letter asking after several people and telling a few local stories. -- And 5 other items including 2 letters to James Knots from John Michael and an "American Merchants Union Express Company" receipt for James Knotts, dated 23 April 1862. -- Together, 7 items, nearly all related to James KNOTTS of Magnolia, OH.

[Also with:] DARR, John (Company J, 162 Ohio National Guard). ALS ("John Darr"). Covington, KY. 8 July 1864. 4 pages. Addressed to James KNOTTS. Darr provides an interesting perspective on Morgan's Raid. In part: "On sunday morning June 12 new came that John Morgan was in Kentucky about 15 miles from Cincinnati so about 9 oclock we got orders to be ready to march in one hour. You had better believe there was an excitement for a while but we was ready in time. We had to march two miles ot the railrode and took the cars about noon for Cincinnati where we landed about 6 ocolock. We then came over to this place and quartered for the night, the nex morning news came that Morgan was whipt and his men scattered so we went no farther." He also discusses guarding rebel prisoners at Camp Chase.

Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana, and Historical Documents