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THBCalifornia Gold Rush, Disaster aboard the Steamer Golden Gate, Correspondence with Upstate New Yorker Featuring News from the
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveSep 8, 2017 - Sep 9, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (427)
- Lot Description
Lot of 8 items with letters spanning ca 1850-1869 to/from E. Jane Alexander of upstate New York, including 2 letters with news from the California gold fields.
Esther Jane Alexander originally hailed from Litchfield, NY. She was one of two daughters of Joseph Alexander and his wife Eliza Warner Alexander who owned a small farm in the area. She was known to her friends and family as "Jane." She never married.
Item 1. Alexander, E. Jane (1824-1883). ALS, 3pp, 8 x 10 in., Whitestown, NY. September 17, unknown year. Addressed to her "Dear & honoured Parents." Jane writes a warm letter to her parents about her situation at boarding school, inquiring about news of family, and remarking upon the opening of "a teachers class for the special benefit of those who are designing to teach." Stampless folded letter handstamped in red with "Whitestown NY" and "5".
Item 2. Crawford, Lavinia. ALS, 3pp, 8 x 10 in., Arkwright, NY. March, 15, 1850. Addressed to Miss E. Jane Alexander at Litchfield, NY. Stampless folded letter. An overtly religious letter, Crawford calls her friend her "Dear Sister in Christ" and discusses at length issues related to religion and piety. Crawford is a teacher who describes her love for her students, as well as her upcoming trip to India. "You speak of my leaving friends and have this spring to go to the heathen, I shall probably leave here in May. Intend to stop at Whitestown, hope to see you at my sister Starrs I shall spend a month there unless called to go east sooner than I expect to be....Indeed, I do not expect to have much rest until I reach India, should I live to reach there./ I could find enough to do here to occupy all of my life, yea @ dozen lives. People often say, why do you go away when there is so much to be done at home? I answer that the people here know their duty but do it not, the heathen do not know the way to eternal life."
Item 3. Crawford, Lavinia. ALS, 1p, 8 x 10 in., Unadilla Forks, NY. June, 12, 1850. Addressed to Miss E. J. Alexander at Litchfield, N.Y. Stampless folded letter. Lavinia writes her friend encouraging her to visit and to attend the yearly camp meeting.
Item 4. Hand-carried lady's cover addressed to Miss Jane Alexander with small embossed colored flower on flap, and matching notepaper from Mrs. Raymond who "would be happy to see Miss Jane Alexander at her house on Thurs. July 5th at 5 o'clock P.M."
Item 5. Alexander, Ira H. ALS, 3pp, 8 x 10 in., Smithfield, NY. October 5, 1851. Addressed to "Cousin Jane." Accompanied by ornately embossed lady's cover with red Petersboro, N.Y. datestamp, stamp removed. Ira writes sharing news of friends and family, with news from the California gold fields being of particular note. "We had first rate news from the California boys a few week ago, James Dickey wrote that he together with six others took out $950.00 worth of the raw material the day before he wrote, & their prospects were good. I sometimes wish I were with them...." Ira also writes to Jane about a potential teaching position that he has been able to secure for her. He states that the trustees of the academy "have agreed to give you the first chance [at the teaching position] if you wish for it, they will expect to hire you from $200 to $250.00 per year, and board can be obtained in the village for from $1.25 to $1.75 per week."
Item 6. Nelson, Prudence (1803-1881). ALS, 4pp, 5 x 8 in., Busti, NY. January 31, 1863. Addressed to "Dear Cousin Jane." Accompanied by cover postmarked Busti, stamp removed, and addressed to Miss Jane Alexander at Cederville, NY. Prudence apologizes to Jane for her slow reply noting that "sickness prevented this neighborhood has been greatly afflicted with the disease called dipthera [sic] many of the young people and children have died with it. my health is poor I am still afflicted with a hard cough..." Prudence then relates the tragic story of the death of two of her daughters, Sophia and Weltha, who had travelled West to California. Prudence expressed her hope to Jane that her girls would return home once Sophia's husband "had got enough of California." However, she was disappointed to receive a dispatch the year prior that "Weltha was dead left a girl four days old she gave it to Sophia told her to bring it home to us as soon as it was old enough to stand the journey." Prudence continues that when the baby was nine months old Sophia and the baby departed San Francisco on board the vessel Golden Gate to make the journey home to New York. "They sailed on the 21 of July and the 27 the boat took fire in the upper part of the ship...little Weltha was flung overboard and Sophia took hold of a rope and slipped down in to the water and was seen no more." This horrendous disaster in which nearly 200 lives were lost received national attention and was recorded in the New York Times as a "Terrible Disaster in the Pacific."
Item 7. Alexander, Ira and his wife Alexander, Mary. ALS, 4pp, 5 x 8 in., Stockbridge, (probably NY). December 16, 1868. Addressed to "Dear Cousin Jane." Both Mary and her husband Ira write separately to Jane in this letter. Letter primarily contains details on the health of family and friends, but includes details town bonds and on the development of the Midland Rail Road within sight of the Alexander's home.
Item 8. Wilcox, Flora. ALS, 1p, 4 x 6.5 in., Whitestown, NY. September, 8, 1869. Addressed to "Dear Sister." Accompanied by ornately embossed cover stamped Peterboro, and addressed to Miss E. Jane Alexander at Litchfield, NY. Short note from Flora Wilcox, Corresponding Secretary of the Whitestown Seminary, saying "The B. D. room has been nicely furnished" and asking Jane to pledge $1 per term until the costs of the room are paid off.
Condition
Minor soil, dampstaining, and toning on some letters. Overall, letters are in good condition given age and all correspondence is easily legible.
Combs with all teeth present and intact. Some of the brass inlay is coming loose, however all else in excellent working condition.
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