Williamson letters (/10, page 2 continued)
33
such as barley whete corn potatos rice shugar tobacco and
all most all kinds of frouits,
you wish to know the q(u)antity of land and how and
what terms, I will first stat to you the situation of the
land in this state and Every New state
The land here belongs to the United Stats Goverment
he grants every Citisen of his Domin to one hundred and
sixty Acres of land and the go on and Improve it
and when it comes into markit the price he is required
is one doller and qur per Acre,
But I did not Squat on the land that i have got
for this reson the best of the land was all taking up and
Improved before i took the thought of Farming, So I selected
A good location on the river and bought the improvements
and his right to the hundred and sixty Acres, Now you see
A
when goverment cals on me the price i have to pay is I Doler
Acra
and A qur per Crea and the privleg to purches as much vacant
land as I plese of which there is thusants of Acres
(page 3)
e
I give one thousents dollers for the improvements
This is all i can give you in relation to the land
You further wishe to know the nomber of cattle i have got
the (y) are but few Now but when i rote you last i had
thirty five hed of oxenen and COWS Now the (y) ar got
down to the Small Nomber of six I Sold them A long
after i got well, and deposit the proceeds in Adams and
Co Bank, Where Now the damd villins is living on the
Spoil, This is California life, Wee must not Cry it is our
luck I have ansuered All your questions that know of
in relations to the land and cattle
You ask a gret many qestions a bout william which i
can not Answer I have not had any letters from William
since i have been in this country I ust to get letters from
Sister frances before she diad (sic) very frequently, and I have ritten
to william severl letters but he will not Answer them so i have
don riting to him, All the News i get from him Now
is through Mis Amey Smyth, and she told me he had
got Married as i stated to you before, He Marrid a An Irish
girl and his three children wer all living yet
you cerect me A good Dele a bout going to church I
have
not had my foot in a church in a number of years
Unsigned letter, California, to his mother, (County Armagh?), 6 May 1855
Description
This is an excellent letter, but it's not written by one of the Williamson brothers; the writer's literacy level is too low and his expressions are too crude. Letter appears to be from a farmer who has lost several $1,000 through sickness and bank failures, about which he's surprisingly philosophical. Expresses very negative attitudes towards churches in California and about religion in general. He writes of relatives, who have names similar to those of the Williamsons, but who live in Ohio. [author writes that he lives forty-five miles from Sacramento].
Date
06/05/1855
Date Issued
27/03/2023
Resource Type
Text
Archival Record Id
p155/4/1/1
Publisher
University of Galway
Extent
7pp
Topic
Williamson Letters
Geographic
California,United States,Armagh (county),Ireland
Temporal
Nineteenth century,Eighteen fifties
Genre
Letter,Transcription,Reproduction
Note
Title and description by Professor Kerby Miller. Transcript text by PRONI.
