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Notice: all or parts of this letter appears in a copyrighted source (Evans 1968) and is presented here with permission. All rights reserved.
From: Jesse Esrey, Ray County, Missouri
To: Mr. Danil Rhoads, Upper California, Santiclar County, St. Hosa
Date: December 7, 1851
Note: from the Earl Rhoads collection
Dear Children: I avail myself of the present to write you a line, which leaves us all well, hoping you and yours may be well. James Esrey’s wife is not well and I have doubts if ever she is well again. Sir Isaac (Rhoads) and your brother Thomas (Rhoads) arrived with us on the 15 of October, being out only 45 days (from California). They are both well and hearty. Isaac and Forster (Rhoads) stayed with me a week ago. They had 30 pairs of hams and 10 whole deer which they sold for $40, so much for being a Nimrod. Forster will crop the plains with them if he sells his land. It has been said that Thomas was to be married shortly to one of the Nathews girls. How true it is I know not. The relatives here are all generally well. Old man Shackelford is dead, and James Henry had his fencing, stables and corn crib all burned up. Bohanans and Lindenschmidt all Burned up clean. The fire blew across the Big Slough a distance of sixty-five yards and burned 100 pannels of Shelby’s fence.
The times are moderately tight. The price of horses, cattle and work oxen keep up tolerable high. The Pork packers are afraid to take hold of the Pork Business at the prices asked. The crop of Pork in northern Missouri is very short on account of the shortness of crops occasioned by the extreme wet season. There are no buyers short of Brunswick. The result will be that farmers will salt their pork. I have eighty hogs that I shall have to salt or Drive them. I do not know yet which I will do. I have had no offers for my land. I occasionally sell a forty acres. There has been a large migration to Missouri this season and would have been much larger had there been good crops. They have broken ground on the Saint Jo and Hannibal Rail Road and also on The Pacific Railroad from St. Louis. 40 miles is under contract and being carried on rapidly to completion. --the last month had been rainy and cloudy, disagreeable weather, a bad time for gathering corn. Corn is worth a Dollar per Barrel and slow sale at that. Wheat 55 to 60 cents. Flour $4.50 to $5. at St. Louis only $3.50 at Cincinnati. It has been sold as low as $2.90. I have had no letter from you since I wrote you before and it may be that I am mistaken in your Postoffice. I have nothing of interest to write to you about, so conclude
your humble servant
J. Esrey