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Notice: all or parts of this letter appears in a copyrighted source (Emmanuels 2002) and it is presented here with his kind permission.
(Jonathan to Niles)
California
Jan. 17th, 1859
To Niles Esrey,
Dear Brother, I take the opportunity of writing you a few lines to inform you that I am well at present and I hope these lines will find you all in good health. Justin is in good health.
I received your letter on the fourth day of this month, which I was glad to get. It was the first letter I have got since August. I have not heard from Daniel and Amanda since I left there, which is about two months. I wrote you a letter about a week before I started home.
Prices are about the same. Beef worth from eight to ten cents. Pork is worth twelve cents gross weight. Horses is worth from one hundred and fifteen dollars to as many dollars as a pocket would hold. Mules are high. We are going to make a garden this year. We make the fence out of logs, limbs and brush. I undertook to make some short rails today, for that purpose. I made one hundred and forty out of worse timber that ever grew in the Horse-shoe Bend. The maul handle was big and cramped my fingers and hurt my wrist, but it hurt my feelings worse and my head aches yet. But there is one thing certain, -we are not going to have our sheep lying about in the brush any longer.
Tell the boys to write. John says he does not know where our post office is. Tell him how you back your letters I don't know of anything worth writing. Write when you can.
Jonathan Esrey
P.S. William Frazier is on the Calaveras River, about nine miles from Stockton, where he has been in this country. Mr. Joe Cummings saw him there a short time ago.