Lamb Herman Dwight (1 results)
Seller: Globus Rare Books & Archives, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.Globus Rare Books & Archives
Contact seller5-star sellerNone. Condition: None. Octavo (ca. 24.5 x 20 cm or 9 ½ x 7 ¾ in). Blue ink on creamy wove paper (bifolium), with papermaker's blindstamp on upper left corner. 4 pp. With original envelope ca. 13.5 x 7.5 cm (5 ¼ x 3 in), addressed "Mrs Sarah [?] Snow, Chester, Mass." and with several stamps on recto and verso. Fold marks, several… repaired tears along fold marks, otherwise a very good letter. An interesting early central California letter sharing the latest news in Big Oak Flat, Tuolumme County, which was established in 1849 as part of the California Gold Rush and is located near present-day Yosemite National Park. The letter is written by both Myra Cook and her brother Herman Dwight Lamb to their cousin Sarah in Massachusetts, updating her on what they did over the Christmas holidays. Cook mentions that the winter has been warm, with one night only needing shawls to keep warm. She also talks about going into a tunnel where people were digging for gold and gathering crystals on a hill. Additionally, she also goes into detail on extended family living elsewhere in the United States, and mentions a lady "from the east" who plans to return via San Francisco due to feeling homesick. Lamb laments the lack of snow so far in Big Oak Flat and also asks Sarah about a publisher Knowles & Maxim that recently contacted him about a penmanship book. Knowles & Maxim did publish a book titled "Real Pen Work: Self-Instructor in Penmanship" in 1881. Overall, an interesting early example of casual correspondence from a small rural town in Central California. Excerpts from the letter (spelling original): "[…] We received a letter from Cousin Elizabeth Hubbard. She is Uncle Dana's eldest daughter she lives at Pleasant Hill Cumberland Co Tennesee [sic] has a boy 12 years old, her sister Julia has six children lives in Iowa her Brother Dana lives in Fond du Lac Wisconsin. Edward lives where his Father did, my sister Carrie was well when last we heard. I saw a letter from Elder [?] a few weeks ago he is 90 years old writes a beautiful letter now, is living with his Son. Has only two daughters living. We have had a very warm pleasant winter so far a little south of here the [Manganitas?] are in blossom they are sweet and pretty; […] We had invitations to dinner on New Years Day but could not go. It was to meet a yound [sic] lady that came from the east this fall she is as homesick she has gone to San Francisco and intends to go back soon. […] went into a tunnel where they were digging for gold but we did not see any there. We went to a picnic last Monday up on a high hill where we could see a great distance, gathered a few crystals it was warm we only needed our shals [sic] towards night." "[…] we have had no snow yet it is raining to day snow never stays on over 2 or 3 days at a time we have no sleighs or cutters here…" "O Sarah I had a circular sent to me by Knowles & Maxim from Pitsfield [sic] Mass requesting me to be their Agent for the Pen work self instructor in Penmanship. The Book is full of flourishes Pictures of most everything made with a pen have you ever heard of them let know wether [sic] they do as advertise, or is it a fraud".
